The Will of a Wounded Warrior

Tue Jan 10, 2023 4:24 pm

Saturn Sentobi had had a lapse of judgment. His crafty skills and beloved presence was not enough to save him from the punishment dealt out by the village leader. As a result of attacking a noble guest and failing to perform his duties as a gate guard, Saturn had his right hand chopped off with an axe. He was also sentenced to a fight to the death in Warmonger's Arena.

Determined not to let this setback defeat him, he thought long and hard about how he could come out of this situation alive. The thought of fleeing the village occurred to him more than once, but it was not in his heart to abandon the village that he called home. He had heard of a legendary blacksmith in the far-off Dragon's Ravine, located on the corners of the village's mountains. The blacksmith was said to have the ability to forge weapons of great power and finesse, and Sentobi believed that if anyone could craft a weapon for him that would allow him to fight with the same skill and power with one hand as he had with two, it was this blacksmith.

The journey was long and treacherous, with Saturn facing many challenges along the way. He had to cross treacherous mountains, navigate through dense forests, and fend off wild beasts. But this was all very familiar to the Genin. He pushed through the difficulties and finally reached Dragon's Ravine.

As he entered the cave, he could see the high peaks surrounding it, and he could almost feel the presence of the dragons rumored to live there. The cave itself was said to be shaped like a dragon, with its mouth open wide, and many stories told that the cave lead to somewhere else in the past, but no one had ever been able to confirm it. He journeyed deep into the cave, holding up a lantern with his left hand. His bloodied axe was strapped to his back, over his thick black hooded woollen robe, into which his right arm was bent and tucked. Soon, he found himself in a large chamber, lit with fire. As he lowered his lantern to his side, he saw various axes and large swords hanging on walls that indicated to him that the blacksmith was near.

"As-Salaam-Alaikum!"

He extended out a foreign salutation, and heard his voice echo in the walls of the cave. Was Saturn delusional, or was this blacksmith the real deal?

WC: 411

Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:58 pm

A combination of sweat mixed together with dirt painted Giichi's face, little watery drops running down his forehead. Kumogakure's legendary blacksmith found himself deep inside Dragon Ravine, the famous cave located in the mountains and home to his shop. Surrounded by the many tools needed for the smithing process Giichi prepared himself to hopefully create another masterpiece. The design of the sword had already been decided and now that all of the materials had been gathered it was finally time. The blackmith would grip the steel with a pair of tongs and heat it in his forge until the color of the steel turned yellow.

Once it had reached temperature Giichi removed the steel from the forge, setting the stock flat on his anvil to shape the corner into that of a sword using his hammer. He then created a cutting edge on either side of the sword and once one side had been hammered he would flip the sword on the anvil and hammer the other side until both were even. Now that the shape of the sword was established, he reheated the steel by gripping and bringing it up to a lower temperature in order to let it cool off. Once all the red color had left the steel, Giichi placed it back in the forge and repeated the process three times over.

With most of the hard work out of the way the next step was to strengthen and sharpen the blade, a process known as quenching to harden the steel in order to strengthen the sword. Using a fine file and whetstone Giichi carefully sharpened the sword until he felt satisfied with the result. "What a beauty" the blacksmith admired his own creation, more than happy with how it ended up. "You'll make a fine gift for my son" he spoke out loud, looking at the blade that would hopefully be wielded by the 12th. "I name you Mournful Cry, may you serve him well". He then placed it in the hilt he had created in the meantime.

Standing between many of his creations Giichi could suddenly hear a strange voice echo through the cave. "The days of peace are long gone" the blacksmith shouted, his booming voice filling up Dragon Ravine. "Now get your ass over here or do I have to drag you out myself?". Work never stopped, but it was what he loved.

(WC: 400)

Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:00 am

"Damn!" Saturn retorted back, his voice reverberating through the cave. A voice had responded perfectly to his salutation with bearings of grim news about the state of the world. His spirit was lifted, and he was feeling optimistic, but he could not be sure until he saw the man himself and heard what he had to say about his request. He followed the booming voice of Giichi, and soon found himself in the shop of the legendary blacksmith. He unveiled his hood, to reveal his face, and upon seeing a towering man with a striking red mark on his left eye and battle scars all over his body, he was certain that he had found the man that he was looking for. He laid his axe in front of him and got down on one knee with his right arm tucked into his robe to make his plea.

"Master Giichi, I stand before you today, a desperate man with nowhere else to turn." He spoke respectfully, and passionately, with a look of great determination in his icy blue eyes, " I, Saturn Sentobi, a proud Genin of the Hidden Cloud, have been punished by the Raikage. My right hand, the hand that wielded my weapons with deadly precision, has been brutally taken from me. And I have been sentenced to fight to the death in Warmonger's Arena with only my one remaining hand. The fight is tomorrow and I have no time to waste.

I cannot forfeit my life. I will not go down without a fight, and that is why I come to you, legendary blacksmith of Dragon's Ravine, with a task that may seem impossible. I need a weapon, one that can compensate for my missing hand, one that can help me fight just as skilfully with one hand as I could with two. I know this is a tall order, but I am willing to do whatever it takes. I will pay any price. I will work alongside you till sunrise to make this happen. I will push myself to the limit, and I will not rest until I have a weapon worthy of a true ninja. My fate rests on this weapon."

He would pause for a moment to catch his breath, and check if the blacksmith was empathetic towards his cause. If he were entertaining the Genin, he would plant his hand on the ground and summon three containers from his Storage Dimension.

"Master Giichi, I come to you today with a weapon that has been by my side through countless battles, my trusty axe. But today, I seek to take it to the next level. I bring with me Senju Wood, Mercury, and Jade. I trust that with these materials, and your skill, you can turn this axe into something truly remarkable. I've also brought with me the skulls and horns of two beasts that I slew with this very axe on my journey to Dragon's Ravine. This is not just a weapon, it is a symbol of my determination and the embodiment of my will to survive. A weapon that will not only make up for my missing hand, but also give me an edge in battle. Please, Master Giichi, I implore you to help me."

WC: 544
TWC: 955

Mon Jan 16, 2023 10:07 am

Well this one liked to talk, didn't he? "It appears the shinobi of Kumogakure prefer to fight with words over swords instead". Giichi would listen to the Genin's rambling nonetheless, the sooner he was done talking, the sooner the blacksmith could get to work. He couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing there was still such a thing as good old tradition, mistakes being punished by taking one's hand. Luckily some things never changed. “Desperation can make a person do surprising things, I do not like surprises. Tell me Saturn, are you going to surprise me?”. The only thing Giichi disliked even more was someone wasting his time.

With the boy's monologue finally coming to an end, truly an Oscar worthy performance, it was time for the blacksmith to listen to his request. "Go sit in that corner while I handle it, I didn't get this old relying on some youngster's help". Giichi would take the axe and inspect both the weapon as well as the materials Saturn brought with him. Only a few people would come to understand how important a weapon could be, for many of them it truly became an extension of one's body while others simply considered it as just a sword, a tool to use and throw away whenever they saw fit.

Repeating the same process he followed earlier, Giichi started working his magic, turning the basic axe into something completely different, Saturn's weapon undergoing quite the metamorphosis. "Can't forget about the skulls and horns, edgy as they might be". Expecting his visitor to be sitting in the corner, the blacksmith figured a little advice wouldn't hurt. Although he now wielded different tools than the ones he used to in his glory days, he had still seen and fought many battles. Perhaps experience he could pass down to the next generation. "Visualize the upcoming battle in your head, play the events mentally inside your mind. It'll help you prepare for any of the possible scenarios". Well begun is half won, a good start would be half the battle.

With only a couple of finishing touches here and there, Giichi would take the time to give Saturn a final piece of advice. "Look for Raijin's Rage, use it right and you won't lose that second hand of yours". That's all he would say on the matter, leaving the rest to the Genin to figure out. Desperation can make a person do surprising things, the only question remaining just how desperate Saturn would be. In the meantime Giichi finally finished improving the axe, admiring the work as he would call the Genin over. "Come take a look". He then handed it to its owner who could hold it in his remaining hand to give it a feel. "Minotaur's Labrys, a name most fitting for a weapon like this" he complimented his own creation, not entirey unbiased considering his love for axes.

(WC: 400, TWC: 883)

- Augmenting and creating Minotaur's Labrys [ANT]

Mon Jan 16, 2023 1:45 pm

"Surprise you?" Saturn muttered, visibly confused, as he sulked and made his way to the corner of the chamber. He sat down, with his right arm still in his robe, and observed the legendary blacksmith as he worked. The sound of clanging metal was similar to the ringing in his own head ever since the incident. He could also hear the sound of the slashing Leviathan's Axe coming down on his wrist, and he could see the face of the man who was partly responsible. The echoes of smashing metal within the walls of the chamber helped drown out some of his darkest thoughts. Still, he didn't like waiting or being idle. He would drink, but he remembered that he emptied his flask earlier, and did not take the time to refill. He would smoke but he would not want to offend the blacksmith, not while he was making his weapon. He sighed, and waited patiently with his head down. Although it was against his nature, the pounding metal in sync with his own pounding heart made him feel heard by a higher power, and it made his wait tolerable.

His cold blue eyes looked up at Giichi as he offered him advise. In the back of his mind, like a film playing over reality, he pictured with crystal clear clarity how he would take out his opponent. It would be simple, and straight to the point. He visualized charging at the opponent with no restraint, and slashing his axe across their neck to behead them before they could pose any threat to Saturn, or learn anything about him. Of course, he would take precautionary measures to avoid falling for the typical pitfall traps like Genjutsu. He knew of a way to summon up to three eyes that could not perceive Genjutsu at all. He put his head back down, and continued to visualize the same frames over and over - rushing up to his opponent and beheading them. "Kill.. kill.. kill.." Saturn muttered under his breath, rocking back and forth.

He looked up at the blacksmith once again when he was given a final piece of advice. "Raijin's Rage?" He repeated the words, wondering where he had heard of such a thing. It sounded familiar. Perhaps he had seen it in a book while studying in Thunderpeak Campus, back when he was still studious. He took the hint that the man was not ready to tell him any more about it, and from his tone it sounded as though the weapon was nearly finished. Finally getting up, he made his way over to Giichi, and received the Minotaur's Labrys with his left hand. He observed it keenly as he spun it around to turn it in his grip, his eyes glimmering at the sight as he nodded, feeling as though he were holding the axe of Minotaur. He turned his eyes towards Giichi, whom he read on the spot liked axes and surprises. He had confessed the latter, however.

"Thank you, Master Giichi. This weapon will do." He sounded confident, getting down on one knee to bow before the legendary blacksmith. He took out a bag stuffed hastily with 20,000 ryo and placed it before the man. He also took out a standard waraxe, a second, and placed it on top of the bag - a surprise. "It isn't much, Master Giichi, but for your trouble.." He offered the items to the blacksmith. Then, if he obliged, Saturn would get up and bow once again before promptly taking his leave.

WC: 589
TWC: 1544