"Exactly — a bet!"
Aoi coldly pulled out the blueprint for the electromagnetic induction coil. "I submitted these designs more than ten days ago."
Seimei and Kiyomasa took the drawing and glanced at it. Both men immediately frowned in confusion.
They had been master craftsmen for years, yet they had never seen such a strange design for a ninja tool...
"I came here specifically for this item."
Aoi spoke with a cold smirk. "The wager is simple. Kiyomasa will forge this tool. If he fails to produce one that meets the requirements... I will kill him!"
Gulp...
Kiyomasa swallowed hard, his heart pounding...
But Aoi wasn't finished speaking yet.
"And after I kill him..." Aoi continued coldly, "another craftsman from this nation will take his place. And so on, until someone finally produces exactly what I need!"
Hearing this, even the normally patient Seimei lost his temper. He pounded his chest and roared, "You are far too arrogant, Aoi! Do you really think you can slaughter every single person in this country?!"
"I refuse to believe that today—"
Seimei was about to rage further, but Gengetsu Hozuki suddenly clamped a hand tightly over his mouth.
"You fool! The entire Sand Village is gone, wiped off the map, and you still dare to act tough here?!"
"The Sand Village?"
Seimei froze. Suddenly, the realization hit him:
This young boy standing before him was only three years old. Yet at the age of two, he had single‑handedly killed Retsu.
At two and a half, he had challenged the entire power structure of the Mist Village alone. And he was the absolute monster who had annihilated Sunagakure all by himself!
For a man like that to add another line to his resume — Age three: Destroyed the Land of Craftsmen single‑handedly — would hardly seem out of place at all...
Gulp~
Once he understood the reality, Seimei swallowed hard and fell completely silent.
At that moment, however, Kiyomasa suddenly spoke up.
"If we are making a bet, there must be terms for winning as well." Kiyomasa stared at Aoi with a dark, cunning look in his eyes. "If I win... then I want to ki—"
Before he could finish, Seimei slapped him hard across the face, cutting the rest of his words short. "Kill your mother, you idiot?!"
Kiyomasa looked at him, wronged and confused. "Brother... Mother died a long time ago..."
...
Everyone present was stunned. Is this Kiyomasa actually an idiot?
If he wins, the only thing that matters is that he gets to keep his life. Does he seriously think Aoi would offer to kill himself if he lost?
To everyone else, it seemed obvious that Aoi was already letting Kiyomasa off the hook.
After all, the design was simple. It was something even an apprentice could forge, let alone a master craftsman...
But would Aoi really let Kiyomasa go?
Don't be ridiculous.
"I don't have high standards for this tool. It only needs to be durable enough to be used twice — that's all." Aoi narrowed his eyes, smiling coldly.
"Surely that isn't too difficult for a master craftsman, is it?"
That single sentence sealed Kiyomasa's fate...
Yet everyone else in the room thought the opposite: Aoi has clearly decided to spare him. This bet is just a way for him to save face and back down gracefully...
After all, with such a simple design, a master could forge it in his sleep.
"Seems like this Aoi isn't so unreasonable after all. Not nearly as terrifying as the rumors say!" Seimei let out a long breath of relief. "Just another misunderstanding people made up!"
"Thank you, Lord Aoi, for giving me this chance to start over." Kiyomasa was beaming again. "Next time you need something made, I'll give you a fifty percent discount!"
It looked as though all grievances had been settled and everyone was happy. Seeing that the drama was over, the crowd dispersed quickly...
Only Gengetsu Hozuki remained, frowning deeply. Would Aoi really be this easy‑going? That doesn't fit his style at all...
Has the sharp, ambitious boy who once challenged me in front of the entire Mist Village really become so soft and agreeable?
"Don't worry," Seimei said confidently.
"Kiyomasa's skills aren't as good as mine, but the tools he makes certainly won't break after just one use!"
When it came to their craft, the brothers were brimming with pride. We are seasoned professionals, after all...
Had Aoi really changed his ways?
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