Chapter 2: Securing the Forge and Unlocking Rewards
After thinking it over, Uchiha Mikoto gave Naraku two options.
First: She could help him find an empty house in the clan grounds and convert it into a forging workshop. But that would require negotiating with the Uchiha elders. If the clan fully supported it, they'd likely demand a large share—even most—of any profits from his creations.
Second: Approach Granny Cat. The ninja cat clan was recently gearing up to expand into the arms trade. If Naraku asked for help now, Granny Cat would probably jump at the chance.
Naraku considered it for two seconds before deciding: Granny Cat it was.
He didn't want to get too deeply entangled with the Uchiha clan—especially not over something as valuable as weapons. He refused to hand over any control or rights to his creations. What if he forged something truly powerful and the clan tried to seize it?
Plus, he needed privacy. The ninja cats' territory, with fewer prying eyes, was perfect.
So Naraku and Mikoto headed to the ninja cat clan's lands together. Guided by the ninja cat Shukaku (a playful tomcat summon), they met Granny Cat.
All around, cats darted and played. Naraku felt an itch to pet one—or ten.
"Little Mikoto! What brings you here today?" Granny Cat asked with a warm, toothy grin.
"Granny Cat, I came to ask for a favor," Mikoto explained, then laid out Naraku's request.
Only then did Granny Cat properly notice the handsome little boy beside her. She eyed the skinny kid skeptically—could someone so small really craft decent ninja tools? Still, she had spare space lying around. It was a low-risk move; she'd let the boy try.
"Little Naraku," she said, turning to him, "I do have an unused forging workshop. How do you propose we work together?"
Naraku bowed respectfully. "I'd like to rent it from you. If I forge anything worthwhile, you can buy it from me at near-wholesale market price. But some items might be personal—non-negotiable. I won't sell those casually."
Granny Cat studied his confident expression and decided not to dampen the kid's spirits. She quoted a bargain rent: "How about 50,000 ryō per month?"
(For reference: A bowl of Ichiraku ramen costs about 60 ryō—roughly 15 yuan or a cheap meal back home.)
Naraku quickly did the mental math: a few hundred yuan a month for a whole forge? Deal. He thanked her profusely.
Then, with Mikoto and Shukaku in tow, he went to inspect the place. It was rundown—dusty, old tools scattered—but fully functional. Naraku was thrilled.
He pulled 50,000 ryō straight from his small personal savings and handed it to Shukaku to pass to Granny Cat. On the way out, he slipped Shukaku a pinch of catnip as thanks.
Shukaku gave him a knowing "you get it, kid" look before sauntering off.
Once he'd convinced Mikoto to head home (promising to be careful), Naraku got to work.
He summoned the system panel in his mind and submitted the task completion.
Ding~
A crisp notification rang out. The semi-transparent screen flickered with clear text:
[Task Completed!]
[Congratulations, Host. You have received task rewards.]
[1. Forging Technique Bonus: When in your dedicated forging workshop, forging skills receive a minor boost, and your innate forging talent sees significant improvement.]
[2. "Akame ga Kill!" World – Imperial Arms (Teigu) / Vassal Arms (Ougi) Crafting Knowledge: In a certain empire, the founding emperor gathered the world's finest craftsmen. Using legendary super-dangerous species as materials, rare metals like Oriharukon, and countless lost secret techniques, they created forty-eight unparalleled weapons known as "Teigu" to ensure eternal rule. Four centuries later, attempts to replicate them failed, so the later emperor mockingly dubbed inferior versions "Ougi" (Vassal Arms) and sealed them away.]
[3. Oriharukon (1 portion)]
Naraku claimed the rewards immediately. A flood of knowledge about crafting Vassal Arms (and the superior Teigu) poured into his mind—techniques, forging secrets, everything.
It took him a while to process. Both Teigu and Vassal Arms required three core elements:
Materials from powerful, dangerous creatures. Rare metals like Oriharukon. Master-level craftsmanship (including lost arts) from top artisans worldwide.
The requirements were steep—crafting even a Vassal Arm wouldn't be easy. But Naraku checked the system panel for any shortcuts.
The screen refreshed and settled on his status:
[System Membership Level: Beginner]
[Name: Uchiha Naraku]
[Age: 8]
[Overall Strength: Ninja Academy Student]
[Forger Level: B- (B+ with Workshop Bonus)]
[Forged Weapon Bonuses:]
Talent Replication: When others use a B-grade or higher weapon forged by you, you randomly gain portions of their attributes, abilities, talents, ninjutsu, bloodlines, etc. The stronger the user, the higher the weapon affinity and mastery level—the better your rewards.
Undead Legion: Enemies killed by your B-grade+ weapons, or owners who die while using them, have their souls collected into your exclusive Shinigami Hall.
Weapon Sovereignty: You hold absolute dominion over your forged weapons—able to suppress their power, disable them, or even cause backlash against the wielder.
[Task Item: Oriharukon ×1]
[Forger Reputation: 0]
[Lottery Note: Use Forger Reputation for draws. Every 10 points = 1 draw. Possible prizes: rare creature materials, precious metals, lost forging techniques…]
[Evaluation: With ideal conditions and your dedicated workshop boosting your skills, you now possess the ability to craft full Vassal Arm-level weapons. As for combat… you're just an academy student—not even genin level. Congratulations: you don't qualify for the ninja world battlefield yet.]
Staring at the panel, Naraku's heart raced. Those two weapon bonuses were insane—they basically screamed: "Forge weapons! Give them to powerhouses! Profit wildly!"
Not only massive attribute/talent gains, but fallen strong enemies (and even the wielders themselves) became his subordinates in the Shinigami Hall—eternal "brothers" under his banner.
With these alone, Naraku mentally declared: All eyes on me. I'm announcing it now—I'm the future sovereign of the ninja world. Whether he became its shadow emperor or decided to spare it… that was entirely up to him.
But first things first: he needed materials. Creature parts and rare metals wouldn't gather themselves.
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