Human nature!
Fate is truly unpredictable. Just like the encounters between people—who can ever foresee them?
"Whoo! It's freezing!" Stepping out of the warm tavern, Saiki couldn't help but shiver, pulling his cloak tighter around himself.
Hearing this, Tsume asked with concern, "Are you cold? How about we find a shop and buy some proper winter clothes? Since we'll likely be stuck in this town for a couple of days anyway."
After a moment's thought, Saiki nodded and smiled. "That's a good idea. I have spare clothes in my scroll, but you don't have anything suitable for this weather, Sensei. We definitely need to pick some up."
Since she was currently wearing Saiki's pants, Tsume didn't argue the point and simply nodded.
Walking down the street, the biting wind was indeed fierce enough to make the other pedestrians hunch their shoulders and duck their heads.
However, Saiki was already immune to the cold and heat. His sudden shiver was merely a reaction to the extreme temperature shift; having just eaten a massive meal, his blood was pumping hot, so stepping into the freezing wind felt like a sudden bucket of ice water being dumped on his head after a marathon.
With a slight circulation of his internal Qi, the energy flowed through his meridians, instantly neutralizing the freezing chill of the snowy nation.
Furuki Town was remote, but it wasn't a tiny hamlet. It was certainly larger than the stereotypical "one street, two buildings, one park, and a single cop" ghost towns Saiki had heard of in his past life.
While there weren't a massive number of shops, they had everything necessary. The two quickly found a clothing store.
Saiki picked out a few thick, heavy garments—treating them as souvenirs from this unexpected trip.
Tsume opted for more practical, durable winter wear.
Unlike Saiki, who was immune to the elements, Tsume—despite being a ninja—wasn't nearly as resistant to the cold. As soon as she bought the clothes, she changed into them immediately.
She insisted Saiki change as well, primarily to blend in and avoid drawing unnecessary attention during their stay.
Naturally, after changing, Tsume returned Saiki's slightly-too-small pants to him and put on her own new gear.
After paying, the two left the shop and continued strolling through the town.
"Saiki, if you want to forge a custom sword, do you have enough money on you?"
"Don't worry, Sensei. I'm always prepared."
When normal ninja went on missions, they carefully calculated the amount of funds they needed to carry. But Saiki was different; he carried his entire net worth on him at all times. The sealing scrolls strapped to his waist held not only his spare clothes but every single Ryo he owned to his name.
Hearing this, Tsume didn't press the issue. Truth be told, she found it increasingly difficult to understand what was going on in Saiki's head.
In the past, Tsume had viewed Saiki as the quintessential "genius prodigy" everyone talked about. But looking at him now, his mind was vastly more complex than it appeared on the surface.
During this war, Saiki had revealed a different side of himself. While his combat prowess was staggering, he maintained a chillingly detached, "none-of-my-business" attitude toward the conflict itself. Looking at the amount of gear and supplies he carried, anyone who didn't know him would assume he was prepping to defect from the village, yet he was the one stepping up to turn the tide in the most critical moments.
As they walked down the street and asked around, they eventually found themselves standing in front of a blacksmith shop. A heavy wooden sign reading "Furuki Forge" hung above the door. The rhythmic clanging of hammers striking steel echoed from within, and the roaring heat of the forge illuminated the sweaty faces of the blacksmiths.
Saiki pushed the door open and stepped inside, with Tsume close behind. His eyes swept over the rows of exquisitely crafted swords and blades on display, silently impressed by the craftsmanship.
The master blacksmith looked up. Even though they had changed into local winter clothes, he could instantly tell from their bearing that they weren't ordinary civilians. He immediately walked over with a welcoming smile.
"What can I help you two with? Every blade we forge here is of the highest quality."
"I want to commission a custom sword. Ideally, I want it forged from a metal with exceptionally high chakra conductivity," Saiki stated plainly.
The blacksmith was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Tsume, then asked, "Are you sure you're the one ordering it, young man?"
"Yes, I am. Like I said, I want a custom blade capable of withstanding massive amounts of chakra," Saiki affirmed.
Seeing that Tsume remained silent, clearly deferring to the boy's judgment, the blacksmith realized from their aura that Saiki was not to be underestimated.
The blacksmith considered the request for a moment and nodded. "Understood. That will require specialized materials and a significant amount of time. And it will be quite expensive."
"I have a budget of fifty million Ryo on hand. That should be enough, right?" Saiki replied coolly.
A gleam of excitement flashed in the blacksmith's eyes, and he chuckled. "More than enough. You're a very generous customer. Chakra-conductive metal is incredibly rare, but as it happens, our shop has some in stock. I will personally oversee the forging to guarantee its quality. Do you have any specific requirements for the design?"
Saiki already knew exactly what he wanted. "The blade should be about three shaku (roughly 3 feet) long. The profile needs to be narrow—lightweight but incredibly resilient, optimized for high-speed drawing and slashing. The hilt just needs to be functional and easy to grip."
After a pause, Saiki asked the crucial question, "How long will the forging process take? I need it as soon as possible."
The blacksmith did some mental math. "At the absolute fastest, a month."
Hearing this, Saiki frowned deeply. "That long? Is there any way to expedite the process? I'm willing to pay extra."
The blacksmith pondered this, then nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll do everything I can to compress the timeline, but twenty days is my absolute limit."
"Twenty days?" This was far beyond Saiki's expectations. In his memories of those TV blacksmithing competitions, didn't they hammer out a sword in a matter of days?
Saiki wasn't in any rush to return to the front lines, but waiting around for twenty days was simply too long.
He had wanted a blade tailor-made for him, but it seemed he'd have to settle for the next best thing. The reason his previous chakra blade had shattered wasn't just the sheer power; it was also because the balance hadn't suited his style perfectly, leading to uneven stress distribution that caused micro-fractures under his monstrous strength.
Sensing Saiki's hesitation, the blacksmith offered an alternative. "Why don't you pick out a pre-made blade for now? We can make minor adjustments, and it'll serve you well in an emergency."
Saiki thought about it and replied, "Do you have any high-end ready-made swords available? I don't even need it modified; let's just see if you have one that suits me."
"Chakra metal is scarce, so we don't have many finished pieces in stock. However, there is one blade called 'Thunderstorm' (Raimei). The blade is incredibly light, and its chakra conductivity is off the charts. While it's not custom-made for you, it is an exceptional masterpiece. Would you like to test it?"
Saiki nodded. "Alright. Let me see 'Thunderstorm'."
The blacksmith retrieved a long, silver-grey katana. The steel seemed to shimmer with a faint, internal light. The moment Saiki gripped the hilt, he felt his chakra flow into the metal with zero resistance.
He gave it a few test swings. The blade sliced through the air with a sharp hiss—it was incredibly light, yet felt devastatingly sharp, and the center of gravity was absolutely perfect.
"Boss, did you know I was coming?" Saiki asked, genuinely surprised by how perfectly the sword suited him after just a few swings.
The blacksmith smiled warmly. "Pure coincidence. 'Thunderstorm' has been sitting here for a long time without a buyer. Today, it seems it has finally found its true master."
Saiki nodded, inwardly thrilled. The blade was a perfect fit; it felt as if it had been forged specifically for his hands. It was incredibly responsive, his chakra flowed through it like water, and it would undoubtedly multiply the lethality of his strikes.
Saiki made his decision: he was taking 'Thunderstorm'.
Seeing his satisfaction, the blacksmith smiled. "In that case, 'Thunderstorm' is yours."