"Are you the young lady from the Land of Sand? The smith Kakashi mentioned?"
I was sitting at a table in a yakiniku restaurant in Konoha when I heard the man's voice and turned to look. He was a dapper-looking man, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a well-groomed beard.
After my disastrous exchange with Mr. Kakashi, I had apparently been in a catatonic state, as if my soul had been reaped by a hannya-masked god of death. Mr. Kakashi, concerned for my mental well-being, had arranged to introduce me to "Asuma," a Konoha Jonin who used a special kind of ninja tool.
He must truly be a large-hearted man to be this kind to someone from another village.
—Though I could never forgive him for the undeniable fact that he broke the White Light Chakra Saber, a sword breaking on the battlefield is unavoidable. It's probably wrong of me to blame him.
Setting that aside, I had to focus on the man in front of me. My conversation skills were already low; I had to avoid making a bad first impression.
"Yes, I am Murasame, from Sunagakure—"
As I turned to face Mr. Asuma properly, I noticed 2 boys and 1 girl standing near him. I guessed they had the same teacher-student relationship as Mr. Kakashi and his team.
"Ah, these are my students. Since we were meeting at a yakiniku place, I brought them along. Hope it's not a bother."
"No, it's fine."
"Good. Sorry about that. —Alright, you lot, eat with restraint."
He said "you lot," but his warning was clearly directed at one of them—the most portly of the 3 boys. His expression was strained, as if this was tied to some unpleasant memory.
If he had to be that forceful, he probably should have come alone. But the fact that he brought them anyway meant this man was likely just as good-natured as Mr. Kakashi.
Above all, the scent of blades I was getting from the pouch on his hip told me as much.
I couldn't tell the details, but this man was definitely carrying some kind of blade.
In that case, I should show the proper respect.
"I will pay. I'm earning well, and I am the one who asked for this meeting..."
"Whoa, no, I can't let you do that. I have my pride as a teacher. —Besides, the bill here isn't something you just 'casually' pay for."
Seeing Mr. Asuma's grave expression and the looks on the faces of his other 2 students, I backed down.
My previous conversation with Mr. Kakashi had done more than just "damage his pride"; it had put a crack in our entire trust. It was safer to just concede.
Still, I felt bad doing nothing, so I offered to grill the meat. The heat and spattering oil were nothing compared to the forge.
I grilled meat for a while. The boy sitting next to me seemed to find the very act of picking up meat a hassle, so I took the liberty of placing cooked pieces on his plate as I explained my situation to Mr. Asuma across the table.
"—and so, Mr. Kakashi introduced me to you."
"I see. I get the situation. Still, I can't just go showing my personal ninja tools—my hand, so to speak—to someone from another village."
"...I know I am being presumptuous."
"Tell you what—how about you sell me one of your absolute best swords, one that these guys could handle, for half price?"
Before I could react to Asuma's proposal, his students stopped their chopsticks.
Well, one of them was still moving, but he at least looked up at his teacher.
"Hey, what are you talking about, Asuma?"
"Yeah! Wasn't our immediate goal to strengthen our teamwork while improving our individual jutsu?"
"Well, things have... changed."
Asuma waved his hand, giving his students a vague answer.
But this deal wasn't just a whim; he had a good reason.
The Chunin Exams, a promotion test gathering Genin from all the villages, were coming up.
His team, composed of members from Konoha's hiden-jutsu-using clans, would certainly have an advantage in the teamwork portion. But he was worried about their individual skills.
Furthermore, the exam ultimately required individual prowess. It was a competition between shinobi; if you started thinking about "what-ifs," there was no end to it.
His students needed to develop individual skills beyond their teamwork. But this exam allowed Genin much older than them to participate; they wouldn't survive on skills learned overnight.
He had been thinking of getting them some good ninja tools, just as a Jonin in charge. That's when Kakashi had asked him to meet with a smith from another village in his place. He had no idea what it was about, but it was a godsend.
And so, as the girl named Murasame, sitting across from him, nodded deeply in agreement, he took his beloved tools from his pouch.
"These are my Chakra Blades."
I stared intently at the uniquely shaped tools Mr. Asuma placed on the table.
In simple terms, they were a hybrid of a trench knife and a blade. Their reach was far inferior to a standard sword, but their "all-purpose" nature—being usable in confined spaces—was an overwhelming advantage for a shinobi on a variety of missions.
They were perfectly maintained. No rust, no chips. Beautiful. But what drew my interest most of all was—
"This blade... it's made of a special metal. It's the type that reacts to the wielder's chakra..."
"No way! You can tell just by looking!?"
"I have made chakra-reactive tools a few times... so I can tell this much. However, the metal in these blades is extremely high quality, and I sense something... different about it."
"Hoh. A sharp eye you've got."
Asuma murmured, impressed. He picked up one of the blades, gripped it, and channeled his "chakra" into it.
The chakra spread, enveloping the entire blade, and extended "thinly and sharply" as an intangible edge.
"These Chakra Blades are made from a special metal that absorbs the wielder's chakra nature. For example, when I hold it, it becomes an extension of me, a single, supremely sharp edge."
"...Wonderful."
"Eh? Wonderful? Is it really that different from the chakra-reactive weapons you just mentioned?"
The girl, Ino, tilted her head, not understanding the difference.
"For example, the 'Lightning Release Swords' used by Kumo shinobi. The wielder achieves greater sharpness and an electric charge by enveloping a chakra-reactive blade with a Lightning Release ninjutsu. In contrast, this blade itself resonates with the wielder's chakra and takes on that nature. This means there's no waste in synchronizing the chakra and the blade, allowing the nature transformation power to be expressed more strongly. Furthermore, unlike the former, it doesn't require the use of a ninjutsu, so it's far more efficient. That's an extremely useful trait for shinobi who need to conserve stamina on long missions."
"H... heh... I see."
Ino seemed a little put off by my sudden, fluent explanation, so different from my usual halting speech. But that didn't matter. There was something more important.
"—But Mr. Asuma, you said it absorbs 'chakra nature,' not 'nature transformation.' Is that true?"
"Oops... you caught that, too."
Asuma smiled, looking almost sheepish. He put the blade back on the table and pointed.
"You're right. This thing absorbs and resonates with chakra natures beyond the 5 basic ones. Even clan-specific hiden jutsu. 'Course, it takes a lot of training to master."
"I see... It truly is wonderful. Smaller than a dagger, easy to use as a concealed weapon, yet with a killing power rivaling a longsword. You could say this is a form of perfection for a shinobi's blade."
"Haha, I'm glad to hear such high praise for my favorite weapon. ...Want to hold it?"
"N-no! That would be... indecent—I mean... disrespectful! Just seeing it is more than enough!"
I blushed and waved my hands at his unexpected offer.
Mr. Asuma was clearly a good person, but perhaps he was too good. I worried he might make his partner cry one day.
Besides, if I held that blade, and my Water Release nature was revealed, it would be bad. Shinobi with a water nature are extremely rare in the Land of Sand; they might find out I'm from the Land of Water.
(I want to touch the blade in front of me... but I have to resist...)
I suppressed my desire and simply stared at the blades, burning their image into my memory.
There were blades that held an element, like Great-grandfather's Lightning Sword "Kiba," but one that changed its face to match its wielder was a novel concept.
For Mist shinobi, who mostly had a water nature, Earth Release users were a natural enemy. "Kiba" was a blade meant to cover that weakness, a complementary weapon.
By that logic, this Chakra Blade, which takes on a water nature for a water user, was the exact opposite: a "pure" weapon that amplified its wielder's innate strength.
"Well, that's about all I can show you. Now, I'd like to see what you have. Is that alright?"
"Man... are you serious? You're really gonna make us use swords? What a drag..."
"Don't say that, Shikamaru. Right now, in your formations, Choji is the only real 'finisher.' Just think of this as a stopgap until your teamwork is perfected."
Their tactics, without the use of the Nara's Shadow Possession or the Yamanaka's Mind Transfer, relied entirely on Choji as the final punch. That was too much pressure on the already-timid Choji.
Asuma explained that, even if they didn't master the sword, it was better to have other weapons to broaden their tactical options.
"Yeah, but..."
"Don't worry! It is also my job to create swords that even the most reluctant user will want to wield."
"Oh? That's a bold claim."
Asuma laughed, amused. The other 3, including the listless boy next to me, seemed to have their interest piqued by my boast. All eyes were on me.
I cleared a nearby plate and unrolled a scroll from my pocket.
This was not the one I used to peddle wares in Konoha. This was the one that held my true creations, the ones I sold in the Mist and the Sand.
—I didn't care what they threatened me with back in Suna.
With that thought, I pulled out one of the "beginner-friendly" swords from my collection, one that had no special properties, but instead pursued the "single-minded" goal of "cutting."
It was an orthodox longsword, not a grotesque blade like Great-grandfather's masterpieces. But Mr. Asuma must have recognized it; his amused expression instantly turned to one of shock.
"Is... is that one of the Kusanagi blades!?"
"Kusanagi? What's that?"
"To put it simply, it's the most legendary of legendary swords. The 'Kusanagi' can refer to several different blades, all with different shapes, but every one of them boasts an insane cutting edge. It's the preferred weapon of one of the Legendary Sannin."
"!"
The 3 students gasped.
It was helpful of him to explain, as my own explanation would have been long-winded, but there was a slight misunderstanding I had to clear up.
"Strictly speaking, this is not a Kusanagi blade. It is a replica I forged, based on one of the Kusanagi."
"Ah... I see. You had me going for a second."
"My apologies. This is from my 'Murakumo Sword' series, which I created in homage to the Kusanagi. This is the finest of them, the 'Murakumo no Tsurugi: Shiun.' When it was completed, I had 2 swordsmen of equal skill test it against the Kusanagi it was based on. It's a bit of a problem child, as it... nicked... the Kusanagi. But for that reason, I can confidently recommend—"
"Wait, wait, wait! Are you kidding me!?"
Shikamaru frantically cut me off at the unexpected story.
This was absolutely not a sword for a beginner. He didn't know good swords from bad, but he knew he didn't want something that surpassed a blade used by a Legendary Sannin.
A strong sword might help you beat stronger opponents, but one this strong would just attract trouble. He shot a desperate look at his Jonin leader—Please don't buy it.
Asuma was also speechless.
He had asked for a "top-quality" blade, but he had never expected this. He was more shocked than the time Choji had eaten his entire wallet's worth of yakiniku at their first mission celebration.
He tried to calm down, remembering what Kakashi had told him.
—"Hey, sorry to ask, but could you meet with a smith for me? ...She says she's from Suna, but she's probably from the Mist... and a serious swordsmith."
He'd added, "I'll leave the final judgment to you," before disappearing to the training ground. Asuma now regretted it.
—That damn Kakashi, Asuma thought. He saddled me with a real fox.
This girl was not normal. That was clear from the moment she said she'd "referenced" a real Kusanagi. He decided to use the friendly atmosphere to probe for information.
"Hey, this is way too much sword for a kid. How much... for me?"
"Um... the usual price is 30 million ryo. But as promised, half-off, so... 15 million ryo!"
"So expensive!? W-wait, for a blade better than a Kusanagi... that's probably fair... or even cheap at half-price..."
"Wait, are you seriously giving a 10 million ryo discount on just a verbal promise!? Is that okay!?" Ino, whose family ran a flower shop, was worried about Murasame's accounting.
"Do not worry... Thanks to Mr. Asuma, I feel I can create something even better next time... Besides—"
"Besides?"
"...Everyone praised its sharpness, but the asking price was too high, so... no one would buy it..."
"Ah... yeah, I can see that."
You can't wring a stone.
And since the other swords Murasame sold were of incredible quality for a price not much different from a regular tool shop, no one was going to buy this one when the others were perfectly fine for combat.
—As a result, the 'Murakumo no Tsurugi: Shiun' had become a holy relic in her shop that people just came to look at and pray to. She found this deeply unsatisfying.
"...So, I will also waive the extra 5 million. How about 10 million ryo? It's very beginner-friendly; there is almost nothing it cannot cut."
"THAT'S NOT WHAT 'BEGINNER-FRIENDLY' MEANS!" the teacher and students shouted in unison.
In the end, the 'Murakumo no Tsurugi: Shiun' was put on "reserve." Murasame sold them 3 standard-issue practice swords from her "Konoha" stash, along with a few custom kunai and shuriken, and the matter was settled.
▼▼▼
By the time they left the restaurant, night had fallen.
Apparently, it was customary for Asuma's students to leave him with the bill. They had all said "Thanks for the meal" as they stood up and promptly dispersed.
I waited for him outside. A few moments later, Asuma emerged, having paid for the tower of plates that had accumulated while we talked about swords. I bowed deeply.
"Thank you... for today. Our talk was very informative."
"Glad to hear it. By the way, Murasame, are you heading back to Suna now?"
I thought for a moment.
When I had impulsively started trying to sell my custom blades, I had considered just going to a different village, or staying in Konoha longer and not returning to Suna. I had learned the basics of the Puppet Jutsu, so I had no urgent reason to go back.
But in the end, I had only sold a few kunai and shuriken. I could easily make an excuse for that.
There was no problem in returning. And my shop was stable. Going back to Suna seemed the most logical choice.
"That is... the plan."
I'll have one last meal at Ichiraku tomorrow, then head back, I decided, nodding at his question.
"I see. That's a shame. I haven't told my students yet, but the Chunin Exams are starting soon. Genin and their Jonin leaders from all the villages will be gathering. Some of them might be carrying swords—"
"I WILL LOOK FOR LODGINGS IMMEDIATELY! THANK YOU!"
"Wait, wait! You're moving way too fast!"
"Ah! —My apologies... I got carried away."
The word "swords" had made me see red.
It was the middle of the night. It was pointless to look now. I'd return to the inn for tonight and look tomorrow.
"Sheesh. You really love swords. I always thought people from Suna only cared about puppets, not blades..."
"Th-that's not true!"
"Right... well, if you need a place to stay, I can pull some strings. I've got connections in Konoha."
"You would do that?"
I was surprised. To be this kind to someone he'd met only minutes ago... Just how many good people did Konoha have? It was such a stark contrast to my own village, from what my father had told me.
This must be a wonderful village, one without discrimination or persecution, even for those with kekkei genkai or special abilities.
"Whoa, not for free, of course. Hmm... how about you throw in a little extra on that sword deal?"
"...Understood! I will give you the 2 remaining blades from the 'Murakumo Sword' series!"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!"
And so, Murasame decided to stay in Konoha until the Chunin Exams.
(Well... I managed to keep her in the village. Now... I'd better talk to the Old Man later and have him run a background check... I have a very bad feeling her history is going to be... a lot.)
Asuma mused, wary. The girl had been surprisingly easy to bait, but he wasn't letting his guard down.
'Murakumo no Tsurugi' (Murakumo Sword)
A 10-sword series Murasame created, based on the 'Kusanagi no Tsurugi'.
She sold 3 of the 10 while in Kirigakure. She left 4 for her father. She has 3 left.
The series masterpiece, 'Murakumo no Tsurugi: Shiun,' surpasses the original Kusanagi in pure sharpness, but has no special abilities. It is a pure blade.
Price: 30 million ryo (the same as Jiriku's bounty)
10 advanced chapters are waiting for you on Patreon.
Support my work and read on!
www.patreon.com/SoleGuy