2 Chapter 2 - True Blacksmithing

What's up? I wanted to make sure that you all read my message in the synopsis since I know that personally I always skip the later parts, especially if they don't regard the book. I'm doing this since as I stated in the synopsis, I'll have a very difficult time uploading chapters (if you want the specific reasons go read in the synopsis). So while I'm glad that you are enjoying my book, please don't expect it to update regularly. I'll try my best to post a chapter a week, but that's the absolute best I can do. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

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*Bang, bang, bang*

Haru's blacksmithing technique was a sight to behold. Every strike of his hammer was calculated and precise as if he was dancing with the metal. The rhythm of his strikes was perfect, and the force behind them was just enough to fix any imperfection in the blade.

As Haru worked, his movements were almost hypnotic. His eyes were focused solely on the metal, and he moved with such grace that it seemed as if he was born to be a blacksmith. Every time his hammer came down, it produced a loud bang that echoed throughout the cave, and every strike was accompanied by a small burst of sparks that lit up the dimly lit space.

"Alright, Ryu, I'm going to switch up to a new technique so pay close attention. This is where the real work begins," Haru told his son, who remained unmoving all those hours. Ryu's eyes were bleeding slightly from overusing them, but his determination seemed only to rise as he dawned a more serious look.

Chakra began to circulate around Haru's hammers with an intensity so big it almost made the hammer break and the rhythm of his strikes changed to a more intense one, and as if that wasn't enough, another hand sign made his body grow wider by a substantial amount, and his arms ballooned in size.

As Haru worked, Ryu could see that his movements had changed as well. His strikes were more fluid and powerful, and his hammers moved with almost otherworldly grace. The Chakra surrounding his hammers grew brighter with each strike until it seemed like the very air around them was on fire.

Ryu could see that the difference between his father's two techniques was like night and day. With his regular technique, Haru had worked with precision and skill, but with his new one, he was like a force of nature.

Ryu had experienced Haru's extreme training for about six years now, and this, without a doubt, was the most mesmerizing technique Ryu had ever seen his father use. The incredibly loud sound of the strikes shook the whole cave, something that never happened before, and it was a testimony to the force of the strikes.

This, however, only made Ryu more determined. He had a limited time to understand and learn that technique since they didn't have a lot of Chakra Metal. Ryu stayed as still as a stone as he entered a trance-like state. He looked at each one of his father's four arms that worked without rest, analyzing what was the role of each one and how it contributed to the big picture. He didn't understand what in the technique was so special yet, and he wanted nothing more than to find out.

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The loud sizzling sound of the hot metal hitting the oil brought Ryu back to reality. The smell of burning oil filled his nose and he blinked, trying to clear his vision. The first thing he noticed was the burning pain in his eyes, and then the small puddle of blood on his lap. "Ow..." Ryu grunted as he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the blood. He winced as his fingers touched the tender skin around his eyes.

"Wow, you really went all out, huh?" Haru asked as he noticed the amount of blood near his son. In his hand was a majestic blade, with a length of about a meter and a width of 5 c"m. Haru felt a twinge of pain as he saw Ryu bleeding, but he couldn't really do anything about it. He had tried to forbid Ryu from overusing his eyes, but the latter had ignored him. Ryu's motivation to learn and master blacksmithing was frightening, to say the least.

Haru tried to reason with Ryu that he already had the most potential in blacksmithing, even considering their ancestors. Yet Ryu insisted that it wasn't enough. Haru knew that Ryu's obsession with blacksmithing was driving him towards excellence, but at what cost? Ryu was so focused on his work that he didn't seem to care about his well-being.

"Now we only need to sharpen it and make the handle, and then we'll test it out," Ryu said with excitement in his voice. "Yeah, but I better not see you using your Sharingan!" Haru said, making Ryu flinch. "Alright, alright. I've got the new technique memorized anyway..." Ryu grumbled.

Haru's exceptional blacksmithing skills were on full display once again as he crafted a handle that was equally majestic as the blade it was meant for. His attention to detail was unparalleled as he meticulously shaped and polished the handle until it was perfect. The handle had a beautiful leather texture that added to its aesthetic appeal, and it was designed to fit comfortably in the hand of the wielder.

Now all that was left was to assemble the sword.

The sword was a masterpiece, crafted with incredible skill and attention to detail. Its radiant shine could be seen even in the dim-lighted cave as if it had a life of its own.

The blade was the centerpiece of the sword, with a sharp edge that looked as if it could cut through anything in sight. Its surface was polished to perfection, and the razor-sharp edge glinted in the light, giving it an air of deadly beauty.

The guard of the sword was just as impressive as the blade. It had two metallic wings on opposite sides of each other, giving the sword a balanced and symmetrical appearance. The wings were meticulously crafted with intricate details, featuring feathers that added to the sword's overall aesthetic appeal. The guard was not only visually impressive but also functioned as a protective barrier for the wielder's hand.

The handle of the sword was a work of art in its own right. It was made of beautiful leather that had been skillfully crafted and polished to a lustrous shine. The leather handle was designed to fit comfortably in the hand of the wielder, providing a firm grip even during the most intense combat situations. The base of the handle was adorned with a silver eagle head, adding to the sword's overall majestic feel.

"Its name is "Silver Eagle". Now, bring that dummy and let's test it out," Haru said as he pointed at a scared and battered steel dummy at the edge of the cave. Ryu did as his father said, and Haru got into an amateurish battle stance. Haru brought the sword above his head before quickly bringing it down on the dummy's arm.

Silence.

No sound was heard as the sword passed through the steel as if it was air, and the detached arm hit the floor with a loud sound.

"Wh- How is that even possible?" Ryu asked in shock. "Ha, you think that's a big deal? Watch this," Haru said as he once again picked up the sword. This time, however, Haru didn't swing it. Instead, he slowly passed it through the dummy's neck with almost no force. Unfortunately for the dummy, the same result occurred. The sword passed cleanly through the neck, and the dummy's head fell to the floor.

At this point, Ryu was more than shocked, but Haru smirked. "Don't lose your mind yet, I still have one more thing to show you." Haru began walking, but instead of getting closer to the dummy, he walked away. When he was about twenty meters from the dummy, he stopped.

"Alright, Ryu, time for me to show you why this is called the Silver Eagle!" Haru said with a proud smile. Haru began to infuse Chakra into the sword, evident by the slightly blue glow that surrounded the sword. Then, he simply tossed it into the air.

The sword fell in what seemed to be slow motion, but just before it hit the ground, it shot forward like a bullet. Ryu didn't even have time to blink as the sword blew through the steel, only leaving a hole in the metal, before returning to Haru's hand.

"What?! What the?!" Ryu couldn't even get the words out of his mouth. "Hahahaha, why are you so surprised? You know our family's history, we forged the seven swords of the mist. One of the swords we made is even sentient, for crying out loud, what's a flying sword compared to that?

Anyway, what I showed you is the technique to make swords with special properties. What you learned up until now, and all the effort you put in is less than child's play compared to this. When you master this, you'll truly become the best blacksmith in the world." Haru said.

"I'll be able to do stuff like this too?!" Ryu exclaimed in shock. "You'll do it even better! As a matter of fact, I could do it better too, but I got rusty. You know, this was your mother's favorite. She loved throwing the flying Kuni I made for her across the battlefield, it was like a deadly swarm of bees. God knows how she kept track of it all though," Haru chuckled with sadness creeping into his voice.

"Anyway, I need to congratulate you, Ryu. The fact that I'm teaching you our secret technique so soon isn't something obvious. It's quite ridiculous, actually. With this, you're officially a master blacksmith, and a high-level one at that. So, as a gift, I'll give you this sword," Haru said as he tossed Silver Eagle to Ryu.