The temperature in the square kept rising. Even the cold air of the Land of Iron seemed to be heating up. The entire square had fallen silent as all the contestants carried out the final tempering of their metals. Time slowly passed in that stillness, as though it had come to a standstill. Not only were the onlookers not impatient, but they watched with rapt attention, as if they had come here to learn.
Indeed, every year during the competition, many bladesmiths and blacksmiths came here to observe other people's techniques, hoping it would help them improve after returning home. Many outsiders also hoped to find a bladesmith they liked. Even if that person could not become a master, as long as their skills were exceptional, they could still be chosen to forge a personal weapon.
At noon, the bladesmiths who had brought all three assistants began eating and resting. That was the advantage of having assistants—they could help watch the furnaces, so the bladesmiths did not need to handle everything personally. However, Tenbu Shinzo could not rest. He had to continuously remove the remaining impurities from the tempered metal and frequently stir the molten metal, refining the Soft Iron to the greatest possible purity.
Just after noon, Tenbu Shinzo announced that the tempering was complete. He poured the molten Soft Iron into a mold, then loaded another batch into the furnace and had Sasuke's Shadow Clones continue the work. Sasuke could feel his Shadow Clones' Chakra nearly running dry, so he directly dispelled the technique and created two more clones to continue. However, when he dispelled them, he felt somewhat tired. Still, it seemed beneficial to his mental strength. Repeating the same task over and over was no small test of a person's mind—or rather, their willpower.
Wearing heavy