The So-Called Blacksmith

"Yes! I understand," the villager nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Master, what are you going to do? I'll do the errands!" Yukino said, stepping forward.

"Yes, I have some connections with the blacksmith nearby. I'll have him fetch some tools for me. Yukino, could you go and buy me some ink and a pen from nearby?" Shirou said.

"Yes," Yukino replied.

When Yukino went to buy ink and a brush for Shirou found a flat wooden board, spread out white paper, wrote the letter on it, took out a plaque, smeared ink on it, and then printed the Muramasa inscription on the letter.

After the ink dried, Shirou carefully put the letter away and handed it to the villagers.

The villager took the letter but didn't read it much, since he couldn't understand it anyway. He put it in his clothes and, before it got dark, hurried out to do Shirou's errand, hoping to return before nightfall.

The three remaining villagers, who were washing rice and preparing to start a fire to cook, also laughed happily.

"That's wonderful, that's wonderful! I never thought we'd actually succeed! We really managed to invite the samurai!" The older villager's wrinkles crinkled with laughter as he spoke with tears of gratitude.

"You two should go back to the village first thing tomorrow morning and inform everyone so we can all come out to greet the samurai. We are a poor village, so we must at least take good care of the samurai in other ways. So please don't be impolite," the leader said to the other villager.

"Understood," the two villagers nodded in agreement.

The next morning, the farmers got up before dawn and prepared breakfast. After eating the millet porridge, two of the farmers set off and ran back to the village.

They deliberately added twice the amount of rice and shaped the rest into rice balls so that the samurai could eat them on the road.

After morning, Shirou shouldered the bag that the villagers had fetched for him from the blacksmith's shop the day before, and set off with his companions on a journey to the mountain village.

On the mountain path, we spotted a snow-white rabbit chewing on grass under a large tree.

"The rabbit is so cute! It would be even cuter if it were a white cat. Master, shall I go and catch it?"

"Oh, the rabbit meat from the mountains is delicious!" Nobu said with great interest.

"?" The villagers standing nearby looked somewhat puzzled.

Shirou noticed this and said to the others, "No, you all wait here. I'll go and take a look."

The rabbit wasn't afraid of people; its lips were trembling as Shirou approached the white rabbit.

A Black Shadow leaped down from the tree, flipped in mid-air, and, headfirst, hurled three gleaming black shuriken between each of its fingers at Shirou, instantly covering the space around him and leaving him no chance to dodge.

"A ninja!?" Shirou asked in surprise.

"Whoaaaaah!!" At the same time, two bandits wielding knives and wrapped in animal skins, who had been lying in ambush in the bushes behind the white rabbit, jumped out and were about to slash at Shirou's back.

"Master!!!" Yukino, her face turning pale with fright.

"Shirou!" Soji called out.

"Whoa, Shirou's going to get stabbed to death!" Nobu, who had some fear of assassination, cried out, clutching his head.

At the critical moment!

Shirou slightly turned his body, not retreating but going forward to meet it. He twisted his toes and swung his waist, throwing the package on his back at the slender kunai flying towards him head-on, making a sound like metal clashing.

Then he reached into the package with his right hand, pulled it out, and instantly threw out six cone-shaped kunai. The spinning Black Shadow hit the target directly.

Shirou no longer cared about what was behind him and turned to face the attacker.

His swordsmanship as a samurai wasn't top-notch, but he had excellent eyesight. His real strength lay in his use of weapons and his mastery of how to effectively use each part of those weapons.

To create the best weapons, the forger naturally needs to understand how to use various weapons, comprehend and summarize their advantages, and over time, even learn the best combat techniques for using weapons.

He has now achieved the ability to apply knowledge to other situations. After mastering more than a hundred types of weapons, he can easily master any similar weapon after just a short time of handling it.

He, who was also a top-notch swordsmith, used a token to obtain a package of small tools from the blacksmith shop, just in case. He just didn't expect to need them so soon.

Shirou gripped the hilt of the sword with his right hand, feeling an overwhelming sense of familiarity. This was a combat skill that his body had honed to perfection through countless trials.

Instant draw!

Drawing Sword Slash!

A dazzling silver light flashed, and blood splattered! Two heads were sent flying without any resistance, spinning and flipping in the air.

The headless body stood on the ground, clutching two broken knives, cleanly sliced open with the blades embedded in the earth. The severed body was still convulsing, blood gushing from the wounds like a fountain, before it twisted and collapsed to the ground.

Everything happened in an instant. At that moment, the six Black Shadow that Shirou had thrown out fell to the ground after colliding with the kunai, revealing their true forms: four-cornered shuriken.

Five shuriken clashed with the kunai, and the last shuriken spun and flew into the air.

"Guwu!" The figure in the sky let out a mournful cry, like that of a young girl.

The attacker was a black-haired girl with a Japanese-style dress, wearing an eyepatch. She was clutching her bleeding arm, which had been pierced by Shirou's shuriken. The girl was wearing a revealing fishnet bodysuit, and her body, arms, and legs were wrapped in black strips of cloth. Faint marks, as if a python had coiled around her body, could also be seen on her.

"It seems my skills are still better when it comes to Hidden Weapon," Shirou said with a smile, looking at the ninja girl. As a top-notch blacksmith proficient in all weapons, he not only forged weapons for samurai but also for ninjas.

The girl pulled the shuriken from her arm, licked the wound on her snow-white arm, and said with a charming smile, "Hehe, so you mean you want to be my senior?"

"No, I just want to say that the ninja's methods are ineffective against us, so could you please leave Demon Nobunaga now and not participate in this battle?" Shirou suggested.

"I'm sorry, I really don't want to go up against you, but I also have things I want to do that I haven't finished yet," the ninja girl said.

At this moment, Yukino and Soji, who were carrying swords, and Nobu, who had taken out a matchlock gun, rushed forward one by one. They had no choice but to grit their teeth, turn around, and prepare to run away.

"Tsk!! This is the best we can do this time." At the last moment, the girl glared fiercely at Nobu, then jumped into the jungle and disappeared.

"Hmm?" Nobu, who had rushed forward and hugged the rabbit before the other two girls, who were drawn by the ninja's actions, blinked in confusion. 'Why does she hate me so much? Could this silly, innocent little rabbit actually be hers?'

"Ah! They've escaped!" Soji shouted.

"Don't Run! You despicable bastard!" Yukino, brandishing her katana, tried to use her agile skills to leap into the woods and give chase.

"Yukino! Stop! Don't pursue a cornered enemy. She's a ninja, and the forest is her main battlefield," Shirou called out to the girl. Because the battle was dangerous, he hadn't held back. Killing one more bandit meant fewer villagers would die.

However, the samurai in this world are not Servant or possess powerful bodies enhanced by Magecraft; they are just ordinary mortals with fragile bodies, at most having more muscle due to training. If they get injured, they can easily die, so they cannot take risks.

"Haha, General, your shuriken-throwing technique just now was truly superb. It seems I need to raise my evaluation of your strength even further," Tawara Toda exclaimed in surprise.

"No, I only rely on the sharpness of my weapon and a bit of brute force," Shirou said with a light laugh, sheathing his longsword.

"No, no, General, being proficient in so many weapons can't be described as reckless bravery. By the way, with so many talents, how many weapons can you actually use?" Tawara Toda asked curiously.

"I know a little bit about everything, but the only thing I can say I'm really good at is the bow," Shirou said modestly with a smile.

"Oh wow, then we'll have to have a little sparring match," said Tawara Toda quite interested.

Houzoin Inshun crouched down and picked up the shuriken with four sharp corners and a hollow center from the ground. It hadn't been damaged at all during the collision. He turned to Shirou and asked, "This shuriken, and that sword that can cut through iron like mud, Shirou, I'm really curious about your identity."

Soji also examined the accessory in Shirou's hand, frowning as he said, "Ah, coming back to that, Shirou, the style of the sword you're using is very similar to the cursed swords favored by the anti-shogunate faction. Because Muramasa has injured the Tokugawa family shogun multiple times, those ronin of the anti-shogunate faction really like to use imitation Muramasa."

"I know, Lord Shirou is an exceptionally skilled blacksmith, isn't he?" a villager said with a smile.

"What happened?" everyone asked curiously.

The villager recounted what he had experienced the day before.

Yesterday afternoon, carrying the letter and feeling apprehensive, he arrived at the blacksmith shop that specialized in forging weapons for the government. He found the master Grand Master in charge. Although the people here were blacksmiths, they were also paid a salary. The Grand Master even held an official position, which was completely different from farmers like him.

After reading the letter, the Grand Master sighed helplessly, "Ah, it's that Muramasa guy. I can't stand him! What is he meddling in now? With his skills, he could easily get a government position even from the strongest daimyo. Never mind, you wait here."

The Grand Master took the keys and went to the warehouse where valuable weapons were stored.

Before long, the Grand Master brought over a large package and stuffed it into the villager's arms, saying, "Here, take this."

"Is it really okay for me to just take this?" The villager took the package, and upon realizing that it contained valuable steel, he asked in a daze.

"Why not? Take them, take them. These were forged by him before anyway. That monster only started forging when he was a teenager, but he only spent ten years reaching the level of a top-tier blacksmith. If we're talking about swords alone, he might already be the best in all of Japan. Once he becomes famous, the price of the weapons he forges now will increase several times over."

"Given his simple and unassuming nature, he certainly wouldn't cut corners on any of his creations. He'll probably soon become known as a guarantee of quality, and his weapons will definitely fetch high prices!"

"Damn it... I was planning to keep them to sell for a higher price later, but it seems he guessed I wouldn't sell these weapons. Damn it, I didn't expect them to be taken back. Next time I'll definitely make him pay me double." The blacksmith's Grand Master said.

After that, the villagers took these weapons and returned to their homes before it got completely dark...

The villager recounting the story looked at Shirou with a flicker of his eye. Although he didn't quite understand what they were saying, he had a feeling that they had invited some important person to the place.

Chapter 224 The So-Called Blacksmith

Hearing the villagers' explanation, everyone suddenly realized that Shirou was a blacksmith, which made sense now.

"I see, Master. He did say that he forged that sword himself," Yukino said.

"Oh, so Shirou is also a famous swordsmith?" Sasaki Kojiro, who had been silent all along, showed interest at this moment. He was a so-called sword fanatic. He would be tempted when he encountered a skilled swordsman, and he would naturally be tempted when he saw a precious sword worthy of a hero.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm just a ronin who's slightly skilled at blacksmithing. I've studied under many masters from various schools and gained the favor of some grandmasters, so I'm just a ronin with some connections in this circle." Shirou took the shuriken from Yin Shun and put it into his pack.

However, because the kunai that had been thrown earlier had created a hole, the package had to be placed on the ground, completely opened, and repackaged.

Inside the opened package were a pile of sharp gadgets that gleamed with a cold silver light.

Silver throwing knives; various styles of shuriken, including sharp, pointed ones that fly out and multi-pointed shuriken that spin and are thrown; 'sickle-sprinkled diamonds' that are scattered on the ground to pierce the soles of feet and hinder horses and pursuers; smoke bombs that are thrown on the ground to create white smoke for escape, and so on...

"What are these...?" everyone asked in surprise.

"These weapons will come in very handy on the battlefield at crucial moments." Shirou repacked the various weapons, slung the pack over his shoulder, and smiled warmly at everyone.

"Shirou, don't wear that smile while holding those Hidden Weapons. Even if it's for the sake of justice, it's terrifying..." Soji said, trembling.

"Master... you even know how to use these tools, that's amazing! You've really gone to great lengths to come up with all sorts of ways to defeat the bandits!" Yukino said with stars in her eyes, full of admiration.

"Ah, this kid seemed really smart, but he's actually a dunce," Nobo remarked from the side.

"I always felt that being an enemy of a general would be terrifying. But as a comrade-in-arms, he's very reliable," said Tawara Toda with a smile.

"Haha, that's so true." Houzoin Inshun also burst into laughter.

"Well, after all, compared to swordsmanship, I'm not that strong, so I'll try to make up for it in other areas and do my best," Shirou said sincerely.

"No, no! You're strong enough already, okay? By the way, Shirou, you defeated that ninja! A ninja! How did you do that?!" Soji asked, a chill running down his spine.

In a world where magic cannot be used for protection or healing, and everyone fights with their mortal bodies, Shirou, who is proficient in various Hidden Weapon and even stronger than professional ninjas, is practically a sophisticated and terrifying killing machine.

Shirou, having received Muramasa's memories, replied, "Well, actually, I just need to hold the weapon and study it a bit, and I'll be able to figure out how to use it. If I can make it, I'll naturally be able to use it, just like cooking. A person who is good at cooking is naturally good at tasting, it's the same principle."

"That's ridiculous! I've never seen a swordsmith whose swordsmanship is as good as his forging skills!" Soji retorted.

"And it seems that besides forging and bowing, I'm also quite suited to be a ninja. At least I'm very good at shuriken. For example, I have excellent eyesight and can learn other people's special moves after seeing them only once. I've lost an arm, yet I can use the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi), release flames, summon Susanoo, and shoot arrows flashing with lightning..." Shirou said, holding up a finger as an example.

"...???" Everyone had a look of bewilderment and awe.

"Hmm, don't you understand? Hmm, it's understandable that you don't know. Let's get going." Shirou said with a smile.

"Oh, hmm." Everyone nodded, feeling that delving deeper would be discouraging, so they decided to leave it at that.

It seemed only the little girl standing on the other side of the bushes was suppressing her urge to complain, but then she looked up, her eyes sparkling with admiration and longing, and ran to Shirou, saying in a sweet voice, "... Master is so amazing! Please teach me!"

In another world, in her hotel room, Yukino Yukinoshita frowned, her hands raised as if to defend herself from being pushed, seemingly dreaming of being pushed aside.

In her Inner World, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but complain, "Even though it's a world-renowned, one of the three Superman shonen manga, spanning two centuries, serialized for 15 years, and influencing several generations—it's impossible for people here to know about it."

Unfortunately, the young Yukino has now been taken over by the original girl, and it seems that her admiration is too strong, causing her to push away the possessing soul.

Now, Yukino can only hide inside the girl's body and watch everything unfold, unable to control anything anymore, as if she were having a real dream. However, she is now certain that this master is definitely the Shirou she knows.

At this moment, Yukino had completely transformed into a naive little girl full of curiosity, and she hugged Shirou's shoulders, pleading.

"No, no, Yukino, calm down. That was just a joke, a joke. You should just keep practicing your martial arts." Shirou said.

"So, are you going to take this rabbit with you? What do you want to do with it?" Soji asked Nobu, who was standing to the side.

"Should we stew it?" Nobu suggested, blinking.

"No, that rabbit was clearly drugged, which is why it stayed under the tree the whole time. Even with all that commotion, it didn't run away. A beast like that is either a monster or... well, you can't eat it," Shirou advised.

"Nah... Is that so? Then take it and play with it for a while, then throw it away later." Nobu said regretfully. The rabbit held in his arms seemed completely indifferent to its future fate, quietly nibbling at the green grass fed to it, as if it was content as long as it had something to eat.

After traversing the winding mountain road, we finally saw the village on the mountain before dusk. From a distance, the village was built on a flat area at the foot of the mountain, divided into two sides, separated by a stream more than 3 meters wide flowing down from the mountain, and connected by a wooden bridge.

The village is built with thatched cottages of farmers, one after another, at the bottom of which are connected fields. The rice is almost ripe and shines with Golden Flash light under the afternoon sun, like gold in the wilderness. Small fish and shrimp swim in the small ditches beside the fields, their reflections shimmering in the water.

Here, the mountains are verdant and the waters are clear, the air is fresh, and a gentle breeze carries the fragrance of rice paddies. Everything before your eyes is a beautiful pastoral scene, teeming with life.

In the self-sufficient farmhouses on the mountain, people catch small shrimp or loaches in the irrigation ditches. These fish are all-natural, free from pesticides and artificial ripening agents. They are extremely delicious when scalded with clean water and dipped in some sauce. Loach soup, made by simmering loach with tofu and pickled vegetables, is an absolute delicacy from the water.

Served with fragrant white rice and a small bottle of wine, enjoying the meal while basking in the gentle breeze is truly one of life's finest pleasures.

Countless people in later generations have driven for hours and spent a fortune to experience rural life, but none of them could compare to this.

What was unexpected was that if this farm were left unattended, in a few weeks, when it was time to harvest the rice, it would be occupied by bandits who would steal the grain, burn it all down, and cause widespread suffering.

"Everyone! We're back! We've brought the samurai back!" The leading man shouted as he ran into the village gate.

Strangely, there was no one outside the village, and even after calling out four or five times, no one came out to answer.

"What happened? Didn't we tell them to go back first?!" It was completely different from what he expected.