Rikusei and Naori were kicked out of the workshop by the old man, who was bursting with energy.
In his own words, he felt as though he had returned to his youth, when he had first taken up forging. Those days of passion and excitement had come back to him.
He wouldn't take a single coin for the work. His only request was that they not disturb him; when the time came, he would deliver the ninja tools to the Uchiha Clan himself.
Standing outside the workshop, Rikusei gazed at the sky and asked the girl beside him, "Now that we've taken care of everything, what would you like to do next, Naori?"
The purple-haired girl looked lost. Everything had happened so quickly that she'd been caught off guard. After thinking it over, she said softly, "You haven't had a proper look around the village yet, Rikusei. We could go see it together."
The two strolled through the dense woods, enjoying the quiet they shared. Birdsong from the treetops stirred the tranquil surroundings.
The trees grew sparse, and the rush of a stream reached their ears from nearby.
Sitting in the shade to rest, they gazed at the shimmering water. A cool breeze carried a faint fragrance from beside him, and Rikusei forced himself to look away. "After we parted ways in the Land of Hot Water, Teacher and I went to Mount Myoboku. We saw all sorts of interesting things there."
Naori's bright eyes shifted toward the boy beside her, curiosity alight as she waited for him to continue.
Rikusei was a master at telling abridged versions of stories, especially when he was trying to catch a girl's attention.
Naori's mouth fell open slightly when she heard the story. "The toads on Mount Myoboku can use Senjutsu? I never