You Kid, Is This Really Your First Time?

The Uchiha district lay on the eastern side of Konoha.

Guy followed Obito through several streets, heading farther and farther into the outskirts.

The houses on both sides gradually changed from ordinary residences into Japanese-style estates with courtyards.

The Uchiha fan crest occasionally appeared on the walls.

"Your clan's pretty big." Guy looked around.

Obito curled his lip. "What's the use of being big? I still get scolded every day."

"Who scolds you?"

"The clan elders." Obito rolled his eyes.

"They say I disgrace the Uchiha, that I'm the worst of the dead last, that I'll never amount to anything..."

As he spoke, his voice gradually lowered.

Guy turned to look at him.

Obito kept his head down, staring at the ground as his steps grew slower and slower.

Guy reached out and patted his shoulder.

"It's okay."

Obito looked up.

Guy gave him a thumbs-up, his teeth gleaming. "When I become Hokage someday, just tell them you're the Hokage's brother. Let's see who dares to scold you then!"

Obito froze for a moment.

Then his eyes reddened slightly.

But he immediately lowered his head and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. By the time he looked up again, he had regained that cocky expression.

"Tch, who wants to be your brother? I'm going to become Hokage myself!"

Guy grinned.

"Sure, sure. You'll be Hokage. You will."

The two continued onward.

After winding through countless turns, they finally stopped before a chipped wooden door.

A wooden sign hung above it, with several crookedly written characters:

[Uchiha Forge]

Obito pushed open the door and poked his head inside.

"Second Uncle! Is Second Uncle here?"

The sound of hammering rang out from inside—clang, clang, clang—but there was no response.

Obito turned to Guy. "Come in."

The two passed through the doorway and found themselves in a small courtyard.

A shed stood in the center of the yard, flames blazing within it.

A shirtless middle-aged man swung a hammer, striking a red-hot piece of iron again and again.

Sweat ran down his dark back and dripped onto the ground, hissing into white steam.

"Second Uncle!"

Obito shouted.

The man did not stop hammering.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

After finishing that round, he clamped the iron, flipped it over, and plunged it into a bucket of water.

Hiss—

White steam rose.

Only then did he lift his head.

His face was covered in stubble, with thick brows and large eyes, and he resembled Obito somewhat.

But his gaze was far fiercer than Obito's, like that of a wild boar.

"That's my second uncle, Uchiha Tao Ye," Obito said quietly.

"What are you doing here, kid?" Uchiha Tao Ye's voice was as rough as sandpaper scraping wood. "Got yourself into trouble again?"

Obito curled his lip. "I didn't get into trouble! I brought my classmate!"

"Classmate?" Uchiha Tao Ye looked toward Guy.

He sized him up from head to toe.

Green Spandex Suit.

Bushy brows.

His puzzled gaze turned disdainful.

"The son of that Eternal Genin?"

Guy paused.

Obito's face flushed red. "Second Uncle!"

Uchiha Tao Ye waved a hand, set his hammer aside, and grabbed the towel draped over a rack to wipe away his sweat.

"Enough, enough. Everyone in the village knows. So, what do you want from me?"

Guy stepped forward and stood straight.

"Sir, I want to work here."

Uchiha Tao Ye stopped wiping his sweat.

He looked at Guy strangely.

"Work? You?"

"Yes."

"How old are you?"

"Seven."

Uchiha Tao Ye laughed.

Not because it was funny—because he was exasperated.

"Seven years old, and you want to work for me? Do you know what this place is? This is a Blacksmith Shop, not some place for children to play house!"

He flung the towel back onto the rack.

"The work here involves lifting hammers, working bellows, moving iron ingots. Which one can you do?"

Guy said nothing.

Uchiha Tao Ye continued, "Your father, that Eternal Genin, probably only earns a few coins a month. It must already be hard enough for him just to raise you, right?"

"Wanting to earn money is a good thing, but you need to know your limits. Wait a few more years. When you're taller and stronger, then come back..."

"I can do it."

Guy cut him off.

Uchiha Tao Ye froze.

Guy walked over to the side of the shed, where a stack of iron ingots had been piled.

Every single one was as thick as his waist and half as tall as a person.

He looked at Second Uncle. "Where do you want them moved?"

Uchiha Tao Ye raised a brow and pointed toward an empty rack in the corner.

"Over there. Move them one at a time. We'll talk after you finish."

Guy walked over.

He crouched down.

He wrapped both arms around an iron ingot.

Then he exerted force.

The ingot rose off the ground.

He straightened, turned, walked to the empty rack, and set it down.

The whole process took less than ten seconds.

His face was not red, and he was not even out of breath.

Uchiha Tao Ye's eyes widened slightly.

Guy walked back again.

The second ingot.

The fourth ingot.

A stack of ten iron ingots was completely moved in less than two minutes.

Guy dusted off his hands and returned to stand before Uchiha Tao Ye.

"I'm done."

Uchiha Tao Ye opened his mouth.

He looked at the neatly stacked ingots, then at Guy.

How was this kid so strong?

Was he really seven?

Obito stood nearby with a wide grin, his face practically saying, See that?

Uchiha Tao Ye cleared his throat.

"Well... you do have some strength. But a Blacksmith Shop takes more than strength."

"You need to know how to work the bellows, control the heat, know when to add charcoal and when to stop..."

"I can learn."

Guy gave the same answer.

Uchiha Tao Ye choked on his words.

Looking into Guy's serious eyes, he suddenly felt a little irritated.

Why was this kid so stubborn?

"Fine, fine, you can learn. Then do you know how to forge iron?"

Guy shook his head.

"No."

"Then there you have it!"

Uchiha Tao Ye waved a hand.

"You don't know anything, so why should I hire you? It's wartime. Do you know how many people outside are waiting for ninja tools? I'm busy as hell. Where would I find the time to teach you?"

Guy fell silent for two seconds.

Then he said, "I don't need wages."

Uchiha Tao Ye paused, thinking he had misheard.

"What?"

"I don't need wages," Guy repeated. "Just feed me one meal."

Uchiha Tao Ye blinked.

Was there really such a good deal?

But after thinking it over, he shook his head again.

"Even without wages, no. You don't know anything. You'd only get in the way here."

"When I'm busy, you can't help. When I'm not busy, teaching you would be a waste of time. Even one meal costs money, so why should I..."

"I can try first."

Guy interrupted him again.

"Just for today. Let me work for one day. If I do well, keep me. If I don't, I'll leave on my own. You don't even need to feed me."

Uchiha Tao Ye looked at him.

This kid was really determined.

He turned to Obito.

Obito shrugged, his expression saying, Don't look at me. He insisted on coming himself.

Uchiha Tao Ye glanced once more at the neatly moved stack of iron ingots.

The kid had strength.

And quite a lot of it.

After thinking for a moment, he pointed toward the bellows in the corner of the shed.

"Fine. Pull that thing for one hour. You're not allowed to stop halfway. We'll talk after you finish."

Guy nodded.

He walked over.

He crouched down.

He gripped the bellows handle.

Huff—pull—huff—pull—

The bellows began to work.

The furnace flames brightened and dimmed with his rhythm.

Uchiha Tao Ye watched from the side.

At first, he waited to see when the kid would start complaining that he was tired.

Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Thirty minutes.

Guy's movements never changed, and his rhythm never faltered.

His face wasn't flushed, and he wasn't even out of breath.

He hadn't even blinked once.

Uchiha Tao Ye's expression changed.

From waiting to see a joke, to surprise.

From surprise, to seriousness.

He walked over and crouched beside Guy.

He reached out and touched the furnace fire.

The temperature was just right.

The airflow was just right.

This heat control was better than that of those newly arrived apprentices.

"You brat... have you practiced before?"

Guy didn't stop moving. He turned his head to look at him.

"Every day."

"Practiced what?"

"Taijutsu. Kicking, push-ups, weighted runs."

Uchiha Tao Ye fell silent.

He knew taijutsu.

Which child at the Ninja Academy didn't practice taijutsu?

But to train to this extent...

He glanced at Guy's arms.

Those arms were thicker than any seven-year-old's arms he had ever seen.

Not fat. Muscle.

Solid, well-developed muscle.

Then he looked at Guy's breathing.

It was as steady as if he were asleep.

This brat was definitely no ordinary child.

An hour passed.

Guy stopped and stood up.

His legs were a little numb, but a few movements loosened them up.

He looked at Uchiha Tao Ye.

"Well?"

Uchiha Tao Ye said nothing.

He turned and walked to the other side of the shed, taking a red-hot iron billet from the rack.

He clamped it onto the anvil.

Then he picked up a hammer and pointed at the billet.

"Watch closely."

Clang!

The hammer came down.

"Blacksmithing isn't just about using brute force. You need to know where to strike, when to strike, and how hard to strike."

Clang! Clang!

He spoke as he hammered. His movements weren't fast, but every blow landed in the same spot.

The iron billet slowly changed shape beneath his hands.

In the end, it became a rough ninja tool blank.

The shape of a kunai.

Second Uncle clamped the blank and plunged it into a bucket of water.

Sizzle—

The white smoke dispersed.

He tossed the blank at Guy's feet.

"Follow this shape and forge ten for me. Once you're done, we'll talk."

Guy lowered his head to look at the blank.

Then he looked at the hammer in Uchiha Tao Ye's hand.

"Where's the hammer?"

Uchiha Tao Ye pointed toward the corner.

Seven or eight hammers of different sizes leaned there.

Guy walked over and picked up the smallest one.

He weighed it in his hand.

Too light.

He switched to another.

Still too light.

Then another.

Until he picked up the fourth hammer and tested it.

Yeah, about right.

Uchiha Tao Ye watched from the side, and his eyelid twitched.

That hammer... was for adult apprentices.

This brat could lift it?

Guy walked up to the anvil.

He clamped a red-hot iron billet.

Set it in place.

Raised the hammer.

Clang!

The first strike knocked the billet crooked.

Clang!

The second strike bent it even further off.

Uchiha Tao Ye frowned.

Clang!

The third strike sent it completely to one side.

Uchiha Tao Ye was about to open his mouth and curse.

Then he saw Guy stop.

Guy looked down at the crooked, misshapen iron billet and fell silent for two seconds.

Then he picked up another one.

A red-hot iron billet.

Set it in place.

Raised the hammer.

Clang!

This time, it didn't go crooked.

Clang!

The position was right.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

One strike after another, the rhythm grew steadier and steadier.

Uchiha Tao Ye slowly closed his open mouth.

He stared at Guy's hands.

The way those hands held the hammer had been wrong at first.

But with every strike, he adjusted.

Three strikes.

Five strikes.

Ten strikes.

By the fifteenth strike, his posture looked like that of someone who had trained for years.

The iron billet slowly changed shape beneath Guy's hands.

The shape of a kunai.

Exactly the same as the one Uchiha Tao Ye had just forged.

Clang!

The final strike fell.

Guy clamped the blank and plunged it into the water bucket.

Sizzle—

The white smoke dispersed.

He tossed the blank at Uchiha Tao Ye's feet.

It lay beside the one he had forged.

Exactly the same.

Uchiha Tao Ye looked down at the two blanks.

He was silent for a long time.

Then he raised his head.

He looked at Guy.

"You brat... is this really your first time forging iron?"