Ancient Iron spun around and slapped the craftsman hard across the face.
"Open your damn eyes and look closely!"
He pointed at the blueprint, the veins in his neck throbbing with agitation.
"Look at this firing mechanism! Look at this energy transmission path! And this cooling system! Every detail, every structure, is flawlessly perfect! Is this something Genjutsu could fucking create?!"
The slapped craftsman, along with the other core craftsmen who had gathered around, all froze.
Half-believing and half-doubting, they leaned closer and fixed their eyes on the mysterious blueprint.
Then the forge fell deathly silent.
One second.
Two seconds.
"This... this component's interlocking precision requirement is way too high..."
"This material? Are they insane? How could this possibly be forged?"
"No... look here. It marks out a staged quenching process... If we follow this method, it might actually be possible..."
"My God..."
One craftsman after another surged forward, like iron filings drawn to a magnet.
The hostility and wariness on their faces had long since vanished without a trace. In their place were the same fervor, obsession, and shock that filled Ancient Iron's face.
Zabuza stood silently to one side, watching the dramatic scene unfold.
At last, he understood what Naruto had given him.
It was not a blueprint.
It was the only key capable of conquering these stubborn craftsmen.
Every craftsman in the yard had their eyes glued to the Bolter blueprint. Heavy breathing rose and fell, drowning out the crackle of the distant furnace fires.
Zabuza knew that Naruto Uzumaki's first step had succeeded.
But he sharply noticed that the fervor in Clan Chief Ancient Iron's eyes was being replaced by a trace of hesitation and caution.
The old man straightened his hunched back, his withered fingers slowly lifting from the blueprint.
"Kirigakure may be terrible, but