An expressionless youth approached Jing Xiu, holding a stack of freshly finished drawings.
"Young Master Jing Xiu, these are the border topography maps Natsuki just compiled."
The newcomer was none other than Hatake Ryuichi, one of Jing Xiu's three guards.
Like his younger clansman Hatake Sakumo, Ryuichi was a swordsman who appeared cold and ruthless, and was even more decisive when he struck.
But deep down, he was also sensitive and unwaveringly loyal, just like his younger clansman.
Jing Xiu had taught him the Nine Palaces Bagua Sword from the Wudang sword arts, allowing Hatake Ryuichi's strength to reach the chunin level.
And ordinary chunin were no match for him.
Jing Xiu took the rolled maps from Hatake Ryuichi and studied them carefully for a long while, then sighed helplessly to himself. Uchiha Tajima, are you testing me?
Or do you want me dead?
Aburame Zhihong appeared silently beside Jing Xiu. "The Land of Crafts? It seems to be quite close to the Land of Whirlpools."
Three days earlier, Madara and Izuna had both received assignments from Uchiha Tajima, leaving Jing Xiu alone at the residence by the Naka River.
He disliked taking missions, especially at an age when his strength was improving so rapidly.
With Madara's help, Jing Xiu had already turned down dozens of assignments.
But this time, neither Madara nor Izuna was around.
Jing Xiu had no choice but to carry out this so-called garrison assignment.
The Land of Crafts was the country most skilled at forging weapons in the entire shinobi world, and it lay between the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools.
Both the Senju and the Uchiha stationed a special jōnin in the Land of Crafts to ensure their clans' weapon supplies.
Over the past few years, the Uzumaki Clan of the Land of Whirlpools had grown increasingly close to the Senju Clan.
Jing Xiu's journey there carried considerable risks.
Before leaving, he stared toward Uchiha Tajima's study for a long time, finally sighing inwardly. I hope you don't force me to do something neither of us wants to see.
The four of them put on masks and left the Naka River without a sound.
Jing Xiu had modeled this on Konoha's future ANBU.
Although his mission was to remain stationed in the Land of Crafts for three years, he had no intention of charging blindly into the country like some reckless fool.
And once word spread that he had left the Naka River, some clan might well send assassins after him.
After all, he was Uchiha Tajima's second son.
The Uchiha young clan leader's most beloved younger brother.
Over the past year, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju had both made considerable names for themselves.
There had been plenty of operations targeting them, both openly and in secret.
Both Jing Xiu and Izuna had been targeted because of Madara.
With Madara's help, Jing Xiu had even turned the tables on a jōnin from the Kaguya clan and killed them.
In Uchiha Tajima's study, Tajima addressed an empty, shadowy corner. "How is that boy doing now?"
A junior leader of the hidden ninja, whose strength was at the jōnin level, knelt before Tajima. "Reporting to the clan head: Uchiha Jing Xiu left the Naka River for the Land of Crafts six months ago."
"After arriving in the Land of Crafts five months ago, he first killed Hyuga Qingqian, who was stationed there, then killed Uchiha Lieshan, who had originally been responsible for our garrison there."
"He is now working with Qingming, the leader of Takumi Village. They appear to be researching some sort of ninja tools."
Uchiha Tajima's brow furrowed slightly. He had not expected Jing Xiu to eliminate Uchiha Lieshan.
After all, Uchiha Lieshan was his trusted subordinate. Whatever mistakes Lieshan had made, Jing Xiu, as a rising talent from the clan head's own line, should never have attacked him.
"It seems that unfilial son's strength exceeds my estimates."
After pondering for a while, he ordered the hidden ninja who had been waiting for instructions, "I will arrange for Izuna to go to the border of the Land of Whirlpools."
"At the appropriate moment, pass that information to that unfilial son. Make absolutely certain you leave no trace."
The hidden ninja departed with his orders, while Uchiha Tajima gazed toward the horizon. "Madara, everything I do is for you."
"Whether you can obtain the legendary power of the gods will depend on your mettle!"
Far away in the Land of Crafts, Jing Xiu had no idea that a plot targeting him and Izuna was quietly taking shape.
What currently limited Jing Xiu's strength was neither his cultivation methods nor his combat experience, but his age.
Since he could not increase his combat strength from within, he could only seek outside means, and he happened to have arrived in the Land of Crafts.
Thus, Jing Xiu began forging suitable weapons for himself.
At that moment, Jing Xiu was writing and sketching on a blueprint.
The blueprint contained the Four Symbols Divine Artifacts, a concept that Qingming, the leader of the Land of Crafts, and Jing Xiu had developed over the past several months.
"Qingming, your concept for the Infinite Phoenix Armor is good, but I must remind you that although the Infinite Phoenix Armor can absorb chakra..."
"Every material has its limits."
"Once that limit is exceeded, the Phoenix Armor will not only fail to protect you, but turn into the deadliest attack of all."
Qingming dismissed his concern. "According to my design, even if the Infinite Phoenix Armor absorbed all the chakra of dozens of jōnin, it still wouldn't burst."
"With your Uchiha Clan at my side, I doubt dozens of jōnin would gang up on me!"
Jing Xiu had mastered Divine Machine Hundred Refinements, one of the eight extraordinary skills.
However, to bring out its full potential, he also needed to master the shinobi world's forging methods.
Qingming could be considered the finest master smith the shinobi world had seen in a hundred years.
And so, after arriving in the Land of Crafts, Jing Xiu had become good friends with Qingming.
"If that's how you intend to handle the Phoenix Armor, are you also going to stick with your original concept for the Divine Dragon Sword?"
Qingming nodded. "Just as you said, since the Phoenix Armor absorbs chakra, there must be a ninja tool that releases it."
"The Divine Dragon Sword can not only extend and retract at will, but also draw chakra from the Phoenix Armor and turn it into a blade dragon to cut down the enemies before it."
The two continued their research for several more months. Finally, with Jing Xiu's help, Qingming also designed the Peacock Twin Swords.
The twin swords could control wind-nature chakra, turning it into ferocious hurricanes that tore enemies apart.
Over the following year, the two forged dozens of unfinished sets.
In the end, only by using the artifact-refining methods of Divine Machine Hundred Refinements did Jing Xiu produce a "finished product" that came closest to their design.
When Qingming received the Four Symbols Divine Artifacts, he was so excited that he did not sleep for several nights.
Jing Xiu, however, was nowhere near as excited as Qingming.
In his eyes, although Qingming's Four Symbols Divine Artifacts had some merits, they fell far short of the "divine artifacts" Jing Xiu had envisioned.
To make the four symbols cycle through life and death endlessly, I'll probably need a formation.
Qingming did inscribe the Reverse Scale Formation into his four divine artifacts.
But the Reverse Scale Formation is far too simple. The Four Symbols Life-and-Death Formation I want to inscribe is millions of times more complex.
It looks like I'll have to make a Body Tempering Furnace first before I can refine my own divine artifacts.
But what can I use in place of the Body Tempering Furnace's core?
That thought gave Jing Xiu a headache.
As Jing Xiu remembered it, the Body Tempering Furnace could not be created through Divine Machine Hundred Refinements alone.
Its core needed to absorb chakra automatically and maintain a certain degree of vitality while nourished by that chakra.
The core itself even needed to possess a fully developed chakra circulation pathway.
Only then could he draw on the Body Tempering Furnace's power while using Divine Machine Hundred Refinements, strengthening magical artifacts and imbuing them with various special abilities.
At that thought, Jing Xiu's eyes lit up. There really does seem to be a creature in this world that would make an excellent core. It's just that I don't seem strong enough!
Wait! There seems to be something else that's both alive and not alive, and it would work very well too!