The Empty District.
Cat silhouettes flitted among the crumbling walls and ruins.
After leaving the training ground, Uchiha Minamoto had taken Naruto Uzumaki for a meal at Ichiraku Ramen.
Then he had left the village and come here.
With light steps, Uchiha Minamoto passed through the maze of ruined passageways and arrived outside Cat Granny's Cat House.
"Granny."
Carrying bags of gifts, Uchiha Minamoto walked up with practiced familiarity.
"Sorry to bother you again."
"Minamoto, it's you."
Holding her pipe, Cat Granny looked him over with a smile.
"It's only been a while, but you've changed more than a cat sheds fur."
The last time Uchiha Minamoto had visited, he had been just a rank-and-file member of the Konoha Military Police Force.
Now he was a prominent figure discussed throughout Konoha.
Cat Granny could practically say she had watched Uchiha Minamoto get to where he was today, step by step.
Even someone as experienced and knowledgeable as Cat Granny was secretly astonished by the speed of his growth.
The Uchiha Clan has produced another genius...
"What ninja tool do you want forged this time?"
Cat Granny looked at Uchiha Minamoto, a trace of curiosity in her aged voice.
"A naginata? A tachi? Or another tantō?"
"Not a blade."
Uchiha Minamoto shook his head and took the [High-Purity Chakra Crystal] from inside his clothes.
"This is the main material this time."
The crystal, roughly the size of a thumb, lay quietly in Uchiha Minamoto's palm.
Cat Granny nearly lost her grip on her pipe.
"Could this be-"
Uchiha Minamoto spoke with a smile.
"Chakra crystal."
Although chakra metal was rare, ninja still occasionally used it to forge weapons.
But chakra crystal was another matter entirely!
This was a priceless treasure!
"Gasp-"
Cat Granny drew in a sharp breath, carefully picked up