Then Naruto went to the ninja weapons store, following the address given by the Hokage.
The Hokage had already informed him that he would receive a discount there, so Naruto did not waste time and money searching any other shop to get his weapons.
As he stepped inside, rows of weapons lined the walls. Kunai, shuriken, swords, chains, and other tools were placed neatly on display. Behind the counter stood Tenten. She looked like someone who truly understood weapons.
"Welcome to the weapon store," she greeted. "What do you need?"
Naruto returned the greeting with a calm nod.
"I want to ask a few things. Is that okay?"
Tenten leaned slightly forward, a little intrigued by his tone. "Fine. What do you want to know?"
Naruto asked directly, "Can you create weapons?"
Tenten shook her head.
"Actually, all these are partnership products. I didn't designed any of these weapons. But...." Her eyes gleamed slightly. "I have a strong passion for forging my own weapons. So, I studied about it a lot and know much about how to create them, but I didn't have many creative ideas."
Naruto's lips curved into a faint smirk.
"Perfect. I need someone to craft something specific. Can you do it?"
He pulled out a piece of paper and placed it on the counter.
On the paper were detailed drawings of twelve silver needles. Beside them was another design—a large needle-molded ball filled with countless tiny needles. Each needle was drawn carefully, even the smallest ones.
To an ordinary shinobi, they might look like strange hidden weapons.
But to Naruto, they were perfect martial tools.
Demonic practitioners often used needles for healing, but that was not their only purpose. For opening meridian paths, they were crucial. After purifying his body, Naruto needed to open all available meridian paths so that he could circulate his qi properly.
Tenten studied the design carefully, her eyebrows furrowing.
"This is my first time seeing weapons like these…" she said slowly. Then her eyes moved over the details again. "You're a great artist. Your drawing is detailed and informative."
She ran a finger over the paper thoughtfully.
"It'll be my first attempt, but I'll do my best."
"Good," Naruto said. "I'll come back in seven days. Make sure they're ready."
Naruto turned slightly, then asked, "By the way, is there a forgery shop in Konoha? I want to craft my own sword."
Tenten blinked.
"Your own sword?"
She crossed her arms and thought for a moment.
"I've heard there's a forgery shop in Konoha, but I don't know the exact address. I can take you there, though. Just let me know when you're ready."
Naruto nodded. "Fine."
Both Tenten and Naruto introduced their names and got to know each other's names.
Naruto turned to leave.
"Later, Tenten. Make sure the needles are ready when I return."
........
As he stepped out of the store, a familiar lazy voice interrupted his path.
"Yo… Naruto."
Kakashi Hatake stood before him. Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Kakashi-sensei… What do you want?"
Kakashi scanned Naruto from head to toe for a moment.
Then he said, "Bring the other two to the academy rooftop tomorrow morning."
Before Naruto could respond, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.
Naruto stared at the empty space for a second.
Then he exhaled sharply. 'What now?'
.......
Meanwhile, back at the house deep in the forest, Sakura had finished cleaning the hall and Naruto's bedroom.
The dust that had covered the place was gone. The floor looked clean, the furniture had been wiped properly, and the bedroom no longer looked abandoned.
While cleaning, Sakura had also found and read Naruto's mother's diary.
After reading it, she confirme shocking truth....Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son. This truth hit her mind hard.
After finishing all the cleaning, Sakura rested in the hall, sitting on a chair.
.......
A while later, Naruto returned to the house. The moment he entered, he noticed the house's cleanliness compared to when Haku did it.
Sakura stood up immediately and bowed slightly. "Welcome, Master."
Inside, Sakura gritted her teeth.
'Let's give him respect for now. I don't know what he will do to me if I don't.'
Naruto looked at her quietly. His eyes moved from her face to the cleaned hall where she was standing, then back to her.
'What a drastic change in behavior. This is all face acting… But I will make you my permanent maid soon.'
"Sakura… You cleaned well."
"Did you find any scrolls or papers?"
Sakura nodded.
"Yes, Master… Check this out. I found these scrolls while cleaning the bedroom."
Naruto took the scrolls from her and examined the text. His brow furrowed slightly.
"Eight Trigrams Sealing Jutsu…" he read slowly. "What is this? Do you know anything about it, Sakura?"
Sakura shook her head. "No… never heard of it, Master."
Naruto studied the scroll for another moment. "Whatever it is, it seems like a high-class jutsu. We'll leave it in the bedroom for now."
He looked at Sakura again.
"You go out tomorrow, enquire about this jutsu, but don't reveal my details."
Sakura nodded quickly.
Then Naruto added, "Yeah. Tomorrow, Kakashi-sensei wants the three of us to meet at the academy rooftop. Inform Sasuke."
Sakura gave a short nod. "Okay, Naruto…"
She paused for a second, then corrected herself. "…Master."
"Good," Naruto said, his voice low. "Starting tomorrow, I will teach you my skills. Be ready."
Sakura swallowed. Even though she was uneasy, she forced a polite smile.
"Thank you, Master."
Naruto waved his hand lightly. "Now leave."
.......
She immediately stepped out of the house. 'I don't want to stay here longer than necessary.'
But after walking a few steps outside, she realized ...she had no idea how to get back to Konoha.
The forest around her looked the same in every direction. Tall trees, thick bushes, and no clear road.
Sakura froze for a moment. 'Shall I go back and ask Naruto for directions !'
'No, I am not going back to ask him for directions.'
So, with great confidence and zero knowledge, Sakura simply chose one direction according to her gut and walked straight into the forest. Without making a sound, Naruto also followed her silently, shadowing her.
Sakura walked through the woods with stiff steps, her face full of annoyance.
"This isn't the right path…" she muttered.
She turned left. Then stopped.
"Ugh, not this one either…"
She turned again. A few minutes later, she ended up near the same kind of trees that she passedd a long time before.
Her irritation grew. "I am going in circles…!"
Her pulse quickened.
A beast of the forest moved in the shadows, behind her, and advanced towards Sakura.
Sakura's face stiffened. "Don't chase me, you beast!" she shouted at the unseen animal.
The animal had not chased Sakura to the end, but Sakura had already turned and ran without looking back. Branches scratched lightly against her arms, leaves brushed past her face, and her breathing became louder with every step.
After running nonstop, she finally stopped near a tree and placed one hand against its trunk.
"Ha… ha… ha… Ha…"
Her chest rose and fell quickly.
For a few seconds, she tried to calm herself.
Then, from the tree above, a spider slowly dropped down and landed on her shoulder.
Sakura became completely frozen. Her eyes moved toward her shoulder.
Slowly, very slowly, she turned her head.
The moment Sakura saw the spider, the spider with a smile moving up to her face... Sakura's face twisted into pure horror.
"AHHHHHHHHH… GET AWAY!"
She waved her hands wildly, jumping and shaking her body as if she was fighting a legendary beast.
The spider fell off and crawled away, probably more frightened than Sakura.
Sakura stood there, breathing heavily. Then her fear turned into anger. She clenched her fists and shouted into the forest.
"Naruto… This is all because of you! Once I gain enough strength, I will skin you alive!"
Not too far from her, hidden in the darkness, Naruto covered his mouth with one hand.
He was laughing silently.
'This is funny.'
Sakura continued stumbling through the forest. She took countless wrong turns. She provoked wild animals that had no interest in her. She cursed Naruto, cursed the forest, cursed the trees, and even cursed the spiders and flies that had already left long ago.
But finally, after several hours of suffering, she reached the familiar sight of Konoha's streets.
The moment she saw the village, Sakura was filled with tears of relief. She straightened her posture immediately, wiped all her tears, acting as if nothing had happened.
After she stepped into the streets of Konoha, Naruto changed his path and separated from her.
He had already enjoyed enough of the show....
Naruto made his way toward Ichiraku Ramen.
(......to be continued.)