The forge's silence after the storm
Four days vanished as if stolen by the wind. Snow continued to fall over the Land of Iron, blanketing its streets and roofs in pale silence. In that quiet, Kaito and Soka had waited — training lightly, eating in the inn, walking among samurai who paid them no mind. But all the while, Kaito's heart pulsed with a single rhythm: the blade, the blade, the blade.
Now, they stood once more inside the blacksmith's forge. The air smelled of coal, hot iron, and steam. The rhythmic clang of hammer against steel had been their companion for hours, echoing in their bones. Then came the hiss — red-hot metal plunged into water. Steam roared, filling the room in white mist.
At last, the smith emerged from behind the curtain of heat. His face was damp with sweat, hair sticking to his brow, but in his hands he carried something transformed.
The sword.
Its handle gleamed a deep blue, three small white stars inlaid along the grip, a night sky captured in steel. The blade itself… pure, flawless, a white sheen that seemed almost too perfect to exist in this world. Its edge shimmered faintly, as if light bent around it, whispering of hunger. And though silent, its chakra pulsed — monstrous, restrained, eager.
The smith's voice was hushed, reverent. "I have reforged your blade, but it is no longer mere steel. It is an extension of you. Treat it as such… or it will cut you as easily as your enemies."
Kaito stepped forward. His hand brushed the hilt. For a heartbeat, the sword trembled, vibrating faintly as though it recognized him. Not like Samehada, wild and alive, but something subtler — a heartbeat aligning with its master.
Soka's eyes widened. "It's… alive."
Kaito grinned faintly. "Not yet. But it's learning."
The smith exhaled, handing the blade over fully. Kaito raised it into the light — the edge caught the glow of the forge fire, scattering it into shards of brilliance. For a moment, the boy who carried too many lifetimes simply stared, his reflection fractured in the white blade.
"…Good work," Kaito finally said. His tone was simple, but his smile betrayed respect.
The smith bowed slightly. "Use it well, stranger."
Without another word, Kaito and Soka left the forge, snow crunching beneath their boots as they walked into the silent streets. The inn, the food, even the passing samurai — all blurred into insignificance. Only one thing mattered now.
The forest.
They would test the reborn Kibō to Shinkō where no eyes could see.
A different battlefield — fire and blood in Konoha's shadow
Far from the snowy stillness of the Land of Iron, in the humid night near Konoha's borders, a storm of steel was about to be unleashed.
A man stood tall in the darkness, clad not in shinobi armor but in a simple green jumpsuit. His face was weathered, his smile radiant, teeth flashing like a beacon even under the moon. His black hair swept backward, his stance straight, resolute.
Might Duy.
The "Eternal Genin." The man everyone mocked. The father who had endured sneers, ridicule, and humiliation, all while training in silence, carrying a fire no one else could see.
Behind him stood three young shinobi: Genma with his ever-present senbon between his lips, Ebisu adjusting his shades nervously, and a boy with wide, fearful eyes — Might Guy.
Before them, seven men loomed, each bearing a blade of legend. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Their laughter was cruel, their confidence absolute.
"Well, well," drawled Jinin Akebino, wielder of Kabutowari. "The Leaf sends... a genin? To do a B-rank or higher mission? Is this a joke?"
Kushimaru Kuriarare twirled Nuibari, his thin lips curling into a grin. "I almost feel insulted."
The others laughed, their voices cruel.
But Duy did not answer their mockery. He simply turned, meeting the eyes of the three behind him. His smile softened.
"Genma. Ebisu. Guy." His voice was calm, warm. "Run when I say. Do not look back."
Guy's fists trembled. "F-father…"
Duy raised his thumb in a familiar gesture, his grin never faltering. "Believe in youth, my boy."
Then he turned back to the swordsmen, his smile unwavering even as death closed around him.
And then — the air shifted.
A roar erupted from within his body, veins bulging across his forehead, steam bursting from his pores. His chakra ignited, an inferno that scorched the earth beneath his feet.
"The Eight Inner Gates…" whispered Genma, eyes wide.
"…final gate," Ebisu finished, voice shaking.
Duy's skin flushed crimson, his eyes turning white, no pupils — only pure, blazing resolve. His aura bled like fire, red and wild, searing the night.
The swordsmen's laughter stopped.
"What the—"
But it was already too late.
The Red Beast of Konoha unleashed
One heartbeat, Jinin Akebino stood with his hammer-axe. The next, Might Duy's fist crashed into his chest, pulverizing bone and heart alike. The impact boomed like thunder, his corpse exploding backward in a rain of blood.
Silence. Then panic.
"T-that speed—!"
"Impossible!"
Their jeers turned to terror.
Duy blurred again, reappearing before Kushimaru Kuriarare. A kick, sharp and merciless, shattered every rib. Kushimaru's body bent unnaturally before hurtling through the air, lifeless before it struck the ground.
The others faltered, fear clawing at their bravado.
Raiga screamed, hurling lightning through the air. But Duy's fist split it apart, the sheer heat of his motion igniting flames that consumed the wielder of Kiba where he stood. Raiga's shrieks echoed briefly before silence claimed him.
Four remained. Their pride shattered, survival instincts roared louder than honor. They turned, fleeing into the trees.
"R-run!" one shouted. "He's not human!"
But flight availed them nothing.
Duy appeared in front of Jinpachi Munashi, the wielder of Shibuki. His knee drove into the man's gut with cataclysmic force, organs rupturing, blood gushing from his mouth. Before the body could fall, Duy's hammering strike obliterated his skull, scattering fragments into the soil.
The survivors vanished into the forest, too terrified to face the monster behind them. Their legend broken in one night.
The price of youth
The red aura flickered, then began to fade. Duy's chest heaved, his breath shallow. The heat left his body, leaving only ash. His skin blackened, burned from within, his muscles tearing under the weight of what he had unleashed.
He fell to one knee, then to both. The world blurred.
Behind him, Genma and Ebisu stared in horrified awe. Might Guy stumbled forward, tears streaming down his face.
"F-father! Please—!"
Duy turned his head, his smile still shining even as death closed in. His thumb rose, trembling but firm.
"Guy… live with joy. Protect your comrades. That is… your youth."
The boy's sobs tore the silence as the man who had been mocked his entire life collapsed, his body falling still, the red beast gone.
In the soil of that night, a legend was born — not of the Seven Swordsmen, but of a man who had never stopped believing.
Might Duy. The Eternal Genin. The Red Beast of Konoha.
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I saw that most of the votes were for Kaito to be a villain and to explore the world or form his organization, so I'll do that. I'll see if he will form his organization or not depending on your votes.
If you review or give a Power Stone, I'll give you an extra chapter.
A Power Stone: an extra chapter.
A positive review: an extra chapter.
This would help me a lot and would also attract more people, so I'd make more chapters per day.