The midday sun hung high over the Uchiha compound.
"Sasuke-sama."
Sasuke had barely returned when the ninja cat Homura appeared at the gate, landing lightly in front of him.
"Good work," Sasuke said, handing over a small bottle of matatabi drink as usual. "Did the Cat Granny reply?"
Homura accepted the bottle with care, licked his paw once, then nodded. "She asked me to give this to you. She said you should open it only when it's convenient."
From his mouth, he produced a small scroll.
Only when it's convenient…
Sasuke understood at once. She had a clear sense of his current situation.
He picked up the scroll, absently scratched Homura under the chin, and earned an immediate glare and bared teeth in return.
"I understand," Sasuke said calmly, withdrawing his hand and pocketing the scroll.
"Tch." Homura flicked his tail. "Then I'm off. Try not to harass cats next time."
"Be careful on the way back."
Homura snorted and vanished.
Left alone, Sasuke examined the scroll.
A sealing scroll.
Different from a storage scroll. These were usually meant to contain techniques or chakra constructs. The higher-grade ones could seal even extremely dangerous jutsu. He remembered stories of special scrolls used to contain black flames that refused to die.
After a quick meal, Sasuke headed straight for the Naka Shrine.
If there was a place he could open this safely, it was here.
First, there was no sense of surveillance lingering today.Second, it was early spring, the season of festivals. His presence wouldn't stand out.Third, the shrine itself was layered with old Uchiha sealing techniques. This was where the clan once planned its most sensitive matters.
Inside a side chamber, Sasuke shut the doors and windows, then tore open the scroll.
With a soft puff, white smoke dispersed.
An elderly woman appeared, dressed in warm yellow-orange robes, a dark hood shaped like cat ears resting on her head.
"Cat Granny," Sasuke said, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. "I didn't expect you to come personally."
"Just a shadow clone, little Sasuke," she replied, glancing around the room before fixing her gaze on him. "You've grown. You look like a proper young man now."
Her eyes softened with memory. "The last time I saw you and Itachi together, you were both clinging to your sleeves."
Sasuke inclined his head. "Thank you for your concern."
The Cat Granny knew far more than she ever said. As the Uchiha clan's weapons broker, information hub, and discreet merchant, she had handled their arms, their funds, and their secrets. She might not know the full truth of the massacre, but she wasn't blind to it either.
She sighed lightly. "Forgive me. That's not why I came."
She grew serious. "The item you sent me. I've confirmed it. It's a genuine fire-nature chakra crystal."
Sasuke nodded.
"Crystals like this are rare," she continued. "Only shinobi who've refined an element to its absolute peak can leave something like this behind."
She didn't ask where he'd gotten it. The Uchiha clan's history was rich with masters of fire.
Sasuke met her gaze. "Is what I asked… possible?"
He meant the weapon.
The crystal resonated with his chakra, but it couldn't aid his training directly. Used raw, it was inefficient. Forged properly, though, it could become something far more useful.
"Little Sasuke," the Cat Granny said, "do you know the truth behind the Sword of the Thunder God?"
"I do," he replied. "It's said to be the Second Hokage's weapon."
"A common misconception," she said, shaking her head. "He never wielded it. But he was deeply involved in its creation."
She spoke slowly, as if reciting an old tale.
"During the First Shinobi World War, Kumogakure invaded the Land of Fire and was defeated by the Second Hokage. Seeking peace, the Second Raikage presented him with a lightning-nature chakra crystal as a sign of goodwill."
Sasuke listened intently.
"Before traveling to the Cloud for negotiations, the Second Hokage used that crystal as a core, combined it with chakra metal, and forged a hilt. When chakra was poured into it, a blade of pure lightning would form."
"That was the Sword of the Thunder God."
"I see," Sasuke said quietly.
"So," he asked, "that means forging a weapon with a fire chakra crystal is feasible."
"Yes."
"How much will it cost?"
The Cat Granny smiled. "This time, I won't take your money."
Sasuke's brow lifted slightly.
"Why?"
She looked distant for a moment. "The Uchiha have fallen far. Still, decades of ties don't vanish overnight."
Her eyes returned to him, sharp and shrewd. "More importantly, I believe in your future. Consider this an investment."
Sasuke was silent for a long moment.
"…Thank you."
He made no promises. Neither did she. Both understood that such things were for later.
She chuckled. "Besides, the chance to forge a new elemental weapon excites me. Chakra-metal weapons are rare enough. Elemental ones even more so."
"In all of shinobi history, only two lightning-based weapons remain. One lost. One in the hands of Kirigakure."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then what if we use fire chakra crystal as the core… and fire obsidian as the material?"
Her expression froze.
"…You have fire obsidian?"
Sasuke coughed once and nodded.
For a heartbeat, she stared at him. Then her lips curled upward, eyes alight.
"Then let's do it," she said. "Let's see what kind of monster we can forge."