superior naruto

After Kakashi left with Sasuke and Hinata, Naruto was taken to the forge by Uncle Xuan.

At that moment, Naruto's face was filled with admiration and awe. "Your plan was brilliant. I admire you almost as much as I admire the Hokage."

Uncle Xuan waved his hand modestly. "Oh, it was nothing. Your acting skills were impressive too. You had Hinata completely fooled!"

After exchanging a few more compliments, the two got back to work.

Naruto continued forging, while Uncle Xuan compared materials, consulted his notes, and worked on creating a perfect replica of the beheading sword.

After three days of trial and error, including four or five failed attempts, they finally achieved a near-perfect result.

Uncle Xuan: "I think... we're ready to try using the live steel."

Naruto: "Let's do it. Even if we mess up, we can always refine the live steel again."

Two more days passed. After three more failures, their fourth attempt succeeded!

Uncle Xuan was ecstatic. This was the first time he'd successfully forged a sword using live steel.

Naruto suggested: "It looks too new. We need to age it."

Uncle Xuan's eyes lit up: "Good idea!"

Using materials that could interact with live steel, Uncle Xuan repeatedly washed and polished the sword, giving it a worn, weathered appearance.

Naruto: "It'd be even more convincing if we wrapped it in the same cloth strips as the original, but unfortunately, those were destroyed in the explosion."

Uncle Xuan took the suggestion seriously.

Uncle Xuan: "So, what do we do with this sword?"

Naruto: "Sell it, of course. But we'll sell it as if we don't know its true value. You know how antique markets love hidden treasures."

Uncle Xuan grinned: "Kid, you're a natural at this."

Naruto laughed. It wasn't exactly honest work, but it got the job done.

The sword was sold quickly, and the profit more than covered the costs of their experiments. The demand for such a blade was clearly high.

Word of the sale reached the higher-ups in Konoha.

A shadow ninja approached the Third Hokage. "Lord Hokage, should we buy it back? That sword's value is..."

Third Hokage shook his head: "That sword caused more trouble than it was worth. I was worried about Naruto keeping it, but now that it's sold, the problem is solved."

The ninja bowed and left.

Third Hokage murmured to himself: "I should thank that blacksmith. He must have convinced Naruto to sell the sword and even taught him forging in the process. Naruto didn't lose out on this deal."

Satisfied with his reasoning, the Third Hokage returned to his paperwork.

After a week of forging, Naruto's physique had improved significantly. His eyes shone with determination, and his movements were full of energy.

Uncle Xuan, however, looked exhausted as he stared at the forge. "Naruto, are you sure you don't want to forge a sword for yourself?"

Naruto, hammering away without looking up: "Uncle, if you're itching to forge something, go ahead. Just don't use up all the live steel."

The live steel was stored safely, and the two had developed a strong bond of trust. Naruto's increased soul power had sharpened his intuition, allowing him to sense people's intentions more clearly.

Uncle Xuan sighed: "But if you don't ask, I can't just make it..."

Naruto: "..."

Uncle Xuan's hesitation was endearing but unnecessary.

Naruto, turning to him: "Uncle, why don't you make me a sword suited for wind release?"

Uncle Xuan's eyes lit up instantly. "Say no more!"

Naruto had originally planned to wait until he mastered ice release, but he realized that might take too long.

Uncle Xuan: "Any other requirements?"

Naruto: "Make it the same length as the sword I have now. Straight blade, no guard."

Uncle Xuan nodded: "Got it."

Naruto continued: "For materials, add a wind stone and a water stone. Use the honeycomb alloy we extracted from the beheading sword, the transparent one, and the soft one. For the main body, use blue grain steel. And add thirty grams of live steel. What do you think?"

Uncle Xuan was stunned.

Uncle Xuan: "Wind stone and water stone? You can use wind and water release?"

Naruto: "A little. I can cut a thick branch with wind and make a bowl of water float with water."

Uncle Xuan: "..."

Naruto's abilities never ceased to amaze him.

Uncle Xuan: "Blue grain steel is a great choice—it complements both wind and water. It seems you've already thought this through."

Naruto: "Oh, one more thing..."

Uncle Xuan: "But... thirty grams of live steel is overkill. Ten grams would be enough to permeate the entire sword. Even if the blade breaks, the live steel will retract to the hilt, preserving its essence."

Naruto: "But live steel and blue grain steel together enhance the sword's flexibility. When I channel chakra into it, the blade can extend up to three times its length."

Uncle Xuan: "Extension? That's a property of extension steel!"

Naruto: "Yes, but live steel and blue grain steel can also trigger that effect. It's not as extreme as pure extension steel, though. It's mentioned in your books—the stack on your left, twelfth book, page twenty-three, line eight."

Uncle Xuan flipped through the book. "Holy—!"

He'd picked up some colorful language from Naruto recently, but even that couldn't express his shock.

Uncle Xuan: "When did you memorize all my books?"

Naruto, innocently: "I just... took some notes. I wanted to understand the materials better."

Uncle Xuan stared at him: "Really?"

Naruto nodded earnestly: "Yeah."

Uncle Xuan: "If you can memorize all that, why aren't you learning more? Do you know how much talent you're wasting?"

Naruto's expression froze.

Uncle Xuan: "From today on, you're reading two books a day before you leave!"

Naruto didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I've really found a demanding teacher.

But then a thought struck him. Despite all their time together, he still didn't know Uncle Xuan's name.

Naruto: "Uncle... I just realized I don't know your name. What should I call you?"

Uncle Xuan paused: "Huh. Let me think... I'm so used to you calling me 'Uncle' that I almost forgot."

Naruto: "..."

Uncle Xuan: "Just keep calling me Uncle. It's fine."

Naruto: "..."

Did he really forget his own name?

In the end, Naruto decided to stick with "Uncle." It suited him just fine.