The Forgemage of Konoha

Chance Encounter

Shirō currently had a small problem with producing Dragon Tooth Warriors: the production speed was too slow. He had no immediate solution and could only work on improving his proficiency over time. Thankfully, he had no shortage of snake fangs to use as material.

After resting for about half an hour, Shirō and his team resumed their journey.

Shirō felt a bit regretful, as he hadn't managed to produce many Dragon Tooth Warriors yet. In contrast, Tai Yi and Shikamaru were in high spirits—especially Shikamaru, who was oddly excited about getting back on the road. Shirō found this strange.

He briefly wondered if Shikamaru had been replaced, but the moment he saw the slight tremble in both Shikamaru's and Tai Yi's fingers, a knowing smile crept onto his face.

Finally! I'm not the only one suffering through this torment, he thought with satisfaction.

He was still grinning by the time evening fell—until Nakamura approached him during their rest.

"Why?" Shirō asked, his expression turning to despair.

"Alas~ don't hate me. It's for your own good," Nakamura replied solemnly.

Shirō looked at the freshly made Dragon Tooth Warriors with a tragic gaze before reluctantly joining Tai Yi and Shikamaru in practicing hand seals once again.

Perhaps pain really could be shared. With Shirō now part of their training, the others' spirits lifted noticeably.

"Alas~ hurting others ultimately hurts oneself," Shirō sighed while cycling through the hand seals.

"Enough chatter. Focus. Hand seals are essential for a ninja. And since you've found such a great way to train Ninjutsu, you should treasure it," Nakamura instructed.

". . ." ×3

"Also, you all should thank Shirō! Without him, you wouldn't have this great training method."

". . ." Shirō's scalp tingled as two cold glares fell on him.

"Ah~ don't worry. We'll definitely thank Shirō properly."

"Haha, alright. No more jokes—get back to practice."

That night, with fingers still twitching from exhaustion, Shirō went to look for signs of Sharingan.

---

The next day, while traveling, Nakamura suddenly raised a hand to halt the group.

"Be alert—someone's nearby!"

"Reinforcement, activate!"

Shirō leapt onto a high branch and scanned the distance. Far ahead, he spotted four shinobi wearing Konoha headbands.

"They look like Konoha-nin," Shirō called down as he landed.

"You sure? It's possible they're using the Transformation Jutsu. I recognize one of them, but it's too far to be certain," Nakamura replied cautiously.

"Then let's wait. They've seen us too—they're approaching."

In no time, the four shinobi arrived.

"Tai Yi!"

"Right!"

Prepared in advance, Tai Yi activated his Sharingan to check for any signs of Transformation Jutsu.

This was a safety measure. Even a Jonin could be fooled, but Sharingan was far more precise when it came to chakra and disguise detection.

There was no need for coded signals—those could be intercepted or faked. When the opposing group noticed the Sharingan, they immediately gave up any thought of hiding their identity.

After all, Minato had told them his allies would be nearby. It was better to wait than risk a mistake. Caution was key.

"No problem," Tai Yi reported, deactivating his Sharingan.

Upon hearing that, Shirō let a faint white light glow in his hand—a kunai formed from magical energy.

Those familiar with him recognized it as Shirō's unique Ninjutsu—Projection Magic. No one else in the Elemental Nations possessed this art. Unlike the Sharingan, which could be stolen or transplanted, Projection Magic was uniquely tied to Shirō.

Of course, who could say what the future held? Perhaps even Orochimaru might try to replicate it. But for now, it was his alone.

Seeing the kunai, Minato smiled slightly and nodded.

"Captain, everything checks out."

Minato's current team leader wasn't Jiraiya. After the war, Jiraiya hadn't yet returned to the village—likely off training the children of the prophecy: Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko. (Timeline adjusted slightly for narrative flow.)

His current squad leader was a Jonin named Nakamori Aota.

"Aota, long time no see," Minato greeted casually.

"It has been. Just finished your mission?"

"Yeah, we're heading back to the village. You?"

"Same. Mind if we travel together?"

"Sure."

Their relationship was cordial but not particularly close—old acquaintances at best. After a few greetings, conversation naturally died down.

Shirō, however, wasn't too interested. To him, this was just another travel companion.

"Minato-ge, long time no see! These are my teammates—Shikamaru and Tai Yi. Guys, this is Minato-ge."

"Thanks for looking out for Shirō," Minato said with a slight bow toward them. Then he turned to Shirō. "You've recovered well? Sorry I couldn't visit when you were discharged."

"It's fine, Minato-ge. It wasn't serious."

"Let me introduce my team. This is my captain, Nakamori Aota, and my teammates, Mai and Shinji."

"Sister Mai, Brother Shinji, nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Alright," Aota interrupted. "Let's save the catch-up for later and keep moving."

"Yes," the others agreed.

---

That evening, Shirō and the others were once again practicing hand seals until their fingers cramped. Minato observed them with a raised eyebrow.

"Isn't that the sealing technique Kushina taught you? You passed it on to your team too?"

"Well, you know—'blessings are meant to be shared.'"

Shikamaru and Tai Yi both gave Shirō pointed looks. Their unspoken thought was clear: Next time, we'll be sure to 'share our blessings' with you too!

"Huh? Minato-ge, did you say 'too'?"

"Yeah, I taught it to my team, but they didn't stick with it. Your hand seal speed is pretty impressive."

"Alas~ anyone would improve if they practiced this much every day."

"Haha, I won't get in your way then." Minato chuckled and stepped aside to read from a scroll.

Before long, Shirō's group stopped their training. Unlike most ninja, they weren't entirely dependent on hand seals for their techniques. Instead, each of them retrieved a scroll and began reading.

Now that there were more people around, some techniques weren't suitable for practice in public.

Shirō's scroll contained personally transcribed notes—some based on his understanding of Magecraft, and others gleaned from the memories of Medea, the legendary Witch of Betrayal.

Currently, he is researching Barrier Magecraft. It was highly practical, and he wanted to explore whether he could eventually reconstruct Unlimited Blade Works.

Red Archer's Projection Magic, after all, was just a degraded form of an Innate Bounded Field. Since Shirō could use the same magic, there was no reason he couldn't eventually form a Reality Marble of his own.

Though it might differ from Red Archer's UBW—after all, Shirō could project other Noble Phantasms too.

So while he continued refining his Reinforcement and Projection Magecraft, he now also focused on Bounded Fields. Unfortunately, progress was slow—he hadn't even passed the starting line.

Still, he refused to give up.

Nothing worthwhile came easily. Shirō believed that as long as he laid the right foundation and gained deeper knowledge and experience, the rewards would come.

After all, perseverance—like pain—was something worth sharing.