On the streets of Konoha, the lights formed a warm yellow band in the night.
In a ninja tool shop, iconic weapon models or banners hung at the entrance.
Hinata walked in; the layout was slightly cluttered, with walls covered in various Kunai and shuriken. Metal ingots of different materials and semi-finished products were displayed under the glass counter, while old tools and maintenance equipment were piled in a corner.
She came to gain some insight and see if she could find any inspiration. Through the weapons here, Hinata could discern many things, including experience and forging techniques.
The shopkeeper was an old craftsman with graying hair and a pipe in his mouth. He was focused on polishing a short sword. Seeing a customer, he only lifted his eyelids, muttered "feel free to look around," and continued his work.
She walked to the counter, her gaze sweeping over the metal samples. Her Pure Eye silently activated, and in her pale blue vision, the internal structure and distribution of Impurities in different metals were clearly presented.
"Many Impurities, acceptable hardness, poor toughness. Suitable for consumable throwing items."
"Blue Steel, fewer Impurities, balanced hardness and toughness. A common material for standard Kunai."
"Cold-forged Steel, specially treated with cold processing, has a denser structure and maintains sharpness well, but its brittleness increases. It has a slight affinity for Lightning-attribute Chakra, making it suitable for disposable piercing blades."
"This piece... is a bit interesting." Her gaze fell on a dull-colored metal ingot with fine moiré patterns on the surface, which was clearly of better quality than the others.
"If used for parts that withstand sudden explosive impacts, like the joint connections of armor or weapons, it would be fine."
Hinata pondered to herself; these were not yet enough to catch her eye.
She picked up a few at random, studied them for a while, then put them back down.
Just as she was thinking, the shop door was pushed open, and the wind chimes jingled.
"Boss! Has that batch of Weighted Kunai I ordered the day before yesterday arrived yet?!"
Tenten burst in energetically. Before her voice even faded, she let out a "Huh? Hinata?"
Today, she had her hair tied in a neat ponytail, with a bit of sweat on her forehead. It looked like she had just finished training. Seeing Hinata, a smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Are you here to hunt for treasures too? That old man hides his stock quite well, but sometimes you really can find some good stuff."
"Yeah, just looking around. You ordered something?"
"That's right!" Tenten leaned in and lowered her voice.
"I found out while sparring with Lee. That guy is fast and his bones are tough; hitting him with ordinary weapons is like scratching an itch. So I wanted to try the weighted version. I'll have to relearn the throwing feel, but one hit will make him hurt for a long time!"
She made a throwing motion as she spoke, grinning with a bit of pride.
The old man slowly dragged a wooden box from under the counter. Tenten opened it to inspect the goods, weighing them one by one and picking out a few to spin in her hand.
"Hmm... the center of gravity for this batch is okay. Boss, the usual?"
After paying and putting the Kunai into the specialized tool pouch behind her waist, Tenten patted the bulging bag, looking satisfied.
Turning around and seeing Hinata still looking at those Ores, she leaned over.
"Eh? Are you interested in these stones? I heard my dad say that this kind of thing might contain some special metals, but the content is low and refining them is a hassle. They're usually sold as extras."
"Yeah, just looking for fun. I've been interested in these lately." Hinata picked up a few pieces and paid. The two of them walked out of the shop together.
The streets at night were very lively, with the aroma of snacks wafting from the stalls on both sides. Tenten sniffed, and her stomach gave a "growl." She rubbed her head sheepishly.
"Trained too hard... Hinata, have you eaten yet? The Oden at that stall ahead has an amazing broth! It's my treat!"
The Oden stall was steaming. The two sat on a simple bench. Tenten ordered a lot of radishes, Chikuwa, eggs, and Konjac Silk, then specifically asked Hinata what she wanted to eat. Knowing she had a large appetite, she ordered extra.
"This mission is to the border of the Land of Wind in the west. I heard it's been a bit rowdy over there lately," Tenten said indistinctly while biting a Chikuwa. "So I have to prepare more things."
"Be careful." Hinata blew on the steam of a tofu pouch.
"Don't worry! With Neji's Byakugan, those Sand Bandits have nowhere to hide, and Guy-sensei is very reliable too."
Tenten waved her hand and laughed again. "But Hinata, you wouldn't believe it. When Lee heard we were going to the desert, he actually suggested running laps on his hands every day to adapt to the environment in advance. He even said he'd try not to drink water for five days to prepare for water shortages. Guy-sensei smacked him and told him to go hydrate, haha!"
The corners of Hinata's mouth curled slightly; Tenten was always so energetic.
Lee was also a Genius to come up with such an idea. They might as well bring someone with a water attribute; if they get thirsty, they can just use Water Release.
After finishing the Oden, they both felt warm. They strolled along the street to digest their food, with Tenten chattering about recent events.
Choji had developed a new flavor of potato chips, Ino's flower shop had imported many flowers from other Villages, Shikamaru was still the same... Hinata had little contact with them, so she was somewhat interested in these things.
As they approached the fork in the road where they would part ways, Tenten stretched.
"Hinata, if you ever want to browse ninja tool shops again, call me anytime. I can find which shop has the good stuff with my eyes closed on this street!"
"Okay," Hinata replied. Her hand moved inside her sleeve, and she took out a long object wrapped in ordinary gray cloth and handed it to Tenten.
"This is for you."
"Hmm?" Tenten took it; it felt heavy in her hand. Unwrapping the gray cloth, inside was an ancient-looking long sword without any decorations.
"This is...?"
"The kusanagi sword," Hinata said in a casual tone.
"It was Orochimaru's. You're skilled with ninja tools, so you should be able to use it."
Tenten He froze..
The... kusanagi sword?
Orochimaru's?
She certainly knew of such a weapon, and it was even used by someone of Orochimaru's caliber. But she never imagined that Hinata would so nonchalantly give the kusanagi sword, a legendary-tier weapon, to her as a gift.
"Wait, wait! Hinata! This is too—" Tenten was so flustered she couldn't speak clearly, trying to push the sword back.
"It would only collect dust at my place." Hinata had already taken half a step back.
"You'll need it for your mission. Be careful on the way."
She nodded to Tenten and turned to leave, her pace still steady and unhurried, quickly disappearing around the street corner.
Tenten stood there holding the sword, the night wind blowing her hair into a mess. She looked down at the long sword in her arms, hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but gently peel back a bit of the cloth.
The blade shimmered in the night, reflecting the moonlight. The sharp aura made the hair on the back of her hand stand on end.
Tenten quickly covered the sword, her heart pounding.
It was real... She hugged the sword tightly and looked in the direction Hinata had left. After a while, she suddenly burst into a giggle, carefully stowed the sword away, and even patted it.
"Honestly... thanks, Hinata."
Humming a little tune, she walked home with light steps, the small buns on her head bobbing. The night wind blew through the streets, carrying away a few blurred sounds of laughter, as if nothing had changed.
Only in a certain girl's ninja tool pouch, there was now a sword that would amaze everyone at some point in the future.
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