"Kakashi-sensei… why do you look so depressed?"
Tenten finally couldn't hold it in anymore. They had left Konoha's gates not long ago, and Kakashi had been dragging his feet the whole way.
"Hm?"
Kakashi lifted his visible eye, sounding utterly listless.
"Oh, nothing. Just… losing my sense of direction in life."
Souma opened his mouth—
Then closed it again.
Sage Talent…
It still wasn't time to reveal it.
Not until Deilu finished negotiating things with the Fire Temple.
Kakashi gave Souma a sidelong glance, then shook his head without pressing further.
The squad continued onward.
Kazane walked a little ahead, sword in hand, practicing her forms even while traveling.
She was absorbed in it—whether good or bad, Souma couldn't say yet, but at least she finally had something to focus on.
Souma watched her quietly.
He didn't interfere.
His sword was his.
Kazane's had to be hers.
When she entered the true path of kenjutsu and developed a style of her own, then—
and only then—
would guidance actually matter.
Souma shifted his gaze toward Kakashi.
The teacher acted lazy, almost bored…
yet in truth, he was always observing them.
Otherwise, how would he manage to give them such accurate guidance on everything they asked?
Tenten's ninja tools and Earth Release.
Kazane's Lightning Release and sword work.
As for Souma himself—
Kakashi didn't teach him techniques, not really.
He served more as a walking encyclopedia—someone Souma could bounce questions off of at any time.
As a teacher, Kakashi was doing far more than people realized.
Of course—
This method wouldn't have worked on the likes of Sasuke or Naruto.
Not one of those three was like Souma.
Souma couldn't help glancing at Kakashi again and sighing internally.
The prince really lived a rough life before meeting Jiraiya…
Then again—
That had more to do with Naruto's immaturity at the time.
Every setback, every humiliation, every lonely night—
Those things forged him.
Turned him from a clueless kid into someone who could stand tall on his own.
And somehow, the world hadn't managed to break him first.
Honestly… unbelievable.
Souma exhaled lightly.
"We're here," Tenten said suddenly, pointing excitedly ahead.
"That's the ninja tool factory! I've been here before—my parents trained here when they were younger."
"Let's go."
She took the lead confidently.
Workers greeted her along the way, waving, nodding.
She responded to each one with ease—
clearly familiar with the place.
Before long, they met the factory overseer.
His name was Dōmoto.
Once, he had been a master craftsman.
But age had caught up to him, and he could no longer forge ninja tools.
Now he served as manager, guiding the younger generations.
"Grandpa Dōmoto," Tenten said politely, "we're here under orders from the Hokage to forge a new ninja tool."
"The Hokage?"
Dōmoto raised a brow, then nodded deeply.
"Do you have a blueprint?"
"Yes."
Tenten handed it over.
Dōmoto examined it closely.
Then nodded in admiration.
"I can't understand the theory behind it, but the drawing is excellent. Clean and precise."
"This tool needs to work with a sealing array," Souma added, stepping forward.
"It isn't made entirely of metal—
I've marked all the parts requiring iron."
"Oh?"
Dōmoto looked up, surprised.
Sealing arrays.
Tool integration.
Structural requirements.
These were advanced topics even most craftsmen couldn't grasp.
Yet the boy in front of him—
Spoke calmly, confidently.
"You understand this?"
"A little."
Souma's tone was modest, but Dōmoto wasn't fooled.
Kakashi cleared his throat.
"Dōmoto-san, it's still experimental. Why not forge a prototype first?"
"…Very well. If it's under Hokage's orders, and with a jōnin here, I'll have my people start on it."
He hesitated for a moment, then suppressed the urge to ask more questions.
He knew the truth:
If someone can be a shinobi, who would willingly choose to be a craftsman?
Most workers in the factory were either low-rank shinobi, or civilians with barely any chakra.
They could never experience what a true genius felt.
"I want to help too!"
Tenten raised her hand immediately.
Dōmoto blinked—
then looked toward Kakashi.
Kakashi gave a lazy nod.
"…All right. But you must follow the factory rules."
"Yes, sir!"
Tenten nearly bounced from excitement.
Souma and Kazane followed behind.
Once the group moved ahead, Kazane whispered—
"Souma-kun, what rules?"
"No idea."
Souma's answer made her stare at him in shock.
Her expression practically said: You!? Not knowing something!?
Souma sighed helplessly.
"Tenten's been here before. Her family sells ninja tools—she'd know these things."
"Oh… so you don't know everything."
"Why would I read rulebooks for a job I don't do?"
Souma deadpanned.
"I don't work here."
Kazane chuckled softly.
Kakashi, meanwhile, walked behind them reading a book while walking—completely relaxed.
He seemed to have forgotten his earlier existential crisis.
Dōmoto worked quickly.
He chose three of the factory's best craftsmen for the metalwork.
For Tenten, he found an old veteran to supervise her forging.
Souma's team watched from the side.
In addition to metal, several parts required woodwork and sealing grooves.
Dōmoto assigned two woodworkers immediately.
Time passed.
Eventually, the wooden components were completed.
"Master Dōmoto," Souma said.
"I'll handle the sealing portion from here."
"…May we observe?"
Dōmoto couldn't hide his curiosity anymore.
Sealing arrays were highly classified, but—
He wanted to know.
Just how far this boy had progressed.
And whether this tool could truly work.
Kakashi glanced at Dōmoto, then at the craftsmen.
After a moment, he spoke.
"Use the quiet room in the back."
"Thank you!"
Dōmoto said, thrilled.
"It's nothing too confidential," Souma assured.
They moved to a secluded room.
Souma sat down, took out a carving knife and a calligraphy brush—
And began engraving.
He wasn't a trained sculptor.
But his knife skills were excellent.
His hands are steady and precise.
That was all he needed.
Smooth, sharp lines formed under the knife.
Perfectly straight strokes, not a tremor in sight.
Even this alone made Dōmoto's breath catch.
If this child weren't a shinobi—
He could have been a once-in-a-generation master craftsman.
Genius is genius, no matter the field.
Dōmoto was sixty years old—
And found himself quietly jealous.
As Souma worked, each sealing mark became clearer under the ink.
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed.
This wasn't the pattern from the Absorption Barrier.
It was from something else.
He had seen it… somewhere before.
He thought hard—
Then a spark lit in his mind.
The Fire Temple.
The twin statues at its entrance.
"I see…"
Kakashi exhaled.
Those statues housed the core components of the Fire Temple's barrier—
patterns designed to transform and concentrate chakra.
Souma had taken that structure and seamlessly integrated it into the Absorption Barrier's framework.
A feat bordering on outrageous brilliance.
Kakashi glanced at the craftsmen again.
He had seen their files in the ANBU archives.
They were trustworthy.
And besides—
Just one look wasn't enough to replicate the entire sealing system.
What Souma carved here was only a fragment.
Without the rest of the design, it wouldn't function at all.
And more importantly—
Kakashi could feel it.
Souma was holding back.
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