The Essence of the Deal

[Valkier]

Aisu Naohiro strode through the wide hallways of Iwagakure's main central hospital quite as if he belonged. Straight backed, with his nose held high and hands cupped casually behind his back, and his Kirigakure forehead protector proudly displayed for all to wonder at and none to question. The Hidden Rock, he'd decided, was an enjoyable place to visit. It lacked the cosiness of home—the comforting mists, the soothing patter and rich scents of rain, perhaps the luxury of the great houses—but the ever-crisp air was refreshing, sights dramatic, and the people earnest. There was potential, here.

His first day in the village had been largely consumed by his introduction to and meeting with Akari Tatsuo, the Tsuchikage, followed by a lengthly appointment with the man's wife, Nyūsen Natsumi. Together, and in spite of Naohiro's own position within the Hidden Mist, the three of them had made more inroads towards international cooperation than had been seen since the Great War. With Natsumi's assistance, both villages now had a direct method of transportation through his own secure Black Network. The first passenger was slated to be an old friend of his, now with an agreed ambassadorial duty. Certainly a productive first day. For the second he'd played tourist, exploring the heart of the city and its surroundings, hungrily searching out snippets of Iwagakure's culture. He'd learned of local dishes and festivals, visited some landmarks and markets, met some locals and explored until the sun went down.

But now it was back to business, and he found himself apprehensive. He'd learned much of the situation in Wind Country during his visit, and also of the conditions and challenges Iwagakure sought to oppose. Suggestions had been made, requests levied, and his follow-up meeting with Natsumi today would answer them. That it would take place here in the hospital was a happy coincidence; as a medic himself and one-time active part of Kirigkaure's hospital network, he was more than happy to see the work and conditions here. He spent some time before the meeting conversing with a few passing doctors and shadowing their treatments, taking a keen interest in the differences in Earth Country medicine and practice. Until eventually his tour took him to an office on an upper floor, and he stood to wait beside a large window overlooking the village for Natsumi to arrive...

[Kanade]

Kanade strode toward the point where she was supposed to be meeting "A man of interest from Kirigakure no Sato." After meeting two other Kirigakure ninja, not including 'meeting' Shinjiro here in Iwa, this was hardly an odd occurrence anymore. She probably was actually on more friendly tyerms with the members of kirgakure no sato than she was the ones of Iwagakure. She combed her hand through her magmatic hair, spraying the cobbles with minute bits of obsidian and scanned the area with her glowing orange eyes. "So, he said 'at' Iwagakure's hospital. Not in it." She plooked up at the building and sighed, "I hate trying to find someone who is trying to find me in the hospital." She twisted the anchor in her fingers, channeled a bit of chakra into it, and then made another anchor as the two bolts, at once one bolt, melded together and then came apart.

She bent low, in her pencil skirt and placed the bolt back into the vent which she was currently standing over before standing up and adjusting her simple white blouse which effectively hid the beginnings of a baby bump, and black skirt once more. She was wearing bangles and of course her necklace, but she had decided to dress a bit more business formal for the meeting, rather than her usual graceful casual style. She strode through the hallways, her white stilettos clacking against the tile floors as she casually looked from side to side, her pace belying her impatience at meeting someone 'in' the hospital.

She supposed that she would recognize him when she saw him, which was how she caught a glimpse of a pale man with black hair that flowed about him like a stream. She thought him odd, especially with the headband, and decided that she would keep ten paces behind him, only stopping once he had. He was peering out of the upper window at the village below.

"One of my favorite views." Kanade interjected her own thoughts into what she hoped were the Kirigakure no Sato Ninja's. "I was supposed to meet an ally here. A man of interest, and you're an interesting man, so I am sure that you are he." She gave a small bow, knowing that only Jounin ranked ninja or above would reasonably be given free reign inside Iwagakure no Sato's hospital, without an escort.

"I'm Enkouten Kanade." She offered her name, her eyes narrowing slightly as she got a read on the man in front of her. Her butterflies hummed around her, warning that this man was at least as dangerous as Shinjiro. She raised an eyebrow, wondering if he would do her the courtesy of offering his name in return.

[Niro]

"It's good to see you're both already here, Naohiro, Kanade. Come, we have something else to discuss." The no-nonsense tone of Natsumi seemed to come from nowhere as the space besides Naohiro and Kanade ripped Open and Natsumi stepped out from the portal. Tatsuo had already briefed her on what he had discussed with Naohiro, the ambassador (and potential Mizukage) from Kirigakure no Sato, before he had arrived earlier within the hospital. When he had first arrived, the pair got to work almost immediately after exchanging pleasantries. The Black Network site had been secured and hidden within the depths of the hospital where it would serve best to ferry high value personnel to and from the two villages. Something she had a feeling would be seeing more use than expected in the coming months.

Done with one task but not for the day, Natsumi had gone off to check on various intelligence reports before meeting with Naohiro once again. This time, she had sent for Kanade as well. The woman was one of the few Natsumi trusted within the village. And now with Mitsuo gone, relocated to Shirosato with the rest of his family and his half-breed daughter, she was one of the few smiths talented enough to make use of the information gathered by Kotaru's Chigatana.

Her eyes snapped to Kanade who she greeted with a smile, not realizing she had been interrupting the pairs first greetings. "I see you and Naohiro are already acquainted. To your forge, please." The woman requested as her own portal shut with a soft hum. While waiting for Kanade to do so, Natsumi glanced over at Naohiro with a soft smile. "I trust you found plenty to do since I last saw you a few hours ago? Hopefully not getting into trouble." She teased, the tone obvious in her voice.

[Valkier]

Though Naohiro had caught the steady footfalls a behind him as he walked, their pace and gait had not alarmed him, and beyond keeping them in his awareness as a precaution he paid little heed to his tail, humouring them until they addressed him.

"A bold assessment, though I suppose it must be so." he muttered, not turning to the woman who had spoken, but instead continuing to gaze out across the village. He didn't offer anything more until, after she bowed and introduced herself, he turned to look at her. A moments pause, and then he turned to face her properly and did similarly, offering a cordial half-bow. Enough to show respect and acknowledge her own, as a visitor to someone's home should, but not so deep so as to show deference.

"I am Aisu Naohiro." He said simply, and as he rose back to his full height his eyes caught and lingered upon the butterflies shimmering around the woman. Now that was interesting: He'd seen those before. In a small restaurant, quaint and cosy, set up during the last Iron Banner festival in Pebble Country. The food had been rather interesting, he recalled, and the patronage even moreso. He cocked his head and spoke absently. "Have we met before?" His eyes snapped back to her, suddenly more alert and searching. What remarkable hair, flowing the way it did. The face was certainly new to him. The outfit, clean, casual, well tailored, if a little tight around the midriff. Oh, he realised, and looked aside. He didn't recognise a thing about this woman aside from the butterflies, but those troubled him.

"A pleasure, I'm sure. And what can I do for you, my lady?" His tone was polite and pleasant, but tinged now with curiosity. He was just beginning to reach out with his senses and open his mind's eye, to study this person before him, when a familiar buildup of chakra to one side diverted his attention. Natsumi's voice emerged before the woman herself.

Straight to business, then. Very good, he thought, and adjusted his midnight folds of the legendary cloak Desire around his shoulders, then looked back at Kanade following Natsumi's request. The unspoken implication was clear; that this woman was also a jikukan user. That made three of them.

"Just seeing the sights," he said simply, though not unkindly, then nodded to Kanade. "Please, after you. Whenever you are ready." There would be time enough for friendliness later, but for now the meeting occupied his thoughts. While Kanade worked, Naohiro turned back to Natsumi.

"My lady. I have been mulling over your request, and while the Tsuchikage's offer is very tempting, I admit I have lingering reservations. What you ask is understandable, but also deeply personal. In truth, people have been hunted and killed for less." He hesitated, glancing at Kanade, and then back to Natsumi.
"I trust we are in safe company?"

[Kanade]

Kanade noted the look at her waist and then her belly, her eyes narrowed during his introduction, but it was a defensive half-glare half-challenge. She was pregnant, what of it? She had received so many glares from the Enkouten clan members over the last couple of months that she had a knee-jerk reaction to scowl back, which was rather unpleasantly half-stuck to her face right now. She cleared her throat and nodded, opening her mouth to tell him what he could do for her.

Natsumi, however, had other plans. Kanade had seen the tear in space so many times it was like someone was opening a door now. Kanade pointedly did not answer his question about whether or not he had seen her before, as she didn't remember ever seeing him. She would remember someone with a cloak as fine as his, and with as much of a stick up his back as Naohiro had. Noble bearing, upward facing nose, pretty features, she would remember the pretty face at least. She nodded to Natsumi, "Pleasantries after business." She agreed, moving toward the wall, she placed a hand on it and opened a portal, on the other side of the arched rip in space/time was the interior of her restaurant. She motioned the two of them through before shutting it behind her, dropping another anchor, a small blue butterfly that was made of sapphire and silver into the bag that was hanging on a nail in the middle of the room. It was a bag with assorted pencils and other accoutrements for taking orders, and the butterfly invariably sank to the bottom when someone retrieved something else. A quaint place to hide it in plain sight.

"The smithy is in the back, but you are welcome to a pint in the meantime." She motioned to the bar, "In here the windows are triple paned and the walls are sealed so tightly that even the gales that sweep down from the mountains do little to move them." Kanade knocked on the wood, "Here we can speak freely, if we can speak freely anywhere." She had put clever fuuinjutsu on the windows and doors too, so that the busy noises from the street wouldn't leak in, being across from a house of ill repute, at night it got positively loud and so she had to shut out the noise. She had fashioned it after the Kage's own room, when she had visited she had received fantastic ideas on how to better fortify and eaves-drop proof the place.

"I can also leave you two in here, if that would make master Aisu feel more safe." She dipped her head again, she had no idea what his rank was, but Natsumi was treating him as equal so, she better at least mind her p's and q's. She wasn't one to read or commit the bingo book to memory, finding her attention better spent elsewhere. She waited for the real meeting to begin, and wondered why she had been summoned along with this Aisu. Perhaps he was injured? Hunted and killed for less? She didn't like the sound of that, maybe he was a runaway from Kirigakure like she had been from Kumogakure no Sato and needed asylum. Perhaps he was interested in Iwagakure's witness protection program. She would wait, dutifully silent after the suggestion and the question, waiting to do what the two would like. This was her home, and her restaurant, but she could understand someone running from their village wanting to talk in privacy to Natsumi.

[Niro]

"They are quite beautiful. Even more so when the aurora decides to grace us with a visit." Natsumi chatted back to Naohiro with a smile as Kanade Opened another portal behind them. She stepped through after Kanade and Naohiro did, listening to the man as he voiced his reservations. She could understand the hesitancy to grant Tatsuo's request but at the same time, she knew how much flak Tatsuo was going to get for promising the Enkouten he did for two major reasons off the top of her head. They were in the middle of a war; any and every engineer was essential to the cause. And secondly for the exact reasons Naohiro was voicing himself. Kouton may not be a clan secret but it was a village secret. There was a very real risk in allowing another state, even an allied one like Kiri, access to their unique styles. It also gave them some leverage in the situation and she wasn't proud enough to ignore it.

Her footsteps changed from the click of heel against tile to the thud of hardwood. The establishment was one she was familiar with due to her and Kanade's relationship and a place she knew they could talk unabashed. "For now, no. Maybe once we're finished." Natsumi replied to the redhead although she took a seat at the bar. "The seals in here are reminiscent of the ones within the Tsuchikage tower; we can speak freely without fear of being heard by anyone. Plus, Kanade is one of the few shinobi within the village both myself and Tatsuo trust. She'd be the smith considering Tatsuo's first option is in Shirosato."

"You're not wrong but who's around to tell you, a candidate for the position of Mizukage, no? Very few. Not to mention, Tatsuo mobilized not just Kouton users to deploy to Kirigakure to assist in your own project but Enkouten engineers at that. Some of the best Iwagakure has to offer. In the middle of war time. I love the man, but he trusts in his allies too much. And now he's dumb enough to offer access to the war spoils if we're successful.

All in exchange for one little donation so us mountain people can be comfortable fighting in a desert."

[Valkier]

Naohiro followed Kanade through while speaking to Natsumi, and took a seat beside her at the bar. It would not have been his first choice of location for such an important meeting, but he had to appreciate the care in which the area had been secured and accessed, and could not deny its comfort and privacy. His eyes quickly took in the details of the tasteful restaurant room, the seals on the walls and windows, the entrances and exits. Then back to his companions and their words.

"Very well. My apologies for my doubt, Kanade-san. The Tsuchikage and Lady Natsumi's trust in you is good enough for me." He nodded respectfully to her, and adjusted the set of his robe as he perched on the seat. His eyes flickered across the selection at the bar, lingering on a rack of deep red wines, and he gave Kanade a faint smile. "A Gold Country Riserva, perhaps? Or something from the southern slopes of the Land of Forests? I have heard wonderful things about their vintage..." He pursed his lips, then turned back to Natsumi and listened, eyes focusing upon her. His brows rose a fraction at the news about members of the Enkouten being available to him in Kirigakure; that had not been requested, but was nontheless very welcome. Tatsuo's desire for cooperation evidently ran deep, and Naohiro nodded along thoughtfully.

"I appreciate the Lord Tsuchikage's offer, of course. I will always be answerable to Kirigakure, however; If I am to one day soon secure the seat of Mizukage, I must have the loyalty and strength of the village behind me. I must be able to justify and have pride in my actions, and truly know them to be the best that could be made. I am sure you understand." And pledging support for one side or another necessitated careful consideration. He pursed his lips in thought, not wishing to compare favours by stating that the engineers Natusmi spoke of were part of a separate deal, exchanged for the secrets of the Heart Empire's warmachines and Kirigakure's offer of defensive support. Slowly, he relaxed his hands and smiled. "I would say Lord Tatsuo is wise in his actions. If I were him, I like to think I would offer much the same.

"Let us lay it out simply, then, and examine all the details: I can provide you with the means to oppose the oppressive heat of the desert, yes. With my help you can carry the power of winter into the heart of Sungakure, a blizzard in your hands to quench the power of their sun." A tingle ran through him just saying the words, apprehension and caution, but he pressed on. He was no stranger to disregarding his own feelings and personal beliefs for the glory of Kirigakure. When the price was right. "I could even, perhaps, issue certain orders and allowances that could see shinobi of the Hidden Mist beside you as your storm the golden walls.

The shinobi, though they officially would make their own decisions, will ultimately still commit me, and Kirigakure, to your cause. The world will see it so. The chakra commits something ultimately more precious—my integrity. I offer you the secrets of my bloodline to take into battle, knowing well the risk that it could fall from your hands into others, giving this power to the unworthy." His hands steepled for a moment, then tightened before he sat back and slowly relaxed. This matter was deeply personal; the sanctity of hyouton was precious to him. But he had hammered home that point enough, and hopefully made clear that this would not be an offer repeated by any other of his kin. The opportunity existed in Naohiro alone. "I am prepared to take that risk for the greater purpose of your victory. I, too, am keen for the Mist and the Stone to stand together. The Tsuchikage and I share that dream.

So, then. Your husband offered spoils, but I took his words as suggestions, ideas. I would hear a formal agreement of the offer from you, please, with specifics."

[Kanade]

Kanade raised her eyebrow at the Aisu and then bowed her head a little to concede that she heard and accepted the apology. She looked at the selection that she had and then took a bottle of the Gold Country Riserva, a 10 year vintage and opened it. She took out a contraption that she had crafted herself, an aerator which would allow the wine to breathe and get rid of the tannin flavor before being consumed without leaving the wine out for ten minutes beforehand. She poured the wine through the aerator, it made a rather rude noise as it filtered through and added air to the wine. She waited for the froth to settle and leave the wine before she took two fluted wineglasses and set them in front of Natsumi and the Aisu who had introduced himself as Naohiro.

As he launched into a monologue, she wondered how many people would pay a good deal, probably a sum equal to their arm and leg to be a fly on the wall for this conversation. To her, however, who had no ambitions for becoming Kage or most political nonsense, and was content to secure herself in this village and take care of this child in her belly, well-. She stifled a yawn as she turned back to grab her own glass, stared at it, and then sighed. She got out the funnel and the untouched wine to the 'house red blend' where all of the untouched reds went. It was a small cask that she kept below the bar. This was the fourth wineglass that she had poured for herself this week. She walked over to the counter and leaned on it. Now he was promising troops for the invasion of Sunagakure, which they all knew would be coming soon, as Tatsuo had been getting ready since the last invasion for the final storming of the gates.

He was dancing around the subject well, his words hinting at half-revealed deals that she was sure were all-important to the work at hand, but the only thing that she was here to do was to craft something, that much was hinted at by Natsumi and asking to go to the forge. It was through the back door, but she had to know what she was making first, otherwise, she might as well not be even a fly on the wall for this conversation.

In her boredom, she took out a necklace that she had been working on, running the silver braided chain through her fingers, coming to the setting for a stone that she had bought in the jewelers the other day, it was a green stone, and reminded her of Shinjiro's eyes. She had thought about putting a blue stone in it. Seeing the pairing of sapphires with silver in the shop and their prolific presence, the piece would be lost among the many thousands. The green stone, however, paired with silver rather than the gold that the jeweler had recommended before receiving a bored look from Kanade, that would be something to stand out among the crowd.

Kanade found one hand on her stomach, staring at the amulet she had made and had lost the thread of the conversation entirely.

jutsu trained 542/400 wordsShow

[Weapons Crafting • Imaginative supplies]
S-rank Weapon Crafting Maneuver
Though the tutelage of a forging master and researching various types of armor, supplies, jewelry, and weapons. The user has learned the method of producing all types of armor, supplies, jewelry by weapon masters and by doing an exorbitant amount of research. This smith has specifically learned how to craft almost anything imaginable through diligent practice, reducing the production cost for them by half. This raises the base strength of crafted items by 5 (though it can go lower).

[Niro]

"The offer is simple. In exchange for assisting us by providing a donation of Hyouton, Iwagakure will provide as many copies of war spoils such as Kuuton, kugutsu, Sand, et cetera to Aisu, Naohiro upon successful procurement of them. Satisfied? If so, Kanade will take it from here." Natsumi rattled off the prepared line she had been chewing over in her head since Tatsuo had told her of what they were allowed to offer Naohiro. And rather than promise it to Kirigakure, she had done so to him. With the tape all cleared, Kanade and Naohiro could move on from here. She leaned against the bar top and drummed the fingers of her left hand against it.

"The ideal jutsu is something big that'll cool the temperature of the entire area as close to zero as possible. It could be as simple as chilling the area to generating a blizzard but whatever you think will work best. I expect the overbearing heat of the desert to still break through but something like that should provide enough relief to everyone on the battlefield."

[Valkier]

Naohiro accepted the wine after voicing his own side of the arrangements, swirling the deep red liquid in the glass and enjoying the scent for a moment before tasting. He closed his eyes and smiled at the taste, then also at Natsumi's reply. Interesting. He caught the deliberate choice of her words—the offer was to him, personally, rather than Kirigakure—and let it percolate for a moment. It was not what he had expected, and introduced an element of risk on his side; should he die, the offer would be null and void. But, on the other hand... This put the spoils, and all their potential political significance, directly in his hands alone. He could use that.

He enjoyed another slow sip, running over the details one last time in his head, then put down the glass. Earlier in the day, on his way to the meeting, he'd briefly entertained the idea of trying to wrangle access to some of Sunagakure's youth—those of their clans, at least—who showed talent and who may be impressionable. Or disposable. But here in the moment, he decided to trust to the current offer, and not push his luck any further. Tatsuo would probably laugh and agree if he were here; Natsumi was altogether more shrewd, and it was plain to him that she was already somewhat uncomfortable with the Tsuchikage's generosity. And so Naohiro slowly extended his hand to her. Best, for now, to keep things simple and continue building a sense of co-operation and trust.

"These terms are acceptable, Lady Natsumi. We have a deal." He took up and raised his glass to her. "What you ask will not be a problem. It is a rudimentary effect, though we can imbue as much power in it as possible to maximise the size and intensity of the field." He turned to Kanade and nodded. "And now I see why you are here with us, Kanade-san. I will enjoy watching you work. What do you need of me to begin?"

[Kanade]

Kanade started to snap to attention as the conversation wound to a lull and then a sudden stop with Natsumi's words to Naohiro. Now that was interesting. She continued to focus on the necklace, tightening a couple of the links by hand before she was told to take it from there. Naohiro rounded off the agreement and Kanade nodded, "All that I will need from you, Aisu-san, is just a bit of your essence." She narrowed her eyes, looking away, "Four times, I have to obtain it from you as many times as I am going to make the items." She looked at the necklace, "I suppose we can use this as a base, and have a sapphire set into it." She regretted the loss of four sapphires, but hopefully she would be reimbursed for materials, and earn a debt from both Tatsuo and Naohiro if she traded these away, so she took out four sapphires, each 1 karat in size and held them out, "I am going to put your essence into these, and a binding on them so that they'll hold the chakra, I'll ask that you hold them one by one when I am done making the necklaces." She moved to the back door, "If you want to watch me work, then you are more than welcome to step outside, dear customer, but if you don't like the heat of the forge, you can stay in here if you'd rather." She smiled and waited a polite moment before walking out the door herself. She could leave the restaurant in Natsumi's capable hands, they wouldn't burn the place down, or blow it up like a hospital.

Kanade cracked her neck and placed a hand on her stomach. She had worked with her ability so that it reached only her hands for crafting, and the loud noises were detrimental to the child during this term in her preganancy, so she would have to work the metal in a different way. She gathered her chakra into herself and her eyes lit up, a burning blue fire behind her eyes as her hair heated up to a brilliant yellow, heat trails escaping from it as she focused. A pulse of purple chakra coated the area, moving through walls, barriers, and everything else in the area. the pulse had gone out 160 meters from her on the surface, she could feel the silver in the drawer of the kitchen, every knife that she owned, the spoons and plates, and the doorknobs, she put these out of her mind, along with some more interesting things that were in the vicinity too. She focused, finding the raw silver beneath her and smiled, this was a great way to get raw materials, especially when time was of the essence. "And a little bit of this too." She shifted her shoulders, setting her feet and closing her burning eyes to the world, feeling for iron and tungsten.

It was a shame that Tatsuo or Natsumi felt like they couldn't come to her and trust her with the information before the Aisu came, and she hated making people wait for anything. Kanade focused, sweat beading on her face only to become steam as her hair caught fire, a bright yellow flame close to the outer edges wreathing her in light and warmth as she dug deep, pulling only the silver through the ground, from the bones of the earth itself below her. She willed it to move faster, faster, heating it up until it was a liquid. Finally it erupted out of a hole no bigger around than her thumb, coalescing in a bright white-hot cube as big as her torso in front of her. She broke off a bit of the liquid with a quick flick from her pinky and sent it sailing into the oil next to her where the oil hissed and frothed and she heard several loud cracks. That much iron at that temperature should bring the oil to the correct temperature to temper it.

Kanade chuckled with satisfaction at her Jikiton jutsu, "Ah, the culmination of my work with that has finally paid off." She moved her fingers, quickly, pantomiming the motions that it would take to braid something like twine, hair, or blades of grass and three long strands of the liquid silver broke off from the main bit, twisting and twining around themselves as she moved, each link was orange hot by this time, each individually and painstakingly crafted in her mind, formed by her chakra and her hands, and then broken into four distinct chains. She held one hand above the ground, the smaller mass, now about the size of her fist stayed put as she plunged each strand of the four by flicking a finger into the already forge-worthy temperature of the oil, and each time she did a hiss erupted from the oil, they would be ready to pull out in about five minutes.

Thinking of the obvious, a snowflake, she discarded the thought, thinking it too obvious a target for the war coming up and nodded at the second idea to come into her head. She moved her fingers precisely and made a design she had put on all of her equipment thus far, a butterfly came into being from the now red-hot alloy in front of her, predominantly silver. She nodded as she made the cradle for the gems and flicked her fingers four more times, plunging them into the oil to temper as she moved over to the workbench and took out some of her etching tools, along with a file and rubbing cloth, then took out four star sapphires and without a word, set to placing the rune work on them so that they could absorb the Hyouton. She remembered facing it once, and not enjoying the feeling. She paused, shivered, and only then noticed that her hair had returned to its normal obsidian crusted mildly hot form. She passed a hand through it, lazily as she examined the half-done rune and idly braided it, letting the braid fall to the middle of her back, and then continued the intricate and delicate work. The hardest part of using a stone like this was that the medium wasn’t very tough at all, and if she wasn’t careful, she would break the stone and it would be completely unusable.
After twenty minutes’ work, she moved onto the next one and it took only half the time, and then half the time from there, the fourth one she had the handle on it, and made it in five minutes flat. Grinning, she would turn and go to Naohiro, asking for him to perform the Hyouton jutsu four times, and each time would cast the jutsu to bind his essence into the runestone, each one taking on a frosty blue glow.

With a pocketful of charged runes, she went back to the oil and found it had sufficiently cooled enough to touch the necklaces with her bare hand. She removed the necklaces from the oil, wiping the black metal with a rag to get the oil off, and then buffed the necklaces with the splaying of her fingers, the silver vibrated with such intensity that the tarnish on it rolled off as if they had been treated with an acid. Brilliantly shining, she took the four necklaces to the workbench and pried the cradles open for the gems, seated them, adjusted the settings, and then held her hands over each necklace, the necklace shone with a blue light as she lent her strength to them, making them powerful and strong, and then she smiled.

Only then did she remember the words, reservations and tension between Naohiro and Natsumi while making the deal. She wove her hands in intricate seals and muttered a new enchantment into the necklaces, so that if Naohiro asked, she could break them, or rig them to break on their own. She didn’t want Iwagakure to go to war in the first place, but a war with Kirigakure-. Kanade’s mind flashed a thousand potential deaths for Shinjiro, her last friend and she shuddered. No, it was best to remain on Kirigakure no Sato’s good side.

Taking the four, nearly identical but for a bit of difference in the stones and hand-work for the butterflies, necklaces Kanade produced them to Natsumi and Naohiro, “Our Heat Shields.” She smiled with satisfaction.

jutsu performed/trainedShow

1405/1200 words needed.

Jikiton • Magnetic apotheosis
S ranked Jikiton jutsu
Requires Jikiton • Magnetic forging
The user weaves the correct hand seals and is able to detect all metal within a 160 meter radius and is able to pull any metal from the ground or around them up to [controlx3] meters down and out to 160 meters from themselves if they're on the surface. Usually this grants the user, when they’re standing on solid ground, roughly [chakra pool/50] tons of metal to work with (varying purities and metals) It also magnetizes all metals within that 160 meter radius. The magnetization goes through solid objects, though only passes throguh energy at 1/2 efficiency, (meaning if it passes through a Katon jutsu, the range thereafter would be cut in half). The user is able to use these metals to form any tool that they deem necessary and those tools have an added strength equal to the users [control] stat. They retain this strength for 8 posts. Additionally, they can pick and choose which metals within that 160 meter radius to mine out of the earth, choosing whether or not to use them. This choosing reduces the raw material by 100x (or material/100). The user may also create any alloy they know how to create using this technique, but the alloy follows the same rules as choosing the specific raw material.

[Ancient Rune: Hyouton Storage]
A-rank Ancient Rune Fuuinjutsu
Prerequisite: *[Ancient Rune: Master]
Having learned how to utilize ancient runes, this user has also learned how to store and manipulate pre-existing chakra shapes. By generating the rune, the user can bring the Rune in contact with an Hyouton Technique with less [Control] than the Rune was drawn with. This will absorb the technique into the Rune, and store the Hyouton chakra for a later enchantment. This can only store enough for a single Hyouton enchantment and must be done multiple times for more.

[Ancient Rune: Rune Break]
S-rank Ancient Rune Fuuinjutsu
Prerequisite: *[Ancient Rune: Abbot]
Having learned how to utilize ancient runes, this user has also learned how to store and manipulate pre-existing chakra shapes, but has also learned that breaking the runes in a certain way using this technique can make them explode with untapped power. By weaving hand seals and then tossing a rune up to [control]x2 meters away from themselves by making the Kai symbol, they can cause a centralized explosion of up to [control]-10 meters radius. The strength of this explosion is based on the user’s control, not the technique held inside the rune, and carries with it any passives the element has. This will break the rune so that it cannot be mended. The passives will always extend outward from the point of release and never be directed inward.

[Valkier]

Naohiro finished the last of his glass, savoured the richness of the wine, the nodded and began to rise. His eyes quickly examined the necklace indicated by Kanade and took in the intricate work of the silversmith. He knew little of these arts, but curiosity flared.

"Very well. Lead on, please. The heat will not bother me." He gave a faint smile, then offered a final, formal bow to Natsumi and thanked her for her time and attention, then followed Kanade from the room. His instinct was to begin channeling a small circulation of hyouton around his body to offset any heat of the forge, but as he stepped out and began to watch Kanade work, he changed his mind. Partly, he did not want his channeling to distract the woman and interfere with her work, but also because heat simply didn't bother him as much anymore. The reason why was obvious, but he would never reveal it.

So instead he stood back and waited, calm and cool to one side, and watched Kanade's outpouring of chakra, the ignition and glow of her hair—how curious!—and the expert display of material control as she quite literally wove molted threads of metal together. Her approach to forging was wholly unique, and rather theatrical, but he appreciated the display. It gave him confidence that his Gift would be handled by such masterful hands. Then came the intricacies of the rune work, and he edged closer to peer down at the fine engravings, marveling at the runes. One day, perhaps, he'd return and learn more of this. He was so engrossed in one of the completed gems that he didn't notice that Kanade finished the other three in rapid succession. He nodded to her request and, holding each gem in turn, focused and channeled to imbue each with an intense well of pure hyouton, enough to power even his strongest techniques several times over. The result, once Kanade had set the gems and done her finishwork, was staggering.

"Simply exquisite." He muttered, cupping a hand around one of the delicate butterflies which held so much power within. "I hope they serve you well. And though they are beautiful, I would of course appreciate it if their inner secret remained as such. Aside from on the battlefield, of course. There, I hope they are enough to freeze the sun."