Chapter 69 Thunder Fang! New Changes!

(Sorry guys I had an emergency so I couldn't write any thing)

Renjiro rolled his eyes at the sharp-tongued old man but still handed over Hiruzen’s handwritten letter with respect.

"Hmph!" Suishin took the scroll, skimmed it, and let out a mocking snort: “That damned monkey… If he wants me to forge a weapon, he could just say it straight! Why waste time with all this polite nonsense?”

"This might be my chance." Renjiro’s eyes lit up.

“Lord Suishin…” He said eagerly.

Suishin, despite his age, had a strong, imposing presence. With a lazy wave of his hand, he said casually: “No problem. Let me think… Ah, yes. I’ll have my third son forge it for you. That rascal may be lazy, but his recent work is good enough to create a master-level weapon.”

“Master-level blacksmith?” Renjiro asked, puzzled.

“Yes. His skill is almost at my level now, so you can trust him with your weapon.” Suishin replied seriously.

Renjiro bowed deeply: “Thank you, Lord Suishin.”

Then he turned to Ryusui with a smile: “I’ll be in your care, Ryusui-dono.”

Ryusui grinned and said: “No need for thanks. Forging weapons is a smith’s duty.”

“Hmph!” Suishin cut in, and said in an impatient voice: “Enough with the formalities. Boy, tell me exactly what you want, and let me see the materials.”

Renjiro opened his backpack and took out his forging supplies. But when he revealed a certain dark blue piece of metal, both father and son’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Hoh… now that’s interesting.” Suishin murmured, stroking his beard. He gestured with his right hand: “Let me see that ore.”

“Yes, Suishin-sama.” Renjiro quickly handed it over.

Suishin studied the metal closely. His disinterested look shifted into genuine intrigue: “This is definitely chakra metal from the Cloud-Thunder Gorge in the Land of Lightning… Unrai Ore!”

Looking at Renjiro’s face, Suishin smirked: “Didn’t expect you to have something like this, boy.” He turned to his son: “Ryusui, with this, you might just create your greatest work yet.”

Ryusui’s jaw tightened with determination: “I won’t waste such fine metal. I’ll make sure Renjiro-dono gets a weapon worthy of it.”

“So, what exactly do you need?” Ryusui asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and focus.

“A ninja sword.” Renjiro answered after a pause: “Nothing flashy—just sharp, durable, and flexible. But most importantly, it must have excellent chakra conductivity. And…” His voice grew firm: “I specialize in Lightning Release. That’s why I chose this Unrai Ore in the first place. I want the blade to fully use its properties.”

Ryusui tapped his chest with confidence: “Leave it to me. No one in the ninja world surpasses the Land of Iron in chakra-conductive forging. I’ll make sure the ore’s Lightning-enhancing qualities are fully realized.”

He didn’t need his father’s guidance on this; he was already determined to give it his all. Creating a masterpiece would benefit not just Renjiro, but also his own reputation as a smith. After all, nothing proves a forger’s worth more than crafting a weapon of unmatched quality.

Unrai Ore, also called White Thunder Ore is a rare chakra metal found only in the Cloud-Thunder Gorge of the Land of Lightning.

It is prized for its ability to greatly amplify Lightning Release. Since most of Renjiro’s combat style, apart from his Genjutsu relies on Lightning-based techniques, he was eager for Ryusui to bring out the ore’s full potential.

If Ryusui succeeded, Renjiro’s Lightning Release would become even deadlier.

With that assurance, Renjiro felt at ease. All that remained… was to wait.

---

One month later

In the Bizen-ryū forge compound, Renjiro stood with the completed blade in hand—silver-white from tip to guard, its surface flawless, gleaming like polished jade.

He couldn’t look away: “Beautiful… I’ve never seen a weapon like this. For something meant to kill, its beauty is… breathtaking.”

Ryusui’s chest swelled with pride: “This is the greatest and most complete weapon I’ve ever forged. My masterpiece. I call it—Thunder Fang!”

He pointed to the blade’s edge: “It’s unmatched in sharpness, durability, and flexibility. More importantly, its chakra conductivity is exceptional—it can boost Lightning Release by at least ten percent, based on my tests.”

“Renjiro-dono.” Ryusui said, his gaze turning serious: “Don’t waste it. How far the name Thunder Fang will rise… depends entirely on how far you can take it.”

Renjiro tightened his grip on the hilt. A confident smile spread across his face: “I won’t disappoint it.”

---

In the eyes of a forger, their creations are like their own children—and just like any parent, they naturally hope their child will have a bright future.

Renjiro promised Ryusui that he would never let Thunder Fang, his new blade be tarnished.

"A ten-percent boost to Lightning Release…" The thought alone filled him with joy.

Under Ryusui’s guidance, he spent some time familiarizing himself with the weapon’s weight, balance, and feel. Then, after a brief visit to Suishin, Renjiro finally left the Bizen-ryū compound.

But the moment he stepped outside, a samurai blocked his path.

“Mifune-sama requests your presence.”

“Mifune-sama wants to see me?” Renjiro blinked, caught off guard. A faint unease began to stir in his chest.

"Guy…" His mind immediately went to that eccentric subordinate of his. The man had been picking fights with samurai almost every day lately. "Did he finally cause some serious trouble?"

“Let’s go.”

Renjiro drew a deep breath to steady himself and followed the samurai toward the Tenshukaku. Outwardly calm, he was silently praying inside.

"Please, Guy… don’t let this be a disaster."

---

Half an hour later

Renjiro found himself once again in the great hall at the top of the Tenshukaku, the same place where he had first met Mifune with his team.

"What’s going on?" Renjiro wondered, eyes narrowing in thought.

When he stepped inside, he saw he wasn’t the only one summoned. The other three members of his team were already there.

He was just about to ask Guy what trouble he’d gotten into this time when Mifune entered the hall, followed by two attendants.

Renjiro held his tongue and joined his teammates in bowing respectfully to the general.

Once the formalities were done, Mifune took his seat on the raised platform and spoke in a serious tone: “Konoha shinobi, I will be direct. During your stay here in the Land of Iron, many things have happened in the Land of Fire.”

The weight in his voice made all four of them tense. For the ruler of a country to speak with such seriousness… it could only mean something major had happened in Konoha—or the Land of Fire itself.

A flash of realization struck Renjiro: "Damn…!"

After the Third Shinobi World War, there were only a few events that could shake Konoha this badly. Orochimaru’s defection… and the Hidden Cloud’s invasion.

Sure enough, Mifune’s next words confirmed it: “A week ago, one of your village’s Sannin, Orochimaru, defected and escaped from Konoha.”

Gasps and pale faces spread among Renjiro’s teammates. Losing the Fourth Hokage had been devastating enough. Now, one of Konoha’s greatest pillars was gone, leaving the village even more unstable.

And the news grew worse.

“Two days ago, perhaps seeing Konoha weakened by the loss of so many high-ranking shinobi, Kumogakure brazenly declared war. The two nations are now clashing in the Land of Hot Water.”

“That is what I wished to tell you.”

The moment Mifune finished, Guy stepped forward, unable to contain himself: “Captain, we must return to the village immediately!” The other two voiced their agreement—and of course, Renjiro felt the same urgency.

Renjiro bowed to Mifune: “We are grateful for this news, Mifune-sama.”

“There’s no need for thanks. This is only proper.” Mifune replied.

There was no time for more words. Renjiro turned sharply to his team: “We leave for the village immediately. Every second counts!”

---

In the forest…

The four of them moved at full speed, having already crossed from the Land of Iron into the Land of Fire. If they kept going through the night, they could reach Konoha by dawn—and that was exactly their plan.

Whoosh!

Branches whipped past them as they pushed forward without pause. They were now only half a day’s journey from the village when—

“Hm?”

Renjiro’s sharp senses caught something—a fast-moving presence closing in. He raised a hand, signaling the team to halt.

Moments later, a black blur broke through the trees, resolving into one of the Inuzuka clan’s messenger hounds.

The dog spotted them, sped up, and skidded to a stop in front of Renjiro, panting heavily. “Finally found you, Renjiro!”

Renjiro’s gut tightened. The hound’s tone alone told him this was serious: “What happened?”

The dog turned, showing a scroll strapped to its back: “I can’t explain it here. This is from Tsugami himself, read it.”

Renjiro quickly untied the scroll. The handwriting was rushed and uneven, the ink smudged—clear signs that Tsugami had written in extreme urgency.

“What the hell happened?” He muttered, unrolling it.

Guy and the others waited in tense silence as Renjiro’s eyes darted over the words. With each line, his expression darkened.

Shaak!

Renjiro tore the scroll clean in half.

“Danzo!”

Crrrkk!

A crackle of murderous intent filled the air. White-blue lightning erupted around him, blindingly bright.

Crkkk

Whoosh!

In the next instant, Renjiro vanished.

Guy and the others exchanged stunned looks. Whatever had happened, it was huge—big enough to make Renjiro disappear without a single word on what had happened… or where he was going.