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"Such fine craftsmanship," Mifune said. He had just taken the Katana, and he could see and feel how good the Katana is without taking out the blade.
After a moment of appreciating the craftsmanship of the sheath and the handle (Tsuba), Mifune unsheathed the Katana before holding it up, the tip of the Katana pointing upwards, and looked at the bare blade.
"This is…" Mifune said with astonishment as he tilted the blade from side to side, looking at the blade and its pattern.
"This is one of the finest blades I have ever seen, if not the best." Mifune praised as he pushed some chakra into the blade.
"Made almost entirely of Chakra metal. This is a beautiful and precious blade." Mifune said as he retracted his Chakra before looking at Naruto.
"Young man. Where did you acquire such a fine blade?" Mifune asked with intrigue in his voice. He had never seen such a blade before. The craftsmanship, the balance, the sharpness, and the material of the blade are top-notch; even his own blade may fall short of the one he is holding. The materials alone for the blade cost a fortune.
"The Katana is actually from here. The land of Iron." Naruto said, surprising Mifune.
"Is that so? What a surprise. Such a fine blade came from here, and I didn't know about it. Now, I am really intrigued by the bladesmith who made it. May I?" Mifune said with surprise before looking at Naruto.
"By all means," Naruto said, to which Mifune turned back to look at the blade.
Mifune started, very carefully and slowly, to disassemble the handle (Tsuba), revealing the tang (the unsharpened part of the blade that goes inside the handle) underneath. He set the pieces of the handle carefully on a table in front of him, lying between him and Hiruzen, before looking at the signature that was inscribed on the tang, only for his eye to widen in shock and disbelief.
"Masamune???" Mifune read with a tone filled with disbelief before looking at Naruto with shock and surprise etched on his aging face.
"You have one of Masamune-dono's works????" Mifune inquired with disbelief, surprising the others.
"You seem to be very surprised, Mifune-dono. Is something wrong?" Hiruzen asked
"Nothing is wrong. I am just surprised. Masamune-dono is one, if not the best, blacksmith in the land of Iron's history. Before his retirement, every single samurai coveted his work and wanted to get their hands on one. But Masamune-dono chooses who he makes blades for. Even I couldn't have more than two blades from him." Mifune said before turning back to Naruto.
"When did you receive this blade, young man?" Mifune asked
"Six years ago," Naruto replied, surprising Mifune yet again as he looked back at the blade.
"This is definitely his last work, as he retired six years ago just after forging his last blade that we didn't have the pleasure of seeing. The one that he called his proudest work, and the final one. The Yamato. How did you get your hand on this, young man? If I remember correctly, this was ordered by Lady Tsunade, which Masamune-dono accepted due to his old connections with the Senju," Mifune said, looking at Naruto and waiting for an answer.
Hearing the question, Naruto looked at Mifune, then at Hiruzen, who kept still for a moment before giving him a small nod.
"It was requested and given to me by my mother, Mifune-dono," Naruto said
"Your mother? Then that means…." Mifune said with astonishment.
"Yes, it is exactly what you think, Mifune-dono. And we sincerely appreciated it if you kept this matter quiet." Hiruzen said, making Mifune turn to him.
"Yes, of course," Mifune said after taking a moment to calm his mind.
He then looked back at the blade in his hands before starting to reassemble the hilt again carefully.
And with the hilt fully reassembled back to its original state, Mifune gave the blade one final look before sheathing it and presenting it back to Naruto.
"Take care of it, young man," Mifune said, to which Naruto nodded as he took the Katana and strapped it again on his back.
Mifune would have loved to have the blade to himself, but being Masamune's final work had made it almost priceless. He also feels that Naruto wouldn't part from it, no matter how much Ryo was offered for it.
Mifune sighs silently. Such a shame that such a blade is in the hands of a Shinobi and not a Samurai. But at the same time, the blade is in the position of the first Hokage's great-grandson, which is something such a fine blade deserves.
"Alright then, let's head over to the medical wing," Mifune said as he stood up, followed by Hiruzen, before they all, along with Shikaku and Naruto, head for the office door.
Fifteen minutes later, in the medical wing;
"Is this really safe? They are Shinobi." A doctor whispered to his colleague as they watched Naruto, who was gloved up, undo the bandages that wrapped around Mifune's head.
"Mifune-sama said it was fine. And we have multiple Samurai posted outside." The other doctor said as he reassured his colleague.
As the bandages came fully undone, Naruto looked at the ugly scar that was hidden underneath. Scars aren't uncommon in the ninja world, but this one seemed to have healed incorrectly. Not incorrectly, per se, but it has healed without what is inside the tissue being dealt with. Naruto could see multiple purple spots in the scar and around it, which aren't bruising.
"Were you hit by a blade that was coated with poison, Mifune-dono?" Naruto asked as he kept observing the old wound.
"Yes, I was injured back in the second shinobi war during a battle with Hanzo of the salamander," Mifune said, slightly impressed at how Naruto identified his old injury without him saying anything. Hearing who caused the injury surprised Shikaku and Naruto; Hiruzen, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised, as he knew about it beforehand.
"So black salamander venom, huh. Were you given an antidote?" Naruto asked as he heard and knew how deadly the venom was without an antidote.
"Yes," Mifune said without elaborating that the source was Hanzo himself, sparing Mifune's life.
This caused Naruto to be a bit confused. If he had the antidote, then why was he spotting remnants of the poison around the old wound?
"How did you administer the antidote?" Naruto asked
"I drank it," Mifune said, which made Naruto sigh.
"Mifune-dono, the antidote for this type of venom is best administered directly into the bloodstream. Drinking it reduces its effectiveness due to it getting broken down in your digestive system." Naruto said, surprising Mifune and the doctors nearby.
"So, what is the solution now?" Mifune asked
"I need to administer another dosage of the antidote," Naruto said
"But we possess none," Mifune said
"Don't worry, I have antidotes to most known poisons and venoms, black salamander venom being one of them," Naruto said as he reached for a storage scroll in one of his flak jacket's pockets.
"I appreciate it very much, young man," Mifune said with gratitude.
To be continued.
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