C37 Intermediate Forging

After a busy night, Tenno slipped on his Concealment Mask and meandered through the village. Confident that the Shade ninjas hadn't detected him, he went home to sleep.

Unaware that in the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzou Shimura were suspecting each other over his Sharingan heist that evening, Tenno would have surely roared with laughter.

Following the Uchiha massacre, Itachi Uchiha's extermination of his clan sent shockwaves through Konoha, sparking widespread chatter. Villagers reacted with shock, secret glee, or melancholy, making it a popular topic of conversation.

Security in the village had been ramped up, with the Assassin Force ninjas taking over from the security department. Even in daylight, Tenno occasionally saw ninjas with cat masks bounding across rooftops, apparently searching for suspects. Yet, Tenno was unconcerned; their issues didn't involve him.

He was Konoha's prodigy, the embodiment of the Will of Fire, and he wore that identity with pride.

To avoid suspicion, Tenno had been discreetly stashing the Sharingan in his storage ring since acquiring it, never revealing it.

A month later, sensing their search was fruitless, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzou Shimura ended the increased security. As winter arrived, the Uchiha tragedy faded from the villagers' minds, buried under the snow. The Uchiha name was rarely spoken after that.

Two more months passed, and with the New Year, Konoha celebrated its 58th anniversary. Tenno turned eight. In this time, he had collected several more Two-star and Three-star forging blueprints.

Small Enchantment Crystal Ball: Two-star. It creates a five-square-meter space that blocks out sound and light.

Tracker: Two-star. Attach it to a person, and it tracks their location for up to 30 days.

Silver Ice Bow: Three-star. Its ice attribute allows it to shoot ice arrows up to 500 meters.

He was hailed as a prodigy within the village of Konoha, a true inheritor of the Will of Fire! Tenno harbored no shame in this belief. To avoid suspicion, ever since acquiring the Sharingan, he had kept it concealed within his storage ring, never once revealing it.

A month passed, and it seemed that both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzou Shimura had given up hope of finding the Sharingan, leading to a relaxation of Konoha's security measures. Winter arrived, and the villagers lost interest in gossiping about the Uchiha clan's annihilation. It was as if the Uchiha, along with their secrets, were buried beneath the falling snow, seldom spoken of again.

Two more months went by. The new year passed, and it was now the 58th year of Konoha. Tenno turned eight years old. During these months, he had acquired several two-star and three-star forging blueprints:

- Small Enchantment Crystal Ball: Two-star. Capable of creating a 5-square-meter space, isolating sound and light from the outside.

- Tracking Device: Two-star. Place it on a person to sense their geographic location for up to 30 days.

- Silver Ice Bow: Three-star. Ice attribute, capable of firing ice arrows with a range of 500 meters.

However, the most crucial task for Tenno was the forging of the Eye of the Three Magatama. The moment he obtained the Sharingan, his system confirmed the mission's completion, and he received the blueprint to craft the Eye of the Three Magatama. The Sharingan was indeed the most vital material in its creation. To his amazement, the blueprint for the Eye of the Three Magatama was classified as four-star difficulty!

Tenno took the creation of the Three Magatama Sharingan very seriously, as the Sharingan was a non-renewable resource. Although he had several Sharingan in his possession, he was determined to ensure the highest possible success rate for the forging. Thus, he spent a full month preparing for the Eye of the Three Magatama's creation.

Only after mastering every detail of the process did Tenno begin the actual forging. The four-star blueprint was intricate, with over a hundred steps—far more than Tenno had anticipated. With no margin for error, he focused intently on the forging table, aiming for perfection at each stage.

By now, Tenno's extensive experience in forging one-star, two-star, and three-star weapons, combined with his rigorous Body Technique training, proved invaluable. Despite the blueprint's complexity, his ample mental and physical stamina supported him in completing the weapon.

As the day ended, the form of the Three Magatama Sharingan took shape on the forging table. "Forging successful. Result: Eye of the Three Magatama!" His thorough preparations had borne fruit—he had succeeded on his first attempt!

In his hand, Tenno held an orb the size of a human eyeball, a deep blood-red color with three magatama patterns. A flicker of joy lit up his eyes as he checked his system:

Eye of the Three Magatama.

Grade: Four-star weapon (upgradeable).

There were over a hundred steps involved in the forging process, a situation Tenno had not anticipated.

He didn't dare let his guard down and kept his focus intently on the forging table, striving to perfect each step.

At this point, Tenno had already forged numerous one-star, two-star, and three-star weapons. The benefits of his regular body technique training were now evident.

Despite the increased complexity of the forging steps, Tenno's mental and physical stamina were abundant, providing the support he needed to complete a weapon.

The day flew by quickly.

On the forging table, the shape of the Three Magatama Sharingan gradually took form.

"Forging successful: Eye of the Three Magatama!"

All the preparation he had done over time was not in vain; he had succeeded on his first attempt!

In Tenno's hand was a bead the size of a human eyeball, crimson throughout with three magatama patterns adorning it.

A flash of joy crossed his eyes, and he checked his system.

Eye of the Three Magatama.

Grade: Four-star weapon (upgradable).

Attribute: Illusion.

Skill: Cast Level A Illusion (usable three times with a one-day cooldown).

Contracted: No.

Tenno was shocked; the four-star Eye of the Three Magatama could cast Level A illusions!

Illusions were notoriously difficult to master in Ninjutsu. Even a powerful Jonin like Kurenai Yūhi could only cast Level B illusions.

The Dark Walking Technique, developed by Tobirama Senju, was merely a Level A Ninjutsu.

And the strongest illusion the Uchiha clan could perform was barely considered Level A.

The Level A illusion cast by the Three Magatama Sharingan Tenno now held was arguably the most potent below the kaleidoscope!

With the Three Magatama Sharingan, Tenno's strength had leaped forward qualitatively.

The only drawback was the one-day cooldown after using it three times.

Tenno anointed the Eye of the Three Magatama with his blood to complete the contract. Afterward, he safely stored it away.

At that moment, the system announced, "Congratulations, your forging level has been successfully raised to intermediate!"

"Level-up Reward: Access to one virtual forging space."

Intrigued, Tenno asked, "System, what exactly is a virtual forging space?"

The system replied, "The virtual forging space exists independently from your original world. Within it, you can forge ninja tools. Time in the outside world will pass more slowly while you're inside the virtual forging space."

Closing his eyes, Tenno connected with the space within his mind. When he opened them again, he was in a new location, with three objects before him.

He immediately recognized the first two: the forging table and the Forging Hammer, both of superior quality to his previous tools.

The third item, however, was unfamiliar.

It looked like a massive machine.

"System, what is this?" Tenno inquired.

"This is a fully automated workbench. Once your forging proficiency reaches 100%, you simply add the materials, and the workbench will use your forging memories to automatically craft ninja tools."

Tenno was thrilled with such advanced equipment.

This fully automated workbench would significantly reduce his forging time.

Plus, he could now enter his forging space and craft at his leisure.

How incredibly convenient!

Was this the benefit of advancing to an intermediate forgemaster?

It was absolutely fantastic!