The Hidden Mist Blacksmith, forging the glory of the Ninja Sword Style!

Uehara Osamu's brow twitched.

Uehara Osamu had only heard of the Temple of Fire.

A temple in the Land of Fire.

It has its own unique heritage.

They can use magic.

Jiraiya, one of the ninjas who served alongside Sarutobi Asuma as one of the Twelve Guardians of the Nation in the original story, became the abbot of the Fire Temple, with a black market bounty of 30 million ryo.

Using Sage Mode chakra, they condense into extraordinary forms such as Guanyin and Vajra.

They possess considerable strength.

Uehara Shuu had never heard of this Water Temple before.

"I understand, spring water, thank you for your hard work."

"You're too kind, sir. It's what I should do."

Having obtained Zhongji's information, Uehara Shu could now proceed with the forging of the Soul-Stealing Blade.

"I didn't expect that this Nakaji would have both excellent sensory talent and the Dark Release bloodline limit. It's like he's inherited all the advantages of both the manga and the anime?"

"The probability of possessing Netherworld Escape and being compatible with the Soul-Stealing Blade will increase significantly."

Uehara Osamu took out the blueprints for the Soul-Stealing Blade.

"We need four thugs."

"Ota, Hozuki Izumo, the Third Mizukage, we still need one more."

Uehara Osamu thought for a moment.

Due to the war, most of the strong ninjas from Kirigakure were on the front lines.

Therefore, Uehara Shu's choices were limited.

"Kaguya's spring water is not strong enough."

“Kaguya Sato is even more so.”

"Yoshiki Hoshinogi's abilities are relatively one-dimensional."

"Perhaps we could consider Kaguya Shinsui?"

As the head of the Kaguya clan, Kaguya Shinsui possessed considerable strength; however, due to her position as clan leader, she was not required to fight on the front lines.

Managing the family is an even more important task.

"Listed as one of the candidates."

"I have something to take care of before entering the dimensional material dungeon."

The Hozuki clan's surprise attack on the forging department resulted in numerous casualties among the forging island's guards.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to supplement manpower.

It's not just about adding to the original number of people; it's about increasing the number of people as well.

"Three squads."

"A small team has twenty members."

There are a total of sixty guard positions.

After initial screening, a list of one hundred people appeared in Uehara Osamu's hands.

Of the original guards, only a dozen or so remain.

This means that more than forty people need to be selected from a list of one hundred.

The advancement rate is roughly one in half.

For the selection process, Uehara Osamu chose a small island not far from the forging island.

"Dae-tae, let's begin."

"Yes, Minister."

Those who manage to come here generally have no problem with their loyalty to the village.

All that's left is strength and potential.

And how well it suits the forging island.

And also, character.

The test that Uehara Osamu arranged for Ota was divided into two parts: a written test and a battle.

The former is similar to a psychological test, which reveals a person's general personality through a series of seemingly unrelated questions, while the latter is simply a test of ability.

Yuan Shi stood next to Uehara Shu.

"They were all very serious, and it seemed like they really wanted to seize this opportunity."

Master Yuan glanced at it and said with a smile.

This is inevitable.

Uehara Shu's position in Kirigakure was quite extraordinary.

It's not that he's particularly powerful, but rather that in terms of reputation and status, he ranks among the very top in the entire Hidden Mist Village, even surpassing the Mizukage in prestige.

The water's reflection will remain from generation to generation.

However, there has only been one great blacksmith like Uehara Osamu since the founding of Kirigakure.

The forger of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Hidden Mist was no match for Uehara Osamu.

Previously, there were still members of the Hozuki clan who persisted.

Now that the Hozuki clan has been "extinct," such voices have ceased to exist.

Serving Uehara Osamu means a better future.

Even in the world of ninjas, strength is paramount.

However, personal relationships can also play a very important role.

Take a simple example.

When the young students graduate from the ninja academy, the village will assign them a supervising teacher.

A good teacher can often help these students have a better future.

A bad teacher can ruin a student's talent.

Just like Ibiki Morino's younger brother's team leader, a mere Chunin dared to steal Konoha's Thunder God Sword and defect to Amegakure to become a Jonin in a small ninja village.

The defection of the supervising teacher nearly ruined Morino's future.

Moreover, working for Uehara Shu will greatly increase the chances of obtaining a Zanpakuto contract.

Even if the requirements for a Zanpakuto are demanding and one cannot gain the Zanpakuto's approval, there are still Great Grade Swords and Good Grade Swords below the Zanpakuto, which are ninja tools that ordinary ninjas hope to obtain.

In addition, many people have heard that the benefits in the forging department are better than those in other places.

In addition to formal employment benefits, there are other perks.

"Senior Master Yuan, what's the situation in Konoha?"

"That's exactly what I was going to tell you."

Master Yuan's visit this time was certainly not to observe the selection of the forging department's guard team.

The real purpose of Master Yuan was to come and discuss the situation in Konoha with Uehara Shu.

"The new Hokage of Konoha has been appointed."

"Sarutobi Hiruzen?"

Uehara Osamu subconsciously uttered the name of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Because that's how it was in the original storyline.

After Minato Namikaze's death, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not pass the Hokage position to anyone else, but instead took it upon himself once again, probably because he felt that no one else was capable enough to succeed him as Hokage.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen?"

Master Yuan was taken aback.

"Shu, why would you think of Hiruzen Sarutobi? He's already abdicated."

This time, it was Uehara Osamu's turn to be taken aback.

Given Master Yuan's reaction, has the situation changed?

Orochimaru succeeded him as Hokage.

Master Yuan said, "After Minato Namikaze died, most people guessed this would be the outcome. After all, Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze were competing for the Hokage position before. Now that Minato Namikaze is dead, it is naturally Orochimaru's turn."

"It seems that Konoha has also realized the intentions of our ninja villages and is prepared to fight to the death."

"Basically, all the ninjas that could be dispatched have been sent out."

"Now, it's just a matter of time."

Uehara Shu's eyes flickered involuntarily.

Orochimaru succeeding as Hokage was an outcome that Uehara Shujin had never anticipated.

Uehara Osamu was well aware that his arrival would create a series of butterfly effects.

Many people's fates are changed because of themselves.

In the original storyline.

The Third Mizukage, who is already dead, still lives on as a spirit.

The Kaguya clan was not completely wiped out; instead, they transformed into the Kaguya clan and even produced a figure like the Kaguya Neko (Takenori Cat).

Fuguki, Juzo Biwa, and Raiga Kurosuki have all been reborn.

Kisame Hoshigaki, despite his young age, was already famous throughout the ninja world.

Kakashi lost his Sharingan and the title of Copy Ninja, but he picked up the Hatake-ryu swordsmanship again. His strength not only did not decline, but even improved.