Upon arriving at the blacksmith's shop, Torifu placed the ores on a wooden table, then released his Concealing Presence Technique.
A person suddenly appearing scared everyone in the blacksmith's shop half to death; they nearly threw the red-hot iron.
"Ghost!!!" the foremost blacksmith yelled, his hammer dropping to the ground, missing his toes by mere centimeters.
Torifu was utterly speechless. How could these burly men, with their bristly beards, be so timid?
"Hey, hey, hey, look closely! I'm a person, not a ghost!"
Hearing Torifu's voice, the blacksmiths stopped panicking. The foreman blacksmith squinted. "Ah! Isn't that Torifu-sama? How did you suddenly appear? You startled us!"
Everyone in this blacksmith shop was an old acquaintance of Torifu's, because this blacksmith shop was run by the Tsuchigumo clan. These burly men were also among the group Torifu brought back years ago. Although they had shinobi talent, they were in a limbo in Konoha Village, neither truly strong nor weak enough, and there weren't many missions they could take on. So, they simply returned to their old trade: blacksmithing. They had made a living as blacksmiths in their original country, and picking up the hammer again felt perfectly natural. They quickly gained a reputation in Konoha, and their business was currently thriving, mainly forging shinobi tools for various clans and supplying kunai to the village.
"I learned a Concealing Presence Technique from the Aburame clan recently, and I just wanted to test it today. Looks like it works well, huh?"
The blacksmiths' faces were lined with black. So, he was using them to test his ninjutsu? They had complaints but couldn't voice them.
"Torifu-sama, is there something you need made? Surely you're not lacking shinobi tools?" The blacksmiths were somewhat puzzled by Torifu's sudden visit. The Kumotsuru Clan, with its vast holdings, shouldn't need to come to them for shinobi tools, right?
Torifu pointed to the bundle on the table. "I bought some ores from the Oyashirō clan; I need you to refine them." He then handed a blueprint to the blacksmith. "Can you make the parts drawn on this blueprint? Is it doable?"
The blacksmith puffed out his chest. "What kind of talk is that? Absolutely doable!"
Torifu had given the blacksmiths the parts Amado needed. The blueprint Torifu gave Amado was for a mechanical alarm clock, the kind that was wound by a spring. The parts were left to the blacksmiths, and the alarm clock parts were quite delicate; he wasn't sure if they could complete them.
[T/N: Should've given it to goldsmith or someone, not a blacksmith xd]
"Then, Torifu-sama, you can come back in three or four days to pick them up."
Torifu nodded upon hearing this and then turned to leave. This alarm clock was mainly for Amado to practice with. He had heard Amado say recently that he often had no concept of time. So, he got this blueprint for him to play with. If Amado could figure it out, they might even be able to mass-produce it, allowing Amado to earn some extra money himself.
After Torifu left, the blacksmith who had just patted his chest in assurance picked up the blueprint and looked at it. It would have been better if he hadn't looked; the sight almost made him gasp and fall into the furnace, only to be pulled back by his brothers.
"Boss, what's wrong?"
The foreman didn't speak; he just handed the blueprint to his brother next to him, and then the entire blacksmith shop collectively collapsed in dismay. After a long while, a group of blacksmiths leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. "Boss! What do we do? We can't make this thing at all!"
The foreman blacksmith frantically scratched his head, not knowing what to do. "No choice! We'll just have to grin and bear it!"
"Boss, never mind gritting our teeth, we can't even make it if we grit our skulls! Don't you know your own craftsmanship?"
Annoyed by his brothers' complaints, the foreman suddenly stood up and shouted at them, "Then what do you suggest we do?! That's Torifu-sama! We can't refuse him! Besides grinning and bearing it, what other options do you have?"
After he finished speaking, the rest of the brothers fell silent, as if there truly was no other way but to grin and bear it.
"Alright, alright, stop dawdling! Get to work!"
At the foreman's command, the blacksmiths began to busy themselves again. Torifu, on his way home, naturally knew nothing of this. However, even if they couldn't produce it within the stipulated time, Torifu wouldn't blame them. After all, the difficulty of the item was evident, and the foreman had guaranteed it without even looking at the blueprint. It seemed unreliable no matter how you looked at it; he'd better go pick it up in ten days or half a month instead.
And when Torifu passed by the Oyashirō clan compound again, Oyashirō Tsuki was standing at the entrance, waiting for him.
"Torifu-sama, I knew it was you who passed by just now. I waited, and sure enough, you came."
Three years had passed, and Oyashirō Tsuki still addressed Torifu as "Lord." No matter how Torifu tried to persuade him, he remained unchanged, so Torifu had no choice but to accept it.
"Yes, En brought me the ores yesterday, so I took them to the blacksmith's shop for forging."
Then, Oyashirō Tsuki enthusiastically invited Torifu into the clan compound. Torifu, being idle anyway, followed him in.
"I saw you pacing back and forth just now. Is something troubling you?"
Tsuki sighed. "Alas, I shouldn't pry into this matter, but it's truly worrying."
"Oh?"
Tsuki continued, "As someone in business, I naturally need to be well-informed. Recently, I've heard rumors that the Land of Lightning intends to launch a war. What can we possibly do?" Oyashirō Tsuki wasn't worried about the war affecting business; he was currently in a dilemma. If his clan members participated in the war, their physical condition meant they would surely not return. But if they didn't participate, how could they shamelessly accept Konoha's protection? His heart was heavy with worry, with no one to confide in, which was why he had been pacing back and forth in the clan compound.
As for Torifu, Tsuki trusted him completely, as he was the benefactor of their entire family. This was why he confided his worries to Torifu.
But at this, Torifu waved his hand. "You're overthinking it. The Senju clan holds the major share of your business. If there really were a war, wouldn't they have received news?"
Tsuki was also puzzled by this. He had intended to inform the Senju clan about it, but the rumors weren't confirmed, and spreading them carelessly would throw the village into chaos. Tsuki certainly didn't want that.
"Alright, don't worry about this. Just focus on your business and getting well; that's the important thing."
Seeing that Torifu didn't take the news seriously at all, Tsuki's heart began to settle. "Since even Torifu-sama says so, then I have nothing to worry about."
Then he added, "It's already noon now, Torifu-sama. Why don't you stay for a meal before leaving?"
Torifu thought for a moment. If he went back home now, there'd be no one to cook, and he'd just have to whip something up himself. Since someone was offering to treat him, he was naturally happy to accept. He then exhaled a cloud of chakra that condensed into a cloud crane and flew off into the distance.
[T/N: Brothers, Grin and Donate! Spare some change for this Daoist✍️(◔◡◔)]