At the workshop

Ryuko entered her workshop and quickly got ready to begin crafting by placing an apron over her robes. She’d already gotten dirty enough for one day and didn’t need to soil them any further, even if the work she was doing wouldn’t be particularly dirty.

Most people though armor making mostly consisted of using a hammer and anvil as well as a furnace and quench but that wasn’t always the case as today she would need little more then a couple pairs of pliers. These weren’t just any old pliers you’d just find lying around though but craftsman ones with no teeth on the tips. They came with a lifetime warranty so if she broke them from heavy usage she could replace them for free.

She set down the 40 pounds of copper she had bought beside her and pulled up a bench to sit on. It had come in the form of a bundle of wire and not just one big lump, otherwise she’d never be able to finish what she needed to do in just one night. It was time to get to work

Today she was going to be making mail, more specifically mail undershirts for everyone on her team to wear. She barely knew them, but she’d seen them long enough to get a good estimate of what approximate size to make for each of them.

Since she was going to be making mail she was going to need rings, lots and lots of rings. That’s where all the copper wire came in. If she was going to do it entirely by hand like in the olden days turning all of that wire into rings would have hours if not days, but luckily she had the advantage of modern power tools to assist in the process greatly speeding things up.

The work bench she’d be using today was a simple one made entirely from wood. It had an 18 inch 1 by 4 piece at the base and two 4 inch 8 by 4 pieces at either end, though only one end had a hole in it though which she would be inserting an iron rod.

The rod was 24 inches long with a 5/16 inch diameter. Placing it into the bench Ryuko put a glove onto her left hand and then used it to thread the 16 gauge copper wire though a small hole at the base of the rod.

Then using her other hand she picked up a drill that had a bit attached that was just slightly larger then the rod. Placing the bit against the part of the rod that was sticking out of the bench she turned it on causing the rod to slowly rotate which in turn caused the wire that Ryuko was holding to coil around it. Now all she had to do was continue to guide the wire into the rod as it spun.

Once the entire rod had wire coiled around it Ryuko stopped the drill and picked up a pair of wire cutters which she used to snip the wire since she still had quite a bit of it left. The she snipped it again though the hole she had originally threaded it though before pulling the rod out of the contraption.

Then she slipped the coil off the rod and began to cut them down the length making sure that they landed in large bucket by her feet as she went. The result was a bunch of rings each with a small opening in them, perfect for weaving with.

Of course this was hardly nearly enough rings to make an entire mail shirt out of let alone four of them. She would need any where from 5,000 to 20,000 rings depending on the ring size, weave, and type of shirt. Naturally if she went the more complicated route she’d never be done in time for the mission so instead she was sticking with a simpler method. Honestly that was all she was skilled enough to make in the first place anyhow.

Still she was going to need to make a lot more rings before things where said and done and so she inserted the rod back into the contraption and fed it thread again before running the drill repeating the same process she had just finished.

Feed, coil, remove then cut. Ryuko repeated this process again and again not knowing how many hours had passed by while she worked. She’d started when it’d still been fairly early in the day but by the time she had finished making rings until the point her bucket was full and the wire had run out it the sky was already beginning to turn from the glow of mid day to the dusk of nightfall.

Taking a short break to drink a bottle of water and eat a quick dinner before she exauseted herself from Malnutrition Ryuko began to wonder if she was going to actually be able to finish in time. It wouldn't do to go without sleep and show up to the mission exhausted. The girls would think her irresponsible.

Resolving to double her effort, she decided to do the best she could to finish this project within a reasonable time-frame. If she could get it ready for the mission then great, and if not well she could always pick up from where she had left off at a later date.

Now it was time to begin weaving the rings. Today she would be working in the style of her ancestors by using the using the European 4 in 1 weave. This weave was not very difficult and like the name implied one ring is attached to 4 other rings. Only about half the rings would need to be closed before adding them to the weave which would help save her a lot of time.

To do this she simply picked up a ring then used her pliers to bend the ends together so that they where flush so that their was no empty space between them. Then she ran a finger over the ring to make sure none of the ends felt jagged. Satisfied with the result she placed the ring down then picked up the next one repeating herself again.

Once she had 4 closed rings Ryuko took a fifth open one and threaded the first 4 into it before finally closing it so that the end result was 4 rings attached to one. This was a set of five and by making a bunch of these she could divide the time it would take to weave them by the same amount. It was vastly quicker then meshing each ring one at a time would have been.

Each set of five only took seconds to make, and it only took a couple more hours for Ryuko to reduce the bucket full of rings into a bucket full of sets of fives in it’s place. By now she’d been working for the bulk of the day and had sweat running from the intense effort. It was ironic how much more energy then the training session this was taking and yet she wasn’t learning nearly as much.

Which wasn’t to say she wasn’t improving as she went. For example she’d been closing the rings must faster now then when she’d started and now that she had the sets of five done the end wasn’t far from sight, just over the horizon.

Taking a set of five she layed it out as if it was a set of olympic rings then layed a second set of five over it. Opening the center ring of the second set she thread two of the bottom rings from the first thought it before closing it. Then she did this several more times with more sets of five until she had a strand.

Now that she had one strand, she made another and another. Stand after stand was finished and finally after another couple of hours she had a pile of them lying at her feet, filling the bucket to the brim just as the clock struck midnight.

The mail was nearly complete now. It was time for the final spurt. Once she connected the strands she would have the chain mail she needed to fashion a shirt from. If she’d only been making one for herself she’d have been finished long before now, but she wanted a full set for her entire team which was why it had taken so long to get to this point.

To finish the job she took two strands and lay them next to each other then took an open ring and thread it though the overlaps connecting the two together. Then she did this all the way up the strand until finally they where conjoined. Her hands seemed to blur as she connected strand after strand this way until at last she had four full sets.

They weren’t anything fancy, just four extremely simple vests enough to cover the armpit to the waist with a hole for the neck. They weren’t half bad but you could probable buy something better from the ninja supply store she’d gotten the copper to make them from. Still she hoped her team would appreciate the thought and time she’d put into making them.

The copper mail was complete, but she still had one more thing to do before they be worn.

Picking the mail shirts up Ryuko took them over to a large tub and began filling it up with water and soap. In theory she could use a washing machine for this, but that was risky since the weight of the metal could damage it. So instead she’d have to settle for washing them by hand.

Giving the mail a good scrub to make sure that it was thoroughly clean after all the work she had done on them she grinned as she hung them up to dry. They where so sparkly now that they practically shone in the moonlight. It was now past 3am and she had pushed things straight down to the wire but couldn’t be more satisfied. Thinking that she’d collect them in the morning before heading to her meeting Ryuko headed to bed.

[exit]

Ryuko sighed with relief as she finally got the crate containing all the crafting material Natsuru had bought for her at the market place thought the door and into her workshop. In retrosect she should have made sure her friend had her address sooner. Visiting Nat-chan’s place to pick it up had been fun but actually carrying over eight pounds over a few block even with a cart had been quite a workout.

But now finally she could get to work making the upgraded armor for her team mates, plus a couple extra. One for their new friend and mentor figure Yui and one to present next raikage as a way to congulate them for taking the office and help them to survive the post.

Taking out the workbench she’d used to make the copper chainmail Ryuko went to work twirling the iron wire around it. It was the same process she’d used before just with a harder metal which meant this was going to take some more time to do properly. But that was ok because she wanted in insure these mail were actually something to boast about instead of being a merely slapdash placeholder like the last set had been.

Crafting 5 Hauberk. Completion time Thur Jan 4th

Natsuru spent her evening prowling the residential districts of Kumogakure with her sensory ability active. She was very familiar with Ryuko's chakra signature, as she seemed to always be present when he technique was active. It had been almost a week since they all met. If anything, Ryuko and Shimiko's chakra signatures were the most familiar to Natsuru and the ones she could confidently recall. It made searching somewhat easier, though her own ability with the chakra sensing technique was sub-par. It prevented her from having to go door-to-door, which she was thankful of, but a large amount of walking was still necessary. Walking Natsuru did not fancy. Within a few hours, after a short snack break in between, she picked up Ryuko's signature. She approached the house cautiously. Despite picking up a familiar chakra signature within she was not 100% confident it was Ryuko's place. Her unfamiliarity with it gave her a natural sense of doubt. Still, it was worth a try. She doubted anyone would be displeased with her presence, even if it was a slight mistake.

Approaching the front door Natsuru gave five solid knocks using her back of her knuckles. They were polite, yet authoritative. Natsuru dresses similar to most Kumogakure shinobi as she prefers the simplicity and darkness their uniform provides. Black sandals cover both feet secured tightly providing comfort and protection. This is paired by a set of steel shin guards which start at base of her shin and up just below her knees. The steel is dyed white with three red lines running down the front face, a common feature done by Kumogakure-forged armor. She wears black pants with a black lapel on the left side. Strapped to her right thigh is a tanto crafted with red and black scabbard. Along with a mesh, sleeveless undershirt she wears a sleeveless black top with a zipper running down the middle. On both arms she wears leather forearm guards made with blackened leather with reinforced padding. Her outfit is completed by wearing her forehead protector around her forehead. Being made with black cloth she has the steel plated emblem facing the front in clear view. Her quiver is secured on her belt on her backside, her recurve bow worn across her body with the bow running down her cleavage while the string ran across her back. Natsuru has very fair skin with an almost ink-like navy blue hair, which matches her eyes in the same regards. Standing at 5'10 she has a very slender frame which maximizes her role as an archer.

In her hands she held two presents. They were of the same dimensions: 12"x12"x2". One was wrapped in red wrapping paper with a gold ribbon while the other green wrapping with a light blue ribbon. They were stacked upon each other, the paper folded neatly with finesse not leaving any room for wrinkling or odd ends. The Genin would wait patiently yet eager to see the door open. The gifts she had to offer were special to her, and soon to be an emblem among her teammates.

The house was a small European style three story manner. Modest by noble standards but still large enough to fit an entire family and their servants comfortably. The grounds where ringed by a iron fence that was completely covered by red rose bushes with the exception of the single gate which currently stat open.

A yellow brick path lead straight from the gate the house proper, lined by a herb garden on either side so fresh that it was clear was that whomever was occupying this place couldn’t have been here for long.

In response to the knock after about a minute the large oak door cracked open with a heavy creak to reveal a comely young red haired woman in her mid twenties wearing an upper class maid outfit who picked up the hem of her skirt and curtsied before Natsuru.


“Greetings, you must be Senou-san. Lady Ryuko has spoken quite fondly of you. She’s working out back in the atelier at the moment. Come I’ll take you see her. ” said the maid with a warm smile as she stepped out of the house and shut the door behind her before gesturing for Natsuru to follow her.

“You have my sincere thanks for taking such good care of my lady. It’s good to see her spending time with people her own age for a change.” said the maid making small talk as the walked along the pathway to around the side of the house until they came upon a small one story studio that lay a good ten feet from the main building, likely to keep the smoke from smelting metal away.

Today no smoke was coming from the furnace and no loud banging from clangling metal could be heard. If the lights hadn’t been out it would have been easy to mistake the small building as being empty. The maid tapped lightly on the doorway to announce her presence before peaking inside to make sure her master was decent. It wouldn’t do for a guest to see her covered in soot after all.

“My lady you have a guest.” she said while giving Natsuru a wink. She hadn’t announced who the guest was on purpose in order for it to be a better surprise. “Very good Sofia. They may enter.” came a reply at which the maid stepped back to allow Natsuru entrance into the building.

As she entrered she would find the workshop to be very tidy. Beside the entrance sat a manican dressed in the traditional shrine maiden outfit Ryuko had been wearing during their other encounter before now and beside it on the wall hung her copper chain mail, enshrined in honor of their first mission together.

In one corner sat a table with two complete sets of iron chain mail as well as one mysterious piece of metal that was unlike anything they had ever seen before and on the other side was a drawing board with several design concepts on it for future projects.

One picture with a girl holding a baton in one hand and a large shield in the other wearing knight style armor was clearly meant to be Ryuko herself. Beside that was picture of a girl wielding a bow wearing a cloak which could only be Natsuru. Their was also a third picture of a girl with pigtails and an overcoat representing Shimiko and finally a couple drawings of what looked to be armor for the raikage herself.

“Nat-chan, great to see you!” cried a voice as Ryuko emerged from the far corner and went to glomp her friend. Today she was wearing her working clothes which consisted of a plain black t-shirt with blue overalls. The spot she had vacated had a bench she had been sitting on with a half complete set of chain mail she had just dropped as well as a stack of medical text books she’d been using to study while she worked.

“Perfect timing. I’ve got new armor ready for you and Shi-chan!” she exclaimed in excitement. The new chain mail she had made was far higher quality then the last one. It was good enough to be sold in a shop and this time arrows wouldn’t pierce them so easily. Finally she noticed the packages Natsuru was holding and gasped. “Is… is one of those for me?” she asked her eyes seeming to fill with stars as she spoke.

The door opened to reveal a red headed woman. She presented herself in a strange manner, which Natsuru could do nothing more but smile politely. "Yes I am." She interjected upon the servant's introduction giving a slight nod. She shut the door behind her as the two were still outside. This lead her to assume she worked in some type of outdoor forge. Being gestured to follow Natsuru did silently, not trying to start a conversation or prolong any dreadful small talk. She was okay with silence, though she knew the servant was most likely trained to start conversations as it seems most of the upper class felt it was necessary to talk even when there was nothing important to say. Although Natsuru grew up in a wealthy neighborhood with loaded parents, it was safe to say she was not entirely educated on the etiquette of upper class culture. Neither her or her parents were interested in such mannerisms. They all believed in being successful, however joining the social class was appalling.

"You think so?" Natsuru said following up the servant's statement about Ryuko spending time with her. She kept her responses short. While it was not obvious she had no intentions of making small talk she had intentions to carry it on, and that much was clear. Outside of Ryuko's workshop Natsuru deactivated her sensory. It was as clear as day she was inside. Natsuru just felt is was quite necessary to make an appearance at the main house before snooping around the yard. A few knocks and a bit of conversation gave Natsuru permission to enter. She quickly fixed her hair and straightened herself up becoming more neutral before entering. Natsuru entered to withhold a sense into Ryuko's reality. Her eyes skimmed the room picking up all the minor details and tastes she had. Certainly she took care of herself, and took her religion seriously.

Ryuko exclaimed her excitement as usual, Natsuru becoming conditioned to her affection and smiling as result of her embrace. She lifted her arms up in the air when she came in for the hug to not allow her to crush the presents she had wrapped. "Ah, it's ready?" Natsuru said with excitement in her words. Her mouth salivated at the thought of new gear. It was refreshing and Natsuru had particular interests in armory and weaponry. There she saw the glittering mail laid upon the workbench. She paced herself over to it in a hustle setting the two presents down to the side picking up the obviously larger mail shirt of the two, the smaller one being meant for Shimiko. It was a bit weighted, but that was to be expected over the copper counterpart. She brought it to her nose taking in the smell of fresh iron as her eyes closed in bliss. She pulled it away from her face to examine the finer detail of the metal rings.

It was riveted like the former design holding the rings together and improving the overall integrity. Riveted mail prevented piercing attacks from severing the mail rings that would otherwise be butted. She noticed an improvement from the last set of mail. The four-in-one pattern was utilized and it was positioned correctly, meaning the mail would hug and contour her body providing a better fit. She had to try it on. Setting her bow and quiver aside she undressed herself down to her mesh top. Taking the mail she slipped it over her head sending her arms through the slots. With it over her body the weight distributed itself evenly. She felt much more confident and secure in this set of mail. Even more so than her last copper set. Knowing it was made of iron also reassured her additional protections. "It feels wonderful!" Natsuru exclaimed clapping her hands together. She felt official in her set of armor, and neigh invincible, though she was not ready to let that get to her head.

"Now it's time to open your present. I made it myself. I know you won't be disappointed." Natsuru said this with confidence grabbing the present with the red wrapping paper and golden ribbons. She'd hand it promptly to Ryuko before holding her arms beneath her bosom. "Go ahead."

Amulet of Kings:

The encounter between the two friends began the same way it always did, with a hug. Ryuko was beyond thrilled that Natsuru continued to allow her such a physical manner of greating time and time again, not once trying to shove her away like some her older couins did occasionally when she attempted the same thing to them.

“Yep, ready to go. It should be a better fit too thanks the to measurement I took the other day.”  said Ryuko puffing out her chest in pride at her accomplishment as her friend ogled her new master piece.  The first set had been made on the fly had fit well enough, but now she could make sure it was tailored exactly for the intended wearer for maximum comfort and mobility.

At this point Ryuko wasn’t even surprised when Natsuru began stripping on the spot despite the fact that the building was equipped with a perfectly good fitting room.  At least this time it was in relative privacy with no boys around so it wasn’t anywhere near as inapporate as the time she’d done it in the middle of the street or in the hospital room when a boy had been present.   It was odd how she seemed to have no compunction with undressing at the drop of a dime and yet insisted on covering herself with a towel at the bath.

“It looks good on you.” complimented Ryuko as Natsuru slipped on the new chainmail shirt and modeled it for her.  In this case it wasn’t the shirt making the woman so much as the woman making the shirt since to Ryuko her friend was so pretty she’d look good in just about anything.  Maybe she’d try making a dress for her next once all the armor was finished.

“Are there any enchmantments you’d like done for your next set?” Ryuko asked. She hadnt’ even finished all of these sets yet and was already planning several steps ahead. With each one she made her skill was slowly impoving and soon she’d be able to make stuff better then you could find at the average market place.  

The iron chainmail would serve them well for now but she wanted her friends to have the best possible equipment she could make in time for the chunnin exam to maximize their chances of passing.   If iron was good then Titanium would be even better. The only problem would be getting enough money to fund it since the better the material the higher the cost.

When Natsuru told her that it was time to open her present and that she had made it herself Ryuko took the gift rapped package in hand and instead of tearing into the wrapping like one would expect carefully peeled it so as not to damage it.  This was a gift from her best friend after all so even the paper it had been wrapped in was to be treasured.

Seeing what was inside the paper Ryuko gasped loudly in surprise. She couldn’t believe her eyes and even used one hand to rub them only to find that what she was seeing was real.  Her parents had often made her wear jewelry  in order to enhancer her effect as an oriment on display and this piece easily rivaled, perhaps even surpassed anything she had worn before.  Money wise it was likely worth more then all 5 sets of chainmail she was working on put together but to her it was beyond priceless.

“Oh my gosh. Tis beyond anything I deserve. Thank you.” Ryuko squealed loudly as she went in for another hug. “Would you mind helping me put it on?” she asked. She was used to her lady in waiting helping with stuff like this and wasn’t quite sure how to do it herself properly.

Ryuko mentioned the idea of enchantments. They were something Natsuru was unaware that Ryuko was capable of. "I'm quite alright. I don't intend to be in combat. This mail should last me a life time, if anything." As Ryuko began unwrapping her present Natsuru couldn't help but become a bit impatient. It seemed like she was going to save the wrapping paper seeing how careful she was tearing at it. Still, when the present was opened her reaction was worth the wait. "Nonsense. You practically saved my well-being earlier. I could have suffered greater damage on our mission if you hadn't fixed us a last minute set of mail. It's the least I can do for keeping the guts in my body." Following her request Natsuru nodded silently, taking the jewelry from her hands. It was a simple clip and ring system in the back. Attaching the backs together she let the necklace go allowing it to fall, the back of the necklace catching it and allowing it to be displayed on her body. "You can either have it inside your shirt or display it up front. I plan to leave mine hidden for someone special~" She said implying her necklace would only be in view on top of her bosom.

"Which reminds me. Next week I'm throwing a house party.
You are invited. Dinner and sweets will be served. I sure hope you can make it.
You are the first person I told, so I can make arrangements if you're unavailable." Natsuru said with a warming smile. She was excited to spend some quality time with her new teammates. That, and utilizing her pastry chefs for the dessert.

Ryuko had brought up the topic of enchantments but it wasn’t like she actually could place them on the armor herself, at least not yet anyhow. It was a topic she was considering studying in order for her to take her crafting to the next level.  The biggest problem in her way was smart as she was she could only learn so much at a time.  There where so many topics she was interested in that it was sometimes hard to pick which one’s to focus on.  

And of course she had to focus on her physical training as well if she wanted to remain sharp. She had just spent a week in the workshop making a few sets of armor and as much as she wanted to continue making more she couldn’t neglect her exercise if she wanted to stay in fighting shape.  It had only been a short time since she’d been commissioned  but already she had been making market improvements.  

She was good enough now that despite the lack of missions under her belt she’d likely be considered for the next chunnin test should one be held in the near future. But she had to get even better if she wanted to actual pass said test with flying colors.

When Natsuru said she didn’t intent to be in combat much and that the iron set would be good enough shook her head. “Good enough for D and C rank missions sure. But if… no when you become a Chunnin you’ll need something better.” she replied. As the official leader of their squad her her friend was way too talented to remain a gennin for long.  

She had to admit that her friend had a point about how her first set of mail makeshift as it was had done the job it had been intended for, keeping them alive. She still wasn’t quite sure she deserved something this special though so she made a vow to herself to be worthy of it and wear it proudly. In the circles she typical ran in some jewelry was to be expected after all.

Plus having something as nice as this made her feel like she was an actual legitimate Vestal candidate for once since she’d gotten it because of the deeds she had preformed and not simply for existing as the daughter of a noble house.

“I… I can’t thank you enough Nat-chan. Tis means the world to me.” Ryuko said meaning ever word. She had to restrain herself from hugging her friend a third time, not wanting to be too overbearing and clingy.

She was surprised to hear that Natsuru was also wearing a similar necklace but keeping it hidden. Considering it was such a high quality piece it almost seemed a shame not to show it off though she could understand why it wasn’t always smart to keep in the open.  Wearing something that expensive was just asking for trouble in the wrong circumstances.  It was perfect for gala’s and ballrooms, not so much for a casual market place stroll.

“When you find that special someone, I hope they know how lucky they are to be with you.” Ryuko said feeling oddly jealous about someone she didn’t know coming into the picture and snatching Natsuru away but didn’t know how to voice said feelings properly and so put them aside for now.

She was too young and inexperienced in these matters to realize the seed of something that was more then just mere friendship had already been planted in her heart from the moment they had gone on their first mission together.

A seed that perhaps would have lain dormant, but was beginning to grow due to Natsuru first helping her with securing crafting supplies for far below the market rate and then giving her such an utterly amazing and fantastic gift.  For a long time now Ryuko had been starved for affection so it only made sense that she would come to care so strongly for someone who was in her eyes was practically showering her with it.

“Next week sounds perfect. Would it be alright to bring my Mandolin? It would be nice to play some songs for everyone.” Ryuko said wistfully.  It didn’t take much for her to guess who would be next on the list to be invited and this seemed as good as time as any to ask Natsuru for some advise that would concern that person.

“I’m a bit worried about Shi-chan after she lost her brother like that. You must be too having a party like this to cheer her up. I have a rare first edition Ninjabo figure of of him that he signed. Tis the crown of my collection. Do you think it morbid of me if I gave it to her?” she asked. She knew her heart was in the right place but she wasn’t quite sure about if she was following proper etiquette with such a gift or if the act of giving it would only make Shimiko’s loss worse.

As she asked the question she went ahead and put the finishing touches on the last set of chainmail and smiled to herself that it was now ready to go.  “All done. I suppose I can simply deliver Shi-can’s at the party if I can’t find her before then.  That just leaves Hahashi-san and the third raikage. Do you know how I could find them?” she asked. Natsuru was the scout of their party so and knew the village better then Ryuko who had only recently moved in did.

She’d seen Hahashi-san naked in the bathhouse so guessing her measurement had been a cake walk for her even if she hadn’t taken them directly the way she had with her teammates.  She hadn’t met the third raikage yet and had no idea who they would be or what kind of person they where, but for some strange reason she had a feeling the last set of armor she had made for them specifically would fit perfectly.  Perhaps it was a bit of divine inspiration at work since she was far better at making armor then any normal person ought to be.

“Say now that I’m finished here want to do some training together or something? I’ve got a few jutsu I’d like to practice and it’d go a lot quicker if I had a partner with me.” she asked though really she just wanted to spend more time with Natsuru in general and figured that was as good as an excuse as any.

Natsuru gave Ryuko's concerns thought. Truthfully, she was donning simple iron mail. Although she felt well-protected, and was not wrong to assume that, the armor was only capable of stopping primary combat methods. There was a lot to consider when thinking about the dangers of a Shinobi world. Ryuko was right to constantly provide the latest grade of protection she could offer. "I'll keep that in mind, then." She said responding to Ryuko's suggestion about higher grade armor. Natsuru felt like she lacked contribution. She remembered Shimiko being capable of crafting weaponry. Although she did not know how well due to her somewhat distant behavior with the group, weaponry was always useful. What Natsuru knew was nothing more than basic civil engineering and gadgets. It was hard for her to think of anything she could craft that would be combat-useful. For now, the fancy jewelry would suffice.

"Feel free to bring anything you wish. It'll be close friends only." To be honest, the party was not out of concern for Shimiko. She felt it was appropriate to celebrate and let loose every so often. The blonde's family issues were none of her concerns, though if it made her look better, she might as well claim it was. "I don't feel that would be necessary. This is a good opportunity for Shimiko to wise up and develop a callous soul. She needs to process this event herself, and not be slathered in honeyed words and sympathy. Only then will she not be ruled by her emotions.
Though, not everything needs to be so grim. This gathering will help her steer her mind away from the abyss and let her realize not all is lost." Natsuru finished with her eyes closed, nodding in agreement with her own statement. There was no flaw within her method, as she felt. In fact she was somewhat glad Seigi did pass. Losing that connection would humble Shimiko out greatly, and be less of a burden. Natsuru felt as if a band-aide was finally removed.

"Mmm...third Raikage? Have they elected one already?
I haven't been paying much attention to politics the past few days." Natsuru had dedicated herself to researching crafting methods and design for their necklaces. Essentially she had been locked up in her room only leaving to use the bathroom or kitchen. It was part of her recovery to live such a porcine lifestyle. But as a result she was back in full health. She minor wounds healed up proper and she was feeling stronger than before. The newfound health and strength motivating her confidence to even throw such a party. It was amazing how such a subtle change in lifestyle could affect ones actions. "I reckon the Raikage would be in the office or administration somewhere.
As for Hahashi...unfortunately I didn't get much information out of her. I'd say checking out the local taverns would be your best bet."

Hahashi was fairly young, and all young adults loved alcohol. Natsuru was one of them. At least a fan of red wines. She was well-controlled over her desire to drink heavily. Certain she would not end up like a miserable sod. No, drinking was only for special occasions and treats. And it should be done in moderation. "I'd love to train, but I have to track down Shimiko to give her present and invite. Plus I have a lot of planning to do afterwards. Maybe some other time, though." Natsuru would put her shirt back on and take the green wrapped present off the workbench. "It was nice to stop by and see you again, Ryuko. I guess I'll see you next week, then?" With her final departure notice she would see herself out the door following the path leading off Ryuko's family property and back into the streets. It was now her task to find Shimiko, hopefully in a stable mental state. Sometimes she wondered about that girl...

[Exit ----> Earth Construct]

Natsuru said she would keep the advise about armor in mind making Ryuko nod in satisfaction. The biggest problem about making said next set of armor was two fold.  Cost and production time.  She’d heard rumbles about active duty shinobi getting a salary now which would help on the first part a bit and the rest could be covered once they started taking missions again.  

That option had been off the table until now but she was sure with a new kage it won’t be long until they started issuing them once more.  The tricky part was how to speed things along.  At the present store grade things took several days to make. The next level would take longer. Unless she wanted to retire as a ninja she couldn’t afford to take an entire month just to make another better set of chainmail to outfit her her team. Their had to be someway to speed the process up somewhat without the quality going down otherwise it would take a small legion of people just to own and operate a single shop which she knew wasn’t the case.

She grew exicted as Natsuru told her she could bring anything she wanted.  It felt like it’d been so long since she had last preformed a song she would have to triple check her instrument was tuned properly.  The Mandolin she had now was too fragile to take with her on missions after all so maybe she could ask Natsuru to build her one that was a bit more sturdy.  Carrying it around could be surprisingly useful in more ways then one.

“I hope you won’t regret saying that when I bring the entire book of hakkin to read aloud for you”  she said in a tone that that made it quite clear she was only joking.  She had zero interest in trying to force her religion on anyone.  Of course if Natsuru asked her to teach her that would be a different story all together.

She wasn’t sure what to think about all the talk about Shimiko developing a more callous soul. Out of all of them hadn’t she killed the most bandits during the mission and in the most brutal manner to boot, literally exploding a couple of them.  Ryuko had downed a couple herself but hers kills had been fairly clean and to the point, one blow each to minimize suffering.  

“... Sometimes one needs to reflect to reflect on the past to learn the way to the future.” She said trying to sound sagely.   Natsuru had said it wasn’t nessisary but she hadn’t said it was bad either. As much as it hurt to part with the crown of her collection sometimes sacrifices where necessary for the greater good.  If it improved her friends mood even a little it would be worth the loss.

“I’m not sure elected tis the right term. From what I hear one of the jounin just up and claimed the hat for herself. Though from the state of things who would blame them?”  asked Ryuko with a shrug.  Prehaps it had been part of his sickness but things had been a mess even before Seigi had fallen into his comma.  The first had returned to duty in his absence only to fall victom to illness herself.

It was enough to wonder if the chain mail she had made the third would do any damn good at all. Stoping an arrow was all well and could but how did one fashion armor that would prevent someone from getting sick?  

As Ryuko though finding the Raikage would be simple enough. If only things would be so easy with Hahashi. “You mean those same bars that they keep telling me I’m too young to go into?”  she complained.  If it was a civilian town she might have managed something but they where on the look out for youth trying to pull a fast one on them making it hard for her to slip into when the bouncers where actually doing their jobs.

With that Natsuru told her that while it would be nice to train she had other things to do. “Oh well, maybe another day then. Thank you for taking the time to check in on me. I was bringing to go stir crazy locked away in here on my own for so long.”  she said as Natsuru left. Hopefully it wouldn’t actually be an entire week until they saw each other again.

Leaving the delivery of the chain mail for later Ryuko quickly swamped clothes back to her usual outfit, her new necklace on prominent display as she made her way to the training fields to get some exercise in.

[Exit ----> Earth Construct]

Well Ryuko could have tried to do some more training she had instead returned to her workshop. She had about a week to go until the party which was just enough time to craft something better then what you could buy at the store… or prehaps more then just one something.

It was time to test her theory on using shadow clones to speed up her production process. As the saying went many hands made light work. At the normal rate it would take her a couple months to simply outfit herself with a basic outfit which meant she might as well retire as a ninja and become a smith full time if she wanted to gear up her entire squad, never mind anyone else in the village.

But if this worked like she though it would that would be much less of an issue. She would have started with making an even better set of chain mail then the one she was already wearing but alas she lacked the proper material since she had no titanium in stock.

What she did have was tons and tons of cloth and insulation, perfect for knitting. A lot of people would roll their eyes at thinking of cloth stockings or gloves as armr but Ryuko knew from experince that what your wore under your main suit was just as important. That extra level of comfort could make all the difference on a long mission, keep you warm in a cold climate or keep you cool in a warm one.

And to be frank she wanted her main armor set to be of an even higher quality then she was currently capable of crafting at the moment. The under-suit which was more for comfort then for protection could afford to be slightly less good, especially since B-rank would still be better then what most people where packing.

Preforming the tiger seal their was a burst of smoke in her workshop which cleared away quicly to reveal that where once was one Ryuko stood three. Each with precisely just over 33 percent of her chakra since the technique distributed it evenly across how many clones she made. She was walking a razor thin line since if she fell under 30 precent the clones would disperse but that wasn’t a problem if since she wouldn’t be doing anything strenuous enough to drain her stamina.

“Alright. Get to work.” Ryuko ordered at which one clone began to sow a pair of Knight stockings while the other made a set of Knight’s gloves. If only their was a way to make clones without dumping so much of her chakra into them she’d be able to make more, but as it stood no matter how much her stamina was improved she would always be stuck with only two. Still 3 items a week was better then 1 so she’d take it.

The real Ryuko smiled ruefully as she took out a piece of cloth and went to work. She would have liked to make a mantel for herself but that was going to have to wait for another day if she was going to get a superior scarf ready in time for the party. She’d give the scarf to Shimiko who’d give the scarf to Simon. Hopefully that’d be enough to cheer up her friend.

Crafting 1 Knight Glove set, 1 Knight Stocking set and 1 Superior scarf. Completion time January 31

Her idea to use shadow clones had worked even better then Ryuko had ever dared to hope. So far it seemed the clones she made had no real hard time limit for how long they could stick around after she conjured them. All she had to do was make sure her chakra levels didn’t drop below 30% and she was golden. It still wasn’t really practical for a fight but it was perfect for crafting, especially since she retrained all the memories from her clones.

She’d been reading medical books while she had been crafting, and being able to read three different ones at a time had greatly accelrated her pace of learning. She now had all the on paper knowledge one needed to become certified as a passable doctor and begin to learn actual medical jutsu.

Slipping on her new gloves and stockings Ryuko grinned pleased with her work and at being one more stop closer to her ideal set of armor. It was too bad she didn’t have time to make copies for Shimkio and Natsuru before the party started but their was only so much she could do in the time she had available to her, clones or no clones.

Glancing at the clock she saw that she had enough time to squeeze in a good training session and maybe even take a quick mission before the party started. She had a feeling she had some good times ahead to be looking forward to.

[exit]

Ryuko’s clone made her way back to the workshop while the real deal was still busy training over at the academy.  It felt kind of weird knowing that she was in two places at the same time because up until now she and her clones had all been confined to one building crafting together.

Thinking about what the real her wound need next Clone Ryuko nodded her head. They had stockings and gloves good to go but what they really needed to complete the set was the undersuit and cape and maybe some boots.   Once they had those out of the way she’d be a good way towards being able to make even higher class items and could finish the gap by making some gear for her friends.  She was sure a scout like Natsuru wouldn’t mind a cape after all.

Taking out a sowing kit and a large piece of cloth the clone went to work constructing a Superior Gambeson taking delicate care to get the details preciesly right so that it would fit herself perfectly once she was done.  After all the entire point was to be comfortable to wear.

Once that was done she would begin working on two pairs of capes as well as another set of stockings and gloves to give to her friend.

Crafting 1 Superior Gambeson. Completion time Febuary 15
Crafting 2 Advanced Mantel. Completion time March 1
Crafting 1 Knight's gloves. Completion time March 8
Crafting 1 Knight stockings. Completion time March 15

Ryuko look at the sum total of her work so far. Everything she had been working on for the last few weeks was finally complete. With the gambeson, gloves, stockings she finally had the under armor she’d wanted ready to go, plus a mantel for keeping her shaded.

Not only that but she also had a mantle for Natsuru along with another pair of gloves and stockings for her friend. And last but not least a scarf to give Shimiko so she could give it to Simon. All and all it was a lot to be proud of.

She would have liked to make more, she was so close to being able to make an even higher class of armor that she could taste it, but before she could do that she needed to upgrade her chainmail yet again so that instead of iron it would be made of Titanium which would make it more robust.

The problem was she didn’t have any titanium in her possession to work with, and she couldn’t make much of anything else since she’d ran out of most of the materials she’d bought earlier. She’d only had just enough for the plan she’d put out with very little left over other then a few pounds of iron.

Well nothing to do but save up some more money so she could afford the materials she needed. With a poof the clone vanished letting the orginal know that everything was finished here.