Let Me Upgrade U

Shimiko walked into the Atelier Ryuko and took a look around. It truly was an impressive workshop. She showed her papers allowing her entrance to the exclusive crafting area. Ryuko and her were super tight so the guards would know better than to give her any trouble. Shimiko would then get to work upgrading Kālīkoroshimasu with her new Chakra Disruption Device.

[7 Days, Upgrading Kālīkoroshimasu w/ the Chakra Disruption Device Addition]

There was a quiet bang as the doorway to the Atelier was shoved open and the owner of the room came barging in with a huge smile on her face as she spotted her best friend. She’d heard Shimiko had arrived and had come over to see what the other girl was up to. Plus considering she had finished upgrading Shimiko’s armor she could also do the delivery at the same time letting her kill two birds with one stone.

“Exellent, so you really are here Shi-chan! What do you think of the place?” asked The priestess who was practically in delight at having her first guest over. She remembered back when the Thundercats were still getting their start talking with them about building a humble little workshop together.

That had never really come to pass since they had all ended up being far more important they they had ever though possible. It was like she had aimed for a modest dream and somehow ended up hitting the moon instead.

“Here’s you’re gear as promised, and a bolt ring.” Ryuko said as she passed a bag over containing the aforementioned goods over to Shimiko before gesturing to the seat beside her. “Mind if I work alongside you for a bit?” she asked. She was mostly ready for the big battle now, just waiting on her shield and spear to arrive so it was time to get some of her students' armor done like she had promised him.

Taking a unit of the adamintie silk that she had painstakingly woven and one of her rare remaining units of Polymer X she set to work making a wide brim hat like the kind many commoners like to wear. She wasn’t sure why Mort had requested this and not a proper helm but she was happy to oblige nonetheless. The result might look normal but it would be far sturdier and more protective then a casual glance would imply.

[1]

[Crafting Wide-Brim Nin-Hat zX - Completion time August 10th)

[Superior Kālīkoroshimasu Complete and Acquired Upgraded Chinowakagumi Armour]

Shimiko turned to see her friend enter the workshop and returned her loving smile. "Hey Ryuko! I absolutely adore it! Its totally state of the art....I can complete my work in like half the time. You really outdid yourself on this one, I think Natsuru would be proud" The workshop was truly impressive and everything about it felt so intuitive and right. She'd need to find out exactly how Ryuko had set up her workshop. Hopefully if her sister wouldn't mind she'd like to make similar adjustments to her own private workshop back at Blood, Blades, and Beyond.

Shimiko accepted the bag with her goodies and kept them nearby. She wasn't sure exactly what this Hakkin had up his sleeve but with her upgraded suit she'd be more than a match for whatever he threw at them. She wasn't sure what a bolt ring was though and so she'd ask the Priestess.

"Bolt Ring? What's that?"

When Ryuko asked whether she could work alongside her, Shimiko vigorously nodded her head. "Of course! Its your workshop....I am but a humble guest" she gave her friend a playful hip bump and then made space for Ryuko to work.

The crafted armour reminded Shimiko that she'd also need to finish something for Ryuko. She placed Ryuko's batons on the table and got to work on them.


[7 Days, Upgrading Ryuko's Batons to S-Rank]

“He he” Ryuko replied giddily as she basked Shimiko's praise, making sure not to looser herself in it she caught the look in her sisters eyes that she wanted something like the Atelier for herself.  Honestly the desire was plain as day on her face that even someone who didn’t know her as well would have noticed it.    

“If you’d like we can get a workshop like this added onto the tower.” she offered freely.  It wasn’t like it was proprietary technology, she’d just taken what had been done for the public thunder forge and reproduced it on a smaller scale.  

“Just a little accessory I cooked up. Tis enchanted to grant the wearer a high degree of resistance to Raiton chakra.   Perfect for fighting a God of Lightning.”  Ryuko explained with a hint of amusement in her voice.   Given that this was the land of lightning it was only natural that one of the primary deity’s they  worshiped wielded the selfsame element.

Ryuko blinked in surprise at the playful hip bump she had just received. If she didn’t know any better she’d think her friend was hitting on her…. But that couldn’t be the case could it. Shimiko had always been straight as an arrow… but then again so were noodles until they got wet.  Feeling confused the priestess simply wrote it off as an innocent display of skinship and left it off at that before her brain threatened to overheat.

“First you're family never just a guest.  Besides I wanted to make sure I wasn’t intruding or anything. We’ve been hanging out a lot lately since I woke up and I wouldn’t want to seem overbearing.  Everyone needs their space…”  said Ryuko, not wanting her friend to think that she was stalking her or something.   They were best friends, two pillars of the village and on the same squad together but that didn’t mean they needed to spend absolutely every waking moment together.  

[2]

Shimiko threw a hand in Ryuko's direction in an "aw shucks" sort of way. "I hardly craft often enough to really justify it." Shimiko had always loved making new weapons but now she had found less and less time for the hobby as her shinobi duties ramped up. The impending war made things even worse and the nation's transition to a Kingdom would keep her busy for a long time to come. When Ryuko gave her the ring she tucked it away with a smile. "Sounds like it will come in handy, thanks!" If they were going to fight this big bad Hakkin guy then they'd need all the advantages they could get. When Ryuko expressed concern that she was intruding on Shimiko's personal time, the twin pigtails shook vigorously.

"Absolutely not! Like you said, we're family and that means you're never overbearing, I haven't seen you in years so every moment we're together feels like catching up for lost time" she said with a smile. "You know me Ryuko...I always try to put my kin first and you're squarely in that category."

Shimiko finished crafting the batons and slid them over to her friend.

"Here you go....the best of quality for the best of friends!" she said with a cheerful expression. "So when are we talking down this big bad kahuna? I'm getting antsy just thinking about it"

Shimiko loved a good challenge. She also regarded Hakkin as a usurper God that sought to claim glory that rightfully belonged to Jashin. Defeating him was a point of spiritual pride although that was a mere side bonus compared to her true objective. And that was to assist Ryuko in unlocking the full power of her benefactor. Shimiko also took the time to put the Creation of All Blood seal on her armour and then took her time create and filling armour up with a large amount of blood (maximum capacity which is 7 cubic tons).

[Crafting Upgrade of Ryuko's Batons Complete. They are now S-Rank Quality].

Ryuko was almost tempted to say she wasn’t crafting much either herself but the sheer multitude of items she's been making lately said otherwise. In truth she seemed to spend much more time at a forge then she ever did behind the desk doing paperwork even though she was about to become Raikage.

From making a ton of threads to sow with to a new set of armor and a batch of bolt rings she had been a busy beaver indeed. Once she was finished making these new pieces for Mort one wondered if she had merely scratched the surface considering the list of things she wanted to accomplish such as stocking the village armory with higher grade goods then what she could typically buy on the market.

“About the rings I made a whole bunch but I’m trying to be careful about who I hand them out to. Giving one to a forgin leader as a gift could make for a new peace gesture but I’m hesitant to give them that type of edge over us.” Ryuko admitted feeling more than a little conflicted about it. This was the land of lightning after all and it was their primary element. In the wrong hands a bolt ring was dangerous.

Finishing the hat she had been working on Ryuko went to work on the second piece for Mort which where a pair of gauntlets, though the fact they were being woven from the special thread she’d made rather than forged from metal made them lighter while still being extra tough.

“Speaking of family, is there anything you think I should make for the twins or Seigi next?” asked Ryuko hoping for a bit of her sister's insight. She’d made some armor for the Twins to wear already to reduce the risk of them getting stabbed but it was far from a full set. She wasn’t quite sure what to make them now that would actually suit their fighting style let alone where to begin on equipping the former Raikage.

Taking the offered Baton’s Ryuko smiled warmly as she inspected them before returning them to their empty hoisters on her belt. They really were the best of quality just like Shimiko had said which put her one step closer to being ready for her Trail.

“Soon, I’m just waiting for a special package to come in at this point.” Ryuko admitted. The shield she’d ordered in particular would be the key to surviving the fight and the Spear would also be necessary since some of her best jutsu depended on having one in hand.

“We’re up against something stronger than what is normally possible for humans to achieve. We’ll need a good plan if we’re going to come up on top. The win conditions are to overcome the aspect which can be done by either straight up beating it up or by draining its energy. I was thinking of edging our bets and attempting to do both at the same time.” said the priestess with a mischief twinkle in her eye.

“Before we engage in close combat I will use my sage mode to unleash my Acid rain jutsu showering him with poison that will suppress his energy“ She declared wanting to make sure she didn’t catch Shimiko and Seid in the deluge and thus warning them in advance.


“The aspect has a lot of chakra but his reserves are not infinite. I believe Seid may have more but tis hard to say for sure without first hand information. Regardless tis not impossible to tire him out by forcing him to waste jutsu.” as strategys went it was a bold one indeed. Few were crazy enough to try and outlast a bijuu class opponent in the energy department but the handpicked team Ryuko has selected for this task where perhaps the best in the world for pulling such a feat off.


“I’d also like to hit him with as many debuffs as possible. Between my boss Turtle summon Gamera and my sword I should be able to lower his constitution a fair bit softening him up for further blows. Speaking of which.” Ryuko said as she put her hand on the hilt of her sword and hesitated for a second before drawing it.

Unlike the Baton’s which had been made by Shimiko in the first place Hakkin’s fang was an ancient treasure, a relic of the church. Should she really be letting an outsider tinker with it? Waying the weight of tradition against the need to overcome this trail and more to come made the decision easy as she took the sword off her belt and held it out for Shimiko to take


“Would you mind sharpening this for me? I’d feel rather silly if I went to use Hakkin’s fang only to find tis bouncing off the Dragon’s hide.” She said feeling rather sheepish at making a second upgrade request. The sword wasn’t literally made from one of the gods fangs which was why it was only A class and not S which could be the difference between making a light scratch or inflicting an actual serious wound.


[3]

[Crafting Godly Genji Gloves - Completion time August 19th]

When Ryuko asked about equipping Seigi and the Twins, Shimiko paused for a moment. She wasn't precisely sure what they wanted armour-wise. "I'm not sure but based on their fighting styles something light and sleek like what you made me. You should ask them though I know with how the world has been heating up lately they both want to step up their contributions to the village. "

Shimiko nodded when Ryuko said they'd be fighting soon. She was itching to test her mettle against this dragon but going in half cocked would be stupid. Whatever Ryuko needed it was best for them to wait for it to arrive before diving in. Ryuko informed her of how they were to take down this dragon. She started talking about a preliminary strategy when she casually let out that she had access to Sage Mode. Shimiko turned on her friend in complete surprise:

"You're a Sage?!"

Shimiko didn't really pay attention to the rest of the strategy but she did accept the sword absent-mindedly. She turned to work on it as her brain attempted to comprehend what she had been told.

[[7 Days, Upgrading Hakkin's Fang to S-Rank]

Ryuko made a somewhat sour face at Shimiko’s suggestion to make something light and sleek like the crimson armor she had made years ago and just recently upgraded.   It wasn’t that light armor wasn’t her style but the fact she was running out of the material necessary to make more since she only had a couple units of polymer x remaining.

Not that she couldn’t use Adamantite-woven silk to make something similarly high end but it was a complete pain in the ass to have to weave up more every time she needed to make something.

“Do you mind if I gave Sakata’s chemistry notes to Damian?” She asked.  Ryuko was smart but she was no chemist.  She didn’t have time to be messing around trying to mix up such high level conjunctions.  Trying to do so when you didn’t have the right qualifications could go extremely wrong.  

Since she couldn’t get any more supplies from Sakata the best she could do was to pass on the intellectual property to someone else how could brew them but it felt wrong to do so without at least asking someone who had been connected to him for permission first.

Shimiko took the sword without complaint and Ryuko was almost tempted to keep handing weapons over to her and see what happened.  She had other A-grade weapons such as shadow shurikens and a meteor hammer that could use an update as well but it felt wrong to keep imposing on her friends' kindness like.  Surely Shimiko had other stuff to do then spend all day upgrading Ryuko’s gear.

Speaking of crafting, Ryuko finished the gloves she’d been working on and set to work on a sowing a battle kimono next.    It would be the last piece she’d need and her student Mort would be set for a while.  Maybe she could work on something for Eli next.

“Yes I’m a Hy…” She started to say before cutting herself off for a brief second to think.  Given recent events would mentioning Hydra’s be traumatic to Shimiko given she’d literally fed her parents to one for power?  

The last thing The priestess wanted was to pick at her friend’s sore spots especially after having just spending so much time to stablizer her but it wasn’t a topic that could be avoided since she NEEDED to user her summons in the fight ahead if they where going to stand a chance.

“...dra sage.”  She finished the sentence quickly hoping her pause wouldn’t seem too unnatural.  “I was invited to become one the day after our discussion with Oda.   Tis turns that I the first Raikage to qualify becoming one after your brother.” said Ryuko.   They hadn’t held the ceremony yet but their was no reason to hide the fact when Shimiko was one of the few who was privy to the whole picture.

Whatever Seigi had done to fake his death he’d done it a little too well.  His name was still on the list that where written on the summon scroll but it had faded to the point it was nearly illegible.  She was going to need to speak to him about that and have him renew his signature so that he’d be able to summon the hydra if needed.

“Do you wanna see one of my familiars?” she asked politely.  She was considering calling one of her summons forth but she asked first just to make sure it would be ok before calling them out.

[4]

[Crafting Ultra high-end Battle Kimono Completion time Aug 29th]

[Hakkin's Fang is now S-Rank Quality]

Shimiko saw Ryuko pout at her suggestion and was concerned that she had somehow offended her friend. It didn't occur to her that the Raikage would be stingy about equipping Seigi and the Twins given that she had asked. However, when Ryuko brought up Sakata, Shimiko gave a "Ooooh" expression as she got the gist of her friend's problem.

"For Polymer X? Sure! I wrote the notes on it anywho so I pretty much consider it mine. Sakata just brought it to life but I'm sure Damien can do a better job. As for the rest of his stuff, I don't think so. Most of its proprietary and I think he took it with him when he went to....wherever the heck he went off to..."

The next line of conversation was a tense one. Hy...dra? At first Shimiko didn't fully get what Ryuko was trying to say. Hy...dra. Hydra!? Shimiko stopped what she was doing and stared at Ryuko. She assumed that there was no way that Ryuko could be referring to THE Seven Headed Hydra. The creature was a patron being to the Chinoike Clan. The mythical beast had consumed her parents' corpses and granted her immense power. It wasn't exactly a summonable being. She knew that there were other species of Hydra in the world but never could she have imagined that Ryuko would make a pact with them. She wondered if any of the Hydra knew of the seven headed beast that slept between worlds. She went back to finishing up Hakkin's Fang and kept her mouth shut for now. It was a sore subject.

She mentioned Seigi having signed the contract. He never told her about this but then again there were a lot of things he hadn't told her. She knew all of Kumo's state secrets now that she was its ANBU Captain, but back when he reigned, she had been just a pugnacious little academy student. It was certainly possible for the 2nd Raikage to have signed such an artifact. Additionally, that was this world's Seigi, she wasn't sure if the contract rights extended across parallel universes. The matter was confusing and made her uncomfortable. It wasn't helped when Ryuko offered to bring out one of the summons. Shimiko finished up Hakkin's Fang and handed it to Ryuko with an uncertain smile.

"Um, sure?" Shimiko decided that in the spirit of quasi-openness it was best to indirectly address the elephant in the room. "So long as it doesn't eat me haha" It was a rather morbid attempt at humor but she wasn't sure what else to say. If it fell flat then she'd let the moment die. Shimiko didn't want to bask in the awkwardness though so she kept herself busy by making a Shadow Clone. The clone went off to fetch the Garian Sword which she had been gifted by the Queen. She set the Garian Sword on her workbench and examined it. Then she took out her twin tessen of terror and began to work on the two items.

[7 Days, Upgrading Twin Tessen of Terror and integrating Garian Sword]

“You invented Polymer X?” Ryuko asked with a raised eyebrow at seeing such an unexpected side from her friend. “No offense but I never took you for a chemistry type. Thanks for coming up with something so useful” she commented. Even if Shimiko couldn’t mix the formula on her own without help the fact she had devised it was still fairly impressive and deserved praise for it.

Given that the priestess used the material herself for a transparent eye visor spoke volumes about it’s ruggedness. It wasn’t quite as tough as the metal she used for the rest of her armor but she had no way to see though the same way she could with the polymer, well not short of acquiring something like the byakugan anyhow.

Ideally she’d like something just as hard to act as the visor so it wasn’t the weakest point of her armor but that would be like acting for the moon so she was grateful for what she had gotten. The loss of the rest of Sakata’s notes was a shame but there was no use crying over spilt milk. She simply had to work with what she had.

With any luck maybe Damian could turn the Polymer X into something stronger like Polymer Z and if not well at least she’d be able to produce more of the material which was a step up from where she was now with her limited stock running low.

Taking back her sword and placing it back onto it’s sheath on her belt Ryuko felt more than a little bad for how award she was making her friend feel by bringing her summons up. She tried to console herself that she had no choice, that it was better to face this problem now then in the heat of battle when she needed to use her summons when Shimiko was around but she knew those were nothing more than convenient excuses for the gaf she had made.

It wasn’t so urgent that she’d needed to bring it up so soon and she wanted to hit herself over the head for so carelessly opening her big fat mouth. Well if Shimiko was willing to try to crack a ill themed joke about it then maybe she didn’t have to beat herself up too bad about it at least.

“Don’t worry, I think you’ll find that Ngova here is much too small to beat eating anyone.” replied Ryuko lightly as she held out an open right hand while channeling chakra to the crystal medium that hung on the necklace she was wearing causing a magic glype to appear above her palm from which a small form quickly rose out of. Standing at only 16 inches (and even then only when on its hind legs) this three headed platinum creature hardly seemed threatening size wise though both kunoichi were well enough versed to know that appearances can be deceiving.

The truth was that Ngova was actually one of Ryuko’s strongest summons, only one step below the boss summon Ghidorah itself. He wasn’t one she’d normally pick for a simple demonstration like this but there were few other Hydra that could fit inside the room without damaging it that Ryuko had acquainted herself with. she wanted to be sure it wasn’t one of the younger ones she didn’t know well since they tended to be more bitey towards strangers.

“Hello miss. Boy you sure have a nostalgic scent. Reminds me of Seigi” commented Ngova as he gave the twin tailed girl a good sniff over with each of his heads causing Ryuko to sweetdrop a little as she wasn’t sure what girl would like to be told they smelled like their sibling.


“Speaking of your brother, do you know where he is? I’ve noticed his name on the summoning contract seemed a bit off and was hoping he could re-sign it.” Ryuko asked, hoping that would be enough to fix the glitch in the system. She hated to think what would happen to the former Raikage if he happened to get into a fight and tried to call forth one a Hydra only for nothing to show up.

Watching what Shimiko was doing to the Garian Sword which had been gifted to her the Queen sighed a little. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t see you modifying a national treasure like that.” Ryuko said dryly. Sharpening a sacred blade to be sharper was one thing but she knew several people who’d be having a fit right about now if they knew what Shimiko was doing to such a priceless work of art.

“Kind of funny isn’t it, That some of our gear might end up as legendary equipment down the line after we’re gone.” Ryuko said with a laugh referring to things like her Tengādian and Shikenri or Shimiko’s Badger Claws that were clearly a cut above the top of the line stuff that could be bought at even the highest quality store.

Having finished all the stuff she was planning to make for Mort for the moment Ryuko found herself ready to move onto some gear for her other students but no material to make it with. Well that wasn’t quite true. She had the adamantite and the silk but she had to weave it together first which was always a pain in the ass.

She only needed roughly 15 units of it all together to make what she wanted for both Tamwny and Eli for the moment but she went ahead and started weaving about 20 units anyhow which was the absolute most she could do at one time. Having a bit leftover in case she made a mistake could never hurt no matter how unlikely that seemed.

[5]

[Crafting 20 Units of Adamintite-Woven Silk, Completion time September 17th]

[Twin Tessen of Terror upgraded with Garian Sword Integration]


Shimiko threw her head back and laughed at the suggestion that she had "created" Polymer X. The blonde was smart, smarter than the average person, but she didn't have any knowledge of chemistry.

"No no no....created is a strong word. I had ideas and I knew enough academically to describe the properties but actually making it a reality is not within my repertoire. I just jotted down a few ideas and I let Sakata do the rest....it was the only thing he was good for....." The last statement was a remark of bitterness but she couldn't help it. After all these years, she was still angry that she had been dumped.

Shimiko turned to see Ryuko summon her Hydra. The critter was adorable and it didn't remind her of the eldritch being that existed between worlds at all.

"Hey there little guy!" Shimiko bent down a bit to look at him. He was sniffing her like mad and when he announced that she smelled like Seigi, she giggled and replied: "Well that's cuz I'm his sister" Shimiko wasn't especially fond of small animals. She had bought the Twins a puppy some years ago because that's what she thought kids liked. However, as a child she had killed many a woodland critter out of anger. She was past that phase now but when she remembered it, she often cringed. This being was no animal though, it was a summon. A mythical one at that. Shimiko paused for a moment and cupped her hand around the Hydra's tiny heads.

"Say...you wouldn't happen to know a Hydra by the name of...."

Shimiko whispered the name of the 7 Headed Hydra. It had been the patron creature of the Vampiric side of the clan. His name had no Japanese translation and could only be uttered in the Chinoike Clan's old tongue. It was a mixture of Farsi and Vampire known only to those who had the Hachidora Ketsurygan or the misfortune of being turned into a legitimate vampire. She spoke softly so that only Ngova could hear. Shimiko was superstitious and she had read that saying the beast's name aloud to anyone who wasn't a Hydra, Bat, or Vampire would make them go mad with rage. This may or may not be true but Shimiko saw no reason to take the risk. She was rather curious about the monster that had eaten her parents' corpses. The literature on him was scarce and unreliable. He wasn't social either. She was curious if other Hydra knew of him or had anything interesting to say about him.

While she tried to have a private conversation with Ngova, she let the Shadow Clone take over for her.

As it finished up the item for her, the clone remarked:

"He's probably in the dojo training or hanging out back at the Tower. I'm sure he'd love to re-sign" the mechanics of a Seigi from another world re-signing this contract was a mystery to her, but she'd let the Hydra Sage and her summons figure that one out. The remark about her re-configuration of the Garian Sword inflicted a devious chuckle.

"Take it from a specialist, weapons are like people....doesn't matter how legendary they are...... if they don't evolve, grow, and change they'll lose their edge."

Shimiko's clone finished the process and held up the fans for inspection.

"I'd like that" she said in response to Ryuko's speculation. Shimiko didn't want to die but she knew that one day it would happen. Immortality never really appealed to her. She'd embrace the void when her time came. She did want her works of art to live on though. They'd find a new home and continue to be passed down until the Necrossiah himself returned. The idea was pure bliss.[/b]

“Even so tis to be fair to say that without you, Polymer X wouldn’t exist.” replied Ryuko who assumed Shimiko was merely being bashful about her role in the substances initial production. If she hadn’t had that spark of an idea it was doubtful Sakata would have ever thought to use that particular chemical mix on his own unprompted.

“I suppose every cloud has tis silver lining.” Ryuko agreed to the fact that Sakata had been good for at least one thing. Hearing the bitterness in Shimiko’s voice she wished she could strangle the boy a little. Not enough to kill him of course but she felt like he deserved to feel some pain for how much he’d wronged the two of them with his careless actions.

In her mind she saw him as nothing more then a boy despite his age since a real man wouldn't have done something as crass as leaving Shimiko in the first place. If this was the result she regretted ever acting as a wingman and helping the two of them to hook up.

For a moment she wondered how things might have turned out if she hadn’t played matchmaker at the dinner party or of the events in the valley might have turned out if Sakata and Natsuru hadn’t struck first when she’d been on the verge of talking Nozomi over to their side. Still she didn’t have time to linger on what ifs for long since if she did then she’d be stuck in them all day.

Overindulging in fantasy wasn’t good for anyone. This was the reality she was stuck with and she had no choice but to work with it. The option to reject it and replace it with her own didn’t exist and to pretend otherwise would simply be madness.

“His sister?” exclaimed one of the heads in surprise “Then you must be….” continued the second “The Princess!!!” finished the third only to be echoed by two more utterances of “The Princess” In Hydra culture they viewed their summoner as if he was stronger then them as if he was their lord and Seigi being the Raikage had definitely fit that bill.

Even now Ngova could remember that time long ago when Seigi has asked them to keep an eye out for his sister should anything happen to him and he felt a bit bad about not being able to comply with that order much for so long since they had lacked a summoner to call them over. Leaving the caves where their layer was located was by no means an easy task since being an endangered species they had hidden themselves deep within a labyrinth maze for their own protection.

“To have a chance to finally meet you. To hear that my Lord is still alive! Truly is a joyish day” said Ngova gleefully as he began to dance in place. Marrily swaying his three heads back and forth in a way that would have been sure to get a human super dizzy if they attempted to replicate it.

Upon hearing the name that was whispered into one of his ears the tiny platinum Hydra suddenly seized up in a mixture of pure fear and awe and whispered back. “The dark one.” “The dark one.” “The dark one.” before pausing to regard her more closely. Even for them that creature was something akin to a mythological presence, something like their version of Satan or the Devil. They had never expected to hear the name pass through human lips let alone one’s as lovely as Shimiko’s.

“Where did you learn of him? Most of the written accounts should have burned with our homes back when people were hunting us.” asked Ngova. The Hydras had destroyed those books themselves. Even in the face of possible extinction they could not bring themselves to allow the foolish humans to come into contact with such a wicked creature.

Meanwhile Ryuko was busy talking with Shimiko’s clone, finding it to be a bit of an odd experience as she finished making the new thread and began to work on a set of armor for her student Tamwyn which would amount to an entire outfit once worn together. In her opinion it would look pretty dashing through given that she was the one making it she was a bit biased in that regard.

“You say that and yet we’ve been using some of the same weapons for hundreds if not thousands of years and they are as effective today as they ever were.” A spear was a spear, you didn’t really need to change it all that much for it to do the job it was meant for.

“I’m glad that makes you happy.” said Ryuko in response to Shimiko being glad that her weapons would be regarded and used as legendary tools in the future. “You know in a way you and I are extraordinarily privileged. Not many people get a chance to make their mark on history let alone be remembered.” she said wistfully.

As X-rank Ninja the two woman were two of the most famous people in all of the elemental nations. Depending on their actions they would either be regarded as heroes or villains depending on who told their tales but those tales would be told long after they were gone just the same.

“Speaking of which, have you gotten a Ninjabo figure yet?” asked Ryuko. Almost every Jounin who made it big had one made in their image so it was a sure bet Shimiko would have one as well, unless the company that made them went out of business it was just a matter of time.

“Getting my collection back up to date after missing two years is going to be such a pain in the ass! I wish the other village would stop swapping Kage’s so much. Some of them that were flashes in a pan only got a limited run. I hear the Tatsu one in particular is hard to find since Konoha prevented it from going to production saying something about how having a Cat for Hoakge was a bad look. She must have done something wrong since they excluded her from the monument and everything.” chattered Ryuko as she made idol small talk with her friend to pass the time.

[6]

[Crafting Seraph Set - Completion time September 24th]

Shimiko blushed at being called a princess. She had never thought of herself as such although when Seigi became Raikage, the constant attention she received would lead one to think otherwise. The Hydra was rather pleased that Seigi was alive and well. The creature's reaction warmed her heart and she contemplated petting him, but ultimately decided against it. The critter was still a noble summon after all and patronizing him wouldn't be a good look. The Hydra's exuberance turned to horror when Shimiko asked him about the abominable patron of the Hachidora Ketsryugan. He asked where she had learned of him and the girl paused in consideration before whispering:

"Its complicated....I ran into them a couple of years ago. We should talk about it in detail some other time. It was nice meeting you though Ngova"

Shimiko wanted to say more but now wasn't the time or the place. Ngovo's reaction to the mere utterance of the Seven Headed Hydra's name told her all she needed to know for the time being. If she wanted to dig deeper into that chasm then it'd require a more private setting. Shimiko dismissed her clone and picked up her conversation with Ryuko without missing a beat.

"Whatever is coming won't be like the hundreds or thousands of years of warfare we've seen before...." Shimiko said solemnly. A cloud hung over the world and she was certain Ryuko could sense it too. Both Jashin and Hakkin had chosen their champions around the same time. It was a sign that unprecedented times were ahead and Kumo couldn't afford to cling to the traditions of the past. It was why the village was investing so heavily in technology. Shimiko smiled at Ryuko's remark given their privilege. She agreed. There were so many nameless and faceless shinobi that supported the village but they were among the few whose names would echo throughout history forever.

"I have!" she said with a bit of pride. After she had quelled the Civil War between the Nationalists and Jashinists, Shimiko's approval rating had seen a brief rise. Since she had served as interim Kage and had been a fairly significant force in Kumo affairs, the powers that be decided that she was worthy of the honor of being turned into an action figure. Shimiko didn't particularly care although she did find it flattering. She also held out hope that one day she'd be able to gift the item to Ryuko when she woke up. When Ryuko brought up how the downfall of Tatsu had messed up her collection, Shimiko couldn't help but laugh. She had met Tatsu-sama before although not as herself. Its possible Ryuko would have access to the classified mission reports regarding her clandestine contacts with the Fourth Hokage. Shimiko had impersonated Raijin to get close with the Cat Kage and her limited experience with the feline chef had left an amused impression. Unfortunately, the madness that followed was not as funny.

"Tatsu-sama was quite the character....If you look in the right places you'll find my report on her or I can tell you about it some time over dinner. Its quite the funny story. As for the ninjabo figure, I wouldn't hold your breath on it. Her image is persona non-grata in the Fire Country but I'm sure they must have a few finished prototypes lurking about. I'll see what I can do."

Shimiko gave her friend a thumbs up. As Captain of the ANBU Black Ops it was her responsibility to secure and keep tabs on artifacts of considerable power. A cat action figure didn't fall into that category but Shimiko had no qualms about using her talents to find the prize. Completing her Queen's collection would be a fun side project for her to work on. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and and sighed. She had spent quite some time crafting and the heat of the forge was beginning to cook her brain as it often did.

"Well that's enough work for one day...if you need any more gear topped up before the fight against Hakkin let me know but for now I'm gonna head out Natsuru"

The heat was really getting to Shimiko. The blonde hugged her friend, collected her crafted items, and left to relax in the comfort of her penthouse.

Exit

“Another time then, Princess. ” Replied the Summon, his other heads echoing the last word as he had before. They hadn’t gotten to speak much but Ngova was elated to see that she was in good health nonetheless.

Ryuko meanwhile kept plugging away at her work. Doing an entire set of items at once was tricky business. A Trick she could only accomplish due to her long years of experience sowing and forging armor and because of her superhuman dexterity. It wasn’t long before she had the complete suit together and was taking a short break.

She continued to chat with her best friend while she considered if she should start working on her next project now or call it a day. Both of them had made a lot of things so far and it wasn’t healthy to push herself too hard on these kinds of things.

“War… War never changes.” Replied Ryuko to the comment about how this coming war would bring things like they had never seen before. Sure they had airship technology but that was so new that they were prohibitively expensive to make, especially when you considered how soft a target they actually were for the few ninja who could manage to reach them in the sky. Any usages of them in the coming day would be heavily restricted.

They could introduce a new element to war. New technologies, new tactics but the essence of bloodshed would remain. She wanted to do things the peaceful route if possible but if it came down to it she wanted to believe she was ready to burn the rest of the world to ash if that was what it took for her Kingdom to emerge victorious from the coming conflict.

“She was quite the character wasn't she. Shame I never got a chance to meet with her. Still even with her gone there’s lots of potential in using her image to mess with the enemy.” said Ryuko with a light chuckle. Sword and Arrows weren't the only weapons that could be used in battle. As a ninja she wasn’t about to ignore the psychological approach when it came to fighting.

When Shimiko said that she had enough and called Ryuko by another name the Priestess did a double take. Something must have been really off if she had been mistaken for Natsuru. As much as she hated to admit it her bust wasn’t nearly as big.

She gave Shimiko a look full of concern. She was half wondering if she should give her friend a medical examination or not as she returned the hug before ultimately deciding to let things go for now. It was probably nothing more but too much time spent near the forge.

Thinking it was best to call it a day herself Ryuko packed up the stuff she had made in preparation to give the items to their proper owners and made her way to her own living accommodations in order to get some much deserved rest.

[7]

-exit-