Naruto: Blacksmith

"What are you doing?!"

Kabuto jumped back like a startled cat, clutching his head.

His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, reflected a mix of surprise and wariness as he stared at Kuro with obvious suspicion.

"What was that?"

Kuro raised both hands in an innocent gesture, holding up the strand of hair he had pulled.

"Relax, relax. I just saw something in your hair, like… I don't know, something weird. I wanted to get it off, and, well, I got a little carried away. Sorry."

Kabuto stared at him intently. "Really?" he asked with suspicion.

"Of course!" Kuro replied with his best innocent smile.

Kabuto frowned slightly, but after a moment of silence, he nodded.

"…Fine, forget it."

He turned with a shrug, walking toward the door. Just as he opened it, he paused for a moment and glanced back.

"Keep an eye on the IV. If it runs out, press the button next to your bed," he said in his usual tone, though it now carried a hint of hidden coldness.

"Got it."

---

Kabuto walked through the hospital corridor unhurriedly, his back straight and his glasses gleaming.

"That boy's heart beats too strongly, and his vitality is immense. A physique like that must meet Orochimaru-sama's requirements."

---

Room 9

After confirming there was no one near the room, Kuro focused on the sound in his head.

[Special material "Dream Hair" detected.

This material allows the forging of the following special accessories:

1. False Mask

2. Crystal Ball of Wishes

Do you wish to proceed with the forging?]

"Forage."

The next second, a white mask and a blue crystal ball the size of a grapefruit appeared in his hand, and their information appeared in his vision.

[Special Item "False Mask" detected.

Effect: Allows the user to transform into any person they have previously seen, regardless of height, weight, gender, temperament, or aura. The transformation is perfect and cannot be detected, even by Dōjutsu users. ]

[Special Item "Crystal Ball of Wishes" detected.

Effect: Allows the owner to make a wish, which will be fulfilled. However, the way the wish is granted may differ slightly from what the user expects.]

He quickly threw the items into the system space and then sat on the bed to meditate.

These two items were clearly based on Kabuto's life as a spy and his strong dreams.

The False Mask was incredible.

The ability to transform without being detected, even by the Sharingan or Byakugan, was practically a cheat code for anyone.

But the ball…

A wish—any wish.

This thing seemed ridiculously overpowered, but the note that the wish would be fulfilled in a way different from what he expected made him hesitant to use it.

In his previous life, he had read similar things in many fanfics. Although each person's wish was granted, they ended up miserable and full of regret over time.

The more ambitious the wish, the more miserable the result. The more you gain, the more you lose.

There was no doubt this crystal ball of wishes was a trap.

But…

What if it wasn't what he thought?

Even though it was clearly written, the temptation to make any wish come true was too great.

Even knowing that nothing good in this world came without a price, he couldn't resist.

After all, this was a ball that could actually grant any wish.

It would be a shame not to try it…!

Suddenly, he felt a sting in his left arm.

"Eh?"

He looked down and saw blood running from the needle as the IV bag had emptied.

"How long was I thinking?"

Kuro suddenly snapped back to reality.

Shaking his head, he removed the needle. The wound on his arm closed instantly.

Clenching his fists, he left the room without any trouble.

As for the crystal ball of wishes, he thought about testing it with something small first. If something went wrong, well, he'd deal with it later.

"Ah, right!"

He remembered the hole in the wall of his house. It was the perfect opportunity to test if the ball worked.

Leaving the hospital, he found a deserted alley and took out the glowing blue ball.

"Make the walls of my house intact."

The ball emitted a violet glow and, a few seconds later, dimmed.

"Did it… work?" he murmured skeptically.

There were no explosions, no clouds of smoke, no dragons emerging from nowhere.

Just a glow, and that was it.

Though it seemed like a useless product, he decided not to jump to conclusions until he checked the result.

After all, the headband, the Kurama Ring, and the Red Lenses had worked perfectly.

He put the ball away and continued on his way home.

---

About thirty minutes later, he reached his neighborhood. But instead of his building, he found… ruins.

"This is my house?"

Kuro stopped in front of the pile of rubble, frowning.

The entire street leading to the village outskirts was destroyed, and he could see villagers and ninjas rummaging through the debris, looking for their belongings.

"Kuro, you're finally back!" said a familiar voice behind him.

Kuro turned and saw Aunt Yoyo, his neighbor, approaching with an apron and a bag full of items.

"Aunt Yoyo," he said quickly, "Is this my apartment?"

This Aunt Yoyo was the one who had woken up in the middle of the night.

"Yes," she replied with a sigh. "Not long ago, a three-meter bear entered the village from the forest and tore through everything in its path. Our apartments were destroyed."

"A three-meter bear?" Kuro gaped.

He knew that in this world, there were massive animals and that Konoha was surrounded by dense forests full of dangerous creatures. But the village had sensory barriers and ninjas patrolling 24/7.

How could an animal like that cause so much damage?

Aunt Yoyo, as if reading his mind, added:

"A ninja came to explain. It seems the barrier had been running for too long, and while they were updating the nodes to prevent enemy manipulation, they didn't notice in time."

"So…" Kuro pointed at the ruins, still dazed, "What happens to us?"

"Don't worry. The Hokage already said it was an accident caused by the village's negligence. All losses will be compensated. You can go to the Hokage Mansion to register the damages."

"Oh… okay…"

Aunt Yoyo nodded, picked up her bag, and walked off calmly.

Kuro, on the other hand, stayed there, processing everything that had happened. It took him a long while to snap out of it.

This must be the crystal ball of wishes…

He took a deep breath as he looked at the ruins.

If what Aunt Yoyo said was true, by registering the damages, the village would give him a new house with everything he needed.

New furniture, intact walls… all because of a simple wish.

He looked again at the disaster before him.

All of this… just because he had a hole in the wall.

An entire street had been destroyed. He couldn't help but think about the material damages, but worse was the likelihood that some people had been injured… or even killed.

________

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