Naruto: Blacksmith

Kuro didn't head straight to the Hokage Mansion. Instead, he kept walking through the rubble.

Time passed slowly.

The sun had reached its peak, illuminating the ruins with an intense glare.

Kuro moved fragments of gravel and debris, searching for something desperately.

Finally, he found it.

A photograph.

Or rather, what was left of it.

The image was incomplete, with a large part torn away, showing only a person's legs.

Kuro didn't stop.

He continued digging, pushing aside chunks of wood and stones as the day wore on.

Despite feeling weak from the cold, with his head spinning and his body exhausted, he didn't stop.

Something inside him compelled him to keep going.

The moon was already high when he finally found all the scattered pieces of the photograph. He sat on the ground and carefully put them together.

When the pieces fit, the full image appeared before him: a young couple, ordinary-looking but smiling, holding a baby in their arms.

Kuro gently ran his fingers over the photo, a nostalgic smile appearing on his face.

Fush

Then, a strong gust of wind blew.

The fragments, which he had barely been holding together, flew in all directions. He shot up and tried to catch them, reaching his arms toward the sky.

But there were too many.

He managed to grab one or two, while the rest were lost in the darkness, carried up until they disappeared.

Kuro stood still, hands lowered, staring at the ground.

"Sigh… There are things I can never recover once they're lost."

The cold wind surrounded him, but Kuro didn't move.

He stayed there, alone, in the darkness.

"...."

After a while, he raised his head and looked at the sky. The full moon shone brightly, surrounded by a sea of stars.

Suddenly, among the sea of lights, two stars seemed brighter than the others. Kuro stared at them, feeling a strange connection.

"Is that you…?"

"No, no… I'm not thinking about them. It's just that… I feel a little lonely."

"Well, I'll take care of myself. Don't worry about me."

"And don't worry, Dad… I'll find a beautiful woman someday. I promise!"

He laughed softly, though his voice trembled a little.

"Everything will be fine…"

Suddenly, a dark cloud drifted across the sky, covering the stars.

The smile on his face was faint but genuine.

"Tch… It's over, it's over, the past is the past," he murmured, pulling himself together. "I need to go report the damages to the Hokage."

He paused, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face. "What if I register more than I actually lost?"

With that, he walked toward the Hokage Mansion.

---

Not far away, behind a large tree, a figure silently watched.

It was Itachi Uchiha.

His conflicted gaze followed Kuro's silhouette until it disappeared from view.

He didn't know what secret Kuro was hiding, but he was sure of one thing: Kuro wasn't a spy from another village, and he was undoubtedly a good person.

However, good people don't always do good things, and bad people don't always do bad things.

The world isn't just black and white…

"If the day comes when I need his help… will I be able to trust him? Or will he choose another path?"

Is he capable of helping me? Or am I clinging to an empty hope?

---

Because a beast had broken into the village and destroyed part of a street, the Hokage Mansion was still lit despite the late hour.

Kuro arrived, and after identifying himself to the entrance guards, they let him through.

He advanced down the long, narrow hallway, climbed the spiral staircase at the end, and continued walking until he finally reached the Hokage's office.

Taking a breath, he straightened his clothes and knocked on the door.

"Come in," an old voice responded from within.

Kuro pushed the door open and entered.

Inside, two ANBU stood by the desk, apparently discussing something with the Hokage. Upon seeing Kuro enter, they shifted their gazes toward him.

Sarutobi, his face lined with wrinkles and his characteristic kind smile, spoke first:

"Kuro… I was wondering when you'd come."

"Something delayed me," Kuro replied, scratching his head somewhat sheepishly. Then he bowed, "I'm very sorry for coming so late, Hokage-sama. I hope I'm not causing trouble."

"Don't be so formal. It's nothing important," Hiruzen replied with a wave of his hand.

He placed his pipe in his mouth and rifled through the documents on his desk until he found a form.

He handed it to one of the ANBU.

"Konoha doesn't have apartments equivalent to what you had, so we'll assign you this house as compensation. The furniture and basic necessities are already prepared. You can move in without any trouble."

The ANBU was momentarily stunned but quickly nodded.

"Understood."

Kuro, a little surprised, bowed again.

"Thank you very much, Hokage-sama."

"Thank you for what?" Hiruzen replied with a faint smile, taking two puffs of his pipe. "…This was an accident caused by the village's negligence. As Hokage, it's my duty to ensure you can live peacefully."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

Kuro took his leave with one last bow and followed the ANBU out of the mansion.

---

Walking westward, they crossed about three kilometers until they reached a side path on a less-traveled street.

A hundred meters ahead, a small house appeared before them.

It was an old structure with white and black walls, but the door and walls looked freshly renovated, without a single visible crack.

"This is it," said the ANBU, handing him the document and a set of keys. "This is the house deed and keys. Everything is ready: furniture and basic necessities. Get familiar with the place."

Kuro took the keys and the deed with a simple, "Thanks."

The ANBU nodded indifferently before disappearing in an instant.

Kuro stood at the door for a moment, looking around.

There were no other houses nearby, just some scattered vegetation. Behind the house loomed the imposing Hokage Mountain.

From here, if he left the path, he'd arrive directly at the shopping street where Ino Yamanaka's flower shop was located.

"This land…" he murmured, placing a hand on his chest while pinching his chin with the other.

He was aware that, although housing prices in Konoha weren't too high at the moment, the location was prime.

The largest village in the ninja world, near the shopping street and the Hokage Mountain.

This place is worth a fortune.

Kuro shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside.

"Doesn't matter… I just need to become stronger. If I have power, I can get whatever I want."

The rules of this world were simple but also cruel: Power is everything.

________

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