False Stars, Falling Fortunes

Mission Info:

 It was under a bridge between two tall Kumon peaks. The weather was stormy, as expected of the Hidden Cloud. An incessant downpour of rain did not stop the Fortuneteller from embarking on his quests for the day. He had planned another leisurely picnic to the mountains to accomplish a simple objective. After recently taking up the weaponry specialty, he intended to visit various blacksmiths to test out the weapons that were available in Lightning Country. After putting in hours of work in previous weeks, the state was kind enough to sponsor his trip. He would be paid to trek to the peaks and search out the best blacksmiths. As with every other mission trip that he had embarked on, there was a catch. A specific blacksmith on a specific Kumon peak had been accused of cutting the metal in his goods. He was to learn about the various weapons that were available, and then check on the suspect without revealing his intentions so as to not smear his good image in the chance that he was a legitimate artisan. He also picked up a third mission. A notice had been put up in one of the local Kumon shops to challenge any self important marksman who thinks they could beat the contractor in a competition. Saturn was confident that it was going to be like stealing Yokai Yum-Yums from a youngster.

 Saturn was browsing the collection in the armoire of the renowned blacksmith Asahi Akira. He engraved his tools with his initials, and claimed to use only the finest of steel. He was vetted by the finest of the village's weaponry specialists, and funded by the state. He was so confident in his abilities, that he simply did not speak. He let his tools do the talking for him. As Saturn went through his stalls, he was busy hammering away at a piece of heated metal, paying no attention to the shinobi unlike the other merchants who were quick to approach him trying to sell their goods at their stalls. Saturn liked this discretion, and took the opportunity to get intimate with each of his pieces. After all, he had to learn the shape and feel of every tool closely, and memorize their essence in order to compare them to the collection that he would find later during his planned investigation later in the day.

 He was impressed by the blacksmith's presentation nonetheless. Upon entering the gallery that he had built, he found that each piece was neatly placed on a plush pillow and labelled by a card in front. The first piece was labeled peculiarly, 'Hand of The Grandfather'. It was a metal glove with sharp claws. He inspected the interior and found that it had vials built in to carry liquids, and tunnels from out which they could exit to potentially coat an unassuming weapon with lethal poisons. It was an interesting piece, but Saturn did not use any poisons in his fighting style. He went on to the next piece. 'Chakra Bonding Katana' The next one read. The shinobi picked it up by the handle and swung in the air, getting a feel for the sharp edged blade. "That one won't be of any use until you infuse chakra into it. But I would like to request that you refrain from doing so unless you plan on buying the piece." The blacksmith paused his blacksmithing to speak his first words to Saturn. "Before the great eruption, there existed a very skilled, and very old sword crafter. This sword crafter had spend his life forging blades for various shinobi, and had gotten quite good at it. However, as he grew older in age he felt dissatisfied with his life. He felt as though the end times were coming, and wished to create a blade that would last through the ages as his final Magnus Opus. Near the end of his life he achieved it, creating a weapon that would turn even the greenest of swordsmen into a prodigy with the blade. The blade served not as a tool to be wielded, but a perfect extension of the self. Sadly however, the sword crafter's predictions came true, and the blade was lost in the eruption. However, recently a portion of his notes have been uncovered, and a weaker, more accessible version of his masterpiece has been created and mass produced. While not as powerful as the original, the blade still gives the ninja who wields it an advantage over their opponent." Saturn scratched his head, and kept the katana back in its stand. He sure does talk a lot, huh? He thought to himself, moving on to the next piece.

 "This blade will make anyone look tough before a fight. After that, we don't know." The next blade came with a message attached. 'Refined Katana', its label read. It was an iron katana with a sixty centimeters long blade and a sheath of equal length. The sheathe was lacquered wood covered with fish skin, decorated with brass and copper. The hilt was twenty centimeters long with a circular guard, allowing for one or two-handed sweeps. Saturn felt like a samurai wielding the katana, but he was unsure. It was too basic for his taste. He preferred something more eccentric. Next, he picked up a Tanto. It was a shorter blade measuring about twenty five centimeters, but he thought it looked cooler. Size does matter, after all, he thought. Up next was a Bo Staff. It was labelled 'Bo Staff of the Whale'. It was longer than the Tanto, and comparable to the Katana at a height of about five feet and two inches, and no less than three centimeters thick. Saturn had seen kunoichis shorter than the staff. It was blue. When Saturn tried to pick it up, it slipped from his hand. "A ninja once battled a whale, fighting for his life. He wedged his Bo Staff between both ends of the whale’s jaw as it came crushing down on him and escaped leaving the staff behind. Years later, the ninja found his Bo Staff washed up on the shore imbued with the saliva of the whale. He found that no matter how hard he tried he could not pick it up without gripped gloves. Long story short, the ninja set out to befriend the whale and started to mass manufacture these special staffs." Asahi now accompanied Saturn, perhaps suspecting him of being a bandit for taking so long in choosing an item. Saturn, however, was hardly finished. He had so many questions, but chose not to ask them as he had no use for a staff that he could not hold.

 'Owl Talon' The next label read. It was a dagger with a twelve inch blade, and a hilt long enough to fit comfortably in one hand. It possessed an ornate, curved hilt, along with an ornate scabbard for storage."The Owl Talon possesses the ability to slip between the gaps of armors, and break through weak points." Asahi started his commentary, trying to speed Saturn along. "Now we're talking." Saturn grinned, wielding the crooked blade, examining it closely. He liked the weapon, but Asahi's collection was vast and making decisions was one of Saturn's weaknesses. "The Owl Talon is part of a limited stock of daggers that were produced by the Junichiro Weapons Firm before going into bankruptcy, and shutting down for good. Only a few of these daggers are still available for purchase." Asahi added, shilling the piece but Saturn was already distracted by the next one in his armory. 'Scythe' The label read. It looked just as badass as Saturn felt picking it up. The handle was wrapped in bandages, and Saturn got them dirty with his muddy hands as he grinned at Asahi, feeling no way about taking up the blacksmith's time.

 After glossing past the Large Folding Fan, Saturn examined the Giant Fuma Shuriken. It was an oversized straight-edge shuriken, measuring three meters wide in total with four points and a half meter diameter hole in the center. When the shinobi picked it up, it was awfully heavy. He had no use for a weapon that he did not have the strength to throw. Moving on... 'Refined Wire', Saturn was impressed by the vendor's versatility. It was a coil with a note remarking that the wires were fifty meters long. He might find some use for the tool, but it was not particularly interesting by itself. 'Tsunekuru', the next one read. It caught his interest. Two circular disks comprised the device, and Asahi claimed that about two thousand meters of wire were coiled in them. Saturn liked that big number, and noted down the properties of the device as he was interested in purchasing one after doing more research on his own capabilities. "Created by the branch of the Iouchiryo clan nested in Kirigakure, Tsunekuru was designed for aspiring bukijutsu specialists who have a penchant for wire. After some discussion with the main branch of the clan, the items went into mass production and distribution to the villages such that it could be made available for any shinobi interested in the art of using wire in combat." Asahi explained, and Saturn nodded listening with only one of his two ears as he was distracted by the striking ivory handled Katana next to the device. He reached out to touch it, and cut himself. Shit...


 Up next was a piece titled 'Problem Solvers'. A set of brass knuckles was exactly Saturn's vibe. Although the item was much to his own liking, he could not effectively wield the blunt weapon. He regretted the fact. Perhaps if it had some sharp metal spikes, I could make use of my speed.. He had a hopeful thought before moving on. Next up was a piece labeled 'Spear'. It was a standard weapon comprised of a  shaft of wood, one hundred and fifty centimeters in total length and five centimeters in diameter. It had a grip ten centimeters long in the middle and at one end, the spear tip was ten centimeters long and five centimeters wide at its widest point. The opposite end had a spiked cap, 5 centimeters long. For catching fish, maybe.. Saturn theorized as he scratched his stubbled face, moving on to the next item. 'Makibishi', it was titled. It comprised of a set of five small objects. Each one was a triangular pyramid made of four spikes, each three centimeters long and one centimeter in diameter. They were designed in such a way that no matter how they wind up, always one point faces upwards. He could find some use for this one, and so he took note in his book once again: Owl Talon, Tsunekuru, Makibishi.

 He picked up the Finely Balanced Naginata. It was not light, but the blade and the handle balanced themselves out to let Saturn wield the heavy weapon without exerting much force to counterbalance its parts. He liked the feel, but the weapon was not particularly unique. He pondered on it for a while before moving right on. He glossed past the Wakizashi, coming to the Fuma Shuriken. It was a large collapsible shuriken, thirty centimeters in length when collapsed, but when opened, it extended out from the central ring one foot in every direction with four blades. "Its wielder can use the shuriken in melee combat by spinning the blade in one's hand to slash and stab the opponent directly," Asahi explained the weapon's traits to the shinobi, "he weapon comes with a small lever in the ring that the wielder can activate with their finger or yank it with wire. If they do, the Shuriken's blades are shot in four different directions and travel at a speed of twenty five for ten meters in a straight line before falling towards the ground." Saturn added the Fuma Shuriken to his list, and went on to inspect the next piece.

 'Salamander Kusarigama' The label in front of the peculiar weapon caught Saturn's interest. The handle measured one meter, and the blade forty centimeters. A chain also came with the piece and it was five meters long. It was a large kama attached to a chain with a blunt counterweight at the end. Saturn recognized that it could be used as as a sickle, a chain flail, or even to ensnare enemies. It was an intriguing choice, but it looked kind of wonky when equipped. Next up was the piece labeled 'Kunai Blade'. It was a large, single-bladed Kunai, four feet long. The blade curved slightly with the blade on the inside of the curve. The handle had a ring-shaped pommel with a diameter of six inches. Uhhhh, next..

'Faceless Man's Blade' The next one read. It was a good name. A great name, even. It comprised of a metal bracer that covers the forearm to just below the elbow. Built into the underside of the bracer was a hidden blade. When fully extended, the blade was fifty centimeters long. However, it extended at an unimpressive speed. Saturn was not impressed. He skipped past the standard Senbon and Smoke Bombs, he had those too, and stood in front of the 'Spiked Chain'. It was a brutal looking piece. It comprised of four lengths of chain, connected by three rings. The rings were completely round, for use as grips.

The outer lengths of the chain were one meter long each, made of fourteen links connected together. One end of the chain was connected to a spearpoint fifteen centimeters long. Each of the chain links had a spike on each side, three centimeters long. The other end of these chain links was connected to a ring ten centimeters in diameter. The two inner lengths of the chain were thirty centimeters long, connected at one end to the spiked rings and the other end to a non-spiked ring. It was well designed, and aptly named. However Saturn may try, he could not wield it with one hand. This made his aspirations of acquiring this item doubtful at best. He looked at Asahi, who seemed to be growing increasingly restless, and avoided making eye contact while he moved on to check the next item.

 'Kama' the label read. It was pleasantly basic. Saturn dug the minimalistic design. It was made of a wooden handle, sixty centimeters long, connected to a single-edged, slightly curved blade, thirty centimeters long. He quickly thought of many uses for the item. It was perfect for use with his Mind Puppet Switch Technique. He added the item to his list, which now comprised of four items; Owl Talon, Tsunekuru, Makibishi, Fuma Shuriken and Kama. He picked up the Black Steel Tanto and his eyes gleamed. It was short sword with a straight, single-edged thirty centimeter blade. The hilt was eight centimeters long and made of cloth-wrapped wood. Between the hilt and blade was an oval-shaped guard one centimeter thick. The dark color of the blade made it look especially appealing to the shinobi. Saturn curved his lips making an impressed 'not bad' face, nodding at Asahi before placing it back on its display pillow and moving on. He skipped past the standard kunai and shuriken in search of a more interesting piece. 'Chain Gauntlet' caught his eye. It was comprised of a leather gauntlet that covered up to the elbow. The Gauntlet hasdmetal reinforcement in the form of claws that covers each of the fingers and thumb, the claws end five centimeters from the tips of each digit. Attached to the forearm portion of the gauntlet was a drum that houses a spiked chain. The drum had a hole below the palm. "The user can launch the chain out of the gauntlet via the hole in the drum at the user's throwing speed and retracts immediately upon reaching its max length. While extended, the user may swing the chain around like any other weapon. They can also detach the chain from the gauntlet with a controlled movement. This is the only way to remove the chain once it's been connected to another chain. Sometimes, the user may have to stop to load the drum." Asahi explained with his arms behind his back, his left arm gripping his right elbow. "Right, right.." Saturn nodded, disliking the idea of having to stop to reload. He picked up the one labeled 'Claymore'. It was a basic sword, one hundred and fifty centimeters in length. It seemed more foreign than the typical katana, but it was still very standard and did not have much to distinguish itself from the other weapons.

He examined the Sai and the Chain Kama simultaneously, picking them each up by the handle, weighing them against each other. Aesthetically, the two weapons looked much more pleasing to the eye than many of the other standard pieces. Saturn looked at a mirror next to the aisle, checking himself out, putting on a grin to see how he would look while equipped with the two weapons. The chain kama was comprised of a wood handle, sixty centimeters long, connected to a single-edged, slightly curved blade, 30 centimeters long. At the end of the handle was a chain, three meters long. At the other end of the chain was a small weight. The weight was shaped like a cylinder five centimeters long and five centimeters in diameter. The Sai had interesting prongs. It was thirty centimeters long in total. The leather-wrapped handle was ten centimeters long and split into three prongs. The middle prong was 20 centimeters long, the two outer prongs were five centimeters long. He made a note of these measurements. It would prove useful to him later when comparing the choices in the arsenal of the blacksmith who was going to be the subject of his investigation further up the mountain. He examined the Devil's Country Bo Staff; three shafts of wood, each sixty centimeters long. All two ten centimeters lengths of a chain connected all three shafts. The chains retracted into the shaft so the staff may be used as a bo staff, one hundred and eighty cm in length - just as tall as Saturn. Again, he was not a fan of blunt weapons. He glossed past the Nunchaku for the same reason. Next up was a piece labeled 'Trident'. Its spokes bore semblance to the Sai, but the weapon was much longer. It was made up of a two meter long shaft of metal with a spear point at one end and a forked tip at the other. The spear point was five centimeters long and five centimeters wide at its widest point. The forked end was forty centimeters long on the main prong and thirty centimeters long on the outer prongs. When Saturn tried to wield the weapon, he found that he could only use it with two hands. This was not ideal for the shinobi.

Next in line were Tonfas. Asahi carried a bladed as well as a blunted version of Tonfas. Saturn examined the pieces. One was a wooden shaft, sixty centimeters long, with a ten centimeter handle attached perpendicular to the shaft ten centimeters from one end. The other was the bladed version made up of metal instead of wood, and was double-bladed. Who would use this instead of that..? Saturn was perplexed. The weapon looked pretty cool, but he had seen far better options in terms of traits. He admired the Great Axe from behind its display case. It was masterfully welded. A long metal shaft, two meters long, pointed at the very top. It had a leather-wrapped handle that covered roughly half of the shaft. Attached to the top of the handle was a large double-sided axe head. The Blade was curved, measuring forty five centimeters from point to point. The point on top of the shaft extended seven and a half inches. He did not bother trying it on - it looked far too heavy for the shinobi to wield effectively. He glossed past the Halbred for the same reasons. That weapon was familiar to Saturn and he had seen one used to impale a local shinobi on the trunk of a large Oak Tree. He touched the 'War Hammer'. It had a blunt head, but a sharp edge as well. And as far as looks, it was one of the best looking pieces he had seen. Perhaps it was because Asahi was clearly a master at his craft. It was made up of a handle, two meters long, connected to a metal hammer head. The Hammer head was fashioned in two parts: The head is a ten centimeter by ten centimeter square, ten centimeters thick. On the other side of the handle was an twenty centimeter-long spike. He added the War Hammer to his list which was now made up of five weapons that caught his interest.

The Bo Staff was bo-ring. The Mace, to be blunt, was too blunt. The War Axe caught his eye. It was similar to the War Hammer, without any blunt edges. It was a wood and metal shaft, one meter long, with leather wrapping the bottom foot. Attached to the top of the handle was a large axe head. The blade was curved, measuring thirty centimeters from point to point. The back of the axe head ended at a point fifteen centimeters from where the head was connected to the shaft. Aesthetically, the War Hammer seemed like the better option. Finally, he checked out the Naginata. It was a long wooden shaft, two meters long in total. The last thirty centimeters of the shaft was a slightly curved blade. Try as he might, he could not hold the weapon except with two hands. "Is that all?" Saturn asked the blacksmith. "Please, have a look at the armor sets." Asahi kept his composure, much to Saturn's surprise. He raised his brow, and stared at the blacksmith for a few seconds to make sure, and then obliged.

 "For the Whale Bo Staff?" Saturn asked, examining the grippy surface of the piece labeled 'Body Suit with Gripped Hands'. "Yeah." Asahi simply stated, visibly frustrated now. He examined sets of Clouded Sky, Darkened Skies, and Land of Iron Armor. They each came equipped with a feature called the 'Rebreather'. Saturn did not enjoy covering his face, and figured he would rather buy a paper fan. "Well, that's about it, huh? You don't have a lot of armor sets." Saturn's comment visibly annoyed the blacksmith, who had spent an hour escorting the shinobi through his collection. "Will you be picking up the items on your list?" He asked, peering in. "Yeah, I'll be back with more ryo!" With those words, Saturn was kicked out of the shop. He was in the rain once again. However, he had no time to waste. The Sun was already overhead, and the next job required him to climb further up the mountain to meet the marksman. He put the hood of his cyan garment on, and began his trek on foot. He liked walking in nature.

 

---

 "How the fuck did you do that?!" The marksman wailed, throwing his head in his hands in despair. The challenge that he and Saturn had come to agree on was not for the faint of heart. The two were deep in the mountains, one one side of the cliff making up Dragon's Ravine. Their target, was across the cleft, on the other cliff. A strong mountain gale passing through the ravine was rough enough to blow away any weapon that was thrown without significant effort. Saturn's clothes pressed against his skin as the wind tried to strip him bare. After a while of bickering, and drinking dark rum together from a flask, the marksman agreed to go first. Standing at the line that the duo had smeared into the field no less than ten meters from the edge of the cliff, he took aim at the beehive on the top branch of a tall Maple Tree. He gauged the distance between himself and his target, and pitched his kunai on a small boulder on his own side of the cliff. The weapon ricocheted of the rough edges of the rock, and the force overcame the gust from the mountain gale to make it all the way to the other side. The projectile made it all the way to the top branch of the Maple Tree, but missed by a couple of inches, wedging itself on the branch leaving the beehive unharmed. The man flinched and gritted his teeth in frustration, snatching Saturn's flask to swig on his rum. "Whatever, that was just the first try. You try it." He had told the Genin. Saturn took aim, but he had a trick up his sleeve. His kunai was hard to the touch, and its surface was cold like metal. But it was not metal. It was his octopus. Mimicking the marksman's stroke, Saturn struck the same boulder with the head of Mimas, perfectly disguised as kunai. 

 The octopus, while remaining disguised, jumped off of the surface of the rock with great force, using Crashing Thunder Charge. Effortlessly, it beat the force of the mountain gale and further used Lightness Skill to adjust its own trajectory, to perfectly strike the beehive. While Saturn mocked the marksman, the octopus was on the field getting assaulted by a swarm of bees with a bump on its head. "A deal is a deal." Saturn convinced the marksman to pay him. After showing some reluctance, he finally agreed, taking out his wallet and handing him a thousand ryo in cash. Pleased with his victory, the shinobi had a wide smile on his face as he made his final trip to the last peak, to meet the second blacksmith. As he walked, he reviewed his notes of the measurements and weight of the various pieces of weaponry he had found in the previous merchant's shop. He was going to have to memorize the numbers in order to compare the subject's collection with them without raising suspicion. He recited them out loud as he walked.

---

 When Saturn finally arrived at the suspect's shop, the Sun was almost setting. The storm had subsided for the time being, but it was to be expected that it would return with the arrival of the night. He smiled at the blacksmith, and started browsing his collection. "How may I help you sir?" He was quick to attend to his customer, unlike the renowned Asahi. "I was just browsing." Saturn replied, examining familiar pieces. The blacksmith had many of the same pieces of equipment that Asahi sold, and Saturn could not distinguish their quality from the units he had inspected earlier. Some of the fine engravings of the War Hammer was subpar in comparison to the work of Asahi, but the metal and the weight and the measurements were all standard as far as he could tell. However, The Fortuneteller had trekked all the way to the peak and intended to do his due diligence. He had to be sure before making his judgment as his choices here would have significant repercussions to the Cloud in either case; the Kumon shinobi would be cheated if he allowed the merchant to continue to sell equipment of poor quality, and the village would lose a good vendor if he wrongfully arrived at the conclusion that he was fraudulent.

 Saturn had only one way to know for sure. He picked up the Fuma Shuriken and spoke to the blacksmith about its traits. Inquiring about how it retracts, and how to use it with wires. It was all knowledge that he had attained earlier that day. While he was busy distracting the vendor, his knit cap - Mimas the octopus disguised as his knit cap - crawled to his back pocket and transformed into a five thousand ryo bill! He then picked up his wallet and offered to buy the weapon. Handing the octopus to the blacksmith, Saturn offered to shake on it. And that's when he did it. While prolonging his handshake on purpose, Saturn used Psycho Mind Transmission to read the blacksmith's whole life. All while Mimas stayed perfectly disguised as a ryo bill, with the exact measurements, color, and texture. A Leo. His likes are: tea, matcha, babes. His dislikes are: scammers, customers who use too much credit, bad quality materials and dishonest blacksmiths. Saturn discerned before he fully read the blacksmith's mind. He came from a poor family, and suffered during the reign of the plague. When he was younger, twenty years ago, he had cut his metal once or twice to make enough to put food on the table for his wife and young daughter. However, as he gained success, he could afford to use the best materials that were available. He even sold them at a discount to repent for his past mistakes. Even though he had been an honest blacksmith for twenty years, he never could fully shake off the rumors that stemmed from his actions from all those years ago. In all, he seemed like an honest, reformed man. Saturn had collected all the information that he needed. He decided that the man was clean. It was rather anticlimactic, but his string of missions would end today with an underwhelming "Saturn's stamp of approval!" 


When Saturn walked out of the building with the Fuma Shuriken, he walked slowly. He waited for Mimas to crawl out of the blacksmith's wallet while he sipped on his black coffee at his table. The 500 ryo bill crawled like a worm, making its way back to Saturn. He picked up the octopus and watched it morph back into its original form. "Mimas!" It was a horrid looking pink blob that could only say its name, in an odd pitch that did not carry any helpful tells about its present sentiments. After some reconsideration, moved by the blacksmith's efforts to redeem himself, Saturn left the Fuma Shuriken outside the merchant's shop for him to recollect. As lightning signalled the return of the storm, Saturn summoned his purple dragonfly Aka Manto to escort him back to the village. As he rode the fanged beast in synchrony with the force of the mountain gale, he rehearsed what he would say to the authorities when he returned, 


"I am Saturn Sentobi and I approve this blacksmith."


EXIT;

WC: 5065

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Claims:

Approved