Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Where We Come From

Shits and Giggles

„Hey, you're that Sorceress-girl, aren't you? Shoulda said so before, maybe I'd have let you cut the queue a bit. It's a busy season, I tell you!" the blacksmith laughed out slapping his large beer belly covered up with that weird but surprisingly thick and durable leather apron that most blacksmiths wore. 

Common clothing in Konohagakure was quite flammable so people around dancing flocks of sparks needed some sort of protection from the tongues of flames that could've erupted out of nowhere. Leather was quite protective of flames, after all, anything else would've caught fire before that large impractical piece of cloth started rustling red.

"You mean every season? When is the job of a blacksmith ever not needed?" Mana tried to smile but her observation was quite a bleak one since most blacksmiths were exclusively merchants of death. The skill of a blacksmith was determined by how potent tools of murder they crafted were. After all, a blacksmith capable of crafting a sword of unmatched quality could've also done the same with any household tool in need of repairs. Crafting blades and armor built up one's skill like nothing else could, it was the most profitable and the most sought-after way for a blacksmith to gain notoriety and skill.

Holding his large layer of fat in his hands as if it without such a notion it'd fall right off the blacksmith thundered out with a deafening laughter.

"True, so very true! The line of the job of a killer would be made significantly harder when one finds oneself having to stab someone with their bare hands..." he yelled out trying to restrain his voice after having just let it go in that strangely amusing fit of laughter.

"So, girl, what sort of services are you looking for? Let me see..." the man finally managed to calm down and take over the scroll of blueprints from Mana, slowly unwrapping it and letting his experienced eyes run down them. The magician tried to not say a word, she just couldn't bring herself to inform the man of complicated this gear-work would be and just what sort of device it was.

"Huh... Strange, this doesn't seem to be something your father shouldn't be able to craft, isn't he Konoha's Great Trapster? The Trapster I've heard of could make such a thing with his feet, even if his hands were tied... You seemed to make a mistake though, girl, the scale numbers are way off..." the blacksmith smiled at Mana, his strange moustache twisted and lifted up revealing his teeth, a little nasty looking view, considering the still moving pieces of beef stuck in the man's teeth being in full view once his teeth were exposed.

"No... They're correct, that's the problem..." Mana reported with a guilty look, like a cat looking at its owner after they came home only to find their beloved ancient vase in shatters on the floor. For one reason or another, the magician felt guilty bringing such a complicated blueprint for the blacksmith, as if she was guilty of coming up with such a wild idea for a device.

"Well then... Sorry, girl, as bad as my vision is... I'd need a molecular microscope, the likes of Konoha Hospital to even see what I'm working with... I'm telling you that I'm a million years behind this construction, it requires a molecular level of steel craftsmanship. Can't be done..." the man shook his head and stroke his wild beard giving Mana the scroll back. The girl turned around and looked at the small queue behind her, the old people bringing their metal canes for a little fixing, young ninja wishing to buy tools or order some of their own design to be made.

A strong and heavy grasp landed on her shoulder stopping Mana before she left. The girl looked back at the blacksmith who seemed to be scratching his curly brown hair with his oily gloves leaving sludgy remains in there wherever he went. His wife must've been one of the ladies who got excited from such sights. 

Mana knew some girls who got quite excited by men who tinkered and the only reason the magician was even approached by them to be befriended was because of her father was somewhat of a prodigy in the field of tinkering. It was yet another Shikio-sort of a situation, they just wanted to see him at work, see him tinkering knowing that their strange childish thoughts would be only dreams...