The Smith 1

"I want to live... "

"I can't die like this..."

The youngster said firmly and cruelly, blood pouring from his mouth as he lay in the shadow of the trees in the gloomy forest.

"Today's moon seems to be stained with a touch of red. It's beautiful like it's dipped in blood," he thought, his mind entangled with such morbid thoughts as the blood flowed from his wound like a river.

It was like a lingering nightmare.

The sight of a happy family and familiar faces disappeared in a scream and a spray of blood.

...

"He's struggling to live... he's lost too much blood," said an old voice, tinged with weariness and helplessness.

"Grandfather... please save him... if we hadn't brought in that group of ninjas, yesterday's misfortune wouldn't have happened. Our village, far from the war, lost hundreds of lives because of us..." a little girl's voice trailed off, replaced by sobs.

"Child... I..." the old man hesitated, looking at the girl's tear-streaked face. Then, with a sudden determination in his eyes, he spoke again. "I'm old... I don't have many years left to live."

"Grandfather... what are you saying?" the girl asked, alarmed.

"Child, it's okay... I've lived for so long, I understand many things. I'm old, sick, and I will die. But I'm afraid it will be too difficult for you to stay alone in this raging ninja world, struggling on while at death's door. Human life has never been high or low. These people died because of us, and we must make the redemption we deserve. Even if we can only save this child, at least it will make my heart less guilty."

The old man's voice trailed off, and there was a long silence.

Then, he turned his head and looked at the youngster lying in a severe coma on the bed. He reached out his dry hands and lifted the youth up, murmuring softly.

"Child... I will use the last of your strength to keep you alive and give you some capital to survive. It's my fault that you're here, and I hope this can make up for it. But I also hope that you can protect Akame and let her live... this is my last request."

"In the future, your name will be Akira Muramasa. Leave the past behind... work hard and live strongly for the future..."

[Yin-Yang: One's Own Life Reincarnation]

Waves of blue, dazzling light rose from the old man, like little stars turning around him. The old man's body was filled with vigorous chakra, brimming with vitality. More and more rays of light appeared like rivers slowly converging into the palm of contact with the youngster, now named Akira Muramasa, slowly infiltrating his body.

The youth's body gradually recovered, and he grew stronger.

"Farewell Akame and... Akira..."

"Grandfather!!!" the girl cried out, and then the rays of light disappeared.

The old man had also disappeared, leaving only a dazzling longsword buried in a pile of grey dust.

...

A pair of neon-blue eyes opened, staring at the ceiling of the old wooden house.

A little confused, Akira spoke up, "Who am I?"

"Your name is Akira Muramasa. You are my Onii-sama," the girl answered.

Akira looked at her and asked, "And who are you?"

"My name is Akame Muramasa, your younger sister," the girl replied, grinning.

Akira was struck by her smile, which almost made him grin too, but he restrained himself. He noticed that tears were like stars in her eyes, and it ignited a flame in his heart - to protect those tears.

The old wooden house creaked in the silence, and a sense of foreboding filled the air. Akira felt like he had woken up in a completely different world.

He didn't remember anything before he opened his eyes, but he felt like he was supposed to remember something important.

...

Akira was in a state of panic.

He had gone to sleep the previous night, and when he woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar environment with an 11-year-old girl who called herself his sister.

But he had never had a sister before, as he was an orphan.

Miraculously, he was transported to another world, and he had a sister now.

But the best part was that he was stuck in the Naruto world.

Amen to Murphy's Law!

He was going to play Ninja! Let the game begin because Akira had already started making his moves.

The grind began, and after the golden finger arrived, he was ready to take on the world.

It will come, right?

...

Today, Akira knew this all too well.

At only 12 years old, Akira and his younger sister struggled to make a living in the Ninja World. Although they took on missions to earn money, it was difficult to earn enough to support themselves and their sister.

Luckily, they lived in a small town near the Land-of-Fire Hidden Leaf Village. However, they still had to deal with various orders from local tyrants in the Ninja Village.

To make ends meet, Akira became an apprentice at a smithy. Although the money he earned was barely enough to support himself and his sister, they were grateful for what they had.

"I'm back," Akira announced, opening the door to their dilapidated room.

"Welcome back, Onii-sama. Dinner will be ready in a moment. Please wait a bit," Akame's soft and crisp voice drifted in from the kitchen. Hearing her bell-like voice, the fatigue and hard work of the day seemed to disappear.

Akira quietly hid his swollen and blistered hands behind his back. Despite working in the smithy at high temperatures, he was resilient and sustained minimal injuries that healed quickly due to his high vitality.

"Well, I hope you made something delicious today, Aka-chan..."

"Why do you call me that strange nickname, Onii-sama?" Akame's small face poked out of the kitchen with a hint of tenderness, while her crimson eyes bore into his back like a fierce tigress staring at its prey.

"What's wrong, Aka-chan? Don't glare at me like that, or I might be glared to death," Akira jokes, half-laughing and half-snorting.

"Onii-sama, you...!" Akame glared at him with furious eyes, causing her dark hair to appear as if it was flying and emitting a bloody aura, enough to make Akira stop joking.

"Akame... don't be angry... I won't call you Aka-chan, okay?" Seeing his younger sister burst into anger suddenly, Akira panicked and took a few steps forward to gently rub her head in an attempt to soothe her.

"No, Onii-sama. It's not because of the nickname. I was just thinking about when we will be able to live better," Akame said, her eyes filled with sadness. At only 11 years old, the burden of life had already been placed on her small shoulders, putting too much pressure on her.

"Don't worry... the strength left by our grandfather is now slowly becoming available. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to find work at the smithy. Once I get stronger, we can apply to become official villagers in Konoha. Even if it's just the minimum subsistence allowance, we won't have to live like this," Akira reassured her.

"It will be fine... everything will be fine."

In the Ninja World, there are Five Great Countries, and each country has a formidable Ninja Village. If a Ninja Village has a population of 10,000, then more than 80% are professional ninjas who are not engaged in production.

So where does the food, drinks, and daily necessities come from?

Each Ninja Village has many small towns under it, providing these necessities for the village. This small town, without a name but a number twelve town, was just one of them.

"Well, I believe in you, Onii-sama. You'll definitely become an official villager of Konoha," Akame nodded her head proudly, trying to motivate her brother. Meanwhile, Akira wiped away the tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Alright, let's go eat dinner," Akira said, changing the subject.

"Okay...let's get up and go to dinner," Akira said.

The miso soup was clear with a few leaves, a small dish of pickles, and a bowl of coarse rice. Despite the simple meal, the two children ate with great interest and pleasure.

After they finished their meal, the two hugged each other and drifted off to sleep under their thin blanket.

...

"Well...kid, you are here."

Early in the morning, before the sun came out, Akira arrived at the smithy and started preparing for the day's work.

Pieces of tools were also carried out by Akira and neatly placed. The owner walked out from the backyard with his sleepy eyes and yawning.

"Well, Sensei. I brought some breakfast with me. Should we eat together?"

His name was Kaito Mitagawa. He was in his 40s and still lived alone. Akira hadn't seen anyone like his wife, child, or relatives. He was Akira's teacher and a parental figure.

"Really? That's really good. Your craftsmanship is great, and I don't know which young woman from our village would be lucky enough to marry you?"

Looking at the simple, but warm breakfast, Kaito grinned widely and said with a bit of booze, "I still have to take care of Akame, so naturally I can't consider such things, and besides, I'm still young."

"Oh? Such a pity. You are literally the most eligible bachelor in our small town. You have great potential and amazing looks too - blue eyes, red hair, handsome face. Girls are already falling for you like apples."

"Haha! That was a good one, Sensei!"

Faced with Kaito's teasing, Akira brushed it off with a smile.

"Okay, okay. I'm not cracking a joke with you. Today, I took an order from Konoha. I need to make a batch of shuriken. Let's go, but I will be busy for a while."

Kaito patted Akira's head lightly.

"Konoha came to us to make a weapon? This kind of thing came to us...Is it time to fight?"

Akira looked at Kaito and asked with a hint of grief in his eyes.

Kaito had lived so long, how could the sadness in Akira's eyes not be noticed?

"It's okay. We are close to Konoha and won't be hit here. Don't worry, even if the situation is bad, Konoha will come and arrange for us to shelter."

"Well, I understand, old man."

"Aiya...you brat, is it itchy?"

Kaito playfully tapped Akira's head.

Akira could only beg for mercy.

...

In the smithy, the sound of a hammer crashing against glowing steel could be heard, and a wave of heat waves began to rise.

Life was like day after day.

Dull.

Hard.

[Due to intense physical activity, Strength and Constitution have been increased by 1!]

Finally!

"Status!"

[Akira Muramasa (Uzumaki)]

[Title: Appreciate Blacksmith]

[HP: 4500/4500]

[CP: (Locked)]

[Strength: 17]

[Dexterity: 11]

[Constitution: 45]

[Chakra: (Locked)]

{SKILLS}

[Weapon Smithing: E+]

[Kenjutsu: E]

[Archive of the Grandmaster: S+] (Inaccessible)

"Sweet, now this is worth it!" Looking at this, Akira smiled.

.............

A/N: I'm a Newbie author, go easy on me! And I open for suggestions.