Path Of War-Chapter 339: Reforged Blades I

Arthur's inventiveness, however, was not so readily limited. He had the expertise to create weapons that were specifically suited to the fighting styles of each clone.

He currently possessed the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths, the unmatched Blade of Chaos, and the Thunder Sword.

Every weapon had the capacity to be extremely powerful in the hands of any of his clones. Yet he had to be meticulous in his decision to give them one of those weapons.

The Thunder Sword was disregarded right away. Should a player spot a clone using the Thunder Sword, they would instantly link it back to Arthur. That was mainly because the last time anyone had seen it was when he had taken it after defeating Team 7.

The Treasured Tools offered a more interesting opportunity. Of his four clones, Ryugetsu was the most appropriate recipient of this potent and age-old set.

The one who founded the monastic orders of this world, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, was the original owner of these artifacts. Not only did Ryugetsu have the vast reserves of chakra required to use each tool efficiently, but giving them to him also had symbolic significance.

Ryugetsu could legitimately assert that they are ancestral heirlooms that have been passed down through the generations. Of which their existence was hidden till now.

Their abrupt appearance could also be explained by the convenient story of a Sound Village spy trying to steal them, which hints at Kabuto's possible acquisition during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Only the smartest Naruto fan would disregard that by trying to claim that most of the set died alongside the Gold and Silver Brothers.

But how would they ever link that Arthur had reanimated those two long ago and took the tools?

Now the remaining three clones needed to be armed. This was where Arthur's special knowledge of weapons was useful.

Fundamentally, the Blade of Chaos was a combination of many different weapon designs united into one destructive shape. Its development had required a thorough understanding of the basic ideas underlying different kinds of weapons.

Fortunately, Arthur knew just that, especially about the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and what made them unique.

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Those swords were infused with unique crystals that held chakra densities that were almost identical to those of a Tailed Beast but lacked the same destructive power.

Arthur had a bold idea: to reforge them.

After gathering some materials that involved weapon crafting, he vanished from the laboratory and reappeared in the dark corners of the Mist Village. He arrived at night in secret, with plenty of cover.

This village's map layout was well known to him during his tenure as John Belfort. He thought of a particular scroll he had once seen here, a record of the origins and legend of the Seven Swords.

At the time, he had disregarded its contents because he had already obtained the majority of the swords through other means. But now it was the secret to what he was doing.

It wasn't long until he approached the Mizukage's hidden archives. There, he found the scroll among the piles of old books on the shelves. As he carefully read the long script, his eyes searched for the keys to their forging.

An hour later, he learned that the swords had been made by one very talented shinobi who had an unmatched command of water style. Interestingly enough, it was Tobirama Senju who had come close to besting him in that field.

The final years of the Warring States Period were the time of the last confirmed reports of these unusual weapons. In an attempt to seal the chakra of the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails into the blades, this unnamed artisan had tried a radical infusion of power after the ninja villages were established.

His project had failed. He had been so desperate that he had used his own life force as a catalyst, a deadly sacrifice that caused him to fuse with each of the weapons.

Quite the evil deed that brought these powerful tools into Arthur's possession, where he disassembled and repurposed them as he saw fit.

Unfortunately, important information about four of the swords—the Blunt Blade, the Explosive Blade, the Long Sword, and Samehada—was noticeably missing from the records.

But Arthur was not put off by this omission because his immediate attention was on the other three: Hiramekarei, the Executioner's Blade, and the Boltswords.

He took one silent look to ensure that there were traces of his being here. Confirming it was safe, he disappeared once again.

Where he arrived next was a remote cave that was far from civilization. This was the same cave he had ventured to when he was gathering materials for the Blade of Chaos.

There, he mined using only his bare hands and produced a sapphire gem, a ruby gem, and an emerald gem.

After securing the gems, he teleported back to his village and performed the transformation technique to appear taller. Stretching his arms out, his white cloak materialized onto his body.

He then went to a smithing shop owned by a craftsman from Uchiha. Strangely, the proprietor had given the store its name in honour of the village as opposed to his clan's name.

As Arthur pushed open the door, he saw the stout Uchiha proprietor and his spouse standing behind the counter. Their faces brightened as they recognized the white cloak.

"What can I do for you, my lord?" inquired the owner.

Arthur allowed himself a little amusement when he understood that the owner couldn't tell which of the five lords he was.

"Close your store today, for lord Arthur needs to use this shop. You'll receive payment for the hours you missed."

There was no hesitation. They quickly removed the open sign and escorted out any remaining patrons. And just like that, Arthur was left alone in the workshop.

He lit the enormous furnace, and the flames soon heated it to a searing temperature. Then he extracted the three rough-cut gems that he had dug up. He started carefully cutting and shaping them with his bare fingernails into the exact sizes and facets he required.

Once he was done with that, he started forging the first blade of the Executioner's Sword. The iconic sword's broad, cleaver-like shape was formed by heating and hammering the materials he had brought.

Unlike the original broadsword, this one had a unique alloy he had personally found that was extraordinarily strong and long-lasting. His goal was to create a form-perfect replica with a slight increase in density and weight. This would give it more force and a stronger swing.

The strongest of his four clones in terms of physique, Hoshikaze, would surely receive this weapon when it was completed. The added mass of the reforged Executioner's Blade would be a perfect match for Hoshikaze's raw might.

Arthur soon proceeded to the Boltswords after the Executioner's Blade had cooled.

In their original configuration, these were two distinct blades joined by a chain. With a minor alteration to their shape, he aimed to preserve their twin nature.

Doing so would cause their swinging to be quicker and more fluid due to curving the edges a little bit. He had thought of turning them into ring blades, which would be a beautiful shape, but he was aware that this would interfere with their main purpose, which was to conduct electricity.

Kaito would receive these, as it would allow that clone to be able to deliver devastating electrical attacks that could be channeled via his chakra chains.

Compared to the broad, heavy Executioner's Blade, the Boltswords were easier to forge and had a simpler design.

At last, Arthur focused on Hiramekarei. Of the three, this was the simplest to replicate.

Originally, it had two interconnected blades that resembled paddles and were composed of less metal than the other Seven Swords. It was renowned for being a multipurpose weapon that could form swords, shields, or bludgeoning weapons depending on the wielder's chakra.

So in its new creation, he employed lighter, more malleable materials that were simpler to work with.

John would be ideal for this weapon because of its inherent versatility. He was the most adaptable of his clones, skilled in a range of fighting methods. Such malleability would be ideally complemented by Hiramekarei's capacity for situational adaptation.

On the workbench, the freshly forged blades were waiting, cool and heavy. Binding them to their intended users—his clones—was the next important step.

Arthur stored them and the crystals in a scroll before teleporting back to his lab to accomplish this. He then proceeded straight to the storage unit and took blood samples from John, Kaito, and Hoshikaze.

He intended to use a centrifuge to combine the specially made crystals with the special qualities of their blood. But there was a serious issue: the tumultuous process of forging the Blade of Chaos had completely destroyed his previous centrifuge.

There was simply no substitute of similar strength on the black market, and the damage was irreparable.

Arthur, however, had a few options on his hands.

He teleported again, this time to the incomplete research facility. Security guards recognized the white cloak and let him pass right away.

The facility's main hall was quite active with different scientists and researchers from other countries. Only a select few were actually Uchiha.

Scaffolding crisscrossed the open area, steel beams rose toward the ceiling, and workers in different stages of construction moved purposefully. Brie stood in the middle of the controlled chaos by giving commands and leading her team.

As Arthur walked in, she turned, and her gaze settled on the cloaked figure.

"Greetings, lord Arthur."

Under the hood, Arthur narrowed his eyes. Even though his chakra signature was hidden and he was in a changed state, she had recognized him right away.

The workers froze at the sound of his name, and their tools fell silent as they looked at him. That was because they held Arthur in a higher regard than they did their Kage.

"The centrifuge," he said in a firm, flat voice. "I'm going to use it."

With a knowing gleam in her eyes, Brie grinned. "My lord, I knew it was you!"

Now Arthur understood how she knew it was him. The fact that no other lord would ever visit this specific facility was the reason she had seen through his disguise. Only he would have a reason to be here now.