The Forgemage of Konoha

Fierce Battle

Shirō's situation had reached a crisis point—surrounded and nearly out of chakra.

At that moment, a small snake that had been covertly observing near Shikamaru and the others dissolved its Summoning Technique, delivering news Shirō had hoped not to hear.

Truly, when it rains, it pours.

Still, Shirō had no choice but to accept the consequences. This plan had been his idea. Now, escape without injury was impossible—unless Nakamura intervened.

But he wasn't without options.

"Summoning Technique: Blue Snake!"

Blue Snake was Shirō's personal contract summon from Ryūchi Cave, assigned by the White Snake Sage herself. Although he remained uncertain why the White Snake Sage had shown such favor toward him, Shirō suspected it had something to do with some hidden potential or unknown fate-sensing ability. He wasn't strong or special enough—yet—for the Sage to covet anything tangible.

In the Shinobi world, strength always came first.

As a personal summon of the White Snake Sage, Blue Snake's power was formidable—on par with a Special Jōnin, boasting both strong offensive and defensive capabilities.

"Blue Snake, hold them off. Buy me some time!"

"Understood, Shirō-sama!"

Blue Snake's obedience stemmed not only from the White Snake Sage's orders but also because Shirō had previously defeated her in a summoning trial—a fact that earned her reluctant respect.

Although Blue Snake was powerful, she had a glaring weakness: an extreme vulnerability to Genjutsu. Ironically, this had made her the perfect training partner for Shirō, whose specialty involved Projection Magecraft and deceptive illusions.

Summoning Blue Snake consumed less chakra than usual for Shirō thanks to the reinforcement of a projected Noble Phantasm acting as a chakra-conduction catalyst.

Still, expecting Blue Snake to win this fight alone was unrealistic.

To lighten her burden, Shirō gathered his remaining chakra and activated a technique he hadn't used for some time—a spell inspired by Medea of Colchis, the Witch of Betrayal.

"Summon: Snake Fang Soldiers!"

They were no longer the original Dragon Tooth Warriors. After all, where would one find dragon teeth in the Shinobi world?

Instead, Shirō had modified the spell using snake fangs harvested from Ryūchi Cave. In ancient myth, serpents were often called earth dragons—a symbolic compromise. Though the resulting summons were significantly weaker than the original dragon-tooth golems Medea used, they had one advantage: minimal chakra cost.

They weren't viable for direct combat with seasoned shinobi, but they were perfect for disrupting low-level enemies—like the Mountain Bandits currently flooding toward him.

Due to their ghastly skeletal forms and eerie coordination, the Snake Fang Soldiers struck fear into the hearts of the bandits. Their fighting power was negligible, but intimidation went a long way.

No matter how loudly the bandit leader roared, his troops' morale crumbled at the sight of the shambling constructs.

Meanwhile, the shinobi among the enemy ranks quickly caught on to Shirō's plan: stall for time, restore chakra.

Yet despite their intentions, Shirō stood tall atop Blue Snake's coiled form, unmoved.

While the enemies were caught in combat, Shirō recklessly began converting cellular energy into chakra—an unsafe method that could cause long-term damage to his body. But for now, his survival took precedence.

He would pay the price later, if there was a later.

---

On the other side of the battlefield, Shikamaru and Tai Yi were also locked in combat—arguably under greater pressure than Shirō.

Unlike him, they had no summon to aid them.

Luckily, most of the bandits had swarmed toward Shirō's side, easing their load somewhat. Still, the true danger came not from the bandits, but from the enemy ninja among them.

The enemy had broken off into teams: two Chūnin targeted Tai Yi, while two Genin harassed Shikamaru. Their strategy was clear—take out Tai Yi, then isolate and finish Shikamaru.

Tai Yi, under heavy pressure, could only hold off the two Chūnin. Victory was out of the question.

Shikamaru, never one for direct combat, was being restrained by the Genin, his support potential nullified.

Assessing the situation, Tai Yi made a risky decision. Seizing a moment of inattention from one enemy, he activated his Sharingan and cast a Binding Genjutsu, freezing one Chūnin in place.

He dashed forward to land a finishing blow—but the remaining enemy swiftly intervened, blocking the strike.

Still, Tai Yi had succeeded. The Sharingan's Genjutsu couldn't be dispelled by the victim alone, and until the illusion wore off, he now had only one opponent.

The remaining Chūnin sneered. "A Sharingan, huh? Looks like we hit the jackpot."

Though he tried to circle around and release his trapped teammate, Tai Yi was prepared. He threw himself into his path, refusing to give him the chance.

"You think I'll let you? Keep dreaming."

The Chūnin was skilled and tried to avoid direct eye contact. Few shinobi dared lock eyes with an awakened Uchiha.

But that hesitation created a fatal gap. Though weakened from earlier exertion—having burned through nearly half his pupil power—Tai Yi now faced an opponent who couldn't properly engage him.

Even so, victory wouldn't come easy.

Tai Yi's other Genjutsu were rudimentary compared to those he could wield through his Sharingan. Ever since awakening it, he had neglected training his standard Genjutsu.

After all, the stronger the Sharingan became, the more it enhanced his illusions across the board.

Still, relying too much on it had its drawbacks—and Tai Yi was now feeling that burden.

While he pressed the attack, burning through what little chakra and stamina he had left, he failed to notice one critical detail...

Something... or someone... had just shifted in the shadows.