Naruto Uzumaki wasn't feeling to good today, he had been bored to death by Iruka's lectures at the academy and decided he should try to lighten the mood AKA pull a prank by painting Iruka completely orange from head to toe.

Naturally Iruka didn't take that too kindly to that so he ended up chasing poor Naruto through the whole academy until the young Uzumaki managed to escape by going to the woods east of Konoha.

Needless to say he ended up getting lost fairly quickly but it was quite expected. Naruto had never entered these woods so he didn't know what path should he take and followed his gut feeling (which might not have been such a good idea)

''I'm not lost. I'm not lost. I'm not lost dattebayo!'' said Naruto completely denying the fact that he IS lost, either by stubbornness or just pure stupidity.

While most people that knew Naruto would say it's the latter, it was actually the former AKA Naruto was just stubborn, a trait he unknowingly got from his mother

By now Naruto's words had completely shifted, instead of trying to convince himself that he wasn't lost, he was now doing the complete opposite

''I'm lost. I'm lost. I'm lost dattebayo!'' it would be quite amusing if anyone else was close by but alas the blonde Uzumaki was completely alone.

Or at least it seemed like that…

Naruto saw in the distance something that stood out slightly out of the trees and bushes of the forest, Naruto walked to the direction where the object was and was surprised by what he saw.

''Is this a cabin?''

The cabin was made from wood that probably came from the forest Naruto was currently in, from the outside it actually looked welcoming and cozy, Naruto sadly compared it to his apartment which didn't feel like much of a home sometimes.

Naruto thought about what to do, he could leave and try finding his way home on his own or he could try ask whoever lived here for directions, but there was also the risk that the person here could hate him like most of the people from the village

Naruto decided to take that risk and knocked the door a few times, after a while nobody responded, the blonde knocked again a little louder but just like last time nobody responded. Naruto assumed nobody was home and decided to open the door of the cabin

As Naruto entered the cabin he noticed something, there were a lot of swords here most specifically katanas, Naruto could not help but admire the blades. They looked sharp and durable.

''wow''

''I see you like my work''

Naruto almost jumped out of his skin as he saw an old man coming out of what Naruto assumed to be a basement. The old man was wearing blue and orange robes, he was wearing round sun glasses along with a strange hat, and he had a cane that he seemed to use to walk

''S-Sorry for barging in'' Naruto said while scratching the back of his head, the old man only chuckled at the blonde

''Don't worry I should have answered the door earlier but I was working downstairs'' At that moment the Old Man's words seemed to click in Naruto's head

''Did you make these swords?'' asked Naruto as he gestured to the various swords on the wall. Below the old man's sunglasses there seemed to be a glint in the man's eyes that Naruto wasn't capable of seeing

''Why yes. I forged these fine blades, I'm Melchior the Blacksmith'' said the man now identified as Melchior. Naruto was just observing the blades with a sense of sheer wonder, and Melchior noticed this

'The look in his eyes as he sees my work, it reminds me so much of him' thought Melchior as he remembered an old friend ''What do you think of my work?''

Naruto seemed a little surprised by the question but he answered nonetheless

''They look so well made and beautiful, they almost look like decorative swords but there is a lot of sharpness on the edge of the blades'' the answer made Melchior smile. This child sure was similar to his old friend

''I see…'' Melchior analyzed Naruto with a calculating eye as if searching for something, it seemed that he found what he was searching for as he walked to a box nearby and pulled out a katana inside it's sheath ''Let me ask you. What do you think weapons were made for?''

Naruto started to think for a while before responding ''um… To do more damage?'' said Naruto, Melchior shook his head and spoke

''Most people think that weapons were meant to take lives, but that's not the purpose weapons have, weapons were not made to end lives, they were made to save them'' Melchior gave Naruto the katana

''Why are you giving me this?'' asked Naruto as he held the katana in his hands

''Because you remind me of someone that loved these katanas as much as I do, I think you deserve this one'' Naruto unsheathed the katana and was surprised that the katana unlike the other ones that were silver in color, this one was completely blue in color

''That katana has a few special properties. It's no ordinary blade, but I would suggest you learn how to learn to use a sword since otherwise it would be an insult to the blade itself''

''Insult?'' Naruto asked

''A blade is much more than a tool for you to use, it's a part of yourself, the blade's mistake are your mistakes as well. I've seen very few people who understand this''

''T-T-Thank you'' said Naruto with a huge smile on his face as he sheathed the blue katana ''I will take good care of it-''

''Swallow''

''Huh?''

''That's the blade's name'' Melchior explained ''If you want to return to your village, you can just follow the path west of my cabin''

''Thank you, I will take good care of Swallow'' Naruto ran off the door with the very first present he'd ever received in hand

Melchior only watched as Naruto left

''The look he had in his eyes when he saw my work, it was more than just childish glee'' Melchior chuckled ''He reminds so much of you''

He reminded him of a spiky haired swordsman he knew, he reminded him of a young man who saved a world destined for disaster

He reminded him of Crono…

''Crono… I wonder how you and Marle are doing''