Toshu's age was starting to catch up to him. He was pushing sixty now. He was still just as active as ever, maybe even more so, but it was starting to take its toll. As those unbearable advertisements always said, there's got to be a better way.

The Smith pondered this problem, sitting in a hideout he'd found recently. Many years ago, when this village was thriving, it had been a bank. A nice one, too. One of the fancy ones with the marble pillars and the big impressive vault. The beauty of the building still showed, despite decades of age and decay. It was a great place to think and gather his thoughts. He reached out with his earth chakra, feeling the building around him. It was like an old friend by now, familiar and comforting. But he could feel something else, something he couldn't quite place. It made him uneasy.

Toshu thought, trying to come up with a reason for this. Then he realized something that should have been obvious. He didn't know how he hadn't thought of it years ago. Earth users were at their strongest on dry land, water types were strongest at sea. The presence of an element made it easier to generate and manipulate. Why shouldn't the same apply to kekkei genkai like his? He stood, approaching the vault. The feeling was much stronger here. He could feel his metal chakra resonating with the thick steel.

Toshu placed his hand on the heavy vault door. How many times had he come here without noticing this? He supposed he was slipping in his old age. The Smith thought of how he could use this knowledge. Previously, most of his jutsu had relied on manipulating metal. The amount of chakra it took to create it had discouraged him from generating too much. But this opened up whole new worlds. Toshu made a few hand seals, and a chain grew from the door. The Smith picked it up, inspecting it. It was different from his usual chains, made of the exact same alloy as the vault. It had come much more easily than usual, taking far less chakra than the jailer jutsu usually did.

Toshu grabbed the heavy vault door, hauling it open. Combined with his jutsu, this could make the ultimate prison cell. He would have to test it out. Nobody else was available at the moment, so he would have to be his own guinea pig. The Smith stepped into the vault, making a few more hand seals. Chains erupted from every surface around him, binding his limbs, his neck, even wrapping around his torso so he couldn't move. This would make an excellent prison indeed. With only a little chakra, he'd managed to bind himself more effectively than he'd ever bound someone before. The Smith pulled free of the chains, snapping through them easily. This was going to be useful. There were so many buildings with steel frames and supports, this opened up a whole new world of power to him.

[Words: 507]

Jutsu Trained:

Approved