Making

Among the ingredients needed for Secret Brew and Secret Recipe Dried Meat, aside from meat and grains, the rest were special medicinal herbs.

In Konoha, if you wanted to know which shop had the widest selection of medicinal herbs, aside from the long-established Chinese Herbal Medicine shop, it was the Nara Clan's family herb shop.

And that was where Gu Qi was headed.

Before long, Gu Qi arrived alone at the Nara Clan's compound in Konoha.

The Nara Clan's compound was divided into two areas. The outer area was a commercial district, used exclusively for trade.

The inner area, meanwhile, was where the Nara Clan members lived.

In addition, outside Konoha, the Nara Clan had a garden dedicated to cultivating medicinal herbs and raising deer.

Although the Nara Clan couldn't compare to the two great clans of Konoha, the Hyuga and the Uchiha, it was still much better off than the Hatake Clan.

After all, the entire Hatake Clan now consisted of only Kakashi Hatake and Gu Qi. Oh, and Kakashi's eight Ninja Dogs.

Though the Hatake Clan had dwindled in numbers, it still had a fairly deep foundation.

They owned several shops in Konoha's bustling districts, including Gu Qi's Ninja Tool Shop.

Those shops brought in plenty of rent every year, but all that money was in Kakashi's hands. Gu Qi couldn't get so much as a penny.

The money Gu Qi had brought to buy herbs this time was basically all the Ninja Tool Shop's available cash.

"Uncle Seiichi, could you please get me ten portions of the herbs on this list?" As soon as he stepped into the Nara Family Herb Shop, Gu Qi addressed a middle-aged man inside.

Gu Qi was a regular here. Since his family owned a Ninja Tool Shop, they often needed herbs to make medicinal products for sale. Over time, he'd gotten to know the shopkeeper, Nara Seiichi.

Nara Seiichi looked up, recognized him, and smiled with narrowed eyes. "Oh, it's little Gu Qi. Here to buy herbs again?"

Gu Qi nodded obediently. "That's right, Uncle Seiichi. I'm here to restock."

Nara Seiichi didn't say much. He took the note Gu Qi handed him and glanced over it.

"Huh? Gu Qi, are you planning to make Ration Pills?" With his years of experience, Nara Seiichi had figured out what Gu Qi needed from just a glance at the list.

Gu Qi touched his nose in surprise. "Wow! Uncle Seiichi, you're amazing. You could tell just from that?"

Nara Seiichi smiled proudly at the compliment. "Of course. I've been in the herb business my whole life. I can tell what a formula's for just by looking at it."

Then he looked at the other list, his expression uncertain. "But this one's strange. I've never seen this combination before."

Gu Qi just chuckled without answering. He wasn't a three-year-old; of course he understood that an innocent man could still get into trouble for possessing a treasure.

If anyone found out that Secret Brew had the miraculous ability to heal injuries, Gu Qi would be facing endless trouble.

Kakashi could handle ordinary people who coveted it, but Gu Qi knew that Kakashi couldn't fend off the prying eyes of more powerful forces.

If Konoha learned about Secret Brew's effects, the village leadership would surely use the greater good to pressure Kakashi into compromising, then make Gu Qi hand over the formula.

Of course, they'd certainly offer some compensation. They wouldn't want to look too greedy.

"Sorry for prying. If little Gu Qi doesn't want to say, I won't ask." Seeing that Gu Qi wasn't going to answer, Nara Seiichi let it go.

He took out an abacus and worked out the total, then smiled. "That'll be 23,230 Ryo. But since you're a regular, I'll waive the 30 Ryo."

Gu Qi's mouth twitched. He'd been acting cute for ages, and in the end it had only saved him 30 Ryo.

Still, a little was better than nothing. Gu Qi silently pulled a stack of bills from his pocket, counted them, and handed them over.

Nara Seiichi accepted the money without counting it and simply told an assistant to prepare the herbs.

A short while later, someone handed Gu Qi a large, carefully packed bundle of herbs.

Gu Qi casually slung it over his shoulder, then politely said to Seiichi, "Uncle Seiichi, I'll be going now."

"Gu Qi, are you sure you don't need me to send someone to walk you home?" Nara Seiichi asked, glancing at the heavy snow outside with concern.

Gu Qi waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. I'm not that fragile."

"All right, then. Be careful on your way, Gu Qi."

"See you, Uncle Seiichi."

After leaving the herb shop, Gu Qi headed home with the bundle on his back, barely feeling its weight.

Though Gu Qi was only three and a half, he knew how dangerous this world was and had started training early.

Kakashi knew he couldn't stop Gu Qi. Afraid Gu Qi would hurt himself by doing something reckless, he had reluctantly taught him some Taijutsu techniques.

So it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Gu Qi could proudly declare that he could take on ten kids his own age.

"Hey, Kakashi. Watching the shop again?"

When Gu Qi returned to his family's Ninja Tool Shop, he unsurprisingly found Kakashi reading some kind of book with a certain-colored cover.

"Why aren't you staying home and training? What did you run off to do this time?" Seeing Gu Qi's cheerful expression, Kakashi couldn't help scolding him.

Gu Qi spread his hands. "We were out of herbs, so I went to the Nara Clan's place to buy some."

Kakashi sighed. "It's not like I can't provide for you. Why work yourself so hard?"

Gu Qi chuckled. "I was bored. I don't want to spend every day loafing around like the other kids."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Then you should at least watch the shop properly! I have to watch it every time I take a break because of you."

Gu Qi had no shame at all. "I'm a kid. Isn't it normal for kids to want to play?"

Kakashi gave Gu Qi a speechless look. What Gu Qi said made perfect sense, but somehow it still rubbed him the wrong way.

"Whatever. Now that you're back, I can head home." Kakashi decided to stop arguing with Gu Qi. He stood up and left.

Gu Qi didn't stop him. He knew Kakashi was going to train.

Even on a day off, a ninja who had to risk his life on missions needed to train regularly to keep his body in peak condition.

That was the only way to make sure he came back alive from his next mission.

Kakashi's departure suited Gu Qi just fine, since he still had plenty of things to do.

Taking some money with him, Gu Qi went to a nearby butcher and bought a good amount of meat.

After taking it all home, Gu Qi went out again and bought the grains needed to brew alcohol.

By the time he'd finished all that, it was already noon.

"Phew, finally got everything ready."

In the kitchen behind the Ninja Tool Shop, Gu Qi looked at the huge pile of supplies and suddenly regretted his decision.

The herbs Gu Qi had bought were enough to make more than two hundred pounds of dried meat and Secret Brew.

As a result, the entire kitchen was now piled high with meat and grains.

"Oh no. I should've bought less and tried it out first. I got carried away." Gu Qi regretted buying so much.

But what was done was done, so Gu Qi could only get started on making Secret Brew and Secret Recipe Dried Meat.

He prepared the herbs he'd bought from the Nara Family Herb Shop according to the instructions on the scroll, then began steaming the grains.

Once the grains were steamed, Gu Qi followed the scroll's instructions, putting the prepared herbs, steamed grains, yeast, and water into four jars, each with a capacity of fifty pounds.

After sealing the gaps around the jar lids with water, all that remained was to wait for the ingredients to ferment.

The fermented mash was called fragrant mash. It couldn't be consumed directly, since it contained a large amount of impurities.

Only after the fragrant mash had been distilled and filtered could it become Secret Brew, safe to drink.

The Secret Brew needed time to ferment, so Gu Qi turned his attention to making Secret Recipe Dried Meat.

First, he prepared the herbs in the same way. Then he cut the raw meat he'd bought into small pieces and mixed it with the prepared herbs to marinate.

After letting it marinate for a while, Gu Qi put the meat and herbs in a pot and steamed them over water.

Once the meat had absorbed the medicinal properties of the herbs, Gu Qi began roasting it.

When the meat had finished roasting, the Secret Recipe Dried Meat was ready.

"Huh, Gu Qi? Are you making dried meat? I haven't had dinner yet, so I'll help myself."

Just as Gu Qi was about to taste the Secret Recipe Dried Meat he'd made with his own hands, a short figure suddenly appeared in his kitchen.