Money-Making Plan

In the summer of Konoha Year 43, the air was scorching and the cicadas deafening. Eight-year-old Uchiha Kyohaku sat beneath the eaves of his small home, a little ledger spread open before him, his brows slightly furrowed.

His fingertip traced line after line of numbers. One hundred thousand ryo in his father's pension, five hundred thousand ryo left after selling the old house and buying a new one, three years of daily expenses, training equipment, especially the costly Nara Secret Medicine he took once every half month... Even though he lived as frugally as possible, his savings continued to dwindle at an alarming rate.

"Living off what I have..." he murmured, his tone carrying a gravity that did not belong to someone his age.

At Konoha Hospital's Animal Training and Rehabilitation Unit, Special Jonin Inuzuka Hana, who was in charge of guiding him, had indeed taken good care of him. Seeing how diligent, serious, and talented he was, she had specially secured him an official position as a registered intern, allowing him to receive a small monthly wage. But that money was little more than a drop in the bucket compared to his ever-growing training expenses.

Money. He needed money. A great deal of money. Not merely to maintain his life and purchase secret medicine—future ninja gear, more advanced training equipment, even special medicinal ingredients or knowledge he might need would all require substantial funding.

He could not wait any longer.

He closed the ledger and looked toward the old tree in the courtyard, his gaze turning sharp and calm. It was time to put his long-prepared money-making plan into motion.

After careful consideration, he clearly analyzed his advantages and viable options:

Advantage: extraordinary chakra control. This was the core. After three uninterrupted years of physical training and nourishment from secret medicine, the amount of chakra he could refine was still far below that of geniuses his age, but it had steadily reached the level of an ordinary genin. The quantity was lacking, but its "quality" and control were exceptional.

Viable path: making explosive tags.

Explosive tags were one of the most basic ninja tools. They were heavily consumed and had a stable market demand. Their principle was to seal highly compressed, extremely active Fire Release chakra into specially made talisman paper, then set a trigger condition—usually a slight chakra impact or tearing. The difficulties in making them were: first, precise mastery over the nature transformation of Fire Release chakra; second, extremely fine chakra control to ensure the energy was stably compressed and sealed without exploding prematurely or failing; third, proficiency in drawing basic sealing formulas.

And all three happened to fall right into Kyohaku's wheelhouse.

Fire Release chakra nature transformation? He had long since studied his father's Great Fireball and Phoenix Flower Fire Technique scrolls inside and out. Though his body prevented him from actually casting large-scale ninjutsu, his understanding of the forms and properties of Fire Release chakra far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Chakra control? That was his greatest asset.

Basic sealing formulas? He had long ago devoured every introductory book on sealing techniques in the library's basic section. Drawing stable energy-guiding and restraining runes was no difficult task for him.

The only problem was the materials. Special explosive tag paper and specialized sealing ink were both expensive, and they were controlled goods. Their purchase required registration of their intended use, which was an obstacle for a child like him.

The next day, Kyohaku returned to Konoha Hospital's Animal Training and Rehabilitation Unit. After completing his daily work, he went to find Inuzuka Hana.

"Teacher Hana." Kyohaku looked up, his face carrying just the right amount of childlike excitement and nervousness at wanting to do something "big."

"Hm? Little Kyohaku, what is it?" Inuzuka Hana was a woman in her early twenties with a cheerful personality and the animal-friendly aura characteristic of the Inuzuka Clan. She was very fond of this quiet, hardworking child.

"Teacher... I-I want to practice my chakra control... I heard... making explosive tags requires very high control..." he said softly, his eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge. "I want to buy some of the lowest-grade talisman paper and ink to try... but the shopkeeper said I need to register the purpose..."

Inuzuka Hana froze for a moment, then laughed. "Oh my, is our little medical ninja trying to become a ninja tool craftsman?" She rubbed Kyohaku's head. "Making explosive tags is very dangerous, you know, and it burns through money. The success rate is very low."

"I know..." Kyohaku lowered his head and fiddled with the hem of his clothes. "I just want to try... It's fine if I fail. I can treat it as chakra control practice... And, and if I succeed, maybe I can sell some and help cover..." His final words were especially quiet, tinged with embarrassment.

Looking at the child, Inuzuka Hana thought of his family circumstances and the independence and determination he had always shown. Understanding dawned on her, along with a trace of pity. After thinking it over, she said, "Practicing with the lowest-grade materials is fine. It really can train your control. How about this? I'll write you a certificate stating that they're supplementary materials for the medical unit's fine chakra manipulation practice. But you have to promise me that you'll practice only in an absolutely safe place, and for the first few times, either I or another teacher must be there to watch!"

"Really? Thank you, Teacher Hana!" A delighted smile immediately blossomed across Kyohaku's face, and he repeatedly promised, "I'll definitely be careful! Thank you, Teacher!"

With Inuzuka Hana's guarantee, purchasing the materials was smoothly resolved. Kyohaku used the meager wages he had saved and part of his savings to buy a batch of the poorest-quality, cheapest talisman paper and basic ink—materials with even less room for error, making them ideal for honing his skill.

In the days that followed, his backyard gained another activity besides physical and ninjutsu training.

He cleared out an absolutely safe area in one corner of the yard and laid down fireproof stone slabs. Then, calming his mind, he dipped his fingertip into special ink mixed with chakra-conducting material and began drawing the basic sealing formula that he knew by heart onto the talisman paper.

The first step was to steadily trace the energy channels. His fingers were as steady as stone, his lines smooth and precise without the slightest tremble.

The second step was to inject highly compressed Fire Release chakra. This was the most crucial and dangerous step. Holding his breath, he injected a thread of pure Fire Release chakra into the center of the rune with extreme slowness and uniformity, feeling that active, violent energy being forcibly compressed and solidified under the restraints of the sealing formula.

"Pfft..." A soft muffled sound rang out. A wisp of green smoke rose from the talisman paper, leaving a small scorched patch. The chakra had been injected too quickly, causing the energy to leak away.

Failure.

Expressionless, he discarded the ruined tag and picked up the next one.

"Pfft..." Another one was ruined. The chakra output had been unstable, causing a localized overload.

Failure.

He was not discouraged. Instead, he became even more focused. With every failure, he could clearly sense where the issue lay: the chakra flow rate, the compression ratio, or a minute deviation in the rune's drawing? His extraordinary control and forensic-like analytical ability combined perfectly at that moment.

Inuzuka Hana came to check on him twice. Seeing that he was exceptionally cautious and followed proper procedures, and that despite the high failure rate there was no danger, she set her mind at ease. After a few reminders, she left.

Day by day, a small stack of ruined talisman paper piled up. But his movements became increasingly fluid, and his success rate began to improve at a visibly rapid pace.

Finally, one evening as the sun set, he completed the final rune and carefully injected the last thread of Fire Release chakra, sealing it perfectly.

The talisman paper in his hand grew faintly warm. The vermilion runes upon it were stable and clear, faintly emitting a dangerous yet steady fluctuation of energy.

He had succeeded.

He took the homemade explosive tag to a soft target in the distance, attached it, retreated to a safe distance, and formed the simplest detonation hand seal.

"Explode!"

Boom!

An explosion sounded—not particularly loud, but clear enough. A small scorched mark appeared on the soft target.

Its power was average, somewhere between military-grade equipment and civilian firecrackers, but this was undeniably a functional explosive tag!

Uchiha Kyohaku looked at the wisp of green smoke and slowly exhaled. Sweat had soaked his bangs, but his distinct black-and-white eyes gleamed with calm, sharp light.

At last, he had painstakingly carved out a viable path to making money. They were only the most basic explosive tags, and his success rate still needed improvement, but this meant he now had the ability to convert his own advantages into tangible resources.

He turned back to the workbench and looked at the remaining materials, his gaze becoming even more focused.

He needed more practice, a higher success rate, and more consistent quality. Only then could he consider how to exchange them for the money he urgently needed.

Night fell, and the lights in the small courtyard came on once more, illuminating a small but incomparably determined figure.