Making Explosive Tags

In the late summer of Konoha's forty-third year, the air still carried the remnants of the heat. Yet Uchiha Kyohaku's little courtyard seemed like a world unto itself, suffused with an atmosphere of focus and solemnity.

His success in making explosive tags by hand proved that his idea was viable, but the poor materials, high failure rate, and limitations of working alone severely restricted both production and profit. His meager salary and rapidly dwindling savings hung over his head like a sword, urging him to find a more stable and efficient path.

He set his sights on the Ninja Cat Clan, which had deep ties with the Uchiha Clan. These summoned beasts were not only formidable in combat, but were also renowned for their unique channels and business instincts, often dealing in gray-market fields such as ninja tools and intelligence. If he could gain their support, neither materials nor sales channels would be a problem any longer.

When he visited his uncle Uchiha Shota again, Kyohaku appropriately revealed greater "ambition" and "difficulty."

"Uncle," he said, his face carrying the exhaustion from training and a hint of financial embarrassment, "I... I tried making explosive tags to earn some money... but good materials are too expensive, and I can't buy much... too many of them fail..." He showed the few barely successful explosive tags in his hand, whose quality was clearly mediocre, along with a small stack of charred failures.

Uchiha Shota picked up an explosive tag and carefully sensed it, surprise flashing through his eyes once more. Though its quality was rough, the compressed fire-nature chakra within was exceptionally pure and stable, revealing astonishing talent in chakra nature transformation and control. Looking again at the pile of failures and the weariness on the boy's face, he immediately understood the crux of the issue: the talent was there, but he lacked systematic guidance and stable resources.

He pondered for a moment. The Uchiha Clan did indeed share an old friendship with the Ninja Cat Clan, and introducing him to a channel would not be difficult. This child possessed a resolute will and such talent; if he could become self-reliant through this, it would not be a bad thing. It was better than letting him neglect his health and training just to save money.

"Fine." Uchiha Shota sighed. "I have some ties with one of the Ninja Cat Clan's managers. I can introduce you. But whether you can persuade them to work with you, and what terms you can negotiate, will depend on your own abilities. Remember, when dealing with ninja cats, honesty and strength matter more than anything."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Kyohaku said gratefully.

A few days later, in the little courtyard, Kyohaku met a special "visitor"—a black cat with glossy fur, elegant manners, and a small scroll tied around its neck. It sat on the stone table, its amber pupils studying Kyohaku as it spoke in a voice carrying a feline languor and shrewdness. "You're the little fellow Shota mentioned? Uchiha Kyohaku? I hear you want to do business?"

"Yes, Cat Granny." Kyohaku bowed respectfully and immediately brought out his best work and those failed attempts, concealing nothing. "These are the explosive tags I can currently make. Limited by the materials, their quality isn't good, and the failure rate is high. But I believe that with a stable supply of high-quality materials and proper production methods, I can make better ones."

The black cat extended a paw and deftly fiddled with the explosive tags, sensing the energy within. A gleam flashed through its eyes. "Hm... the fire-nature chakra is very pure, and the compression is fairly stable. Though your technique is as crude as if a cat had clawed at it... Kid, show me how you make one."

Kyohaku did not hesitate. He immediately took out a sheet of specialized talisman paper and special ink brought by the ninja cats, both obviously of far superior quality. Holding his breath and concentrating, he dipped his fingertip in the ink and smoothly, steadily inscribed standard energy-guiding and sealing runes onto the paper. Every stroke was exact, carrying faint fluctuations of chakra.

Then came the most crucial step. He formed hand seals, drew upon the chakra within his body, and transformed it into highly active fire-nature chakra. Then, through his fingertips, he injected it into the center of the runes with extreme slowness and evenness. Throughout the entire process, his chakra output was terrifyingly steady. Under his exquisite control, that violent fire-nature energy became like docile flowing water, compressed thread by thread and filled into the sealing framework without the slightest leakage.

The black cat's pupils narrowed slightly. It could clearly sense that near-ultimate chakra control and profound understanding of fire-nature transformation! This was not an ability an eight-year-old child should possess. Even many chunin specializing in Fire Release might not have such exquisite control!

Bang! After a soft sound, a standard explosive tag with stable energy and clear runes was complete.

The black cat fell silent for a moment, its tail swaying gently as it clearly weighed matters rapidly. Only after a long while did it speak, its tone much more formal. "Not bad craftsmanship. Kid, you have talent. We of the Ninja Cat Clan can provide you with a stable supply of high-quality materials, as well as standard production diagrams and precautions. But we do not run a charity."

"I understand. Please state your terms, Cat Granny," Kyohaku replied calmly.

"We provide the materials, and you handle the production. For every qualified explosive tag successfully made, we will pay you a production fee of two hundred ryo." The black cat named its price. "As for the ones you ruin, we bear the material losses, but you receive no payment. How about it?"

Two hundred ryo per tag! Kyohaku quickly calculated in his mind. This was far beyond what he had expected! A standard explosive tag sold for a considerable sum on the market, but after material costs and channel expenses were deducted, a production fee of two hundred ryo was indeed very fair—especially for a beginner like him. They were clearly offering favorable terms because they valued his potential.

"Those are very fair terms. Thank you, Cat Granny." Kyohaku nodded in agreement.

"Very good. Then, a pleasant partnership, little fellow." The black cat seemed quite satisfied by his decisiveness. "Materials will be delivered regularly, and cats will come to collect the finished goods. Remember, quality comes first."

From then on, Uchiha Kyohaku's "home workshop" officially leveled up. With a stable supply of high-quality materials and standard production guides provided by the Ninja Cat Clan, his success rate began to rise sharply, while the explosive tags he made became increasingly stable and high-quality.

But he soon discovered a new bottleneck—his chakra reserves. With his current chakra, which had only barely reached genin level, and the extreme mental strain required for such precise control, even when he worked himself to the limit, he could only successfully make five explosive tags a day.

Five tags meant one thousand ryo.

Every evening, when the little black cat sent by the Ninja Cat Clan carried away five brand-new explosive tags and left behind a small money pouch, Kyohaku would hold that weighty thousand ryo and feel an indescribable sense of security rise within him.

One thousand ryo a day meant thirty thousand ryo a month! For a third-year Ninja Academy student like him, that was undoubtedly a huge sum, enough to cover all his daily expenses and the cost of secret medicines, with some left over besides.

Looking at the gradually filling cash box, a faint smile appeared on Kyohaku's tired face.

At last, I was seeing returns.

Being a ninja—or rather, being a ninja with a useful skill—was indeed quite profitable.

Under the night sky, he carefully put away the cash box. Though he could feel the chakra in his body was completely depleted and his mind exhausted, his heart was exceptionally calm.

This path to wealth, earned through his extraordinary control, was finally firmly in his grasp. Financial independence meant he had taken a crucial step toward truly standing on his own.