Making Explosive Tags

In the late summer of Konoha's forty-third year, the air still carried lingering heat, yet Kyohaku Uchiha's small courtyard seemed like a world unto itself, permeated by an atmosphere of focus and solemnity.

Successfully making his own Explosive Tags had proven his idea feasible, but poor-quality materials, a high failure rate, and the limitations of figuring things out alone severely restricted both production and profit. His meager wages and rapidly dwindling savings hung over his head like a sword, urging him to find a more stable and efficient path.

He turned his attention to the Ninja Cat Clan, which had deep ties with the Uchiha Clan. These summoned beasts were not only formidable fighters, 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 outlets would be a problem.

When he visited his uncle Shota Uchiha again, Kyohaku revealed a greater degree of "ambition" and "difficulty" at just the right moment.

"Uncle," he said, his face bearing the fatigue of training and a trace 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... There are too many failures..." He showed him the few barely successful Explosive Tags in his hand, whose quality was clearly lacking, along with a small stack of charred failures.

Shota Uchiha picked up an Explosive Tag and examined it carefully, surprise flashing through his eyes again. Though its quality was rough, the compressed fire-nature chakra within was extraordinarily pure and stable, revealing the maker's astonishing talent in chakra nature transformation and control. Looking at the pile of failed products and the exhaustion on the child's face, he immediately understood the crux of the issue: the talent was there, but systematic guidance and stable resources were not.

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

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

"Thank you, Uncle!" Kyohaku said gratefully.

A few days later, Kyohaku received a special "visitor" in his courtyard—a glossy-furred black cat with elegant manners and a small scroll tied around its neck. It sat atop the stone table, amber eyes studying Kyohaku as it spoke in a voice carrying a cat's distinctive laziness and shrewdness. "You're the little one Shota mentioned? Kyohaku Uchiha? I hear you want to do business?"

"Yes, Nekobaa." Kyohaku bowed respectfully, then directly presented his best work and his failed products without concealing anything. "These are the Explosive Tags I can currently make. Limited by my materials, their quality is poor, and my failure rate is high. But I believe that with a steady supply of high-quality materials and proper production methods, I can make better ones."

The black cat extended a paw and deftly toyed with the Explosive Tags, sensing the energy within. A sharp glint flashed through its eyes. "Hm... The fire-nature chakra is very pure, and the compression is fairly stable. Though the technique is as crude as something a cat scratched up... Kid, show me how you make them."

Kyohaku did not hesitate. He immediately took out a sheet of specialized talisman paper and specially made ink brought by the ninja cat, both of obviously superior quality. Holding his breath and focusing, he dipped his fingertips into the ink and smoothly, steadily inscribed the standard energy-guiding and sealing runes upon the paper. Every stroke was flawless and precise, containing faint fluctuations of chakra.

Then came the most crucial step. He formed hand seals, drew upon the chakra within his body, transformed it into highly active fire-nature chakra, and then, through his fingertips, injected it into the center of the runes with extreme slowness and evenness. Throughout the entire process, his chakra output was terrifyingly stable. Under his exquisite control, that violent fire-nature energy flowed like docile water, compressed thread by thread and packed 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 should possess. Even many Chunin specializing in Fire Release might not have such delicate 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 its options at high speed. After a long while, it finally spoke, its tone much more formal. "Not bad craftsmanship. Kid, you have talent. Our Ninja Cat Clan can provide you with a stable supply of high-quality materials, as well as standard production diagrams and precautions. But we are not running a charity."

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

"We provide the materials, and you handle the processing. For every qualified Explosive Tag you successfully make, we pay you two hundred ryo in production fees." The black cat named its price. "As for the ones you ruin, we bear the material losses, but you receive no pay. What do you think?"

Two hundred ryo per tag! Kyohaku calculated quickly. This was far beyond what he had expected! A standard Explosive Tag sold for a considerable price on the market, but after deducting material costs and distribution expenses, two hundred ryo as a production fee was indeed a very fair price, especially for a novice like him. They had clearly offered favorable terms because they valued his potential.

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

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

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

But he soon discovered a new bottleneck—his chakra reserves. With his current chakra barely at Genin level, and such meticulous control being especially taxing on the mind, even when he exerted himself to the fullest, 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 in its mouth and left behind a small money pouch, Kyohaku would hold that weighty thousand ryo and feel an indescribable sense of security rise in his heart.

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

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

At last, I'm seeing a return on my investment.

The ninja profession—or rather, being a ninja with a specialized skill—really was quite profitable.

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

This source of income, earned through his exceptional control, was finally firmly in his grasp. Financial independence meant he had taken a crucial step toward true self-reliance.