"Did you see it clearly?"
After demonstrating the jutsu, Ten'un turned to Hoshita Shūichi, who nodded confidently. "I've memorized it!"
Ten'un smiled. "Then give it a try. With your talent, it shouldn't be a problem."
Without hesitation, Shūichi raised his hands and formed the hand signs: Boar, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger. Six seals in total, executed slowly over two seconds. Then, with a sharp exhale, he spat out three fireballs. They flew erratically before crashing into the ground, leaving three smoldering craters.
"As expected of Shūichi!" Ten'un praised warmly.
Seizing the moment, Shūichi grinned and asked, "Do you have any other Fire Release jutsu, sis?"
Ten'un immediately leaned down and flicked his forehead. Hands on her hips, she chided, "Don't get greedy, little one!"
Even Shūichi's thick skin couldn't prevent a blush. Still, mastering this jutsu meant he was only one technique away from earning the title of [Fire Release Expert].
I'll have to repay Ten'un properly...
Leaving the shop to meet up with Kakashi and the others, Shūichi quietly made plans.
At their training ground, Shūichi and Kakashi squared off in a taijutsu spar. Though he lost, the gap between them was narrowing—a promising trend. With the combined effects of [Self-Discipline], [Academic Prodigy], and [Physically Robust], along with relentless training, Shūichi was confident he'd eventually surpass Kakashi in hand-to-hand combat. After all, while Kakashi excelled in taijutsu, his focus now leaned more toward kenjutsu and ninjutsu.
The next morning, Shūichi returned to Ten'shō's shop early, carrying not just a few Explosive Tags but also a peculiar gift.
"What's this?" Ten'un asked, turning the black, egg-shaped object over in her hands. "Food? A toy?"
Shūichi chuckled. "Neither. It's a shinobi tool."
Pointing to the item, he explained, "The outer shell is plastic, filled with tiny steel pellets. And the key component—" He tapped the center. "—an Explosive Tag."
Ten'un gasped. "A tool? With an Explosive Tag? Does it use the blast to scatter the pellets for damage?"
Shūichi raised a thumb. "You got it, sis!"
"Of course I did," Ten'un replied with a proud smirk. But her expression soon turned serious as she examined the device further. The Explosive Tag was rolled into a narrow cylinder and inserted into a hollow core, allowing the user to adjust the number of tags for controlled explosions.
Her mind raced through potential scenarios. Upon detonation, the steel pellets would scatter unpredictably, propelled by the blast's shockwave. Unlike a standard Explosive Tag, this would be far harder to evade. More tags meant greater force, faster pellets, and a wider lethal radius...
A shiver ran down her spine. She looked up at Shūichi—his face innocent, his eyes clear, his smile gentle—and asked in disbelief, "Shūichi... did you really make this?"
"Of course," he said cheerfully. "You taught me a jutsu, so I wanted to give you something in return."
Gifting a weapon of war to a girl... Ten'un didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she was deeply moved. She understood its value instantly. This could elevate her family's standing in Konoha. In the right circumstances, it might even shift the tide of battle.
Perhaps that was an exaggeration, but when presenting it to the Third Hokage, she'd certainly frame it that way.
First, though, they needed to test its power.
"Let's try it out back!" Ten'un grabbed Shūichi's wrist, but he held his ground. "Not here. We need cover and targets."
"Smart boy!" She pinched his cheek and agreed.
Thirty minutes later, they stood in a secluded forest clearing. A ring of wooden targets surrounded an open space, while Shūichi and Ten'un took position behind a thick tree twenty meters away.
Shūichi hurled the grenade. It landed perfectly among the targets. With a single hand seal, he commanded, "Explode!"
The detonation rocked the clearing. Shūichi and Ten'un ducked behind the tree as a storm of steel pellets shredded the air—whizz-thunk!—embedding themselves into bark and targets alike.
When the chaos subsided, they emerged to inspect the damage. The targets were toppled and riddled with holes. Nearby trees bore deep pellet impacts, including the one they'd hidden behind.
"At least a twenty-meter kill radius," Ten'un murmured, equal parts awed and horrified. "No shinobi could block this at such close range."
Compared to a standard Explosive Tag, the grenade's indiscriminate barrage was far deadlier. Ambushed, even a skilled ninja would fall. A direct hit to vital organs would be fatal, medical ninja or not.
"Shūichi," Ten'un asked again, voice trembling, "you're really giving this to me?"
He nodded firmly. "A man's word is his bond."
Ten'un burst into laughter, then leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Thank you, Shūichi."
He sighed inwardly, lamenting his "youthful disadvantage."
After cleaning up—destroying the targets and collecting pellets—Ten'un resolved to report this to the Third Hokage. However, she decided the grenade's release should wait. Its design was too simple; secrecy would be impossible to maintain.
With the last great war still fresh and tensions simmering, she sensed another conflict brewing. That would be the time to unveil it.
Weapons sold piecemeal meant little. Village-wide procurement was the real profit.
Stockpile first.
She also insisted Shūichi receive a share of every grenade sold. He didn't refuse.
With that settled, life returned to routine: academy classes, training, and mastering Fire Release.
Shūichi knew his priorities.
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