“Today’s practical lesson is Shurikenjutsu practice.”
As both Principal and instructor of the Ninja Academy, Tobirama faced arduous duties.
Today, he led the Academy students in Shurikenjutsu training.
Following their time at the Academy, commoner children gradually revealed talents that rivaled those of noble birth.
However, in the practical course, Kagami of the Uchiha Clan consistently held first place.
After all, the Uchiha throwing techniques were famous throughout the entire ninja world.
To avoid demoralizing the other children, the instructors scheduled Kagami to throw last.
“Last one, Kagami Uchiha,” Tobirama called out.
The students cheered.
They knew Kagami was about to show off his skills again.
Kagami followed his usual routine, pulling three shuriken from his ninja pouch.
He stared at the target twenty meters away, flicked his wrist, and hurled all three shuriken held between his fingers at once.
*Thud-thud-thud-*
All three struck the bullseye simultaneously.
“Hmm, not bad…”
Tobirama started to speak, but a loud bang cut him off.
He instantly activated the Body Flicker Jutsu, appearing before the students to shield them.
“Water Release: Water Formation Wall!”
Even without a nearby water source, Tobirama effortlessly executed the technique, summoning a pressure wall of water to protect the children.
A moment later, the water wall collapsed.
Tobirama looked toward the target.
It had shattered into several pieces, scattered across the area.
He walked over and focused his gaze.
Small pits pocked the ground and nearby trees, each containing an iron pellet.
If those pellets hit a human body, the consequences would be lethal.
“Kagami, what is the meaning of this!” Tobirama shouted.
He had believed Kagami was different from the rest of the Uchiha clan.
He never expected the boy to bring such a dangerous weapon to a simple training exercise.
If all the Uchiha obtained these weapons, it would be absolutely lethal for the Senju clan.
Kagami jumped in fright.
“I bought that shuriken at a ninja tool shop,” he quickly explained.
“Ninja tool shop?” Tobirama frowned.
What kind of shop would sell something this vicious to a kid who had not even graduated from the ninja academy?
The destructive power of that thing far exceeded an explosive tag.
Danzo realized the truth, but seeing Tobirama’s expression, he had no desire to get involved.
He kept his mouth shut and pretended to be a bystander.
“Sensei, Kagami is telling the truth,” Hiruzen said.
Tobirama glanced at Hiruzen, his face blank.
“Which ninja tool shop?”
“Tengaku Ninja Tool Shop.”
“Tengaku?” Tobirama thought for a moment, instructed the students to study in the classroom, and used the Body Flicker Jutsu to appear outside Tengaku Ninja Tool Shop.
The storefront looked entirely ordinary.
“Welcome.
What are you looking for?”
“Those exploding shuriken.
Do you have them?”
Through the shop assistant’s introduction, Tobirama witnessed the explosive shuriken firsthand and discovered the shop’s hidden owner, his own Research Assistant.
“Teuchi, stop selling those explosive shuriken.”
Tobirama used the Flying Thunder God to appear instantly in Kakuzu’s home.
“Tobirama, it’s just a ninja tool,” Kakuzu said in displeasure.
True, it was just a ninja tool.
Tobirama realized his words were off the mark and corrected himself.
“I mean, do not sell explosive shuriken to children.
It is too dangerous.”
“That is fine.”
The kids at the academy had hardly any money.
Kakuzu’s target audience was never them anyway, so he agreed readily.
“But commerce is a two-way street.
If the village enacts a policy to keep those brats in line, the casualty rate will drop.”
“I will discuss it with Lord Hokage.
Only official ninja will be allowed to purchase explosive shuriken.”
Tobirama saw right through Kakuzu’s scheme.
He was using the Hokage, Konoha Village’s official authority, to advertise.
Given the genuine danger of explosive shuriken in the hands of children, the Hokage enacted the relevant policy the very next day, restricting possession of explosive shuriken to official ninja only.
Now the ninja of Konoha were curious.
What kind of shuriken warranted the Hokage personally issuing a policy to restrict it?
This curiosity instantly sold out the entire stock of explosive shuriken at Tengaku Ninja Tool Shop.
The ninja discovered the things were incredibly effective.
Imagine it: A Konoha ninja encounters an enemy and throws a shuriken.
The enemy catches it, but before they can utter a taunt, *Boom*, they lose an arm at the very least.
The shrapnel from the explosion could kill them outright.
Before long, explosive shuriken became a sensation among the Konoha ninja.
Demand quickly outstripped supply.
Tengaku Ninja Tool Shop was forced to raise prices, yet the line of ninja waiting to buy them every day remained endless.
This was practically free money.
Kakuzu would never refuse.
But his manpower was limited.
Kakuzu alone could produce at most one hundred explosive shuriken a day, falling completely short of the Konoha ninja’s demands.
Furthermore, as a boss, he should be a manager, not a producer.
Therefore, establishing a factory was absolutely necessary.
But building a factory was no small matter like transferring a ninja tool shop.
It required the Hokage’s approval.
Kakuzu submitted a factory application to the Hokage.
Hashirama had also seen the power of the explosive shuriken, but he still harbored some reservations about opening a factory.
“Big Brother, I believe this is feasible.” Tobirama analyzed the boost in combat power Konoha ninja would gain once equipped with explosive shuriken, concluding that the weapons were advantageous for Konoha.
“However, I believe Teuchi is problematic.”
Hashirama asked in confusion, “Why?
Tobirama, isn’t Teuchi your assistant?”
“But we still do not know his background.” Tobirama pointed out that even though Teuchi was his assistant, without him, the man was just an ordinary ninja.
Now, that was clearly not the case.
Producing a weapon of war like the Explosive Shuriken on his first attempt put Hashirama on edge.
Left unchecked, the consequences would be disastrous.
Hashirama pondered for a moment, then asked, “Then why did you agree to let him build a factory?”
Tobirama spoke with confidence.
“As aggressive as a Tailed Beast is, it becomes a powerful weapon if controlled properly.
Teuchi’s origins are unknown.
But as long as we keep him under control, everything he does will become a force to protect Konoha.”
He held Teuchi’s life in his hands.
If Teuchi made any suspicious moves, he could step in and subdue him at any time.
The factory approval came through in no time, and Kakuzu immediately hired workers to build it.
He bought an old factory, and after a month of renovations, it became an iron smelting plant.
He purchased various metal ores from mines across the Land of Fire.
He posted missions at the Hokage Building, requiring Fire Release and Earth Release ninjas to work in the factory and provide labor.
Since the job required jutsu usage but no combat, the mission rank was set at C.
Ninjas were once exclusively trained for killing.
Even in the era of hidden villages, D-rank missions involved chores like helping with farm work or picking up trash, while C-rank missions and above were mostly escort duties.
Using ninjas as factory laborers, as Kakuzu did, was entirely unprecedented.
People had considered it before, but the cost always killed the idea.
Kakuzu had money to burn.
With money, you could do whatever you wanted.
At first, ninjas resisted this mission.
They trained in elemental jutsu to strengthen their combat abilities, not to become manual laborers.
That changed once someone gave it a try and couldn’t stop.
Providing labor was far easier than escort missions.
Humans were inherently lazy, and ninjas were no exception.
Over time, more and more Fire Release ninjas started joining the factory.
This even included Uchiha ninjas, after all, the Uchiha’s Fire Release was famous.
Uchiha ninjas were generally proud, but there were always exceptions in any clan.
Not to mention everyone needs money.
Tobirama noticed more and more ninjas abandoning other missions to work at Kakuzu’s factory.
If this kept up, ninjas would lose their fighting spirit.
If war broke out, would these ninjas still be combat-capable?
Yet, reality proved these worries unnecessary.
Ninjas in this era had survived countless battles, they understood the importance of personal strength.
Besides, from frequently using Fire Release to heat the iron furnaces, their jutsu steadily grew stronger as the temperatures climbed higher.
Earth Release ninjas refining their control to craft molds became increasingly proficient.
Their overall strength grew instead of diminishing.
More ninjas joined the Kakuzu Factory.
Using jutsu to forge ninja tools was far more efficient than old methods.
“Ninjas really are convenient.”
Gradually, Kakuzu established a production line with distinct Hokage characteristics.
Fire Release ninjas refined the metal while Earth Release ninjas crafted the molds.
Combined, they forged ninja tools.
The production rate was high, the quality far better than before, and the products matched Land of Iron ninja tools without falling short.
From then on, Tengaku Ninja Tool Shop sold Ordinary Ninja Tools as well.
Thanks to the reputation gained from the Explosive Shuriken, and since the standard tools were of solid quality, Konoha ninjas no longer needed to travel far and wide to buy expensive Land of Iron imports.
The specialty store the Land of Iron established in Konoha saw its business plummet.
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