Detonation Charm

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"Yuna, how is it? Have Konan and I successfully connected?" Akio asked curiously.

Don't get the wrong idea — this was a completely serious question. Akio hadn't stooped to the level of targeting a nine-year-old girl.

After returning to the Land of Whirlpools from Konoha, the first thing Akio did was test the progress of his two disciples. He focused in particular on Konan's explosive tag production speed. To his pleasant surprise, she was now able to create a tag within seconds — practically ready for mass production.

However, since Konan didn't possess the Uzumaki bloodline, her chakra reserves were limited despite her strength being around the level of a Chūnin. Akio had no choice but to bring her to Yuna in hopes of solving the problem with technology.

Akio had, of course, considered doing what he once did to Tsunade during the Jōnin Exams — sealing chakra into Konan using fūinjutsu. But when he tried, her explosive tag production became unstable due to the interference of his chakra.

Upon finding Yuna, the brilliant scientist indeed came through. After collecting chakra samples from both Akio and Konan, she managed to develop a device that could convert Akio's chakra into one that matched Konan's — a principle Akio couldn't even begin to understand. It was another remarkable invention following the chakra-blocking wristband — true cutting-edge technology.

"Grandpa Akio, the connection is complete," came Yuna's voice. "Try channeling a little chakra, but not too much."

Following her instructions, Akio transmitted a bit of chakra. Across from him, Konan winced slightly, causing him to halt in alarm.

"Yuna, what's going on? Did it fail?"

Yuna walked over with a smile. "It worked, Grandpa Akio. But since Konan still has unspent chakra in her system, receiving more causes some discomfort. It's alright though — in fact, this might benefit her."

Akio paused, then nodded in understanding and smiled.

"This could actually help increase her overall chakra reserves. An unexpected bonus."

"But Grandpa Akio," Yuna continued, "the conversion process results in about a fifty-percent loss of your chakra…"

Akio waved it off, interrupting her. "That's fine. It's completely acceptable. Half is more than enough."

Turning to Konan, he asked, "You okay? Take some time to get used to it. After that, we'll begin explosive tag production."

"I'm fine, Sensei," she replied.

Over the next two months, Akio worked with Konan every other day to produce explosive tags — until they were stopped by Iko.

"Sensei…" Izuko said, exasperated. "You've made close to ten million tags. That's enough to give each ninja in the Land of Whirlpools thousands. You really don't need to make more."

Akio was stunned. He hadn't realized just how much progress they'd made in those two months. Looking at Konan, he saw the exhaustion etched across her face.

"Whew… then let's put it on hold for now. Great work, Konan. All that effort wasn't wasted — your chakra reserves have essentially doubled. That's a huge gain."

Konan nodded with a faint smile and went off to rest.

Akio, on the other hand, felt no fatigue at all. Ever since obtaining the Sage Body, exhaustion had become a thing of the past.

"Izuko, since we now have a surplus of explosive tags, it's time we figure out how to sell some of them."

This had been Akio's true goal all along. The current economy of the Land of Whirlpools was dependent on the Land of Lightning, but they couldn't rely on "protection payments" forever. They needed their own sustainable source of income.

Explosive tags had just the right level of lethality — dangerous but not excessively so — making them ideal for sale. As for customers, the Land of Lightning likely didn't have the spare cash, and the Land of Water was too close for comfort. That left the Lands of Fire, Wind, and Earth. Smaller nations likely wouldn't have the funds for large-scale purchases.

But selling them posed a challenge. Konoha was easy — it was nearby and relations were friendly. And what village wouldn't want a stockpile of explosive tags? The problem lay with Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Not only were they far away, but shipping would also have to pass through many other countries, increasing the risk.

Izuko brought up the issue, sending Akio deep into thought.

"What if we went by sea?" In recent years, the Land of Whirlpools had advanced enough to build ships capable of long voyages.

"By sea?" Izuko blinked. "But doesn't that only get us to the Land of Water?"

Akio frowned. Come to think of it, he'd never really checked if the Shinobi World was round. If it was possible to reach Iwagakure by sea, the trip to Sunagakure might be much safer too.

"I'm heading out for a bit," he said before flying southeast from the Land of Whirlpools.

Back when Akio "reclaimed land from the sea," he had only extended the mainland into the sea with ninjutsu — he hadn't attempted to fill the entire ocean. That would've taken at least a year.

So the southeastern edge of the Land of Whirlpools still faced a vast open sea. Akio didn't stop at the shore and instead flew directly across the water.

"This distance…" Half an hour later, he frowned. Still nothing but ocean. At his current speed, he had already covered around 200 kilometers.

"This far, huh?" Another half-hour passed before he finally spotted land — but it wasn't a new continent.

"So it really is the Land of Earth? Which means… the Shinobi World is round after all?" Akio exhaled in relief.

"At this pace, it would take about half a month to sail from the Land of Whirlpools to here — roughly the same as by land, but much safer over the sea."

He didn't enter the Land of Earth — his shadow clones had already mapped it thoroughly when searching for Yuna. Nor did he feel like chatting with Ōnoki for old time's sake. He simply turned back.

But this time, he didn't rush. Every few minutes, he paused to erect a towering 100-meter stone pillar with Earth Style, marking a navigational path so his clansmen wouldn't get lost at sea.

By the time the sky darkened completely, Akio had returned and eagerly sought out Izuko.

"Izuko! The world really is round!"

Izuko blinked, not following.

Akio explained, "If you sail southeast from here for about half a month, you'll reach the Land of Earth. We can post missions within the country to have ninja escort the explosive tags there."

After a brief pause, he added, "Let's classify it as an S-rank mission. We'll need at least two elite jōnin to lead the team — the sea can be unpredictable."

Izuko nodded. "And negotiations with Iwagakure…?"

Akio grinned. "I'll accompany the first voyage. After all these years, I've never experienced sea travel firsthand."

"I've already placed markers along the route so no one gets lost. We can call this route the Silk–uh, Explosive Tag Road."

He nodded proudly. He was quite pleased with his naming skills.

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