In the two months I'd been carving with Natural Energy, I found that the carving greatly influences how large the storage space will be.
Any variation in the carvings' depth, width and smoothness reduces its size. Despite all my practice, finishing a seal still takes me at least two sessions. The problem is that it is almost impossible for me to create two perfectly identical constructs.
This naturally makes differences in the seal, which reduces the quality. To make identical markings on two different days is just too much for me to do now.
The intense practice has increased the time I have to work with the constructs by a single second, two if I want to exhaust my mental strength.
My progress in making seals quickly has increased as well. Our times have gotten rather low. Kushina takes about 15 seconds to make a seal, while I take about 18 seconds to finish mine.
Her birthday rolled around, and I went to bed early the night before, hiding the ring in my clothing. I pushed myself as far as possible and nearly completed the ring before passing out. When I woke up, I finished the few remaining strokes.
I didn't have time to test its holding capacity since I knew I slept in slightly. I was hoping that it wouldn't be too bad, but I knew that something like this would be revolutionary, so there was no way she wouldn't like it.
I was mainly curious how Ashita would react to my creation; it would make a stir, that's for sure.
Her birthday was a quiet affair with a few friends and small gifts suited to ninja training. There were lots of shuriken, kunai, and empty seal scrolls because they had heard about how hard she had been practicing.
She got my ring and appreciated the piece of jewelry but was shocked when I showed her how it had the same function as a storage scroll. Her friends had a small riot trying the ring one after another.
It seems I underestimated how big of an impact it would have.
The rest of the party passed uneventfully, although Ashita did leave for a few hours without telling anyone. When she returned, nothing about her demeanour changed, so I just put it out of my mind.
A few days later, though, I was called to the Kage's office (Uzushio technically doesn't have a Kage, just a clan head because they weren't a great village. I will treat the title of Kage as the one who protects the village. As such, Hanzo will be considered a Kage) alongside Mom.
It was a large three-story building with a cone-shaped roof and a large window on the third floor.
There was a guard on the roof and two at the entrance to the building.
I was starting to get nervous as we got closer; after all, this was where the strongest people in the village were.
As I passed through the doorway, something brushed across my back. I let out an incredibly manly squeal and jumped, panicking. I turned to see two guards dying of laughter and one golden chain floating in the air.
My anger, annoyance and shock were all replaced with wonder at the sight of the Adamantine Chakra Chains.
"That was a great reaction, you know! Don't frown so much, kid; it's not like you are in any trouble."
I smiled at the guard without taking my eyes off the chain and nodded before turning around and running to catch up with Ashita. We were led up to the third floor and stopped by a guard outside the Kage's office.
We were ushered in after a response came from within. The inside of the room was simpler than expected. A large desk in front of the window was filled with stacks of paper. In front of it was a bench that ran the length of the table. Behind it was a nice chair where the Kage sat doing paperwork.
He looked up and smiled. "Ashita, it's good to see you again, you know. And you brought little Kane with you, I see. Please sit down."
"Thank you. Come on, Kane." My mom tugged me towards the bench. I expected it to be hardwood, but it was quite comfortable; I bet seals were the cause.
"I'll get straight to the point. I want to know how you made the ring." The man, who had yet to introduce himself, stared at me. He still had a full head of hair, which had yet to turn grey. He didn't have any scars, but he was well-muscled. It was obvious that he wasn't the Kage for no reason.
My adult side was itching to go full-on businessman mode. But rationally, I was 1. There is no way a 1-year-old can negotiate the intricacies of a business deal. One thing they can be, though, is stubborn and childish.
I crossed my arms and pouted. "NO."
He made a strange face like he couldn't believe what I said. "No?" I nodded and said it again. "NO."
He looked at my mom, who shrugged her shoulders before turning to me. "Why not?"
I just cocked my head to the side; mentally, I had a shit-eating grin. Schooling my face to neutrality, I answered her question. "I don't want to."
In the corner of my vision, I could see the Kage's eyebrow twitch, which pleased me to no end.
"What do you want then? You know what I want, let's do a trade then." I couldn't help but mentally smirk at how well the stubborn kid routine worked.
"I want to be the Kage." With complete seriousness, I asked for his position.
-
After I had my fill of annoying the Kage, who finally introduced himself as Suto Uzumaki, we agreed on a price for the rings.
I would make a single ring in exchange for three scrolls on Fuinjutsu that I did not already have. I also wanted 10,000 Ryo, I also made it clear I wouldn't provide the rings.
This was no problem for old man Suto because he ordered 100 rings to be made right away. Thankfully, all the scrolls would be delivered to our house instead of making us carry them ourselves.
My inner merchant was cursing because I knew I could have increased the price of each ring, but there wasn't much I would use the money for at this age. Also, how was I supposed to know he would order so many right away?!
This is child labor!
At least, that is what I complained about until Ashita and I came home and discovered the massive pile of scrolls in the yard. My tune changed real quick.
My plan now was to learn to read the scrolls and learn as much theoretical knowledge as possible. My sights were set on becoming the youngest Fuinjutsu master in Uzushiogakure.
I also asked Mom about the chains when we were walking home. She said they start developing at age 12, but not everyone has them.
There are two different kinds. Some can channel chakra, which is a great help in setting up matrices and other large-scale formations. The other kind can't be used in conjunction with chakra but is rather sturdy and is quite a menace on the battlefield.
They are seen as a status symbol amongst the Uzumaki.
Sadly, I'll have to wait a long time to find out If I'll get them. Kushina has them, so I should, too. But that doesn't mean I will.
A/N
What kind of chains should Kane get?
Should I stick with the Kage title for Suto Uzumaki or give smaller villages a different title?