Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

"What do you want with Konan?" 

Yahiko and Nagato both tensed, their anxiety turning into subtle hostility. Nagato, in particular, looked ready to act.

"Cooperation!" Kagetsu ignored the sudden shift in their emotions and pressed on. "You need food, weapons, and medical supplies, don't you?"

"...Yes," Konan replied after meeting Kagetsu's gaze. She didn't sense any malice from him, so she nodded slightly.

Food, weapons, and medical supplies were in critically short supply—not just for the Akatsuki but for the entire Amegakure. 

During peacetime, things were barely manageable, but now, in the midst of war, Amegakure could hardly sustain itself. 

Merchants refused to sell goods to the village, and even if they did, the prices were exorbitant.

If Kagetsu could truly provide these necessities, no matter his conditions, Konan was prepared to convince Yahiko and Nagato to accept. 

After all, securing these supplies could save countless lives in Amegakure and the Land of Rain.

"Relax. We mean no harm," Kagetsu assured them. "You're skilled in Paper Release, aren't you?"

His words left the trio momentarily stunned, as they had expected a more demanding request.

"Paper Release? Yes, that's right," Konan responded thoughtfully. She extended her arm, and a bouquet of paper flowers formed effortlessly in her hand.

"Can you use Paper Release to make explosive tags?" Kagetsu asked suddenly, taking the bouquet of paper flowers and examining it with his chakra.

"Do you need explosive tags?" Konan's eyes lit up instantly. "I can make them! Because explosive tags are so expensive, I've been collecting scraps from other ninjas to study and figure out how to make them myself.

"The explosive tags used by the Akatsuki right now? They're all made by me. But I'm still not very skilled, so I can't mass-produce them yet. Also, the materials I use aren't the best, so the durability and power of my tags are noticeably inferior to the real ones.

"However, if I had enough explosive tags to practice and perfect my craft, I'm confident I could supply you with as many as you need!" 

To prove herself to Kagetsu, Konan immediately began crafting explosive tags using her Paper Release technique.

Just as she claimed, the process was impressively quick.

Kagetsu took one of the freshly made tags, attached it to a kunai, and lit it with chakra before throwing it.

Bang!

The sound cracked like a firecracker, shattering the curtain of rain. Water droplets sprayed everywhere as a faint shockwave, no stronger than a breeze, rippled out.

"This… this is a defective version," Konan said, breaking the rain-soaked silence with a red-faced explanation. "The ones I make at my best are much more powerful!"

Even so, the tags barely had the power of a firecracker. If this was her "high-quality" work, it was still far weaker than an official explosive tag, maybe not even a tenth of the real thing's power.

Was this the real reason that, in the future, Nara Shikamaru could obliterate an immortal enemy with just a few dozen explosive tags, while Konan, the so-called explosive expert, failed to kill herself and a masked man with five hundred billion tags? 

And as for buying explosive tags with shared funds? Forget about whether the ninja world could even produce that many explosive tags in a decade or two—the cost alone would be impossible to cover! 

Even if Kakuzu worked himself to death, he'd never earn enough. You couldn't possibly spend every penny the Akatsuki earned solely on explosive tags, right?

"Trust me! I'll definitely make better explosive tags for you!" Konan said earnestly, seeing the skeptical silence from Kagetsu and the others. 

At that moment, she felt an almost blinding sense of enlightenment. 

So this is how it's done!

So, she could actually help Yahiko and Nagato in this way! 

She wasn't the most useless of the three, someone who only needed protection and couldn't contribute anything to the organization. 

"No explosive tags," Kagetsu said, shaking his head slowly under Konan's disappointed gaze. 

Explosive tags, when purchased in villages, were closely monitored. The ones with this level of power might be fine for small ninja villages, but in places like Konoha or other major ninja villages, they wouldn't pass quality checks. Apart from personal use, they were practically worthless. 

"But your Paper Release… it's more than enough for us to work with," Kagetsu added, his words causing Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato to perk up from their previously disheartened state. 

They had thought this collaboration was doomed. 

"Let's try something. Can you use your Paper Release to copy this tag?" Kagetsu took out a Healing Tag and handed it to Konan. 

"What is this?" Konan asked, accepting the tag. She tried to replicate it with her Paper Release but ended up producing a series of failed imitations. 

"This is a Healing Tag," Kagetsu explained, stopping her from continuing. "It's used on the battlefield as an emergency substitute for medical ninjas, to treat injured shinobi. It mainly works on wounds but is less effective against poisons." 

"I'll need time," Konan said, looking at Kagetsu with hopeful eyes. 

"Time is the one thing we don't have," Kagetsu replied, gazing at the trio. "You all understand how rare medical ninjas are in the ninja world. When war breaks out, a lack of medical support leads to massive casualties. 

"Konoha was able to survive being attacked by multiple villages during the Second Great Ninja War because of the medical team led by Tsunade of the Senju clan. They saved countless Konoha shinobi and ensured the survival of their Chunin-level fighters. 

"Explosive tags can already be replicated using your ability, even if they're subpar copies. This shows that they don't require advanced techniques or resources to make. 

"But Healing Tags are different. Right now, only Konoha can produce them consistently. Perhaps in the future, Kumogakure might also manage it. But if your Paper Release can mass-produce Healing Tags—even imperfect ones—they'll be valuable enough during wartime to trade with merchants or major ninja villages for immense wealth and resources. 

"A monopoly like this is the most profitable business. Even if your tags aren't as good as the originals, sheer quantity can make up for it. If you succeed, you alone could sustain the entire Akatsuki organization." 

Konan's face lit up with a look of hope, as if she could already envision the future Kagetsu described. 

Although the Land of Rain was isolated and their education beyond the three years spent with Jiraiya was limited, their experiences over the years had taught them enough to discern whether Kagetsu's words were true or not. 

Whoosh!

A piece of paper cut deeply into Konan's arm, and crimson blood flowed down from the wound. Amidst the shocked exclamations from Yahiko and Nagato, Konan placed the Healing Tag that Kagetsu had given her onto the wound, activating it with her chakra.

Under the three stunned gazes of Konan's companions, a green halo filled with life energy began to form around the Healing Tag. 

The wound on Konan's arm quickly healed under the tag's effect. In no time, the skin was smooth and flawless, with only remnants of blood remaining.

"It's real!" Konan felt the warm power from the tag. If she could master this ability, the number of casualties among the Akatsuki members during battles would greatly decrease! Their team would grow rapidly!

"Please teach me how to make Healing Tags!" Konan suddenly bowed deeply to Kagetsu, her voice filled with urgency. She knew that, on her own, it would take too long to replicate the Healing Tag, and the results might not be as effective.

"This is the foundation of cooperation," Kagetsu replied. "I can teach you the techniques to make Healing Tags, and I can also provide some materials and supplies you need. But in return, the Healing Tags you sell will need to be shared equally with us. How does that sound?"

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