Time passed slowly in the isolated tower.
For the next few days, Uehara Naraku did nothing but throw paper shuriken. Under Konan's strict supervision, his accuracy improved rapidly, but his boredom grew even faster.
Thwack!
Another blue paper shuriken hit the bullseye. A faint blue light flickered and returned to his body.
"998... 999... 1000."
Uehara dropped his arm, feigning exhaustion. "Teacher, I did it. 1000 hits."
Konan sat on a chair nearby, folding a paper crane. She didn't look up, but the crane in her hand flapped its wings and flew over to inspect the target.
"Your accuracy is acceptable," Konan said calmly. "But a static target is different from a moving enemy. An enemy won't stand there and let you absorb their chakra."
"I know," Uehara wiped sweat from his forehead. "But if I make the paper explode, they won't be able to dodge, right?"
Konan looked up. "Explode? You mean using explosive tags?"
"No," Uehara grinned innocently. "I mean making the paper become the explosion."
He picked up a new sheet of origami paper.
This time, he didn't channel the Blue Card. He focused on the Red Card.
In League of Legends, the Red Card deals area-of-effect (AoE) magic damage and applies a slow. In this world, that translated to an explosive force combined with a heavy, restrictive chakra pressure.
"Watch this, Teacher!"
Uehara infused the Red Card's power into the paper. The white sheet instantly turned a deep, ominous crimson.
"Paper Shuriken: Blast!"
He threw the red paper. It didn't fly as fast as the blue one, but it hummed with a volatile instability.
It hit the wooden target dummy.
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted. Wood splinters flew everywhere. The blast radius wasn't huge—maybe two meters—but the force was significant. More importantly, a strange red energy lingered in the air around the impact zone, making the falling debris move in slow motion for a split second.
Konan stood up, her paper crane disintegrated by the shockwave.
She stared at the shattered remains of the dummy.
"You..." Konan's voice lost its usual composure. "You combined Fire Release and Earth Release into the paper to create an explosion? Without hand signs?"
In the ninja world, turning chakra into an explosion usually required explosive tags (which were crafted tools) or specific Kekkei Genkai like the Explosion Release of Iwagakure.
"I just thought about fire and... heavy stuff," Uehara shrugged, playing the 'instinctive genius' card again. "And it turned red."
Konan walked over to him and grabbed his wrist, checking his chakra flow. It was stable.
"Naraku," she said seriously. "Do you realize what you have done? You have essentially created free explosive tags. A standard explosive tag costs 300 ryo. You just created one with a piece of paper worth 1 ryo and some chakra."
"Does that mean I saved money?" Uehara asked, eyes twinkling.
"It means you are a walking arsenal," Konan corrected him. She looked at him with a mix of pride and worry. "The organization is short on funds. Your ability... is very useful."
[Ding!]
[Side Mission Triggered: The Value of a Ninja.]
Description: Prove that you are an asset to the organization, not a burden.
Reward: 100 Gold Coins.
[System: Mission Complete. Reward: 100 Gold Coins.]
Uehara almost laughed. He completed the mission just by showing off.
[Current Gold: 350]
"Finally," Uehara thought. "Enough for an item."
He quickly opened the shop interface in his mind.
[Purchase: Long Sword.]
Cost: 350 Gold.
Effect: +10 Attack Damage.
He felt a subtle shift in his muscles. His grip became firmer, his arms felt stronger. In the system, "Attack Damage" translated to physical strength and the potency of physical attacks (Taijutsu/Kenjutsu). Even +10 was a significant boost for a twelve-year-old body.
"Teacher," Uehara looked at Konan. "Since I can make explosions now, can I go out? I want to help the Akatsuki. I don't want to be a bird in a cage."
Konan hesitated.
She knew keeping him locked up would stunt his growth. A ninja needed blood to mature. And with this explosive ability, he had the firepower to protect himself against average Chunin.
"Hanzō's spies have been active recently," Konan murmured, more to herself than him. "They are probing the perimeter of the tower."
She looked at Uehara's eager face.
"Very well," Konan decided. "But you will not go alone. You will stick to my shadow. If I say run, you run. If I say kill..."
Her eyes turned cold.
"...you kill."
Uehara's expression turned solemn. "I understand. I won't hesitate."
"Go get your raincoat," Konan ordered. "We leave in ten minutes. We are going to clear the rats from the sewers."
"Yes, Teacher!"
Uehara rushed back to his room to grab his gear.
As he pulled on his raincoat and strapped his ninja pouch to his leg, he checked his status one last time.
[Host: Uehara Naraku]
[Gold: 0]
[Items: Long Sword (+10 AD)]
[Skills: Loaded Dice (Passive), Pick A Card (Active)]
"First mission," Uehara whispered to his reflection. "Time to start the snowball."
He grabbed a handful of origami paper and stuffed it into his pouch. To others, it was just paper. To him, it was a deck of death.
He walked out of the room, ready to meet the rain and the blood.