Murakami's General Store – Evening
Hina finished writing in the ledger and slid it across the counter. "We made 43,200 ryō this past week, mostly from staple goods, ink, and storage scrolls. That's a 6% increase from last month." She tapped the page. "Probably because more shinobi are stocking up before heading out."
I skimmed the figures, noting the pattern.
The increased foot traffic wasn't just civilians preparing for winter, it was the war. More missions meant more supplies, more travel, and more spending. But I didn't say it out loud.
No need to voice it out though.
"We should increase stock on preserved foods and ink," I said instead. "Order another three crates of dried fish and two of rice from the wholesalers. And check if the seal master down the road has extra storage scrolls we can buy in bulk."
Hina rolled her eyes. "I already put in the order. The shipment arrives in four days."
I smirked. "Good call."
She leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "You're actually going to help unload this time, right? Or are you just going to check the numbers and vanish?"
"I'll help." I said. "I'm not that unreliable."
"That's debatable."
I could argue, but she wasn't wrong.
…
Who is Hina? Some might ask.
Well…
Hina and I had known each other for as long as I could remember.
She grew up in the same orphanage but had already aged out by the time I started working with Ishida which was just a few months ago.
Unlike some of the others who left for other places once they turned twelve, she stayed around. Maybe because of familiarity, maybe because she didn't want to leave the younger kids behind.
I don't know and couldn't be bothered to find out.
She worked odd jobs around the market before I convinced her to help out part-time at the store.
Sharp mind, quick with numbers, she acted like it was just work, but I knew she cared. She still visited the orphanage every week, dropping off extra food or supplies whenever she could.
…
Hina yawned, stretching her arms. "Anyway, now that you're here, you can lock up. I'm done for the day."
"Skipping out early?"
"I've been here since morning. You, on the other hand, just got here."
I checked the time. The sun hung low, casting everything in gold. It wasn't late, but I didn't argue.
She untied her apron and tossed it onto the counter. "So, what's your plan for the break? Gonna finally take it easy?"
I smirked. "We both know that's not happening."
She snorted. "Didn't think so."
Grabbing her bag, she made her way to the door, but before stepping out, she glanced over her shoulder.
"Oh, and don't forget, the orphanage's monthly supply run is in three days. I already set aside 8000 ryō worth of goods for them."
I nodded. "Got it."
She waved lazily. "See you tomorrow."
And then she was gone.
The store was quiet, shelves stocked, ledger balanced. I let myself enjoy that moment of stillness before locking up for the night.
Three weeks of break, huh?
I sure wasn't going to waste it.
…
Fūinjutsu had been on my mind more and more lately.
At first, it was just a curiosity, something I experimented with on the side. But now, it was becoming a problem.
A business problem.
I glanced at the ledger on the counter, scanning the latest expenses.
Ink. Parchment. Pre-made storage scrolls.
The costs weren't unreasonable…yet. But if I kept at this pace, the store's profits would start taking a hit. Seal masters charged a premium for their work, and for good reason. Creating reliable, high-quality storage scrolls wasn't easy.
But that was the issue, wasn't it?
I was paying someone else for something I was perfectly capable of making myself.t too
My fingers tapped idly against the counter.
Selling my own seals.
It made sense. More sense than continuing to buy from others. If I could produce them in-house, I wouldn't just cut costs, I could sell them directly and make a profit.
I already understood the basics. Storage seals were just a series of conditional commands written in ink. They stored items, retrieved them, and that was it.
The problem?
Time.
It took too long to manually inscribe a fresh storage seal every time one was needed. That was why seal masters could charge so much, it wasn't just about skill; it was about efficiency.
So, I needed a system.
A way to standardize the process.
What if I created a universal base seal that could be modified for different purposes? A modular design, with preset functions that only required slight adjustments rather than a full rewrite each time?
I could produce them faster and cheaper than custom seals.
And better yet…
If I streamlined it enough, I could start offering them for sale.
No more buying from suppliers. They'd be buying from me.
A slow grin spread across my face.
Yeah.
That was the plan.
This would take time. Testing. Refining. But if I got it right, it wouldn't just save money, it would turn into an entire revenue stream.
The store wouldn't just be selling general goods anymore.
It would be selling my seals.
And once that happened…
Well.
Who said an eight-year-old couldn't be a businessman?
…
The next morning, I headed straight to the store, seals in hand.
Hina was already behind the counter, flipping through receipts and organizing stock. She always got in early, despite constantly complaining about it.
"You're out early," She noted as I walked in. "You look like you didn't sleep. Let me guess, playing with ink again?"
"Something like that," I admitted. I placed my test scrolls on the counter. "Tell me what you see."
She gave me a look but picked one up, inspecting the pattern.
"This is… different."
Hina wasn't a fūinjutsu expert, but she was sharp. That's why I trusted her opinion.
"...It's compact," she muttered. "Looks like a storage seal, but it's missing some of the usual kanji." She frowned. "You rewrote the entire formula?"
I nodded.
"And it works?"
"Sometimes."
She snorted. "Not exactly a glowing review."
"That's why I need a second opinion. What do you notice?"
She studied it again. "As I said, It's compact, but the ink density looks off. Feels… unstable?"
I exhaled. "Yeah. It works, but the efficiency is bad. I'm trying to reduce production time and cost, but if I sacrifice too much, the seal won't hold."
Hina placed the scroll down. "So fix it."
I gave her a flat look. "That's the plan."
She smirked. "Then stop talking to me and get back to work."
I rolled my eyes but took the scrolls back.
…
By day two, I focused on refining the structure.
Day three, I tested material efficiency. If I used a different ink mixture, could I reduce the amount needed while maintaining stability?
By day five, I had something functional.
A storage seal with only two kanji instead of five. Same function, less cost.
It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough to test in real conditions.
That meant taking it to the market district.
But first, Hina needs to see this and that brings me to my current situation.
"Watch this." I smirked, reaching for a kunai from under the counter.
Placing the kunai on the parchment, I pressed two fingers against the inked formula and pushed a bit of chakra into it. With a faint shimmer, the weapon disappeared.
Hina blinked.
"Okay… that's cool." She tapped the seal with her knuckle. "And retrieving it?"
I repeated the process, and with another flicker of chakra, the kunai reappeared exactly as it had been.
Note! Without a burst of smoke. Fucking animation. Messed with my perception of reality a bit too much.
Hina let out a low whistle. "I don't know much about fūinjutsu, but I do know this, most storage seals take up almost double the space you used here." She set the paper down and crossed her arms. "So? What's the plan?"
I exhaled, thinking through the steps I had outlined in my head the night before. "I spend way too much money on storage scrolls. Even for basic use, I have to buy them from seal masters, and the markup is ridiculous."
Hina snorted. "You complaining about prices? That's rich."
I ignored her. "So I started thinking, why not make my own? But then I realized something else. If I can create cheaper, more efficient seals, why not sell them?"
Hina gave me a long look before shaking her head with a laugh. "You never stop, do you?"
"Not if I can help it."
She picked up another seal, examining the lines again. "Alright, say I believe in your genius. What next?"
I drummed my fingers against the counter. "A few things. First, I need a reliable method to mass-produce them. Handwriting each seal is too slow."
"Yeah, you'll break your wrist if you try making these one by one."
"Exactly. There are techniques to replicate seals onto multiple parchments at once, but I need to experiment with them."
Hina nodded. "And after that?"
"Then I test the market." I gestured around us. "We already have a general store. We can start selling a few and see how they do. If it works, we expand."
Hina hummed, thinking it over. Then she leaned forward, her elbows resting on the counter. "Okay, I'm interested. But how much do you think you can sell them for?"
I pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and jotted down figures.
"A standard storage scroll costs around 240 ryō, sometimes more depending on the supplier. My version uses less ink, takes up less space, and I can make them in batches." I tapped the numbers. "I can sell them for 180 ryō—undercutting the competition while still making a profit."
Hina let out a low whistle. "That's a 25% decrease in price. That'll definitely get attention."
"Exactly." I leaned back, crossing my arms. "And if we get a steady demand, I can start developing variations, bigger seals for heavier items, specialized ones for perishable goods. Maybe even custom orders."
Hina shook her head, but I could see the spark of interest in her eyes. "You really thought this through."
I gave her a smug look. "Of course."
She sighed. "Alright, I'll handle advertising. We can set up a small display in the store and spread the word through the market district."
I grinned. "Knew I could count on you."
"Yeah, yeah." She waved me off. "But don't think you're getting out of unloading stock just because you have a new pet project."
I groaned.
---
The second week was spent refining my technique.
I basically moved to the back room, where I had set up a makeshift workspace. Several blank parchments were spread out in front of me, along with brushes and ink.
The first step? Perfecting batch production.
Traditional sealing required each formula to be written individually, but I had read about a technique that allowed multiple seals to be imprinted at once.
It was essentially a photocopier and it involved creating a master seal, one that, when activated, copied itself onto blank parchment.
I sketched out the framework carefully, muttering under my breath.
→ Main seal acts as template.
→ Ink and chakra imprint copies onto new parchment.
→ Chakra needs to be stable—too much, and it distorts the copies.
I dipped my brush in ink and began the first attempt.
By the time the sun was setting on the first day, I had gone through sixteen parchments and burned through a good chunk of ink.
Results?
Three copies worked. Thirteen failed.
Not great, but not terrible either.
I stretched my fingers, wincing at the stiffness.
Hina poked her head in. "You alive?"
"More or less." I glanced at the pile of failed seals. "Progress is slow."
She stepped inside, picking up one of the working copies. "But it's progress, right?"
I smirked. "Yeah. It is."
She tossed it back onto the desk. "Well, don't forget to eat. You're still human."
"I'll take a break once I figure out the stability issue."
She sighed, muttering something about "workaholics" before leaving.
My days quickly became a cycle of seal work, store duties, and occasional breaks with Hina and the other orphans.
I improved my success rate from 18% to 64%, meaning I was making six working seals out of every ten. Not perfect, but far better than before.
By the end second week, I had a stack of forty seals ready for sale.
That's when we put them to the test.
Hina set up a small display in front of the store:
"New! Compact Storage Seals – Efficient & Affordable!"