This might sound strange, but what I saw in Hayana's office really got me thinking about storage scrolls.
Fuinjutsu itself is a pretty complex art - or rather, a science - that can blow the mind of anyone who tries to study it. Take a storage scroll, for example: a shinobi doesn't care how it works, just that you can seal something inside, unseal it, and know the limits. You put an item on the scroll, channel some chakra, and *poof* - it's gone, sealed away. But when I realized that fuin actually creates a separate space, I just about tore my hair out trying to wrap my head around it. Sure, storage scrolls are handy, but how do they actually work?
Trying to figure out which kanji are used to make a storage scroll is impossible - at least for now. Just like licensed software, the "code" of a storage scroll is encrypted, full of weird squiggles that make no sense. The fuin is so well encrypted that without the key, you can't crack it.
(Encryption key or decryption key - that's a specific set of symbols used by an algorithm to hide or reveal protected data. For example, take a simple cipher: every letter in a sentence is replaced by its order in the alphabet - АБВ becomes 1,2,3. If you know the system, you can decode any message - 78 means ёж. But there are some really advanced encryption algorithms where, even if you understand the principle, you get nowhere without the key - a string of letters and numbers you could spend ten or a hundred thousand years brute-forcing. End of the info dump, let's get back to business.)
If I can't figure out how a storage scroll works, I can't recreate one. Explosive tags are easier - their fuin is encrypted too, but I already have a few ideas for making explosions using different chakra natures.
Anyway, what I saw at the hospital gave me the idea to test whether you can store a space inside another space - basically, create a subspace. Until today, I'd never thought about sealing a storage scroll inside another storage scroll. Why would I? The three cubic meters you get from a standard scroll were always more than enough.
But now that the idea was in my head, I couldn't wait to try it. If you could store a storage scroll inside another, logistics and storage would be a breeze. Transport? Everything in a scroll! Warehouse? Everything in a scroll!
The shinobi market sells a standard storage scroll for 50,000 ryo - any shinobi can buy one. But the non-standard kind, which lets you seal living things as well as objects, costs 400,000 ryo and holds up to eight cubic meters. Unfortunately, those are only sold with special authorization, and only to jonin or tokubetsu jonin.
So, the idea of expanding one scroll's space with others was tempting, but I was worried about the risks of experimenting with storage scrolls.
For some reason, the first thing that came to mind was a black hole opening up and swallowing everything. So, I decided to run the experiment outside, far from prying eyes and potential victims - in the backyard of my house in the Uchiha district.
I had a few spare storage scrolls, though I had to empty one of valuables first.
The scroll I planned to seal inside the other, I filled with random junk: pebbles, a broken mop handle I found in the house, scraps of moth-eaten curtains. Just for the sake of the experiment.
"Maybe toss in a flower from the field? It's a living thing, even if it's not sentient," my clone suggested. We threw it in, though I didn't see much point.
You can actually seal living things in a scroll - I once tried it with a live crab I bought at the southeast market. I managed to seal it just fine, but when I unsealed it, the crab was dead, only twitching reflexively.
I figured the space inside a standard storage scroll is like a vacuum - no air, which is instantly fatal for anything that breathes. On the plus side, food lasts three or four times longer in a scroll than in a fridge. For long-term storage, a freezer is still best, but smoked goods can last a year in a scroll, no problem.
"Living, but not sentient…" I muttered. Maybe because I had a meeting with Tedeo coming up to finalize the contract, my brain was working better than usual today. I was coming up with some interesting ideas.
"Better yet, let's try sealing a clone." I created another clone next to me and immediately felt my chakra drop to a quarter.
Shadow Clone Jutsu has one big drawback, besides the headaches from all the info you get back. The problem is, when you make n clones, your chakra gets split into n+1 parts. So, if I make four clones, my chakra is split five ways - 20% each. If I make one clone, then another, I end up with one clone with 50% of my chakra, and the second with 25% of what's left, so 62,5% of my total, and I'm left with 37,5% myself.
Turns out, you need a minimum amount of chakra to make a clone. Judging by the fact that I can't make more than five at once, it takes about 16% of my total chakra to make one. Now, remember how many clones Naruto made with the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu against Mizuki? I don't remember the exact number, but it was at least two hundred. That means, with his lousy control, each clone only took about 0.5% of his chakra.
So, Naruto at thirteen already had thirty-two times my chakra reserves. And that's with my current control - I couldn't always make five clones, so it's safe to say that right now, Naruko has at least forty times more chakra than I do. What'll happen when she hits her prime?
Scary to think about. If Kishimoto hadn't wanted epic battles, Naruto could've just sat back and sent wave after wave of clones into every fight. With the Kyuubi as a battery, and even with the seal, some chakra always leaks through.
And if Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, hadn't kept his techniques to himself and just explained the basics of Naruto's favorite jutsu, the story would've been totally different. A fireball the size of a quarter of Konoha? Naruto could've pumped in enough chakra that no substitution jutsu would save the enemy. But hey, that's how the story goes.
"He'll just poof," my clone said, nodding at the other clone.
"Does he even need air? He's basically made of chakra, and as far as I know, you guys don't have lungs. And he'll fit in a one-cubic-meter scroll, no problem."
Both clones looked at me, then shut their mouths and tried to see if they needed to breathe. A minute passed, then two, then five, and finally one of them spoke up.
"You're right, we don't need air. If you knew that, why didn't we?" he asked.
"I just figured it out," I shrugged.
Apparently, the clones themselves didn't realize they didn't need air.
"But there's no guarantee we won't just poof in the scroll," the first clone said, eyeing the second. I looked at the newly made clone.
"So I'm the lab rat, huh? Thanks a lot…" he grumbled, sitting down on the open scroll.
Ten minutes later, I unsealed the clone, and he stood up, looking around in surprise.
"You already sealed me?" he asked, glancing around.
"Didn't you get a look at the inside of the scroll?" I asked, curious.
"No, I just saw the sealing smoke and then blacked out for a moment. Felt like I never left. How long was I in there?"
"About ten minutes. Does time stop in the scroll?" the first clone asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.
"No, food spoils in there, so there's no time freeze. I guess you just went into a coma or something," I said, then dispelled the clone to see what he'd experienced. "What the…?" I was shocked.
"What is it?" the last clone asked, getting nervous.
"The chakra came back, but I didn't get any of his memories - not even the conversations he had."
"So the mental link… gets cut off?" he said, voicing the thought that had just occurred to me.
A second test confirmed it. It didn't matter if the clone was sealed for a second, five minutes, or half an hour. For him, it was just a brief flash, and whatever happened in his head after being sealed didn't get passed on. Even mental commands after unsealing didn't work - only spoken ones.
"So dispelling those clones won't overload my brain," I realized. That means I could use clones in scrolls as batteries! Only… a standard scroll can hold just one clone. The most I can do is make a clone with half my chakra, so I'd need at least two scrolls for clones, and each one costs 50,000 ryo… not too bad. But I don't want to lug around a stack of scrolls, so it was time for the experiment I'd come here to do.
The clone took both scrolls and walked a hundred steps into the woods, just in case.
On my signal, he sealed one scroll inside the other and… nothing? Did it work? That easy?
"The scroll's shaking," the clone reported through the mental link.
Crap, it's not supposed to do that - there's no such function.
"Try…" - and then I grabbed my head. Damn! That hurts, right between the eyes.
I didn't even get to finish my thought before the scroll just "spit out" everything inside. It poofed my clone, too. Phantom pain is still pain, but at least it fades. If I'd been there in person, maybe the mop handle wouldn't have gone through my head, but I'd definitely have a nasty bruise.
I didn't go check myself - I sent another clone.
"Well?" I asked, watching him fiddle with the scroll.
"No good, the fuin structure's destroyed. I'll look for the sealed scroll… never mind, there's torn paper everywhere." He came back with the first scroll.
So, if you seal a scroll inside another, both spaces collapse after a few seconds, dumping everything out. Too bad, but what can you do. At least I found a way to quickly recharge my chakra. Now it was time to head to my meeting with Tedeo.
By the time I arrived, the trading conglomerate's rep was already there. We decided to sign the contract at the bank, in a private room. The contract was already drawn up and just waiting for my signature - unfortunately, Tedeo had to redo it.
"I get it, but this clause just doesn't work for me. What if you shut down the project and use the tech you developed for your own profit? No, Tedeo-san, I'll let the drop from 21% to 19% slide, out of respect for you and the Land of Snow, but please change this to: a share of profits from all technologies developed during the project."
"But Akira-san, think about it! You'd get a cut from every TV we ever make. Is that really fair?"
"Oh? And is it fair that the contract doesn't mention profits from cassette sales or the tech to play them?" Tedeo blushed and sat back down.
I knew I'd have to compromise on some things. I could live without a cut from tape recorders and cassettes, but there was no way I was giving up my share of the most valuable thing - the TV. The argument got heated, almost to the point of swearing.
"Tedeo-san, either we stamp this contract, or you find a new investor. I'm sure if you look hard enough, you'll find a few dozen people willing to part with a million or two ryo." And that was the truth.
But what's easier - dealing with one of me, or three dozen others? I'd even hinted a few times that if this partnership worked out, I'd be open to investing in other projects. The Land of Snow desperately needed big, reliable investors for the long haul. And those investors didn't see the real money in TVs - they saw it in weapons and gear, which the Land of Snow only made for itself. In the end, Tedeo agreed.
One copy of the contract went to me, one to the trading conglomerate rep - they'd get their cut from imported goods - one to Tedeo, and the fourth to the Land of Fire's bank. The bank was happy to handle my payments for a fee. I couldn't be bothered to go to the trading conglomerate myself, and this way was safer.
Still… I didn't trust the Land of Snow at all. At first, they'd pay up, but as soon as they realized TVs were a gold mine, they might try to quietly get rid of me. If the investor dies, they don't have to pay anyone, and there's no conflict with the Land of Fire. The bank and the conglomerate were my insurance that I'd get paid, but the only one who could insure my life was me. I had zero faith in the ANBU - they could "miss" anything if the Hokage just nodded.
For now, though, I was a "friend" to the Land of Snow, so after signing the contracts, Tedeo took me out to celebrate and smooth over any hard feelings. And during our little get-together, I learned something new - not exactly useful, but interesting. The conversation drifted from family to women.
"Ah, Akira-san, you're still young," Tedeo said, swirling sake in his cup. "A wife is great, at first. But then you have a kid, then another, and that changes things. I've been married fifteen years - you think couples keep the passion that long? Not a chance!"
Turns out, marital fidelity is a bit more flexible for men around here. I mean, I never thought everyone was strictly monogamous, with no mistresses. But I figured guys at least tried to keep it quiet. And they do, but getting caught with a mistress rarely leads to divorce.
As Tedeo put it, the wife might throw a fit, break a few dishes, but she'll calm down soon enough. More like she just resigns herself to it. The usual tactic for men is to remind their wife she's number one, more important than any mistress.
So, no one's going to praise you for having a mistress, but no one's going to look down on you either - except maybe your wife.
But if a wife gets caught with a lover… that's a whole different story. A simple scandal or divorce won't cut it. That kind of stain on a man's honor can only be washed away with blood - and even then, not completely. The lover might get away, depending on his status and whether he can survive the husband's first wave of rage. But the wife's fate is entirely in her husband's hands.
Even so, wives cheating isn't exactly rare. As women in the 21st century like to say, "If she cheated, it's your fault for not paying enough attention." Lousy excuse, and there's a word for women like that.
But in this world, things are a little different. Cheating isn't justified, but having a bunch of mistresses doesn't exactly inspire loyalty in your wife, either. Most of the time, the reason women cheat is because their husband hasn't touched them in years.
"That's why I tell you and all my friends," Tedeo slurred, already drunk, "Step out on the side, then go home and warm your wife's bed. That's all there is to it…"
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