"The war has finally stopped."
Namikaze Minato lay on the tatami, feeling the breeze drifting in through the window.
Though he had returned from the battlefield, he still occasionally dreamed of the bloody scenes from the war.
This was something many shinobi who had experienced the war had to face.
Quite a few began pondering how to achieve peace.
According to Kin's understanding, it was post-war traumatic stress disorder.
In an already twisted world, adding this symptom to the mix explained why there were so many madmen and psychopaths.
"The war hasn't completely ended—it's just on a smaller scale now."
Kin replied while grinding herbs.
Thud, thud, thud.
"So, what exactly are you doing?"
Kushina's forehead twitched, visible veins standing out.
From the start until now, Kin hadn't stopped.
Fetching tools, placing ingredients, and now grinding herbs.
The noise was driving her mad.
"Making medicine? Can't you tell?"
Kin showed Kushina the contents of the mortar.
"Then can you explain why there's a bloody smell coming from it?"
Kushina pointed at the pile of blackened material inside, her face full of suspicion.
The metallic scent was overwhelming.
"There are some beast materials in it, so the smell is strong."
"What kind of medicine requires beast materials?!" Kushina roared.
Xiao Miao, hanging mid-air, shuddered and stared at Uchiha Kin with terror.
Is this guy really that cruel?
Wait, he's always been like this.
Never mind.
Kin stopped grinding and pulled out a small tripod cauldron. He poured the blackened contents into it and sealed the lid.
Thankfully, he had previously developed a tool for pill alchemy.
"This is a special shinobi medicine. You can call it a Chakra Pill. It'll be a necessity for future shinobi."
Shinobi had no existing system for pills, so they wouldn't understand their value.
"There's no way something like this exists!"
Kushina refused to believe it.
"Want to try it later?"
Kin placed his hands on the tripod, channeling chakra into it. Due to the lack of chakra-conductive metal, the process was extremely taxing.
Fortunately, the cauldron wasn't picky about the type of chakra.
As he infused it with Yin-natured chakra, the cauldron gradually turned red, its internal temperature rising steadily.
"I'm not trying it."
Kushina snorted but watched the cauldron with keen interest.
"This thing can heat up using chakra?"
Usually, things like microwaves were used. This was her first time seeing chakra applied this way.
"It's actually a tool I crafted."
Kin had made quite a few such tools, but aside from the Demon-Slaying Thousand Blades, none stood out.
He swatted away two sneaky hands.
Kushina and Minato, who had somehow crept closer, grinned awkwardly.
They'd just never seen anything like it before.
"Don't mess with me."
Every step was meticulously calculated—any mistake would ruin the output.
Thankfully, this wasn't true pill alchemy. The esoteric methods of cultivation novels demanded precise control, something his shoddy cauldron couldn't achieve.
Minato and Kushina fell silent, their eyes glued to the tripod like children staring at a new toy.
Well, they were still kids—barely thirteen.
Soon, Kin removed his hands and lifted the lid. A burst of steam erupted.
"It smells amazing!" Kushina exclaimed in surprise. The earlier metallic stench was completely gone.
Kin ignored her.
Now was the critical moment.
He transformed his chakra into water, enveloping the cauldron and its contents.
Carefully, he used the water to separate the black sludge inside. Soon, a water orb floated up under his control.
The orb split into two layers: a black pill at its core, encased in a transparent outer shell. It looked rather elegant.
Once the first was done, a second followed.
But by the third attempt, the water failed to separate, turning entirely black instead.
"Only two successes."
The purpose of this step was to preserve the medicinal properties.
Kin placed the orbs back into the cauldron, this time leaving the lid open as he reheated it.
As the water rapidly evaporated, the pills inside dried just as quickly.
He stopped heating once the process was complete.
After letting the cauldron cool, he poured out the pills.
The pitch-black pellets looked nothing like medicine—more like poison. Kin hesitated.
Then he tossed one to Minato.
"Here, try this."
"Eh, really?" Minato caught the pill.
Kin explained, "Its main effect is to temporarily increase chakra reserves. It can also replenish chakra if you're running low."
Minato nodded in understanding. Just as he was about to pop it into his mouth—
Kushina and Kin stared at him intently.
Minato narrowed his eyes at Kin.
"You're not using me as a test subject, are you?"
Damn, he caught on.
"Just eat it already!"
Kushina slapped the pill into Minato's mouth. Caught off guard, he swallowed it whole.
Kin shot her a disgusted look. What does Minato even see in her? Does he like being abused?
He turned back to Minato with concern.
"Well?"
Minato coughed twice, then looked at Kin in amazement. "It really did increase my chakra!"
The pill provided an amount equivalent to a full day's worth of chakra extraction. Who knew such a small black pellet could do that?
"And it tasted pretty good too."
Minato flashed a radiant, sun-like smile.
Relieved, Kin popped the other pill into his own mouth.
"Eh? Don't I get one?" Kushina raised her hand.
Before Kin could answer, his face turned beet red, and he gagged.
"Blech!"
The taste was bitter with a lingering metallic foulness—an indescribable nausea.
"You call this good?!"
Kin stared at Minato in disbelief, only to find him already hunched over a trash bin, dry-heaving.
"Tch."
Talk about mutual destruction.
Was it worth it?
Kushina finally caught on, patting Minato's back.
"Hahaha! Nice one, Minato!"
It took a while for the two to recover.
Kin lay sprawled on the floor, staring at the ceiling with a tearful expression as Xiao Miao swung playfully above him.
He'd been fooled by Minato.
Who'd have thought someone so upright-looking could lie without blinking?
Still, the pill's effects matched his expectations.
It was just the taste that left him conflicted.
...
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(End of Chapter)