"We have to work harder! The Chunin Exam is the perfect chance to redeem ourselves."
***
In the sealed office of the Kazekage, Rasa knelt on a tatami mat, a secret letter from Otogakure placed before him. Although both were allies of Konoha, Otogakure had only joined the alliance a few years ago, and there had been little contact between it and Sunagakure. But the contents of the letter gave Rasa, who had been looking for a chance to strike back at Konoha, a glimmer of hope.
A secret pact, the Chunin Exam, and…
"Orochimaru, is it? It won't hurt to make contact."
The former commander of the Konoha forces who fought against Suna at Kikyo Mountain Castle, now a rogue ninja, was finally making his move.
*It's been over a decade. Your so-called peace has lasted long enough!*
***
The reward from a C-rank mission of moderate difficulty provided some relief for Daigan, who had been short on cash. The only problem was that higher-rank missions took longer to complete. D-rank commissions, while paying little, were quick—a day at the shortest, three to five at the longest. C-rank missions were much more trouble. Wiping out a bandit group with no rogue ninja or samurai had taken over half a month. The actual operation wasn't difficult; most of the time was wasted on travel and intelligence gathering.
All things considered, high-rank missions paid a bit more, but not by a huge margin. Relying on missions to build up savings was just too slow. So, Daigan occasionally looked for other avenues to acquire useful things.
"I prepared this meticulously. The purification process is incredibly difficult. If it wasn't you asking, I wouldn't sell it so casually." Daigan beamed, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
Sunagakure didn't have many wealthy patrons, and a quality client like Kankuro was a rare find.
Kankuro gently dipped a finger into the bluish-purple powder and sniffed it cautiously.
"Hey, be careful, you idiot. If you get poisoned and die, I'm not taking responsibility."
"Shut up." Kankuro pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the potent poison from his hand. "It's good, but it's too expensive." Having spent too much money on his puppet collection, the Kazekage's second son was short on cash.
"You get what you pay for. Can those concoctions refined from fruit pit residue and burnt trash compare to this? Did the sample I gave you last time work well?"
Crude alchemy was all it was. Daigan didn't know any complex methods, but refining a bit of cyanide wasn't particularly difficult. Large-scale production was out of the question with his current resources, but making enough potent poison for one or two puppet masters by hand was manageable.
In truth, the pits of various fruits like peaches, plums, apricots, and loquats contained cyanogenic glycosides of no small toxicity, and cassava contained hydrocyanic acid, though in small amounts. The poison-wielding ninja of Suna had long discovered these natural toxins, but without understanding the underlying chemistry, they could only use decoction methods to create mixed poisons. How could that compare to the pure and effective results of Daigan's direct, "crude alchemy" approach?
Cyanide might not be the most potent poison out there, but it was more than sufficient. What puppet masters valued most was its speed. An ordinary person would die almost instantly upon ingestion. Even ninja with their strong resistance would, for the most part, immediately suffer respiratory failure. Without prompt medical attention, they would likely suffocate. In a ninja battle, being hit with this poison would cause a drastic drop in combat ability, and facing a strong opponent would almost certainly end badly.
"Let me think about it," Kankuro hesitated, wondering if he should go back and borrow some money from Temari to buy the whole batch.
"What's there to think about? This is essential for home, travel, murder, and plunder. I might not have the time or patience to make more next time. If you don't want it, I'll sell it to someone else. You're not the only puppet master in the village. That girl who lives next door to me is a puppet master too, and her family seems pretty rich. She might be interested."
"Fine, you win." Kankuro finally gave in to the temptation. "I'll take it, but I don't have enough cash on me. I'll have to owe you."
"No can do. Not even the Kazekage's son can force a sale, right?"
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Well… how about a trade?" Daigan smoothly revealed his true intention.
"You planned this from the start, didn't you?" Offering this much high-quality poison was clearly beyond what someone could afford with pocket money.
"Don't say that. We'll be family sooner or later. Why would I rip you off?"
"Who's family with you? And I should warn you, Temari had her fan reinforced. The wooden ribs were replaced with steel. If you take another hit like that, you might not get up."
"About that…" Daigan chuckled awkwardly. "Let's discuss family matters later. Business first."
"Whatever. But let me make it clear, you can't have my puppets in exchange for this."
"Why would I want your hand-me-downs? I'll just take some materials, at most. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Materials? That's fine." Kankuro breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Daigan wasn't after his painstakingly collected treasures, everything else was negotiable.
***
That evening, Daigan returned home laden with a huge pile of rare materials, his heart filled with joy as he looked at the goods spread across half his floor.
"Finally, I didn't lose money. In fact, I made a hefty profit, haha…" Daigan couldn't help but laugh triumphantly, finally feeling a sense of relief.
His so-called crude alchemy, given his limited resources, had required a significant investment. He had poured his entire savings from the past half-year into it, and at last, it had paid off. The greater the risk, the more astonishing the reward. He hadn't cheated Kankuro; it was a mutually beneficial exchange. If not for the time pressure, Daigan would have preferred not to take such a risk.
Fortunately, it was a success. This could even become a stable source of income, though he wasn't sure how long it would last. One should never underestimate a ninja's intelligence-gathering abilities. His "secret formula" could be leaked in the future without him even realizing it. And then there was Chiyo, lurking in the shadows. That old woman had been researching poisons for decades. If she got her hands on a sample, she might be able to reverse-engineer the preparation method. Daigan would never underestimate the capabilities of a high-level ninja.
"With these, I should be able to make something useful."