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Plan
Shirō reviewed everything in his mind.
The White Zetsu problem had been resolved. The isolation chamber was secure. He also still possessed the portion of Tailed Beast chakra he had obtained from Tai Yi before leaving the village.
He even had some residual Ōtsutsuki bloodline cells taken from Katsuki. That should be enough.
By his original estimate, only about fifty percent of the energy should have remained. After all, many years had passed, and he hadn't used it much during that time.
Moreover, Shirō had killed quite a few shinobi over the years.
Without hesitation, he summoned the system.
"Artificial system, how much energy do you currently have?"
"Scanning… The energy bank currently stands at forty-six percent."
"Forty-six?" Shirō frowned. Something felt off.
"How is it only forty-six? I clearly remember it being around thirty percent a long time ago."
"Retrieving data… The system repair progress is currently forty-six percent. Therefore, the energy bank can only store up to forty-six percent. Excess energy has been automatically consumed to repair damaged system modules."
"…"
"So I still need to repair the system to fifty percent first?"
"Yes."
Shirō clicked his tongue. "Useless system. You never give me any sense of urgency. Fine—calculate how much energy is required to reach fifty percent."
"Calculating… Calculation failed. Data volume exceeds predictive parameters."
"…"
Damn artificial intelligence.
Since precise calculations were impossible, the idea of slowly accumulating energy by killing shinobi was no longer realistic. Who knew how long it would take just to reach fifty percent?
That left only one option: directly absorbing massive external energy sources.
Shirō fell silent for a moment.
At present, the high-energy items in his possession were limited: a portion of the Seven-Tails' chakra and a Magic Crystal.
But both had their own purposes.
The Seven-Tails' chakra was reserved for attribute enhancement and could not be absorbed by the system. Tailed Beast chakra was extremely difficult to obtain, and once spent, it would be nearly impossible to replenish—especially while Shirō's wings had yet to fully mature.
As for the Magic Crystal, although it could be replenished, it was used to recharge his Crest and served as a last-resort life-saving item. He couldn't afford to waste it casually.
If the Magic Crystal proved insufficient to push the system past fifty percent, he would be placing himself in serious danger.
That meant he had to seek energy from external sources.
Shirō mentally listed the few high-energy entities he knew of: Mōryō in the Land of Demons, the Dragon Veins, the meteorite in Bear Country rumored to be connected to the Ten-Tails, and the monster sealed within that certain box, which could also function as a massive power reservoir.
That was everything he could recall.
The Dragon Veins were out of the question—he had major plans for them and couldn't afford to interfere with them now.
Mōryō was also unsuitable; otherwise, he would have absorbed it back in the Land of Demons. The creature sealed in the box was likely the same—its nature was similar to Mōryō's, and obtaining it would require complex preparations.
After eliminating those options, only one target remained.
The meteor in Bear Country.
Whether or not it was truly a fragment of the Ten-Tails, it undeniably contained an enormous amount of chakra. Shirō still remembered the Ten-Tails fragment he had absorbed in the past, and instinct told him this situation was feasible.
Unlike living entities, that kind of energy had no self-awareness. Absorption would be comparatively easy.
His objective became clear.
Although the meteor was considered a sacred treasure by the Star Village, their unique ninjutsu meant that even their jōnin posed little threat to Shirō.
He had nothing to fear.
With the decision made, Shirō began formulating his plan.
Even though he was confident he could simply take it by force, that would be a last resort. If possible, he preferred to obtain it through legitimate means.
After all, he wasn't officially a rogue ninja yet. If the incident became public, it would be difficult to explain to Konoha.
He prepared three approaches.
First: purchase it outright, offering a large sum of money and ninjutsu in exchange. The chances were slim, but it could serve as a backup.
Second: steal it quietly, leaving without alerting anyone.
Third—and most likely to be used—seize it directly. At that point, he would activate his Noble Phantasm to suppress their ninjutsu and eliminate all resistance.
Fast, but messy.
And the option he least wanted to rely on.
Therefore, his preparations focused on the first two plans.
If it was going to be a transaction, he needed something of equivalent value.
Ninjutsu was easy—Shirō had access to techniques from nearly every village. He could simply copy a few.
Money, however, was more troublesome.
Offer too much, and he couldn't afford it. Offer too little, and negotiations would fail immediately. Even if the chances of success were low, he still needed to demonstrate sincerity.
Unfortunately, he only had tens of thousands of ryō left.
He urgently needed a large sum of cash.
Taking bounty missions would take far too long and wasn't worth the effort for such an uncertain outcome.
That was when his old money-making scheme resurfaced.
Selling Explosive Tags.
Using Projection, Shirō could create Explosive Tags and sell them before they dissipated.
Once the money changed hands, it wasn't his problem anymore.
As long as he profited, what happened to the buyer was none of his concern.
However, this required selling in bulk.
Because the projected tags had a limited duration, he would have to sell them quickly—and only once within a long period of time.
That meant the quantity had to be carefully controlled.
Too many, and the market wouldn't absorb them.
Too few, and it wouldn't be worth the effort.
The standard market price for Explosive Tags hovered between seven hundred and one thousand ryō. For wholesale quantities, the price would drop significantly—around four hundred to five hundred per tag.
Shirō intended to raise roughly one hundred million ryō.
Any more would be unrealistic; few organizations could mobilize that much cash at once, and the procedures would become troublesome.
At four hundred ryō per tag, that meant producing over two hundred thousand Explosive Tags.
That was far beyond what ordinary groups could afford, so his choice of buyer required careful consideration.
The Five Great Nations were immediately ruled out. In fact, dealing with any country was too risky. Large nations were powerful, while smaller ones were usually under the influence of a major power.
Those high-end clients had to be abandoned.
Moreover, their demand for Explosive Tags wasn't particularly high, since detonation required chakra.
As for other organizations, Shirō lacked reliable connections.
In the end, only one option remained.
The underground Exchange.
They were powerful, operated black markets across the shinobi world, and maintained constant demand for weapons and consumables like Explosive Tags.
He wasn't worried about them refusing the deal.
That said, the details required careful planning.
Double-crosses were common in the underworld. Shirō wasn't the only one who played dirty—the Exchange was notorious for it as well.
He also needed a suitable identity.
Shirō had no intention of abandoning his current cover yet, and it was far too suspicious for a lone rogue ninja to suddenly produce hundreds of thousands of Explosive Tags.
That part, too, would require preparation.
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