**[Nara Shikane's Custom Dog Food]**
**Quality:** Blue (Elite)
**Ingredients:** Medicinal herbs, premium meat.
**Effect:** Enhances ninken's physical prowess *without side effects*. Optimal for puppies post-weaning.
**Note:** Irresistible to canines. Control the pack by controlling their cravings.
**Approval Rating:** 780/1000 (*Higher ratings unlock exclusive rewards!*)
**Rewards:** +1 Physique, +10 Chakra Reserves
---
Shikane watched Yamamaru—Inuzuka Yama's hyperactive ninken—devour the last crumbs from its bowl. Relief washed over him. Just days ago, the Approval Rating for his experimental dog food had been a pitiful **10/100**. But now? The Inuzuka elders had taken notice. Their endorsement was the golden stamp of *"This works."*
Yama's father had even hinted at a clan visit. *Negotiations.* Shikane's lips twitched. If this deal closed, the Inuzuka's funding would fuel his next project. Geniuses like him couldn't afford to "grow slowly." Not with Mayuri's soul whispering in his mind, demanding *progress*.
**Progress cost resources.**
The Nara clan's wealth? Conditional. Their support hinged on results. And Shikane was done playing the lazy heir.
"*Urrf…*" Yamamaru flopped onto its back, belly swollen, paws twitching in bliss. Shikane tossed Yama another bag of kibble. "New batch. Triple the protein."
Yama grinned. "Dad's gonna *freak*. Last week, Yamamaru outran a hawk!"
---
**That Night**
Nara Yoshiki stumbled home, exhaustion weighing his steps. His six-year-old son sat rigid in the dim light, eyes blazing like twin kunai.
"**It's ready, Father.**"
Yoshiki froze. "What did you say?"
Shikane didn't blink. He lifted his palm, where a peach rested. Shadows coiled like serpents from his fingertips, weaving into a **black coffin** that engulfed the fruit. Spear-like shadows stabbed inward—*crunch*.
When the darkness faded, the peach lay shredded into pulp.
Yoshiki's breath hitched. The technique was crude, unstable… but undeniably *brilliant*. A shadow-based killing jutsu, forged by a child!
**Shadow Coffin Technique**
**Rank:** A+ (Growth-Type)
**Requirements:** Yin Release mastery, Nara shadow arts.
**Effect:** Traps targets in a shadow prison filled with piercing strikes.
**Warning:** *Do. Not. Enter.*
**Approval Rating:** 10/1000
---
Shikane's mind surged. Knowledge once foggy—Yin Release's essence, the dance of form and void—snapped into clarity. New ideas bloomed: *Expand the coffin's size… layer the spikes…*
"Document everything," Yoshiki ordered, voice trembling. "This will become a clan secret. The elders will reward you."
Shikane slid a stack of notes forward, ink still fresh. He'd anticipated this.
**Reward Unlocked:**
*Yin Release Comprehension +20%*
*Inspiration for "Shadow Coffin: Phase Two"*
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**PS: Investors, stake your claim!** *(New chapter drops soon!)*