There are things we're allowed to do. There are also things we are not allowed to do.
I am the only Iga who currently wants to take up the homely and delicate art of Brewing, however. A person cannot live off of archery alone.
It all goes back to Mom. She had… something. Wrong with her.
She couldn't breast feed us. Me. Doesn't matter.
What matters is that she taught me- all of us, but mostly me- how to Brew. How to use the clan's specialty Herbalism. That's what she used to make up something very like what her breast milk should have been for us. It was goat's milk and spices, herbs I can't say the name of anymore; it's a sealed recipe, I can't even write it down for someone. The only way I could ever give Milk to someone out of the clan is if I made it for them and gave them a bottle.
The Brew used in the Ritual of Perception Expansion is actually a thick, molasses-type paste; it is heavy, dark, and very sticky. It tastes like dirt. It's properly called 'Black Magic' in the Iga book of herblore.
White Rabbit is a tincture of baiju and Hard Black Magic. We grow Sorgum- it's good fodder for the sheep.
White Rabbit is almost entirely mushrooms. One part Black Mushrooms, known for their potent hallucinogenic qualities; one part Lingzhi Mushrooms, good for the immune system; one part Chakuro Mushrooms, good for chakra regulation. The sheep that are always down in town, munching on various types of mushrooms- well, the thing of it is, most mushrooms are actually powerful hallucinogens in their own right. They're also terribly poisonous- to humans, at least. The sheep are much, much tougher than a man- so they eat the mushrooms without a problem. And they piss out the powerful hallucinogens good Black Magic needs. Chop up the mushrooms thin, like matchsticks and steep 'em in piss for a few days- no more than five. It turns into a thick, molasses-type paste, which is ingested during the Ritual.
White Rabbit requires a few things more- technically, all it requires is Black Bonedust. It's a mixture of powdered cinnamon, lime zest boiled in brine and sun dried, powdered red travelers plum, and powdered blood. Any kind of blood will do. Mix this stuff with Black Magic and you get a sludge that isn't solid, but certainly isn't liquid- you could stick a spoon into it just fine, and turn the bowl you're mixing it in over without fear; that's Hard Black Magic.
Lastly, combining baiju and Hard Black Magic- nothing to it. Magic goes in a jar, booze goes over it. Put a lid on it tight and shake daily until the Magic dissolves. You'll be left with a liquid that looks exactly like soy sauce. It is not soy sauce.
Hellvigor takes a bit more effort- shit, I could make White Rabbit in a month if I had to. Hellvigor, technically speaking, is an infusion of the most powerfully strong peppers known to the world mixed with a decoction of a legally recognized recently weaponized pepper, mixed again with cutting agents. Without those cutting agents, this stuff is technically just Vigor, and it's used as a specialty sheep liniment.
The Mortal Scorpion is a pepper that is a pale, almost ivory white with a soft yellow tint. It looks vaguely like a scorpion, with its sharply hooked tail. It has smooth, soft skin, and a delicate, fruity flavor. It is also the hottest pepper in the world. It is illegal to buy, sell, trade, or give them to anyone, anywhere. They are banned from commercial production in every shinobi nation, and the Land of Iron.
The "Blue Hell" 7 Pot pepper is a bright white pepper that has distinctive iridescent blue 'pimpling' on it's flesh. They are, for lack of a better term, lumpy, and vaguely phallic in shape. Their skin is glossy, and their flowers are cream with yellow centers. Their flavor is fruity, with hints of floral tones. It is the second hottest pepper in the world. It is said that one pepper is enough for seven pots of flavor.
The Naga Bone pepper is a brown, wrinkly thing, with a sweet, slightly tart taste. Mature peppers also tend to have undertones of wood and smoke. It can cause deep burns on unguarded flesh, and must be picked with wooden tongs, as its volatile acids will eat through leather.
The Apple Pepper is a pepper that is shaped like an apple. It's usually colored like a red-yellow apple, and has a meaty, beefy flavor. We use it for deworming the sheep- and making Vigor.
Cryin' are peppers that are a lurid red color, always- they form pale, cool gold flowers and then fangs of fruit so red as to be blood colored and disturbing. Even when those things are powdered, they're still a bright, vicious red. A small bushel of them can be used to repel rats from a granary; a handful of Cryin' powder can make even a trained tracker-type ninken abandon a trail. It's actually illegal to use them in bombs. Making a decoction of Cryin' is no joke. You can blind yourself with this stuff- I actually always decoct it on days when the wind blows up from the village, instead of down into it.
While the decoction is cooking, I cut the peppers into strips, or mash them down, and stick them all into a special wooden basket; I let the peppers steep in the redness, let all that fire and vigor soak into the blood-colored liquid. And it is blood colored- a brighter, redder, pinker color than most people ever believe.
Stop there and it's Vigor, a special sheep liniment that has to cool and 'set' for about three months after you make it. Keep going, and you have to steep the peppers until exposed bits of skin start to feel blistered, even if they're cold from the wind. I let the infusion- decoction- brew- cool down to nearly warm, and start stirring in equal parts orange juice, lemon juice, and sea salt brine.
This stuff has to settle for half a year- and be rebottled. The silt that gathers at the bottom after three months isn't fit for human consumption. But like I've said- the sheep are tougher than any man. The liquor that is made after that second three month stretch is a color so violently red as to be mistaken for rubies or blood. It is perfectly clear, and has a sweet, delicate flavor.
Iga's don't drink. That's Clan Law. We don't drink. Ever. We do, however, make various medicinal potions, be they elixirs, tinctures, decoctions, concoctions, or brews. And whether the medicinal brew be meant for the mind or the body, the Iga have always excelled in its making.
I'm not sure why Tsunade-shishou made such a face when I explained this to her. She did insist on trying some Hellvigor. She'll be fine in three days. Maybe four.
However long the hangover lasts, really.