---Third POV---
Walking out of the Hokage Building, Tsunade lifted her head and looked toward the Hokage Rock, glowing warmly under the setting sun.
These days, not only did Konoha have a complete medical-nin team system, but even a school dedicated to training medical-nin was already being planned and built. And now, they even had a standard medicine like the Revita-Inject.
If only Nawaki and Dan had access to such medical conditions back then, then now...
It was all in the past.
She shook her head lightly, brushing away the clutter of thoughts, then looked at Ryouma walking ahead of her.
Sensing Tsunade's gaze, Ryouma turned his head back.
"Thank you, Ryouma."
Suddenly thanked for no reason, Ryouma froze for a moment. Thinking she must be referring to the injections, he chuckled. "This is what you deserve. After all, when we pulled Orochimaru-senpai back last time, you did a lot too."
The corners of Tsunade's lips curved upward slightly, but she didn't explain further. She quickened her pace, came up beside Ryouma, and patted him on the shoulder. "Use the Flying Thunder God to send me back to Konoha Hospital. You know the marker location."
Ryouma twitched his mouth helplessly, grumbling internally, Seriously? Using Flying Thunder God for such a short distance?
If it weren't for Tsunade having the Yin Seal that allowed her to store excess chakra, with her lazy habits she would've long ended up gaining weight like crazy.
"Hey, why do I feel like you're thinking something really offensive?" Tsunade clenched her fist as she spoke.
"And also, back in the Hokage's office, you clicked your tongue at the name I gave. I'll—"
"Off you go!"
Sensing danger, Ryouma didn't wait for her to finish. He immediately seized the chance, slapped her shoulder, and activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, sending her straight to Konoha Hospital.
"Phew~" He patted his chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
That was close, almost got the shit beaten out of him.
Afterward, he went to find Orochimaru again, informing him that Minato had agreed to the sale. Of course, that was just a minor detail. The main point was to coordinate with Orochimaru about future supply arrangements with Konoha's pharmacy.
"That's pretty much it. From now on, every month, Shizune will come here to pick up a batch of injections. You just need to prepare them in advance and seal them into this scroll for her."
As Ryouma explained, he handed over an exquisitely crafted scroll to him.
Orochimaru took the scroll and examined it carefully. "This storage scroll doesn't seem ordinary. Could it be made with the craftsmanship of the Uzumaki clan?"
"Sharp eye." Ryouma smiled faintly and explained, "Even back when the Land of Whirlpools was still in the sealing scroll business, this type would've been considered the highest-grade among them."
"Hehehe." Orochimaru let out a low chuckle. "In that case, could you sell me a few? Don't worry, I understand their rarity, I won't shortchange you on the price."
As a scientist, he often purchased advanced equipment from outside the shinobi world. These instruments were usually very delicate, and when transporting them, nothing was more essential than these high-level scrolls that combined both stability and massive storage space.
Unfortunately, such scrolls were almost impossible to find on the open market.
After hearing Orochimaru's request, Ryouma waved his hand and said, "Just a few storage scrolls, that's all."
As he spoke, he pulled out five more scrolls identical to the previous one from inside his jacket, placed them on the table beside him. "Take them all. If that's not enough, just come find me anytime."
"This..." Orochimaru was momentarily at a loss for words. "This really is quite the gift."
If he didn't already know that Ryouma's personality was like this, he might have suspected he was eyeing another one of his research projects.
"No need for formality between us."
In truth, since Ryouma had already produced vast amounts of sealing ink, the output of such scrolls had long since exceeded demand. After all, in the shinobi world, only a handful of people could even afford such high-grade scrolls. To maintain their preciousness, he naturally never considered lowering the price to sell more.
It was better to simply give some away occasionally as gifts.
---
The next morning, Obito banged loudly on the door, shouting, "Ryouma! Ryouma! We need to head out, you're not still in bed, are you?"
After waiting a few seconds with no response, Obito's eyes glowed red, he was about to use Kamui to teleport directly into Ryouma's room. But before he could act, the door suddenly flew open from the inside.
Wham!
Tsunade's fist came crashing down toward Obito's head as she scolded angrily: "You're so noisy!"
But the very next second, her fist passed cleanly through Obito's body in a strange way.
Taking advantage of the moment, Obito leapt forward and dashed into the courtyard.
Tsunade staggered slightly, clenching her fist curiously. But she quickly realized this had to be the power of Obito's Mangekyō Sharingan. After all, he ran around the village using Kamui so often that even Guy already knew Obito had awakened the Mangekyō.
"Haha, so you can react to my intangibility, huh? Demon?"
"Demon?!"
The corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched. These brats, once they gained power, they respected her less and less.
After a series of explosive clashes in the courtyard that sounded like a construction site, Ryouma finally came downstairs from the second floor, Shukaku still snoring on top of his head and Kurama cradled in his arms.
"Hm? What's going on here?"
There lay Obito on the floor of the living room, eyes spinning in swirls, body stiff and flat on his back like a corpse.
Kurama wriggled free from Ryouma's arms, landed lightly on the ground, and smacked Obito's face with its tail.
"Hey, brat, get up. You can't sleep here."
Feeling the odd sensation tickling his nose, Obito suddenly sprang up with a burst of energy, shouting loudly, "Damn it! You ambushed me! Let's go again, fight me fair!"
"Oh? Still want another fist to the face?"
Tsunade sat on the living room sofa, smiling faintly as she clenched her fist.
Ryouma gently nudged Obito from behind and kindly reminded him, "Enough, Obito. You can't win against her. And since you came so early, I bet you haven't had breakfast yet. Just eat with us."
The slightly eventful breakfast time passed with only minor casualties to Obito's pride.
While tidying up the dishes, Ryouma asked, "Today I plan to head out of the village. Shukaku, Kurama, do you two want to come along?"
"Of course I'm coming with you, partner. Just leave that fox here at home to keep house," Shukaku quickly interjected.
"You think I even want to go?" Kurama immediately retorted.
"And who was it yesterday that voluntarily came into our room?"
"That was only to personally guard the chakra that rightfully belongs to me!"
"Sure, laughable."
Ryouma listened to the two tailed beasts bicker without the slightest surprise, he was long used to this daily routine. In fact, if Shukaku and Kurama ever stopped quarreling one day and instead walked around hand-in-hand in peace, that would actually throw him off balance.
After finishing up in the kitchen, he grabbed one tailed beast in each hand and lifted the still-arguing pair.
"Let's go, Obito. First, we'll stop by Orochimaru-senpai's place to pick up Kura, he's coming with us too."
"OK~"
Obito replied cheerfully, opening up the Kamui space, which swallowed them up.
---
The Land of Earth, as its name suggests, it's a nation famed for its vast stretches of rock and mountains.
Iwa lies toward the eastern part of the Land of Earth's territory, surrounded on all sides by continuous rocky highlands. Between the mountains, narrow valleys and rugged paths crisscross. Now and then, mountain winds howl through the gorges, producing a low, mournful wail.
The gray of stone surfaces, this is the color of the entire country, the whole village.
But compared to the harsh conditions of Suna, one great advantage of Iwa is that it has never lacked for water. Countless mountain streams pour down from the heights, flowing into reservoirs specially constructed in Iwa, then diverted for use throughout the entire village.
If Iwa's technology were as advanced as Kumo's, they would have long ago used these torrents of natural water to generate electricity.
At the gates of Iwa, rippling vortices spread out, the "Kamui taxi" successfully arrived right at the village's entrance.
"Iwa, I'm finally back! Waaaah!"
The moment Kura stepped out of Kamui space, he threw himself onto one of the stone pillars at the gate, weeping loudly like a drama queen.
Naturally, such a commotion drew the attention of the two guards stationed there.
Since this was peacetime, and Iwa, as a great nation's ninja village, regularly received visitors coming to post missions, the two Iwa ninjas who had just switched shifts didn't react defensively. On the contrary, they approached with concern, wondering what had caused this pitiful man to cling to a pillar and cry his eyes out.
"Excuse me, may I ask what brings you here?"
One of the guards, named Iwasaki, stepped forward to inquire. But the moment his eyes instinctively went to the newcomers' foreheads, his words cut off abruptly.
His partner, Dochu, also recognized Ryouma and Obito's identities at once. He immediately halted his steps. "The war is already over, what business do you have in Iwa now?"
Before Ryouma could respond, Kura hurriedly wiped away his tears. Under the bewildered gazes of the two gatekeepers, he pulled out an Iwa forehead protector from his chest.
"Don't worry, I'm one of you. This is Ryouma-sama, here especially to meet with the Tsuchikage about a collaboration."
"Eh?!?"
It had been less than two years since the Third Great Ninja War ended, and Ryouma's infamous reputation still lingered vividly in the hearts of ninjas from the other four great villages.
To be honest, these two Iwa guards really didn't want to let Ryouma, the dangerous man with a track record of blowing up other people's villages, step inside their own.
But since Iwa and Konoha were allies now, the other party had every right to seek an audience with the Tsuchikage.
"Ah... what a situation this is..."
After a simple registration, an Iwa ANBU who had been waiting nearby politely took the lead, guiding the group while enthusiastically introducing Iwa's local customs and scenery along the way.
The buildings of Iwa were mostly spread out at the foot of the mountains and along the slopes. Constructed largely from sturdy rock and stone, the walls looked thick and solid, while the rooftops were covered with heavy stone slabs, likely meant to withstand the harsh mountain climate.
The village streets were paved with stones of varying sizes. Following closely behind Ryouma, Shukaku stepped on them with its soft paw pads, finding the uneven surface rather uncomfortable.
"Iwa isn't quite like what I imagined. It feels... uh... really old-fashioned," Obito admitted, unable to think of a better word.
There was no need to compare it to Konoha, compared even to Yu, which he had once visited, Iwa's buildings and streets gave off an even more antiquated feeling.
Ryouma didn't shy away in the slightest. Instead, he naturally picked up Obito's comment and explained, "Iwa lies in the Land of Earth, which is covered in mountains. Transportation is extremely inconvenient, so proper merchants rarely come here. Under such conditions, lagging behind the outside world's development is only natural."
Of course, Ryouma was only referring to the village's civilian economy being underdeveloped. As for Iwa itself, perhaps they didn't even care.
After all, a ninja village is, in essence, still a militarized violent organization. In that sense, Konoha and Yu were more like outliers among ninja villages.
Konoha was propelled forward purely thanks to its superior central position in the shinobi world, while Yu had a clear vision of itself as a tourist resort.
Both had bright futures.
Hearing Ryouma's clear and simple explanation, Obito's face lit up.
"It's your first time in Iwa, yet you can analyze so much just like that."
"With a bit of knowledge of the Land of Earth's geography, anyone could reach the same conclusions."
Ryouma was being completely sincere, he really didn't think his remarks had contained any particularly remarkable insight.
But Obito didn't see it that way. And nearby, both Kura and the Iwa ANBU who had been eavesdropping with perked-up ears shared the same sentiment as him.
Such a precise assessment of Iwa's current state wasn't something one could come up with just by "knowing a little" about the Land of Earth's environment.
As Iwa ninjas themselves, they couldn't help but agree wholeheartedly with Ryouma's critique.
From as far back as they could remember, Iwa had hardly changed at all, the same old shops, selling the same old goods... forever unchanging.
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