"No problem—leave it to me!"
Tamura Hao answered without the slightest hesitation. For him, any problem that could be solved with money wasn't really a problem at all.
"Good! Good! Good!"
A laughed loudly, utterly delighted. "From now on, our cultivation depends on you! If you ever need anything, just come to me. As long as it doesn't violate principles, I'll handle it for you!"
A was genuinely excited. With this junior's backing, his own future training was now secure.
The foundation of nintaijutsu was physical strength—the stronger the body, the greater the technique's power. Strengthening the body was absolutely essential.
But the human body had limits. Pure training alone could only go so far. Only with high-grade secret medicines like this could one push beyond innate physical ceilings—perhaps even break them.
"Brother, if there's anything like this in the future, just tell me," Tamura Hao said cheerfully.
"When it comes to money, I'll do my absolute best."
He was genuinely happy.
He could see clearly that A was making use of his financial strength to advance his own cultivation—but Tamura Hao didn't mind at all.
That was how a proper team worked:
Those with money contributed money
Those with strength contributed strength
Those with resources contributed resources
A bringing out Yotsuki clan secret medicine alone was already an enormous gesture. This wasn't something money alone could buy.
Beside them, Fukuroi felt increasingly puzzled. It was obvious something major was happening—something he hadn't been told.
"You all seem to be having a great time."
A massive figure entered the room.
It was Third Raikage.
"Teacher!"
"Dad!"
"Raikage-sama!"
All three greeted him at once—though Tamura Hao's "teacher" made the Third Raikage's eyelid twitch.
This disciple was dangerous. One wrong step and his lifelong reputation would shatter.
Suppressing the urge to clean house, the Third Raikage spoke sternly:
"Strip. I'll break your bones."
Seeing Tamura Hao's stunned expression, A explained calmly:
"Our clan's hand-blade training requires shattering and reforging the body. Only by cracking the bones can the medicine fully penetrate. After healing, bone strength increases dramatically."
"Teacher, I'm ready."
Tamura Hao immediately stripped without hesitation and signaled his readiness.
This kind of opportunity wasn't something to refuse. A little short-term pain was nothing compared to what certain Konoha workaholics had endured.
The Third Raikage said nothing more.
His palm struck Tamura Hao's body with blinding precision—cracking every bone, even placing controlled fractures along the spine—before lifting the grimacing, twitching boy and dropping him into the medicinal bath.
This wasn't literal bone-breaking. Only fine fractures were needed so the medicine could seep into the marrow.
But it required extreme precision—especially around the spine.
In all of Kumogakure, only the Third Raikage could do this safely.
He then repeated the process for his son and his nephew.
Frankly, this was mainly for those two.
One was his successor.
The other was his chosen Eight-Tails jinchūriki candidate.
Their strength and potential needed to be pushed to the absolute limit.
"Teacher," Tamura Hao asked through clenched teeth after the pain eased slightly,
"Do we need to crack the skull as well for absorption?"
The Third Raikage glared at him.
"The skull already has natural sutures. No need."
He wasn't about to touch the brain. Cracking the spine without damaging the spinal cord was already pushing his limits.
Besides, medicine could enter through natural bone gaps and even the jaw and teeth. No weak points would be left.
"Teacher, don't you want a barrel too?" Tamura Hao continued boldly.
"Money's not an issue. I don't just earn from novels—the entertainment complex in the village is mine. It's almost fully operational now. I should be making about one hundred million ryō per month in net profit."
"…!"
A and Fukuroi froze.
"The Little Fat Sheep Hotpot City?"
"That place is yours?!"
They both knew it well. The complex had been carved into a mountain and started with a single hotpot restaurant that instantly swept the village.
It had since expanded into a full entertainment district with endless food and attractions.
The owner was mysterious.
And now they were being told it was this boy—who had been seven years old when it started.
Even the Third Raikage was taken aback.
"But can you actually keep that income?" he sneered.
He'd heard from Tutai that the absent owner's management team was starting to get ideas of their own.
"That's why I have you, Teacher," Tamura Hao grinned.
"I'm willing to hand over 50% of profits as tax to the Raikage Tower. I also want to expand the entertainment complex across the world—especially into other villages. For that, I'll need the village's support."
He'd anticipated this long ago. That was why he'd never revealed himself—only operating through transformation techniques and intermediaries.
But now?
He had the Third Raikage at his back.
If anyone still dared to get greedy, they'd have to see whether their heads were harder than Hell Stab.
"Scheming brat," the Third Raikage laughed.
"Submit a full proposal to Tutai later."
Then he shook his head with a sigh.
"This medicine only works before full skeletal maturity. Once the bones finish developing, its effects diminish sharply. My own body has already surpassed what external aids can improve."
He'd already undergone a complete bodily refinement when he mastered Black Lightning, forging the strongest Lightning Armor in existence.
In raw physique, he was unmatched—even the so-called God of Shinobi couldn't compare purely in body. Hashirama's strength lay in his monstrous chakra, not flesh.
"This bath takes three hours to absorb. After that, medical-nin will heal your fractures. You'll be able to walk soon."
With that, the Third Raikage turned and left.
He was a busy man.
Once he was gone, Fukuroi finally spoke in a low voice:
"…Which author are you, exactly?"
He'd suspected ever since hearing about the novel money.
He was a reader too. He knew how insane those sales numbers were.
"I'm… all of them."
Tamura Hao answered calmly.
"All of them?"
Fukuroi blinked.
None of the famous authors were named "All of Them."
A burst out laughing—then immediately hissed in pain as his fractures protested.
Fukuroi stared at him, confused.
"I mean all of them," Tamura Hao clarified helplessly.
"I wrote every one of those books."
"…All—?!"
Fukuroi's face froze, then contorted as pain caught up with the shock.
"How did you even manage that?"
After a long pause, Tamura Hao replied casually:
"Probably because I have Hokage-level thinking."
Uchiha Itachi had Hokage thinking.
And so did he.
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