Few battlefield wounds are as embarrassing as losing to a bowl of curry.
"What did you just say?!"
Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade shot to her feet in shock.
Her face was full of disbelief.
This…
Sounded like a joke.
But Shizune nodded stiffly.
"It's true, Lady Tsunade. A lot of people are following them now. Should we go stop it?"
"..."
Tsunade slowly sat back down.
Her expression turned strange.
The Raikage…
Training with Might Guy?
What exactly was he hoping to gain?
Atsui training with Guy made sense.
According to Souma and Guy, the two got along well and had similar personalities.
But the Raikage too?
She couldn't make sense of it.
"Lady Tsunade?"
"I know."
Tsunade waved her hand.
"Let it be for now."
"If the Raikage is happy, who are we to interfere?"
"As long as they're not fighting, it's none of our business."
Then she added after a pause,
"But later I'll need to tell Souma to hurry up and come up with a negotiation plan."
The Raikage running around with Guy doing training drills…
Just imagining the scene made her shudder.
Fortunately Kumogakure was ruled by the Raikage himself.
Otherwise the elders there might come complaining.
Still—
Would Guy accidentally leak any secrets?
Tsunade thought for a moment.
Guy might be unreliable in small matters.
But when it came to serious issues…
He could be trusted.
"So what about Souma?"
Shizune asked.
"I'll go talk to him."
"Lady Tsunade, I've been covering your shifts for three or four days already."
"If you skip work again, and the Third Hokage shows up…"
"I won't be able to stop him."
"What business would he even have?" Tsunade scoffed.
Shizune sighed.
"You forgot?"
"He's currently an advisor for the research and training departments."
"He still handles official matters occasionally."
"Fine, fine!"
Tsunade waved her hand irritably.
"I'll go after work."
"I won't dump it on you."
She rested her chin in her hand and sighed.
Shizune immediately fled the office.
The moment she stepped outside, she glanced through the window.
Sure enough—
The Third Hokage was strolling slowly down the street, pipe in his mouth.
That was close…
"Souma, what are you looking at?"
Tenten asked curiously.
Souma had suddenly looked shocked.
As if he had seen something unbelievable.
"Nothing."
"Let's focus on our work."
"Besides Chakra Armor, I learned a very important trick from Guy-sensei yesterday."
Souma glanced toward Konoha village.
He had sensed something earlier.
The Raikage and Might Guy…
Well.
Both of them loved taijutsu.
Maybe it wasn't that surprising.
Still—
The Raikage's personality in the anime had left such a strong impression that seeing him acting like Guy felt bizarre.
Souma turned back to his explanation.
"Previously, Chakra Armor mainly strengthened the skin and muscles."
"Combined with Breathing Activation and Overdrive states to produce defensive effects."
"This time we add another layer."
He continued.
"A chakra barrier."
"Forming a buffer around the body to reduce the impact of enemy attacks."
He summarized Guy's airwave technique into a chakra-based system.
"What do you think?"
Souma looked at Tenten and Kazusa.
His research into earth and lightning chakra wasn't advanced enough.
So their opinions mattered.
Of course—
The ideal person to consult was Kakashi.
But Kakashi had practically entered hibernation recently.
According to rumors, he had been training in the forest and hadn't shown his face in days.
So Souma had to settle for the next best option.
Tenten thought carefully.
"So basically…"
"You're creating a buffer around the body."
"And the method doesn't matter."
"That's correct."
"Hmm…"
Tenten glanced at Kazusa.
Seeing she had no intention of speaking, Tenten continued.
"I'll start."
"If it's Earth Release Chakra Armor, I think using actual earth techniques would be more efficient."
She gave several examples.
Borrowing the concept of Gaara's Sand Armor—
Form a secondary earth shell.
When struck, it could soften into clay or mud.
The properties of those materials would absorb impact.
That idea sounded very much like Tenten.
Souma's eyes lit up.
"Excellent!"
"Really?"
"But you'd still need to adapt to enemy attributes."
"If your opponent uses Lightning Release, Earth Chakra Armor might become a disadvantage."
"I know that," Tenten laughed.
Then Souma turned toward Kazusa.
Kazusa remained silent for a few seconds.
Then she spoke.
"I think my problem isn't defense."
"Oh?"
Souma was pleased.
He agreed with her.
But he wanted to hear her reasoning.
Kazusa answered calmly.
"I specialize in assassination."
"As you said before, assassins rely on surprise."
"So most attacks should occur at the final moment."
"Before the enemy can react."
"Correct."
Souma remembered.
He had said something like that long ago.
"So for someone like me…"
Kazusa continued,
"Improving activation speed would be better."
Souma nodded approvingly.
"What's your current activation time?"
"Four breaths."
"Too slow."
"I know."
Kazusa fell silent again.
She understood the problem.
But improving further felt impossible.
Souma smiled.
"If you can't protect your whole body instantly…"
"Why not protect only vital points?"
Kazusa froze.
Gradually she understood.
This was similar to Souma's training advice for Overdrive Mode.
If full control wasn't possible—
Start with specific areas.
"Protect the parts most likely to be attacked."
"But it requires extremely accurate judgment."
"You won't master it quickly."
"I'll train."
Kazusa nodded firmly.
Souma recorded both of their ideas in his notebook.
He realized something.
He had been thinking incorrectly.
The Raikage was fast, strong, and nearly invulnerable.
But monsters like the Third and Fourth Raikage were extremely rare.
Even in Kumogakure, only those two had reached that level.
So even if Chakra Armor improved—
The perfect version would only be usable by elite jōnin.
Other ninja needed simplified versions.
Like Kazusa's.
Partial activation.
Focused defense.
Rapid deployment.
Earth Release Chakra Armor had completely different potential.
Earth excelled at defense.
Wind and fire?
They focused on offense.
Providing protection was difficult.
Souma quickly set a development direction.
Lightning.
Earth.
Neutral chakra.
Those three would be priorities.
After finishing his notes, Souma left the training field and returned to his laboratory.
He began planning what he would demand from the Raikage.
Lightning Armor was essential.
Beyond that—
Lightning techniques.
Taijutsu knowledge.
Perhaps even the Four-Finger Nukite.
Though it was uncertain whether the Raikage would trade it.
If he did…
Souma suspected the Raikage would ask for Kakashi's Chidori in exchange.
The two techniques shared similar principles.
Even if Kumogakure couldn't master Four-Finger Nukite fully—
Souma could weaken or adapt it.
And Kakashi could refine Raikiri.
Everyone benefited.
He reviewed the list carefully.
Satisfied—
He disappeared from the lab.
Meanwhile—
At a small restaurant outside the village.
"Grandma!"
"Five servings of Life Curry, please!"
"Coming right up!"
"Five?"
The Raikage frowned.
"Is one bowl enough for each person?"
Atsui's expression changed instantly.
"Y-Yes! Raikage-sama! Absolutely enough!"
The elderly cook laughed.
"You can always order more rice or curry."
"My shop isn't busy. There's always extra."
"Thank you."
The Raikage sat politely.
Guy cleared his throat.
"Raikage-sama…"
"If we're training together, we're friends."
"Just call me Ai."
"…Alright."
"Then Ai."
Guy hesitated.
"Life Curry may not suit normal tastes."
"But it's definitely delicious."
He was trying to warn him.
The Raikage laughed loudly.
"It's just spicy food!"
"I eat plenty of spicy dishes in Kumogakure!"
"Don't underestimate me!"
"Good."
Guy relaxed.
At least he wouldn't end up in the hospital.
Soon the elderly woman returned with bowls piled high with bright red curry.
The Raikage immediately regretted his decision.
The smell alone was terrifying.
He took a careful breath.
Trying not to show weakness.
By the time he looked up—
Guy, Lee, and Atsui were already eating rapidly.
The Raikage lifted his chopsticks slowly.
Can this actually be eaten…?
He glanced at Samui.
Her face had already turned pale.
Eat.
The Raikage took a bite.
Instantly—
It felt like his entire body was burning.
The spice exploded inside his mouth.
Even his breath felt like flames.
The Raikage forced himself to keep eating.
Ai never backs down.
He had already claimed he could handle spice.
Backing down now would shame Kumogakure.
He shoveled rice into his mouth.
Not tasting anything.
Just surviving.
Meanwhile Samui noticed everyone else's bowls were already empty.
Only hers remained untouched.
Reluctantly—
She took a bite.
Then—
"Big sister! Big sister!"
"Hurry! Take her to the hospital!"
The Raikage and Atsui's voices echoed faintly.
But Samui could barely hear them anymore.
Life Curry?
Life my foot…
Her final thought before losing consciousness was—
Getting hospitalized from eating curry…
That's the most uncool way to die socially.
At that exact moment—
Souma had just finished dinner with Asuma at a street stall.
They had been discussing ideas for Wind Release Chakra Armor.
Whether it worked depended on Asuma.
As they stepped outside—
Atsui ran past carrying someone on his back.
"Isn't that the Kumogakure envoy?" Asuma said.
"Why is she being carried?"
"Did she get injured?"
Souma stared for a few seconds.
"…It's probably related to Guy-sensei."
"Asuma-sensei."
"Maybe they ate something…"
"…unsuitable for them."
Right then—
The Raikage sprinted past.
Moments later he ran back.
"Souma!"
"Samui fainted after eating Life Curry!"
"Can you help take her to Konoha Hospital?"
He had suddenly remembered something.
This wasn't Kumogakure.
Konoha Hospital wasn't freely accessible to foreign ninja.
Without someone accompanying them, it could cause trouble.
Guy was there—
But the Raikage wasn't sure it would work.
Souma sighed softly.
"Guy-sensei could probably take you in."
"But… fine."
"I'll come along."
He shook his head.
Life Curry was something even he avoided.
And yet—
The Raikage had willingly tried it.
Truly…
A brave warrior.