"Lord Souma, Lord Guy."
The chūnin guarding the gate looked at the Raikage and the others, clearly confused about the situation.
"Friends from Kumogakure were injured in a small accident," Souma explained calmly. "I'm bringing them in for treatment."
"Understood!"
The guard formed hand seals and temporarily dispelled the barrier at the entrance.
Atsui immediately rushed inside carrying Samui on his back, with Guy quickly following to guide them toward the treatment area.
The Raikage, however, stopped at the entrance.
Souma didn't enter the hospital either.
"Raikage-dono, aren't you going in?"
"I'll pass."
The Raikage shook his head.
The barrier just now clearly detected specific seals or chakra signatures.
If even the front gate had this level of security, the inside would surely contain far more secrets.
As Raikage, entering such a place himself might complicate matters.
Better to let Atsui and Samui receive treatment alone.
Souma smiled faintly.
"There aren't that many secrets."
"Recently the hospital has been collaborating with the research department, so some ninjutsu experiments aren't convenient for outsiders to see."
"Research department?"
The Raikage looked genuinely surprised.
"Konoha now has a dedicated research division?"
"Of course."
Souma pointed down the road, suggesting they walk while talking.
"Only through research can ninjutsu advance. And progress leads to strength."
The Raikage followed him silently.
A research department…
He had to admit—
That idea made sense.
If a village only practiced old techniques without developing new ones, it would stagnate… or even decline.
He nodded slowly.
Then he frowned.
"You're telling me this so easily?"
Souma shrugged with a confident smile.
"We're allies, aren't we?"
"Maybe not officially yet, but negotiations are just details. I'm confident we'll reach an agreement."
The Raikage laughed internally.
If someone like Guy's disciple had said that, he might believe it.
But Souma?
No chance.
That kid was sly as hell.
Trust him blindly and you'd probably be sold off before realizing it.
Still—
The Raikage couldn't figure it out.
Why reveal something so important?
There's definitely a trap.
He remained cautious but continued walking.
Souma spoke again.
"To build a real research department rather than an empty shell requires massive investment."
"And honestly, it may not even suit Kumogakure."
"Haha, I believe you," the Raikage replied loudly.
Souma rolled his eyes.
He knew the Raikage still didn't believe him.
But wasting time teasing him wasn't helpful.
"Raikage-dono," Souma asked directly, "have you decided what you want?"
The Raikage answered without hesitation.
"Your Chakra Armor."
"That muscle-control taijutsu."
"And the breathing technique that temporarily boosts physical strength."
His thinking was clear.
Konoha probably had many techniques worth studying.
But for Kumogakure—whose focus was Lightning Release and taijutsu—those three were the most valuable.
Souma nodded and handed over a sheet of paper.
"This is our village's modest request."
The Raikage glanced at it.
Then his expression darkened immediately.
"Souma… I may not be the smartest man alive," he said slowly, "but I'm not an idiot either."
"These demands are excessive."
Souma grinned.
"Lightning Armor corresponds to Chakra Armor."
"Your taijutsu techniques correspond to Overdrive State."
"And Four-Finger Nukite corresponds to Breathing Activation."
He spread his hands.
"The breathing technique is extremely effective. Its value is no lower than a technique like Four-Finger Nukite that few people can even learn."
"Even if the version you give us hides certain tricks?" the Raikage sneered.
He didn't believe for a second that Souma would hand over the full version.
Souma looked outraged.
"So you were planning to hide techniques too?"
"Raikage-dono, you look so honest, but you're actually quite devious!"
"???"
The Raikage's eye twitched.
Shameless!
But after thinking about it, he realized he had indeed been planning something similar.
He waved his hand.
"Let's speak frankly."
"How much of your techniques will you give us?"
Souma countered immediately.
"How much will you give us?"
The Raikage considered briefly.
"Seventy percent."
Seven tenths of the knowledge and key techniques.
Less would be unacceptable to Konoha.
More would be unacceptable to Kumogakure.
"Agreed."
Souma nodded.
"Oh, and one more thing."
"Even if I don't understand Lightning Armor fully, our village has the Copy Ninja."
"You've heard of him, right?"
"…Yes."
The Raikage gritted his teeth.
Kakashi was infamous for copying techniques across the world.
Some Kumogakure jutsu had already been copied by him.
"And Kakashi-sensei happens to be my teacher."
Souma smiled faintly.
"Even if he's busy, I still have some free time. I might not master the technique, but understanding a few portions shouldn't be difficult."
BOOM.
The Raikage punched the air in frustration.
Teacher and student…
No wonder.
He exhaled slowly to calm himself.
"Then how do I know you'll really give us seventy percent?"
"Good question!"
Souma laughed.
"You can verify how much knowledge you give us."
"But you can't verify how much we give you."
"Even if I gave you the complete technique, you might still suspect I hid something."
The Raikage nodded reluctantly.
"…True."
Souma continued honestly.
"That's why I wanted to clarify things."
"The first two techniques are straightforward."
"The only uncertain one is Breathing Activation, right?"
"Correct."
"I'll explain."
Souma raised a finger.
"First Activation — simple breathing enhancement."
"Second Activation — must be used together with the muscle-control taijutsu you asked about."
"Third Activation — builds on the second and adds another breathing pattern."
"If you're skilled enough, you can integrate it with techniques like Chakra Armor."
The Raikage listened carefully.
Souma had explained just enough for him to understand the concept…
But not enough to reproduce it independently.
Smart.
"Then what about the Fourth Activation?" the Raikage asked.
Souma smiled.
"That's much harder."
"And besides…"
He pointed out calmly,
"Three out of four stages already equals seventy-five percent."
"..."
The Raikage froze.
Damn it.
He had been the one who suggested seventy percent.
He sighed.
"…Fine."
"What do you want for the taijutsu techniques?"
"We can discuss the details later."
Souma waved it off.
"Let's first establish the framework."
"Once the framework exists, we can argue about details afterward."
"How much each side learns will depend on their own ability."
The Raikage grinned.
"Fair enough."
"Then we're officially cooperating?"
"On ninjutsu exchange, yes."
Souma tilted his head slightly.
"But there are other opportunities too."
"For example—research on Hidan."
"Aren't you curious?"
"And the intelligence on the Akatsuki."
"What Samui heard earlier was only part of it."
"There's more we haven't shared yet."
The Raikage's eyes sharpened.
"What kind of information?"
Souma spoke slowly.
"Think about it."
"For Akatsuki to recruit so many S-rank missing-nin and maintain funding…"
"They must have an operational base."
The Raikage thought for several seconds.
Then nodded.
"That's true."
"When you sent that intelligence to Kumogakure earlier, I suspected someone."
"Ōnoki."
Souma raised an eyebrow.
"The Jinchūriki?"
The Raikage laughed loudly.
"So Konoha thought the same thing?"
"Exactly."
"If a jinchūriki defected from Kumogakure, I'd chase them down immediately."
"But Iwagakure doesn't seem worried about their tailed beast being captured."
"Unless…" Souma continued calmly.
"Ōnoki knows exactly where the jinchūriki is."
"Exactly!"
The Raikage clapped his hands.
His suspicion of Ōnoki had originally been based on instinct.
But Souma's reasoning made it sound completely logical.
"That old fox is definitely up to something."
Souma nodded thoughtfully.
"So perhaps we should…"
"Before that," the Raikage suddenly interrupted,
"return the Eight-Tails chakra you stole from us."
Souma blinked innocently.
"The Eight-Tails?"
"You mean Kakuzu and the others captured the jinchūriki?"
"We didn't see that in Hidan's memories."
"..."
The Raikage stared at him in silence for several seconds.
Then sighed.
"…Let's return to discussing cooperation."
"My proposal is simple."
"Akatsuki is a common enemy."
"So we investigate together."
"And share information."
Souma nodded.
"Agreed."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614