"I never thought I would actually cooperate with you from Konoha."
Outside the Cloud Ninja Village, watching the departing group led by Kagetsu, the Raikage Ai sighed with mixed feelings.
During the time the Konoha envoy stayed at the Cloud Ninja Village, he truly realized Kagetsu Nara's talent and ability in research.
Even though the other side held back a lot, just providing some methods and knowledge about the Hollowfication research greatly accelerated the Cloud Ninja Village's progress.
At least with their help, the Cloud Ninja Village's almost perfect Hollowfication mode was no longer limited to just him alone.
Some Cloud Ninja who had trained in the Hollowfication mode but faced huge risks of losing control had now stabilized their power and significantly improved their strength.
From this perspective, Konoha had indeed fulfilled their promise this time, and the Cloud Ninja benefited greatly.
Several more Jonin-level ninjas in the village had mastered the Hollowfication mode.
What was even more encouraging was that although the Cloud Ninja Village's Hollowfication mode still had a high threshold, it was now polished enough to be used, unlike the risky and incomplete version before.
In other words, previously only he had a perfect Hollowfication mode, but after improvement, the mode had been successfully copied again and again.
It was a proven power, one that the Cloud Ninja could control.
"We welcome you to send envoys to Konoha, but this time, don't do any sneaky moves. If you want technology, you can ask Konoha through trade or cooperation," Kagetsu smiled and said softly.
The Raikage Ai didn't even change his expression. He of course knew what Kagetsu meant, but such things had become normal for the Cloud Ninja Village.
Still, he was very interested in the promises and guarantees implied in Kagetsu's words.
At least some trust had been built between them now.
Whether it was Kagetsu's talent, Konoha's actions, or the benefits the Cloud Ninja Village was currently enjoying, all for now proved Konoha's sincerity.
The Cloud Ninja Village had indeed gained benefits from Konoha and increased its own strength.
The new Hollowfication mode was researched by Cloud ninja scientists and shinobi, but they found no abnormalities.
So Raikage Ai now somewhat understood why the Hidden Sand Village was so tightly bound to Konoha.
Although they had only cooperated for a few months, he had grown reluctant to see people like Kagetsu and others leave.
The alliance signed earlier due to various reasons quietly changed Raikage Ai's mindset at this moment.
Ninjutsu and knowledge have always been secret treasures of a village.
When ninja strength is close, battles are decided by intelligence and information gaps.
If a ninja's secret techniques and strength are exposed, opponents will target and counter them in fights that are evenly matched.
Only those like him and Minato Namikaze, or other top-level Kage, can still fight skillfully without being hindered even if their intel leaks, relying on their experience and strength.
That's why even when elite ninja die, their bodies are usually retrieved to prevent revealing the village's ninjutsu secrets.
But Konoha revealing part of its technology and trading some ninjutsu had already far exceeded Raikage Ai's expectations, breaking his old beliefs.
Maybe there really was a powerful enemy in the ninja world that even Konoha feared, forcing them to strengthen other ninja villages?
Raikage Ai had once dismissed such intelligence hinted by Konoha. He was already at the peak of the ninja world, and few were stronger than him now.
But recently, from Konoha and Minato Namikaze, he truly felt this crude "excuse" might be real?
Otherwise, there was no way to explain Konoha's unusual act of supporting hostile ninja villages and boosting their strength.
"I will," Raikage Ai nodded.
He always seized opportunities.
If he hadn't known it was impossible to keep Kagetsu around, no matter what, he would have tried to keep him in the Cloud Village—just like how in the past, whenever he liked other small ninja villages or secret ninja techniques, he would do everything to obtain them.
But since Kagetsu couldn't stay, cooperating with Konoha's technology development department and even buying their technology was still acceptable.
Unlike the earlier conflicts of the Wind Daimyo and the Sand Village, the Lightning Daimyo always supported the Cloud Village.
As long as it could strengthen the Cloud Village, benefit the Land of Lightning, and help it dominate other great countries, the Daimyo would most likely support and invest without hesitation.
The Raikage Ai had already decided to quickly select a group to act as envoys, stationed in Konoha like the Sand Village's representatives, to serve as a bridge for communication and cooperation.
He wasn't sure when Konoha would close its doors to technology trading and knowledge sharing, but before that happened, he hoped the Cloud Village could gain more benefits from Konoha.
As for that so-called hidden enemy, whether true or not didn't matter for now.
The real thing was to first take whatever advantages they could get.
"Next time, I'll definitely beat you up, and your cat too!" Yugito Nii stepped forward, her expression complicated as she looked at Kagetsu, finally grinding her teeth and said fiercely.
A layer of blue-black flames appeared on her, forming an elegant fiery big cat that glared fiercely at Kagetsu.
But the Two-Tails' gaze was not on Kagetsu; it was locked tightly on his shadow.
Sensing the intense gaze and the overflowing chakra from the Two-Tails, a much smaller black cat suddenly poked its head out from Kagetsu's shadow, locking eyes with the Two-Tails on Yugito Nii's shoulder.
Roar!
Meeting the blatant contemptuous gaze of Nekomata, the flames on the Two-Tails flared up even more, almost jumping off Yugito Nii's shoulder.
During the stage of training the Hollowfication, it and its host were often teased by this black cat.
Even though the cat helped them master the Hollowfication mode and guided them to new powers, the displeased Two-Tails no longer recognized Nekomata as its own offspring split from itself.
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't beat or even reach him, he would have definitely unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb on that annoying guy.
"Meeting of the Four Kage."
Just as Kagetsu and Yugito Nii were saying their goodbyes, on the other side, Minato Namikaze also parted ways with Raikage A.
In the end, Raikage A couldn't resist Minato, who was like a humanoid succubus.
Though they still occasionally fought, their relationship was the closest and most harmonious among the ninja of Konoha and the Cloud.
The Four Kage Meeting was a gathering agreed upon by the leaders of the four great ninja villages.
During the treaty period, they met regularly to trade and divide benefits.
****
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