Though Richard excelled with bladed weapons, his hand-to-hand combat skills were far from lacking.
Of course, compared to his swordsmanship, his unarmed fighting abilities were somewhat inferior.
Nevertheless, this still allowed him to effortlessly counter all of Tsunade's attacks.
Temporary Compound V had granted Tsunade three superpowers: super strength, enhanced physique, and super speed.
Richard possessed these same three abilities.
However, unlike Tsunade, his powers weren't derived from Temporary V—they came from his Superboy-Prime Template.
Put simply, his superpowers were significantly superior to Tsunade's in every way.
After watching Richard deflect all her attacks with ease, Tsunade realized that she, Jiraiya, and the others had severely underestimated him.
Even without using abilities granted by his Rinnegan or Sephiroth template, he possessed strength rivaling a Kage.
Though reluctant to admit it, Tsunade recognized that even if she employed all her trump cards, she couldn't defeat Richard.
More than that—she couldn't even force him to fight at full capacity.
After several minutes of combat, Tsunade disengaged and retreated dozens of meters in an instant.
"Enough fighting!" she called out just as Richard was about to pursue her.
"Fine," Richard nodded, abandoning his pursuit.
Though sparring with Tsunade hadn't been part of his plan, it was a trivial matter for him.
Besides, he was now completely certain that Tsunade would agree to his trade.
She had personally experienced Temporary V's effects.
Though the granted powers lasted only twenty-four hours, the compound remained an exceptional enhancement formula.
Used strategically, it could provide not only a temporary power boost but also serve as a reliable life-saving measure.
Tsunade approached Richard and said, "Twenty vials of Temporary V and fifty kilograms of vibranium—in exchange, I'll lend you information on the Forbidden Scroll and Flying Thunder God Technique for a while."
"No deal. If you want both Temporary V and vibranium, I'll only provide half of each—fifteen vials of Temporary V and fifty kilograms of vibranium."
Though giving Tsunade five additional vials wouldn't have troubled him, Richard still declined her terms.
This wasn't about the additional compound—it was about principle. He disliked price increases mid-negotiation.
"Don't be so stingy," Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Just add five more vials."
"This isn't about stinginess," Richard countered. "I'll give you five more vials, but you need to offer something more."
"I want your Strength of a Hundred Seal technique, and either the Creation Rebirth or Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration jutsu."
"Of course, if you're willing to provide all three, I'll add five more vials."
Though Richard didn't actually need these S-rank techniques to enhance his own abilities, acquiring them certainly wouldn't hurt.
"You're quite demanding," Tsunade responded immediately. "If I gave you information on the Strength of a Hundred Seal, Creation Rebirth, and Mitotic Regeneration, I'd have no trump cards left against you."
"Even with those trump cards, you're no match for me," Richard stated matter-of-factly.
Though his assessment was accurate, to Tsunade it sounded like an insult.
She glared at him, clearly displeased at being underestimated.
"Forget it—fifteen vials of Temporary V and fifty kilograms of vibranium it is!"
"Even if my trump cards prove ineffective against you, I won't surrender them easily."
"Whatever you prefer," Richard replied casually.
Having settled their deal, Richard and Tsunade returned to the village.
Soon they were back in the Hokage's office.
Richard extracted fifteen vials of Temporary V and fifty kilograms of vibranium from his system space, handing them to Tsunade.
After waiting approximately half an hour, he departed the Hokage's office with the Forbidden Scroll and Flying Thunder God Technique information, flying contentedly toward his office.
With these materials now in his possession, his next step was to master the forbidden jutsu and the Flying Thunder God Technique.
For others, learning these techniques might prove challenging.
For Richard, however, it was merely a matter of time.
He soon returned to his office.
Though he hadn't been gone long, several visitors had already arrived.
Discovering that the firm was officially open for business, clients who had been waiting approached Kaede Shiranui and the others to discuss their commission requests.
Richard ignored the visitors outside and immediately retrieved the Forbidden Scroll from his system space, opening it and quickly scanning its contents.
Time passed steadily.
After reviewing the entire scroll, he frowned slightly.
Though extensive, the Forbidden Scroll contained fewer forbidden techniques than he'd anticipated.
To be precise, it listed only five:
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, Four Symbols Seal, Impure World Reincarnation, Eight Inner Gates, and Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags!
Richard had expected the scroll to document more forbidden jutsu than depicted in the original series.
However, his expectations were too optimistic.
Though he hadn't discovered any new forbidden techniques, this didn't particularly concern him.
The Impure World Reincarnation and Eight Inner Gates techniques alone were incredibly valuable.
He committed the entire Forbidden Scroll to memory, then retrieved his tablet computer and created an electronic backup before examining the Flying Thunder God Technique information.
After reviewing those materials, he repeated the process—memorizing the contents and creating another backup.
Having completed these tasks, he didn't immediately begin learning the techniques. Instead, he rose and left his office.
"Any commissions worth noting?" Richard asked Kaede Shiranui.
"No, the visitors who came earlier were only interested in basic commissions. Yui, Miki, and I directed them to the mission assignment desk in the village," Kaede promptly replied.
"I'm going out for a while. When closing time arrives, feel free to leave."
"Also, decide among yourselves who will open the office tomorrow morning."
"Understood," Kaede acknowledged.
After instructing Kaede, Richard departed and flew toward the Hokage's office to return the Forbidden Scroll and Flying Thunder God information to Tsunade.
He soon arrived at the Hokage's office.
"You're returning the Forbidden Scroll and Flying Thunder God information already?" Tsunade asked, somewhat surprised.
"I've finished reviewing them. There's no point in keeping them longer, so I might as well return them promptly," Richard explained.
"Afraid you might misplace them?" Tsunade asked with a slight smile.
"Not afraid—I simply don't need them anymore," Richard shrugged casually.
Looking at Richard, Tsunade suddenly fell silent. After several seconds, she continued: "Regardless of the other techniques, I don't want to see you using villagers as sacrifices for the Impure World Reincarnation."
"Moreover, I don't want you reincarnating previous Hokage."
"If you attempt this, even though I can't defeat you, I won't stand idly by."
Her expression and tone were deadly serious—the most severe Richard had ever witnessed from her.
"Don't worry. I'm not Orochimaru—I won't abuse these techniques," Richard replied, matching her seriousness.
If forbidden jutsu like Flying Thunder God and Eight Inner Gates could potentially be utilized in the Marvel universe, the Impure World Reincarnation definitely wouldn't be—he had no intention of ever using it.
The technique's principle was to use a portion of a deceased person's remains as a medium, sacrifice a living person, recall the deceased's soul from the afterlife, and bind it to the living sacrifice.
The Marvel universe differed completely from the Naruto world—it had no equivalent to the Pure Land or afterlife.
Even in the Naruto world, if a soul wasn't in the Pure Land, it couldn't be summoned through Impure World Reincarnation.
The four Hokage sealed within the Reaper Death Seal provided clear evidence of this limitation.
Even with Orochimaru's improved version, he still needed to release the four Hokage from the Reaper's stomach before using Impure World Reincarnation on them.
The version recorded in the Forbidden Scroll was Tobirama Senju's original creation, not Orochimaru's enhanced variant.
"I certainly hope so!"
"Though you're not from Konoha, my impression of you isn't entirely negative."
"If possible, I'd prefer not to be your enemy."
"I don't particularly want to be your enemy either, or Konoha's," Richard replied. "I've essentially settled in Konoha now, and I've developed some attachment to this village."
"That's all—I'm heading back. You can continue your work."
With that, Richard left the office and flew toward his residence near the Uchiha district.
Soon after, he arrived home and encountered Yugao.
"Why are you back so early?" Yugao asked with surprise.
"Nothing important at the office, so I returned early," Richard replied.
"Would you like to practice Almighty Push with me?" she inquired.
"Not today—you can go by yourself," Richard said calmly.
"Alright, I'll practice alone then."
With that, Yugao left the residence and headed toward the open area where they had trained the previous night.
After Yugao's departure, Richard entered his study to begin learning the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Time flew by swiftly.
A month passed in what felt like an instant.
During this period, both Richard and Yugao led fulfilling lives.
Yugao had completed several A-rank missions solo, proving herself equal to other jonin.
After continuous practice, she had finally mastered both Almighty Push and Universal Pull.
As for Richard, he too had found time to execute several interesting commissions.
Additionally, he had mastered all five forbidden techniques from the scroll as well as the Flying Thunder God Technique.
For ordinary ninja, mastering these six techniques in a single month would have been virtually impossible.
For Richard, however, the difficulty fell within an acceptable range.
His only challenge came when learning and mastering the S-rank forbidden technique Impure World Reincarnation, which required time to locate suitable corpses and living sacrifices.
Though he had mastered Impure World Reincarnation, Richard had no intention of summoning armies of reanimated warriors like Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi.
With his current power, he had no need for reanimated assistance.
That night, at an open space near their residence, Richard instructed Yugao on mastering chakra absorption and Blocking Technique Absorption Seal.
Compared to Almighty Push and Universal Pull, these two abilities were somewhat simpler.
But for Yugao, whose talent wasn't exceptional, mastering these techniques still presented a significant challenge.
Nevertheless, given her diligence, it was only a matter of time before she conquered these abilities.
After completing their evening training, Richard and Yugao walked toward their residence.
Just as they approached home, Sasuke—who hadn't visited Richard in over a month—suddenly appeared before them.
"Excuse my intrusion," he addressed them politely. "I need to speak with Richard. Miss Yugao, would you mind giving us a moment?"
His attitude differed markedly from their previous encounter—partly because Richard had warned him once, and partly because he'd heard that Yugao had acquired the Rinnegan, significantly increasing her power.
Though Sasuke didn't yet understand that the Rinnegan evolved from the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, he recognized one certainty: the Rinnegan was formidable, certainly no weaker than the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"You two talk—I'll head inside," Yugao said to Richard.
After Yugao entered their residence, Sasuke turned to Richard. "You were right. I underestimated Kakashi. I'm no match for him now."
"You didn't come here just to tell me that," Richard said calmly. "What do you want?"
He wasn't remotely surprised that Sasuke couldn't defeat Kakashi yet. If anything, he would have been shocked if Kakashi had lost to the young Uchiha.
Hearing Richard's response, Sasuke quickly continued: "Though I can't beat Kakashi yet, I still feel his teaching methods don't suit me."
"Under his guidance, my strength improves, but far too slowly."
"I want to become stronger faster, not gradually."
Looking at Sasuke, Richard sighed helplessly. "I could indeed make you more powerful quickly, but I'm not the most suitable teacher for you."
"Besides, I have no interest in taking students at present."
"If you truly desire rapid strength, I can recommend someone."
"But once you choose that path, you'll become a rogue ninja, an exile from Konoha."
Though Richard didn't name his recommendation, Sasuke immediately grasped his meaning.
"You want me to find Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked directly.
"Yes."
"Compared to me, Orochimaru is better suited as your teacher."
"Naruto now studies under Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin. Orochimaru is also a Sannin, with abilities no less impressive than Jiraiya's."
"Moreover, if you seek him out, he'll gladly accept you as his student."