Seeing the Third Raikage frown in confusion, Tanaka Haruki finally relaxed a little.
"Good thing you haven't seen it!" he said with a grin. "Those are all novels I wrote. They're really popular and make tons of money. That ten billion taels? Royalties."
He finally explained—his fortune had a completely legitimate source.
When he first arrived in this world, his only thought was: How can I get stronger?
But after realizing he had no special powers, no "golden finger," no notable talent, and no family bloodline or secret jutsu, he understood that the only way to improve was through external means.
And the best external tool? Money.
But this wasn't a modern world—it was the world of Naruto, where even terrorists dreamed of peace. Earning big money here was no small feat.
It wasn't until he recalled a certain hero of the future—Jiraiya—and his famed book series that inspiration struck. Over the past few years, he'd been writing books. Using the perks of being a child, he snuck into bathhouses and red-light districts to "collect material," and combined those observations with the unique features of the shinobi world.
The result? Erotic bestsellers that practically printed money.
"Novels?" the Third Raikage echoed, visibly puzzled. "You made all that money writing books?"
He turned to 土台 (Dodai), his trusted assistant, giving him a questioning look.
Thinking back to the dozens of risqué books he'd secretly purchased with his private funds, 土台 spoke slowly, with a complicated expression. "If he's actually the author of those books... then it's not hard to imagine how he made a billion taels."
It was shocking. The famed erotic novelist was actually... a ten-year-old kid?
Considering those books began appearing around five years ago, it meant this boy had started writing them at just five years old.
Genius.
Although the Third Raikage didn't understand 土台's strange reaction, he didn't pry. His focus returned to the more urgent topic.
"What's this intelligence you mentioned?"
Taking a deep breath, Tanaka Haruki answered seriously."I was sent to the Hidden Cloud Village by Shimura Danzo as a spy. My mission was to gather intel and report back. But I had no choice. My parents have been gone for years... and now, I want to truly join the Hidden Cloud. I want to be a ninja of this village—for life."
That's right—he was originally from Konoha. Due to his early maturity and the fact that he could extract chakra by age three, he caught the attention of Danzo Shimura and was taken in for special training.
At five, he was smuggled into Hidden Cloud Village, replacing the adopted grandson of an old man. The real grandson had been taken by Danzo's people, and the old man—bribed or threatened—agreed to the switch. He died a year ago.
Tanaka Haruki was finally revealing this now because he didn't want it to come back and destroy him later. In a world like this, the timing of truth mattered.
Say it early, and it's a confession. Say it later, and it's an excuse.
If his identity were uncovered after the fact, no one would believe a word he said. He'd be tortured, subjected to genjutsu, or have his memories forcibly searched. No thank you.
Being a spy? Way too risky. He just wanted to live a good life.
The room fell silent.
The Third Raikage's expression turned serious, and both 土台 and Yeyue kept quiet, waiting for their leader's judgment.
After a long pause, the Third Raikage finally smiled. "Well said. You are now a member of Hidden Cloud—my disciple."
Though the boy's identity was indeed problematic, it wasn't unforgivable.
He'd told the truth, donated a billion taels, and presented three terrifyingly powerful weapons. That was plenty of sincerity.
But more importantly, the Raikage valued Tanaka Haruki's mind. A boy who could invent this kind of tech at ten could do so much more in the future. That kind of brain was priceless.
And if he was a spy? The Raikage chuckled to himself."Send more just like him."
Hearing the verdict, Tanaka Haruki nearly collapsed with relief. His legs trembled, sweat drenched his back—he had been under enormous pressure.
土台 and Yeyue exhaled too. They genuinely admired the kid. Especially those erotic masterpieces. It would have been a tragedy if this genius had been executed here.
"Lord Raikage," 土台 spoke thoughtfully, "perhaps we can use his spy status to our advantage. Feed false information back to Danzo."
The Raikage nodded. "You're in charge of that. Make it work. As long as it benefits the village, we use every tool available."
He turned to Yeyue. "Take him for a full examination. Make sure Danzo didn't leave any hidden tricks on him. He's a cunning man. Also—everything said today stays between us. This is top-secret village intel."
"Understood," Yeyue responded, and gestured for Tanaka Haruki to follow.
"Your disciple takes his leave!" Tanaka Haruki bowed, full of relief, and left with Yeyue.
Once they were gone, the Third Raikage walked to the crater-pocked wall and began digging out the warped bullets with a kunai. Then he activated Lightning Release, using his fingers to burn and reshape the bullet holes to resemble Hell Stab practice marks.
This was his private training room, yes—but in an age of spies and unusual jutsu, he took no chances. The wrong person noticing the evidence could lead to disaster.
土台 nodded in understanding and packed the three prototype weapons into a sealing scroll. Then he joined the Raikage.
"He's a clever little brat," the Raikage murmured as he examined the walls.
"Very clever," 土台 agreed, sincerely impressed. The boy's weapons, his bold plan, his shameless—but brilliant—books… he had brains and guts both.
"How long would it take to turn this into something real?" the Raikage asked, his expression turning serious again.
The tech wasn't ready yet—materials were crude, the builds unstable, and most of the ideas still theoretical. But the potential was there.
土台 had already considered this. "At least five years for proper R&D. Another five years for mass production. We'll need tons of steel, detonating tags, and an army of trained ninja. Ten years total."
He paused, then added, "The principles behind these weapons are too simple. Once we use them, the enemy will copy them fast. We'll only have one chance to seize the advantage—so we need to go all in when the time comes."
"Ten years..." the Raikage echoed, his face darkening slightly. "I'm not sure this war will last that long."
His heart grew heavy.
In the last Great Ninja War, Cloud Village had suffered immense losses—especially after the rebellion of Kinkaku and Ginkaku. Not only had they lost elite ninja to the enemy, but their own people had slaughtered comrades before defecting.
The price to kill those traitors had been steep. Even the Second Raikage had perished.
This war wouldn't be any easier.