After experiencing the wonders of pure chakra, Tamura Zairo laughed. He raised a hand to cover the upper half of his face, leaving his left eye visible through his fingers as his laughter grew louder and louder.
"Ahahahaha…"
After enduring for so long, it was finally time for me, Tamura Zairo—no, Tamura Ri-Tian—to rise!
My parents really hadn't named me wrong.
At this moment, Tamura Ri-Tian has arrived!
From today onward, I would use the most efficient, the most scientific—no, the most ninja-scientific—methods to grind all of you into dust… or be ground into dust by all of you!
"Zai-rat, did you eat a dead rat or something? What the hell are you cackling about like a ghost?"
Just as Tamura Ri-Tian was laughing wildly and envisioning the future, a thunderous lion's roar came from upstairs, scaring him so badly that he jolted.
"Sorry, Auntie Ruth! I just saw an exciting part in a novel and couldn't help myself. I'll be careful from now on!"
Tamura Zairo hurriedly replied, then shut the window tightly.
He still needed to lie low and develop quietly—no recklessness allowed. The name Tamura Ri-Tian was far too flashy. For now, he'd stick with Tamura Zairo.
After calming down, Tamura Zairo willed his consciousness to connect with the jade fragment, consumed destiny power to boost his comprehension, and began cultivating chakra refinement while trying to perceive and improve upon it.
A ninja's chakra was different from the internal energy or true qi systems found in novels from his previous life. There was no dantian-like storage space—chakra was only refined when it was used.
The method of refinement involved first using spiritual energy to fuse with the body's life force, forming a stamina-like substance, which was then converted into chakra. Moreover, the ratio between spiritual energy and bodily life force had to be exactly one-to-one.
Of course, special forms of chakra were exceptions—such as the ocular power of the Sharingan, which clearly leaned far more heavily toward spiritual energy.
Tamura Zairo currently had no kekkei genkai and no Yin–Yang attributes. He only possessed Lightning Release, so he could only follow the standard one-to-one fusion honestly.
Fortunately, perhaps due to having lived two lifetimes, his spiritual energy was far stronger than that of his peers. This allowed him to refine chakra faster and more efficiently, with superior chakra control. He had mastered chakra threads early on, and tree-climbing and water-walking came even earlier.
Now, he needed to refine and perfect the chakra refinement technique he had learned, and see just how great the improvement from that comprehension cheat truly was.
While Tamura Zairo was cultivating and experimenting with his golden finger, the atmosphere in the Raikage's office was… less pleasant.
The Third Raikage stared at his new disciple's personal file, then at the crate filled with yellow-genre masterpieces. His face gradually twisted into something almost feral.
Beside him, Dodai kept his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, doing his utmost to minimize his own presence.
As for Yondaime A—he had long since vanished. There was no way he'd appear in front of his father today.
"Is it still possible for me to regret this?"
After a long while of facial contortions, the Third Raikage covered his face, feeling that his late-life reputation was about to be utterly destroyed.
No wonder that brat had insisted on getting his agreement to take him as a disciple before revealing all of this. What a calculating little monster.
Dodai still said nothing. This was something the Raikage had to come to terms with on his own—there was nothing Dodai could say.
"…Is it really that profitable?"
After a long pause, the Third Raikage finally managed to calm down somewhat. He looked at those yellow-genre books, utterly unable to comprehend how such filthy things could make so much money.
Seeing that the Raikage had stabilized emotionally, Dodai finally spoke.
"According to our investigation into the sales of those books, their audience is extremely broad—men and women, young and old, all age groups have readers.
"He's also extremely prolific, basically writing one book of about a hundred thousand characters every month. Each book sells for ten thousand ryō.
"Because he's a top-tier author at the publishing house, his revenue split is nine-to-one, meaning he receives ninety percent of the profits.
"Based on current surveys, at least seventy percent of Kumogakure's ninja are his fans. Among ordinary villagers, at least thirty percent are his fans. Other ninja villages are likely similar, as are civilians in major cities. Even some nobles purchase his books.
"Our preliminary estimate is that his current assets should be around two billion ryō. And this is sustainable income—even books written two years ago are still selling, bringing him a steady stream of revenue.
"If he maintains this level of output, then in a few years, his income will surpass the village's total revenue."
Dodai himself was astonished.
He had always known that those major authors made good money—after all, he personally contributed one hundred and twenty thousand ryō every year, buying each monthly release.
But after conducting a focused investigation, he discovered that the situation was far more exaggerated than he'd imagined.
And this was only based on surveys within the village. Extrapolating from that, sales elsewhere would undoubtedly be just as strong—especially in Konoha.
Many of the characters in those books shared names or titles with Konoha's ninja clans. Readers there would feel even more immersed, making the books even more appealing—and more profitable.
"…That profitable?"
The Third Raikage was shocked. He knew the village's revenue very well, but he had never imagined that a single person could earn more than the entire village.
"People today are under enormous psychological pressure—especially us ninja, who live alongside killing. The pressure is even greater. Everyone needs some way to vent the darkness in their hearts."
Dodai offered an explanation.
After all, after reading those yellow-genre masterpieces, he felt much more clear-headed. Especially afterward, he would always enter a strange state of calm detachment, free of desire—perfect for thinking.
"He's only ten years old, right? Five years ago he was just five. How could he write books like this?"
The Third Raikage still couldn't wrap his head around it. It was far too abnormal.
Dodai couldn't fully understand it either, but he had some guesses.
"Perhaps he learned it in Konoha. We have intelligence suggesting that Konoha's Third Hokage has rumors of using secret techniques to spy on bathhouses.
"And the Third Hokage's disciple, Jiraiya, frequently peeps into bathhouses as well. He's been chased through the streets by countless women and even clashed with the Uchiha clan, who control the police force. The incidents were quite notorious.
"According to our investigation, after he came to our village, at ages six and seven, he relied on his young age to soak in women's bathhouses. He also worked part-time in the red-light district—likely to gather material.
"At the academy, he's very diligent and studious. He often goes to the academy library to borrow books, mostly historical texts—especially records related to the major ninja villages and clans."
This was the most reasonable analysis available. All the clues fit together neatly.
Very neatly.
Yet the Third Raikage's face twitched violently as he listened, and his regret deepened even further.
Should he just go clean house now and eliminate the problem, so his reputation wouldn't be ruined later?
After hesitating for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth and issued an order.
"Classify all information related to that aspect of him as the village's highest-level secret—on the same level as the intelligence on our two tailed beasts.
"Also… he seems to have been training in swordsmanship. Arrange for Fukai to be his squad leader."
That brat had immense potential—and he was ridiculously good at making money. He was of enormous benefit to the village.
For the sake of the village, his own reputation was nothing. This was the resolve and magnanimity expected of a Kage!
Of course, if it could remain secret, that would be even better—achieving the best of both worlds.
The confidentiality work had to be airtight. And they needed someone trustworthy to guide the boy.
His nephew was a perfect choice.
Fukai was an exemplary ninja—excellent in ninjutsu, bloodline, ability, and character. He had even been designated as one of the candidates for the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki.
At the same time, Fukai was skilled in swordsmanship, making him well suited to teach that brat—at least the fundamentals.
This way, the Raikage himself wouldn't need to interact with the boy too much, avoiding the risk of anything being exposed.
This master–disciple relationship had to remain secret. Otherwise, if his reputation really did collapse one day, he'd become a laughingstock throughout the entire ninja world.
He didn't have skin as thick as Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Figure out a way to give the outside world a reasonable explanation for today's events. Shimura Danzō isn't that easy to fool."
Thinking of Shimura Danzō, the Third Raikage frowned. He had a very deep impression of that man—a truly troublesome and ruthless character.
"The matter of the one billion ryō will be difficult to keep secret. It may already have leaked. But that actually gives us an opportunity to make a move.
"The spies we've already identified can be eliminated."
Dodai already had a plan in mind.
For him, this wasn't difficult at all.
After all—this was Kumogakure, not Shimura Danzō's Konoha.