"No problem—leave it to me!"
Tamura Zairo answered without the slightest hesitation. To him, anything that could be solved with money wasn't a problem at all.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Yotsuki A burst into excited laughter. "From now on, our cultivation will depend on you. If you ever need anything, just come to me. As long as it doesn't violate my principles, I'll take care of it for you!"
With this junior brother's guarantee, his own future training was finally secured.
The foundation of nin-taijutsu lay in physical conditioning. The stronger one's body, the greater the power of nin-taijutsu. Improving physical quality was therefore absolutely critical.
Yet the human body had limits. Pure training alone produced diminishing returns. Only by pairing it with high-grade secret medicines like these could one achieve maximal improvement—It even, to a certain extent, broke through the limits of physical aptitude.
"If there's anything like this in the future, Big Brother, just tell me. When it comes to money, I'll do my best to cover it."
Tamura Zairo was equally pleased. He could tell that Yotsuki A had some intention of leveraging his wealth to support his own cultivation, but he didn't mind in the slightest.
A perfect team was supposed to work that way—those with money contributed money, those with strength contributed strength, those with resources contributed resources.
Yotsuki A was already offering clan-secret medicines that couldn't be bought with money alone. That was more than generous.
Fukai, standing off to the side, felt increasingly puzzled. He had the distinct feeling that something major was going on that he hadn't been told about.
"You all seem to be having a good chat."
At that moment, a towering figure walked in—it was the Third Raikage.
"Teacher!"
"Dad!"
"Lord Raikage!"
Tamura Zairo and the others quickly greeted him. However, when Tamura Zairo called him teacher, the Third Raikage's eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
This disciple was dangerous. One careless slip, and his lifelong reputation would shatter.
Suppressing the urge to "clean house," the Third Raikage said solemnly:
"Take off your clothes. I'll shatter your bones."
Seeing Tamura Zairo's stunned expression, Yotsuki A explained:
"Our Yotsuki clan's inherited hand-blade technique requires training that shatters the body. Only by cracking the bones can the medicinal power seep deep into the skeleton. Once healed, the bones become far stronger."
"I'm ready, Teacher."
Tamura Zairo immediately understood. Without the slightest hesitation, he stripped naked and signaled that he was prepared.
He would never miss out on something this good.
A bit of short-term pain was nothing compared to the suffering endured by those three legendary grinders from Konoha. This was paradise by comparison.
The Third Raikage didn't waste words. He raised his hand and rapidly struck Tamura Zairo's body, cracking bones throughout. Using exquisite control, he even produced fractures along the spine.
Then, grabbing the youth who was baring his teeth and convulsing from pain, he dropped him straight into the medicinal bath.
Although it was called "shattering the body," it didn't mean truly breaking bones. It was enough to create fractures, allowing the medicine to penetrate the interior of the skeleton.
But this required terrifyingly precise control. One mistake could cripple someone—especially when dealing with the spine.
At present, only the Third Raikage in all of Kumogakure could do this.
He then used the same method on his son and his nephew, cracking their bones and placing them into their respective tubs.
This was primarily for his son and nephew. He was sparing no expense to elevate their strength and potential.
One was his son and future successor.
The other was a Jinchūriki candidate he deeply valued.
Both were destined to become pillars of the village. The stronger they became, the better.
"Teacher, do we not need to crack the skull as well, to help absorb the medicine?"
Having recovered slightly from the pain, Tamura Zairo asked. For body tempering, perfection mattered—he didn't want to leave behind any weak points.
"The skull already has natural sutures. There's no need."
The Third Raikage shot him a glare. He would never dare strike the head.
Cracking the spine without damaging the spinal cord was already the limit of his skill. Besides, the skull truly didn't need it.
The cranial bones naturally had gaps, and the jaw was connected to the teeth—medicine could permeate through them just fine. No vulnerabilities would remain.
"Teacher, don't you want a tub as well? Money isn't an issue. I don't just earn from writing novels—there's also the entertainment complex in the village. I built it, and now it's basically complete. I should be netting about one hundred million ryō a month from it."
Tamura Zairo was extremely confident in his financial power.
Naturally, he hadn't placed all his bets on novels alone. That market had limits and would eventually saturate.
Not to mention copycats. Relying on that alone wasn't sustainable.
That was why, three years ago, he had quietly used his novel earnings to recruit people and enter the food and entertainment industry.
"Little Fat Sheep Hotpot City?"
"That place is yours?!"
Yotsuki A and Fukai were both stunned.
Of course they knew that entertainment complex. It had been carved out of a small mountain within the village. It had started as a single hotpot restaurant and exploded in popularity almost overnight. They went there often themselves.
Later, the complex expanded again and again, introducing all kinds of new cuisine and attractions. The identity of the owner had always been a mystery.
And now they were being told it was built by the boy standing in front of them.
Three years ago… he would've been seven.
Even the Third Raikage was surprised. He knew quite a bit about that place.
"Can you actually get your hands on that one hundred million?"
He let out a cold laugh. Toudai had already reported on the situation to him—because the owner had never appeared in person, the management layer had begun to harbor thoughts of their own.
"Isn't that why you're here, Teacher?"
Tamura Zairo grinned. "I'm willing to hand over fifty percent of the revenue as tax to the Raikage Tower.
"And I want to expand this entertainment complex worldwide—especially opening branches in other ninja villages. For that, I'll need your support, Teacher, and the village's backing."
He had anticipated trouble long ago, which was why he had never shown his real face. At the start, he had used Transformation Technique to recruit people and set things up, leaving only a general development plan.
It was all to avoid exposure—so he wouldn't get swallowed whole.
But now things were different.
Behind him stood the Third Raikage—the undisputed pillar of Kumogakure. What did he have to fear?
If those people still dared to harbor schemes, they'd have to see whether their heads were harder—or the Raikage's Hell Stab was fiercer.
Of course, "Benefits must still be shared. Stability can only be achieved through the binding of interests".
With the Third Raikage and the village's support, he could expand the project across the Land of Lightning—and eventually the entire world.
Earn the world's money.
"You little brat—now you're scheming against me."
The Third Raikage shook his head with a laugh, then agreed. "Submit a full report to Toudai later."
He then continued, more seriously:
"This medicinal bath only works before adulthood. Once the skeleton fully matures, the effect weakens greatly.
"My own physical conditioning has already surpassed what external aids like this can enhance.
"Besides, some of the materials are limited. Money alone can't obtain them. Supplying the three of you is already the limit."
This clan-secret medicinal bath was extraordinarily powerful, but it still had limits.
Moreover, when he had cultivated Black Lightning, his body had already undergone a major refinement. That was why he could develop the Lightning Armor into the Strongest Shield.
In terms of physical conditioning alone, he was unmatched in the current ninja world.
Even the so-called God of Shinobi couldn't compare to him in pure physical strength—the First Hokage's true terror lay in his inhuman chakra reserves.
"The medicinal absorption will take three hours. After that, medical-nin will come in and use healing techniques to rapidly repair the bone fractures. You'll basically be able to walk afterward."
With those final words, the Third Raikage turned and left.
He was busy. He didn't have time to linger here.
"…Which master are you, exactly?"
After the Third Raikage left, Fukai finally asked in a low voice.
When Tamura Zairo had mentioned earning money through novels, Fukai had already guessed his identity.
He was a reader himself. He knew just how wildly popular those books were.
But which of those famous authors was this student?
As for being the entertainment complex's owner—that was shocking, but secondary.
"All of them."
Tamura Zairo didn't hide it.
Since Yotsuki A had brought Fukai here to enjoy such a precious medicinal bath, it meant he was one of their own. There was no need for secrecy.
Besides, Fukai was his team leader. They would be spending a long time together. Some things couldn't be hidden anyway.
"All of them?"
Fukai was confused. Among the nine great masters, he didn't recall anyone called "All of Them."
"Hahahaha—ngh!"
Yotsuki A burst out laughing, then immediately winced as the movement tugged at his cracked bones. His face twisted, half in pain, half in laughter.
Fukai looked over, bewildered. He didn't understand what was so funny.
He knew this cousin of his was also a devoted fan of those authors. In that regard, neither of them had any right to mock the other.
"I mean all of them. Every single one of those books was written by me."
Tamura Zairo explained helplessly. The books themselves were embarrassing, sure—but they were all men here. No need to be shy.
"All of… ngh!"
Fukai froze, then was struck by realization—followed by a sharp intake of breath as the pain flared again.
"How did you manage that?"
After a long while, he finally recovered, still shaken and unable to understand.
This student was only ten years old!
"Probably because I have the mindset of a village's shadow."
Tamura Zairo replied calmly.
In the future, Uchiha Itachi would be said to possess Hokage thinking.
As for him—
his Hokage thinking was just as pure.