"Hell Stab: One-Finger Strike!"
Satoru, having unleashed Flash Star Core, was utterly drained. In the next second, the sudden arrival destroyed his attack.
"Never thought anyone could push Bee this far," A middle-aged man with "雷" (Lightning) tattoo on his arm appeared on the battlefield. He first glanced at the Eight-Tails, then at Satoru.
"Young Konoha ninja facing the Eight-Tails head-on... You must be the Third Hokage's disciple, the supernova star Satoru," the man's voice was calm and authoritative, pressuring Satoru heavily.
"Third Raikage?! What are you doing here? Starting a war?" Satoru pressed from the start, seizing moral high ground instantly.
"You're overreaching. Hidden Cloud wants no war. Besides, this isn't Konoha territory—it's the Land of Frost. Our ninjas' movements here are between us and the Land of Frost," Third Raikage replied, then continued, "But you, Konoha ninja—why attack our shinobi and injure the Eight-Tails jinchuriki?"
Dealing with Third Raikage was tough, especially with Satoru out of trumps. His priority: return to Konoha alive.
"Hard to explain, Lord Raikage. You're allies, so you'd cover for each other. Your Cloud spies infiltrated our territory; I pursued them here, leading to clash with the Eight-Tails jinchuriki," Satoru's words were pure truth.
"You talk a lot... Hoping I'll let you go?" the Hidden Cloud leader asked.
"Lord Raikage, I think you will."
"Your goal isn't killing me—it's retrieving the Eight-Tails. If it rampages here, other shinobi villages will hear. What if they attack Hidden Cloud while you're tied up?"
"I'm the Third Hokage's disciple, highly valued by Konoha's leadership. Kill me, and Konoha becomes Hidden Cloud's eternal sworn enemy. You'd lose more than gain."
"Actually, right now I'm working for the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire. I don't want to feud with the Hidden Cloud—in fact, I'd like to make a deal with you," Satoru showed no sign of fear whatsoever. In a situation like this, showing fear would only increase his chances of being killed.
The Third Raikage slowly approached Satoru and attacked. The hand delivering the Hell Stab: One-Finger Strike froze right in front of the young man's face. Satoru remained unflappable.
"Not bad. You really do have a strong spirit," the Raikage said.
"We'll talk about everything else later. You, keep an eye on this kid. I need to reinforce the seal on him."
Satoru wanted to do something, but he had no strength left. For now, all he could do was buy time until his chakra recovered.
The Third Raikage possessed the "strongest spear" and was dealing with the Eight-Tails, who had already been thoroughly worn down by Satoru. So he managed to reinforce the seal on the Jinchuriki fairly quickly. Once finished, the Cloud leader turned to Satoru.
"Kid Satoru, you're only seven years old, and you managed to push the Eight-Tails to this state. Honestly, I really want to kill you, because if you grow up, you'll become a terrifying opponent," the Third Raikage tried to intimidate Satoru from the start.
Satoru shook his head.
"I think, Lord Raikage, you won't do that. If you wanted to, you'd have done it already, right?"
"Hm. What was that deal you mentioned earlier? I'm just curious. You're already in my hands, and you dare talk to me about deals?" The Third Raikage looked at Satoru, seeming genuinely interested in the proposal.
Satoru replied without a trace of fear.
"If I were talking to you as a student of the Third Hokage, maybe the deal wouldn't happen. But what if I'm speaking to you as the future Hokage?"
"The future Hokage?" The Third Raikage was momentarily stunned. He wanted to laugh, but seeing the expression on this seven-year-old kid's face, he realized the boy was serious.
"Student of the Third Hokage... outstanding power, exceptional talent... he really has every chance to become Hokage," the Cloud leader thought.
"Speak. I'm listening."
Satoru began.
"Whether it's the Hidden Cloud, Konoha, or any other shinobi village, wars happen only because each village seeks benefits for itself."
"War can bring benefits, but it can also lead to massive losses. Essentially, it's a gamble: winning promises huge profits, but losing brings heavy retribution," Satoru explained.
"I know what you're saying, kid. What do you really want? Speak plainly," the Third Raikage was an impatient man and had no intention of listening to Satoru's long-winded reasoning.
Satoru answered directly.
"Then I'll put it simply. I'm a very wealthy merchant. I want to invest in the Hidden Cloud, improve your people's welfare. That way, you won't have to go to war for benefits."
The Third Raikage froze. It seemed to him that Satoru wasn't quite right in the head to say such things.
"Are you mocking me? A ninja from Konoha... why would he invest in our Hidden Cloud? You want to improve our people's welfare? Why not solve your own Konoha's problems?" The Third Raikage couldn't help but find Satoru's words ridiculous, but the young man continued completely seriously.
"Lord Ei, right now I'm the head of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, responsible for guarding the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire. I'm speaking to you not as a Konoha ninja, but as a representative of the Land of Fire."
"The Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire has already given me permission to develop virgin lands and grow food. I've invested a lot of money so that the people of the Land of Fire can eat their fill. I hope to get the opportunity to develop virgin lands in the Land of Lightning too, grow food so that your country's people can eat their fill," Satoru said.
The Third Raikage shook his head.
"Impossible. You're just a seven-year-old ninja—how can you make such large investments? Besides, we have enough food in the Land of Lightning."
Satoru shook his head in disbelief.
"I don't believe it. The lands of the Land of Fire are the most suitable for growing grains. That's why the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone Village have repeatedly invaded Konoha, right?"
"The Land of Lightning has many gorges and mountains—such lands aren't suitable for growing food. The quantity and quality of ninja in the Hidden Cloud are indeed top-notch, but you lack food, so you can't defeat other shinobi villages. Your main problem is food, am I right?" Satoru looked at the Third Raikage.
The Cloud leader replied.
"Since you know the Land of Lightning isn't suitable for growing food, why talk about investments? About developing virgin lands? And are you sure you're not betraying your village?"