Chapter 44. Contract Scroll

Chapter 44 - 44. Contract ScrollCloud Village, Raikage Tower Dodai sat at his desk, reviewing documents. As the Third Raikage's right-hand man, he possessed the Lava Release kekkei genkai and was not only a formidable fighter but also the chief examiner for the legendary Double Lariat technique. In the Cloud Village, there was a tradition: once "A" was chosen as the Raikage candidate, "B" had to be selected as the Raikage's bodyguard. Together, A and B had an explosive combination move called the Double Lariat. For someone like Dodai to serve as the chief examiner, his status was no less significant than that of Shimura Danzo in Konoha. Suddenly, Dodai's eyes widened. What the hell?! This kid! What did he just read? A spy codenamed 9527 had somehow become Tsunade's student?! This was the pinnacle of absurdity. Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin and a student of the Third Hokage, taking in a Cloud Village spy as her student? It was as ridiculous as if the Third Raikage himself had taken a student who turned out to be a Konoha spy. "Is this for real?" After the initial shock, Dodai felt disbelief. However, the intelligence report had been sent by his cousin, Tsuchibashi. Blood ties didn't allow room for trickery, and besides, who would dare mess with the Raikage? His infamous temper was like a bomb ready to explode at any moment. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Dodai quickly stood up and headed to the Raikage's office. After receiving permission, he pushed the door open and walked in. "Lord Raikage," Dodai said, bowing slightly. "Tsunade of Konoha has taken on a new student, and he's a ninja from the Cloud Village." "...?" The Third Raikage's face immediately twisted in confusion. Did you even hear what you just said? "It's true," Dodai assured him, presenting the intelligence report from Tsuchibashi. "Who assigned him to this mission in the first place?" After reading the report, the Third Raikage frowned. "Why would we send someone with such potential to be a spy?" "Hanekawa didn't show much promise before. It was a misjudgment on their part," Dodai replied. "I'll punish them when I return. But there's no denying this is a huge stroke of luck for the Cloud Village." "Is he loyal?" the Third Raikage asked, tapping his desk. "Lord Raikage, as you know, all spies have a secret technique implanted in their minds," Dodai said confidently. "There's no way he'd dare betray us." What Dodai didn't know was that when the Yamanaka clan attempted to extract Hanekawa's memories, the implanted technique had been erased by Hanekawa's system. However, it didn't matter whether the technique was present or not. Hanekawa had an A-rank trait, Infiltrator, which ensured that even if the Cloud Village tested him, his cover wouldn't be blown. "It seems his luck really is extraordinary," the Third Raikage remarked. "Indeed," Dodai agreed. Spies typically undergo rigorous scrutiny, yet Hanekawa had somehow passed every test without a hitch. "The Cloud Village has always repaid debts and rewarded merit," the Third Raikage said after some thought. "What do you think we should give him as a reward?" "The training method for Lightning Release: Chakra Mode," Dodai suggested, immediately offering his reasoning. Lightning Release: Chakra Mode involved using Lightning Release chakra to stimulate body cells, enhancing physical strength. The Cloud Village's abundance of powerhouses was largely due to this technique, which was also the foundation for their unique Lightning Release Taijutsu. Once Hanekawa learned it, he would need to earn more achievements to exchange for advanced Lightning Release Taijutsu, thereby ensuring his continued loyalty. "And there's another advantage," Dodai added with a smile. "Since Lightning Release Taijutsu is unique to the Cloud Village, if he ever tries to betray us, we can force him to use it, and it'll expose him immediately." The Third Raikage nodded in agreement after hearing this. ... After leaving the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore, Hanekawa turned onto a street lined with shops specializing in ninja tools. In the ninja world, money was important, but strength was fundamental. Money could be earned again, but once a person was gone, they were gone forever. The first thing Hanekawa decided to do with his newfound wealth was to commission a master swordsmith. He already had someone in mind. Soon, he stopped in front of a shop. Amid the many ninja tool shops with traditional Japanese aesthetics, one stood out. Its design resembled a martial arts hall from his past life. A wooden sign hung at the entrance, bearing four large characters: Tenten Ninja Tools. In the original series, Tenten was one of Konoha's "Rookie 12," a teammate of Hyuga Neji and Rock Lee, and skilled in ninja tool throwing. More importantly, she was incredibly lucky, even stumbling upon the Sage of Six Paths' tools. As the saying goes, "Spearmen often have bad luck," but Hanekawa figured that even though he wanted a katana rather than a spear, a little good fortune couldn't hurt. He entered the shop, and a young man greeted him. At this time, Tenten hadn't been born yet, so this was likely her father. In the original series, her parents were never mentioned, so Hanekawa wondered if her father's name might be One-One or Two-Two. "Hello, young one," the man said with a smile. "Are you here to buy some ninja tools?" "I'd like to commission a katana," Hanekawa replied after a pause. "It needs to include chakra metal." "That won't be cheap," the man said, his eyes lighting up. "Where are your parents?" "My guardian is Tsunade," Hanekawa said seriously. "Don't joke... wait, are you Hanekawa?" The man had been about to dismiss him but immediately recalled the rumors he'd heard that day. No one in Konoha would dare falsely claim to be Tsunade's student. Moreover, an ordinary child wouldn't even know about chakra metal, so the man believed him. "That will be ten million ryō," the man said, raising one finger. "Deal," Hanekawa replied. He had already researched the market and knew this was a fair price. "Even though you're Lady Tsunade's student, the amount is large, so I'll need a one-million-ryō deposit," the man added. "By the way, my name is Amura." "No problem," Hanekawa said, now wealthy enough that a million ryō was pocket change. Besides, with Amura's shop in Konoha, there was no risk of him running off. As Tsunade's disciple, Hanekawa was also backed by the Hokage's faction. "How long will it take?" Hanekawa asked after paying the deposit. "About two months," Amura replied after thinking for a moment. "Alright, I'll come back then," Hanekawa said, leaving the shop. He jogged all the way to Tsunade's house. "You're back? Sign this," Tsunade said lazily, reclining on the sofa. She lifted her slender foot, flexing her toes to gesture at the coffee table. A scroll lay spread open on the table in front of her. Hanekawa glanced at it and immediately recognized it: the Shikkotsu Forest Contract Scroll. In the original series, there were three major sacred lands of summoning beasts: Ryūchi Cave, Shikkotsu Forest, and Mount Myōboku. These summoning beasts were immensely powerful. As sacred lands, they also taught their contractors Sage Mode and senjutsu. While Hanekawa was too young to learn such techniques now, having the qualification to do so was vastly different from being unable to learn them. By signing the scroll, he would gain that qualification. "Today, I'll teach you the Summoning Technique," Tsunade said after Hanekawa signed the scroll. She began explaining the details of Shikkotsu Forest. Although Hanekawa already knew about it, he listened attentively to avoid arousing suspicion. -- Read 110 advanced Chapters (daily updates 5 Chapters) Buy once and read it for a lifetime Patreon.com/rashta/collections Or be a member so you can read: seaʀᴄh thё nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. - 470 adv ch of Qian Renxue's Younger Brother - 260 adv ch of Uchiha Madara's Cousin - 163 adv ch of WDQK: Divorcing Ling Qingzhu (Complete)