Inside a modest apartment in Kumogakure—the Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning—a young man frowned at his training sword, now snapped again under the strain of harsh practice.
"My teacher's expression has been off lately... like he's holding something back. If I'm right, the Second Great Ninja War is about to begin."
Recalling the increasingly somber gaze of his instructor, Tamura Hao knew something was wrong.
As a transmigrator from the modern world, Hao initially resisted the truth: he'd landed in the Naruto universe. A world where even self-proclaimed terrorists claimed to fight for peace—by waging brutal war!
Now, nearly a decade after the First Great Ninja War ended, the storm of a second is brewing.
And Hao was about to graduate from the academy. Even if he intentionally flunked, his instructor wouldn't keep him back—he'd just be conscripted into war preparations.
Thinking of the imminent war, Hao's face darkened with concern.
"Everyone's preparing. Even the jonin instructors have been recalled to active duty. There won't be any elite jonin left to lead the next generation."
For a student like him, enrolled in a standard class, expecting a capable mentor was unrealistic. At best, he'd be led by a mid-level chunin. Hoping to learn solid ninjutsu from such a mentor was a fantasy.
In the main story, the Konoha 12 all trained under jonin—but they were the elite class, the so-called "Rocket Class," full of geniuses. Even the supposedly "ordinary" members like Haruno Sakura or Rock Lee had their own exceptional circumstances. In this world, anyone with a clan name wasn't truly a civilian.
Civilians, after all, didn't have surnames. Hao himself bore a name given by his father upon entering the Root Corps to avoid discrimination. His current name—a compressed form of the names his parents once gave him—happens to match his former life's identity. His original name had been... too embarrassing to reveal.
Being a civilian also meant his chakra was mediocre—barely passable. His father had died at thirty without even mastering basic D-rank ninjutsu due to chakra deficiency. Hao, now ten, could only just manage the three basic academy techniques before exhausting himself.
At this rate, he'd be cannon fodder.
"I can't wait any longer!"
Graduation was in just two weeks. Gritting his teeth, Hao made a decision that would defy the Will of Fire—and the will of Lightning.
Fight, or die. Those were the only options.
Without hesitation, he reached into the hidden compartment beneath his bed, retrieving two pre-prepared sealing scrolls. He left his home and made for the Raikage Building.
Kumogakure wasn't like Konoha. Built into towering peaks, not flat plains, the Cloud Village was a natural fortress—easy to defend, hard to reach. But Hao had trained his body relentlessly, modeling himself after Konoha's "three hardworking legends"—Might Guy, Rock Lee, and even Naruto Uzumaki. With chakra assistance, his body was far from average. He reached the Raikage Building quickly.
Rather than heading to the Mission Desk, he went directly to the Intelligence Division.
"I'm Tamura Hao, student of Class 9, Grade 5 at the Ninja Academy. I have A-rank intelligence for Raikage-sama. Please deliver these two sealed scrolls to him. I guarantee Raikage-sama will summon me after reading them."
Hao handed over the scrolls and his academy ID to the middle-aged shinobi manning the desk.
He was still technically a student. Kumogakure's system differed from Konoha's—academy began at age five and lasted five years. Students graduated around age ten.
"A-rank intel? Kid, you know false reports of that level are punishable, right?"
The man stared hard, and even the elder by the window, sipping tea, glanced over.
"I'll take full responsibility."
Hao's tone was firm. Without a trump card, he'd never dare come here.
"Ninja Academy student...?"
The man inspected the ID and, confirming it was genuine, turned to the scrolls.
"What's in these?"
"Scroll One contains one billion ryo. You can verify it. Scroll Two is top secret—it can only be opened by Raikage-sama personally."
Still serious, Hao's words caused both men to stiffen.
"One billion ryo?!"
That kind of wealth was unfathomable. A jonin bounty barely fetched 10 million, elites maybe 20. Only a few S-rank threats earned more than 30 million.
One billion ryo could buy the lives of an entire generation of jonin.
The older man gave Hao a long, unreadable look before finally unsealing Scroll One. Ten large storage boxes materialized.
Opening one revealed neat stacks of high-denomination bills—each box likely held 100 million ryo. After inspecting the others and confirming their authenticity, the elder resealed them.
"Come with me. You're seeing the Raikage."
Scroll Two remained unopened. Just the contents of Scroll One had shifted everything.
Raikage-sama had been furious lately—the village's war budget was stretched thin. One billion ryo couldn't be ignored.
Hao followed the elder up to the Raikage's office at the tower's summit.
Soon, the doors opened. Hao was called in.
The boxes from Scroll One were placed before the Third Raikage. As Hao approached, a strange sensation struck his mind—like something had awakened—but now wasn't the time to explore it.
The Third Raikage's presence alone was overwhelming—no theatrics, just raw pressure. He truly was the strongest Raikage in history.
"You may leave," the Raikage said, dismissing the elder with a nod.
The man bowed and exited.
"Well, brat? What intel are you offering?"
Even the Raikage was suspicious. A kid, ten years old, offering a mountain of ryo? Something didn't add up.
Standing nearby, Yeyoi Ai (the future Fourth Raikage) and Tutai watched closely, intrigued.
"Actually... the intelligence can wait," Hao said after clearing his throat. "My main reason for coming is to request to become your disciple. This one billion ryo is my offering—a token of sincerity."
Even the Third Raikage's eye twitched slightly.
Was this... a bribe?
"One billion ryo is substantial," he said after a pause. "But not enough to make you my student."
His gaze drifted to the second scroll. That was the true bargaining chip.
Yeyoi Ai and Tutai also focused on the second scroll—clearly, its contents held more weight than the money itself.
Chapter 1: Bribing the Raikage
Inside a modest apartment in Kumogakure—the Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning—a young man frowned at his training sword, now snapped again under the strain of harsh practice.
"My teacher's expression has been off lately... like he's holding something back. If I'm right, the Second Great Ninja War is about to begin."
Recalling the increasingly somber gaze of his instructor, Tamura Hao knew something was wrong.
As a transmigrator from the modern world, Hao initially resisted the truth: he'd landed in the Naruto universe. A world where even self-proclaimed terrorists claimed to fight for peace—by waging brutal war!
Now, nearly a decade after the First Great Ninja War ended, the storm of a second is brewing.
And Hao was about to graduate from the academy. Even if he intentionally flunked, his instructor wouldn't keep him back—he'd just be conscripted into war preparations.
Thinking of the imminent war, Hao's face darkened with concern.
"Everyone's preparing. Even the jonin instructors have been recalled to active duty. There won't be any elite jonin left to lead the next generation."
For a student like him, enrolled in a standard class, expecting a capable mentor was unrealistic. At best, he'd be led by a mid-level chunin. Hoping to learn solid ninjutsu from such a mentor was a fantasy.
In the main story, the Konoha 12 all trained under jonin—but they were the elite class, the so-called "Rocket Class," full of geniuses. Even the supposedly "ordinary" members like Haruno Sakura or Rock Lee had their own exceptional circumstances. In this world, anyone with a clan name wasn't truly a civilian.
Civilians, after all, didn't have surnames. Hao himself bore a name given by his father upon entering the Root Corps to avoid discrimination. His current name—a compressed form of the names his parents once gave him—happens to match his former life's identity. His original name had been... too embarrassing to reveal.
Being a civilian also meant his chakra was mediocre—barely passable. His father had died at thirty without even mastering basic D-rank ninjutsu due to chakra deficiency. Hao, now ten, could only just manage the three basic academy techniques before exhausting himself.
At this rate, he'd be cannon fodder.
"I can't wait any longer!"
Graduation was in just two weeks. Gritting his teeth, Hao made a decision that would defy the Will of Fire—and the will of Lightning.
Fight, or die. Those were the only options.
Without hesitation, he reached into the hidden compartment beneath his bed, retrieving two pre-prepared sealing scrolls. He left his home and made for the Raikage Building.
Kumogakure wasn't like Konoha. Built into towering peaks, not flat plains, the Cloud Village was a natural fortress—easy to defend, hard to reach. But Hao had trained his body relentlessly, modeling himself after Konoha's "three hardworking legends"—Might Guy, Rock Lee, and even Naruto Uzumaki. With chakra assistance, his body was far from average. He reached the Raikage Building quickly.
Rather than heading to the Mission Desk, he went directly to the Intelligence Division.
"I'm Tamura Hao, student of Class 9, Grade 5 at the Ninja Academy. I have A-rank intelligence for Raikage-sama. Please deliver these two sealed scrolls to him. I guarantee Raikage-sama will summon me after reading them."
Hao handed over the scrolls and his academy ID to the middle-aged shinobi manning the desk.
He was still technically a student. Kumogakure's system differed from Konoha's—academy began at age five and lasted five years. Students graduated around age ten.
"A-rank intel? Kid, you know false reports of that level are punishable, right?"
The man stared hard, and even the elder by the window, sipping tea, glanced over.
"I'll take full responsibility."
Hao's tone was firm. Without a trump card, he'd never dare come here.
"Ninja Academy student...?"
The man inspected the ID and, confirming it was genuine, turned to the scrolls.
"What's in these?"
"Scroll One contains one billion ryo. You can verify it. Scroll Two is top secret—it can only be opened by Raikage-sama personally."
Still serious, Hao's words caused both men to stiffen.
"One billion ryo?!"
That kind of wealth was unfathomable. A jonin bounty barely fetched 10 million, elites maybe 20. Only a few S-rank threats earned more than 30 million.
One billion ryo could buy the lives of an entire generation of jonin.
The older man gave Hao a long, unreadable look before finally unsealing Scroll One. Ten large storage boxes materialized.
Opening one revealed neat stacks of high-denomination bills—each box likely held 100 million ryo. After inspecting the others and confirming their authenticity, the elder resealed them.
"Come with me. You're seeing the Raikage."
Scroll Two remained unopened. Just the contents of Scroll One had shifted everything.
Raikage-sama had been furious lately—the village's war budget was stretched thin. One billion ryo couldn't be ignored.
Hao followed the elder up to the Raikage's office at the tower's summit.
Soon, the doors opened. Hao was called in.
The boxes from Scroll One were placed before the Third Raikage. As Hao approached, a strange sensation struck his mind—like something had awakened—but now wasn't the time to explore it.
The Third Raikage's presence alone was overwhelming—no theatrics, just raw pressure. He truly was the strongest Raikage in history.
"You may leave," the Raikage said, dismissing the elder with a nod.
The man bowed and exited.
"Well, brat? What intel are you offering?"
Even the Raikage was suspicious. A kid, ten years old, offering a mountain of ryo? Something didn't add up.
Standing nearby, Yeyoi Ai (the future Fourth Raikage) and Tutai watched closely, intrigued.
"Actually... the intelligence can wait," Hao said after clearing his throat. "My main reason for coming is to request to become your disciple. This one billion ryo is my offering—a token of sincerity."
Even the Third Raikage's eye twitched slightly.
Was this... a bribe?
"One billion ryo is substantial," he said after a pause. "But not enough to make you my student."
His gaze drifted to the second scroll. That was the true bargaining chip.
Yeyoi Ai and Tutai also focused on the second scroll—clearly, its contents held more weight than the money itself.