After undergoing a thorough examination led by Yeyue, Tanaka Haruki noticed that Yeyue seemed hesitant to say something. Smiling warmly, Haruki spoke first.
"Brother Yeyue, we're comrades now. If you've got something on your mind, just say it."
"...When's your next masterpiece coming out?"
Yeyue glanced around, making sure no one was nearby, and asked in a low voice.
He was a die-hard fan of his junior's writing. He had collected every volume Haruki had published and was constantly anticipating the next release. Despite Haruki being extremely productive—putting out a new book every month, each around 100,000 words—it still wasn't enough for Yeyue.
He'd devoured the last one on the same day it was released and had been craving more ever since.
Seeing Yeyue's hopeful expression, Haruki's eye twitched slightly as he replied helplessly, "I've already submitted the manuscript to the publisher. It should be printing now. It'll hit shelves on the first of next month."
"You're insanely productive, junior brother!"
Yeyue gave him a hearty thumbs-up, his anticipation now at its peak.
Thankfully, it was only a week away.
"Do you want to change your living arrangements?" Yeyue asked next, shifting topics. During the exam, he had chatted with Haruki and learned he was staying in a civilian neighborhood—crowded and not particularly safe.
"No need. Lord 土台 seems to have plans. It's better if I stay where I am."
Tamura Hiroshi shook his head. He had a sense of what 土台 was thinking: essentially, they wanted him to act as a semi-double agent to lure out Shimura Danzo and Konoha.
He didn't mind. Only by proving his worth could he earn greater rewards.
"Alright," Yeyue nodded. "I'll arrange for an elder from our clan to move nearby and keep watch. If anything happens, use these detonating tags immediately. And make sure your home is rigged so the elder can respond at the first sign of trouble."
He handed over a thick stack of high-grade exploding tags—one hundred in total, recently fetched by a messenger.
"Thank you, senior brother!"
Haruki gratefully accepted them. At this point, anything that improved his safety and helped preserve the secrecy of his situation was essential.
"Work hard. Whatever Konoha could offer you—we can offer more."
Yeyue patted him on the shoulder, clearly confident in Haruki's future and eager to keep him from straying back to Konoha.
As for Haruki's spy identity? That didn't matter much. If he truly integrated into the Hidden Cloud Village and proved his value, the village would accept him.
The Hidden Cloud had always been talent-hungry. In recent years, it had carried out many external raids to seize elite ninja and steal secret techniques. Those who sincerely joined the village afterward received excellent treatment.
If the village could accommodate them, they would certainly accommodate this younger brother too.
"I understand. I won't let you or our teacher down."
Haruki nodded seriously. He truly didn't want to return to Konoha—especially not under Shimura Danzo. There was no future for him there. It would be nearly impossible to establish a name, and he'd constantly be risking his life.
Just think about how many people died in Konoha in the original story. Entire ninja clans wiped out. Even the founding families were destroyed in the end. The darkness and bloodshed behind those events were unimaginable.
And later on, Konoha was flattened multiple times. Sure, the people there were kind and resilient—but they suffered endlessly.
Konoha's strength, its wealth of genius ninjas and deep cultural heritage, was both a blessing and a curse. It made internal strife constant and complex. Getting caught in the crossfire by accident could be fatal.
Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Hidden Cloud Village had the best reputation and the lowest rate of rebellion—especially under the Third Raikage's leadership.
Konoha, on the other hand, was full of traps.
The Hidden Mist Village? Ever since the Third Mizukage took power, they'd implemented a brutal "blood mist" policy—slaughtering even their own people with glee. A foreigner like Haruki would fare even worse.
The Sand Village was just endless desert. They lacked both resources and powerful secret techniques. Plus, he wasn't into puppet-making.
Building a Gundam by hand? Sorry, that was way out of his league.
As for the Hidden Stone Village—they were highly xenophobic, with internal politics riddled with problems. Unless he somehow became the Third Tsuchikage's personal disciple (which, given that crafty old man's character, was nearly impossible), he'd be treated with deep suspicion, or even subjected to genjutsu interrogations.
So, the Hidden Cloud Village was clearly the best choice.
And the Third Raikage, while stern, was fair and honest. That was why Haruki had dared to reveal his spy identity in the first place.
After talking a bit more with Yeyue, the two left the Raikage Building and returned to their respective duties.
Haruki immediately pulled out the detonating tags and threads and began rigging his room, laying them along the walls, floor, and ceiling. He wasn't taking any chances—he needed every edge to prevent an assassination.
"I passed the first trial…"
With a long sigh of relief, he took off his clothes and stepped into the bathroom to shower.
Though he'd maintained a calm facade earlier, inwardly he had been on the edge of panic. His undershirt was soaked with cold sweat.
This was a gamble. A deadly one. If he had failed, he would have died—no question. Even with good odds, the stress was nearly unbearable.
But he had pulled it off. The first step was done—and it was the most crucial.
As long as he remained loyal to the Hidden Cloud Village, upheld the Will of Thunder, abandoned the Will of Fire that Danzo instilled in him, and proved his worth, he would be fine.
"How are you now…?"
He pulled out a photo from under the drawer of his bedside table. In it was a blonde girl, smiling. Haruki stared at her with a thoughtful expression.
She was the main reason he had been assigned to infiltrate the Hidden Cloud Village—and the key to escaping Danzo Shimura's grip.
It had been five years. He had no idea how she was doing now.
Still, knowing her strength and skill, she was probably thriving under Danzo's command.
He gazed at the photo a moment longer before sliding it back into the drawer.
Keeping it was part of a long con—to mislead Danzo into believing his emotional connection remained intact. It might stop the old snake from sending assassins after him.
And maybe, just maybe, he could use this one day. Danzo had many treasures in his vault.
"What was that feeling earlier…?"
Haruki recalled the strange sensation he'd had in the Raikage's office—like some kind of energy entering his body. More specifically, into his head.
At the time, he assumed it was a genjutsu or a sensory technique. After all, it was the Raikage's domain.
But later, when he casually brought it up with Yeyue, he found that wasn't the case.
And again, when he was in the training room demonstrating firearms, the same eerie feeling struck him—as though something had entered his mind.
He even experienced it once again at home, while taking a shower.
So what was it?
Unable to make sense of it through thought alone, Tamura Hiroshi closed his eyes and began to refine his chakra, directing his focus inward—toward his mind.
Chakra refinement made both mental and physical energy more active. If something unusual was lurking in his mind, he should be able to detect it.
At first, nothing.
But the moment he refined his chakra, something triggered. The energy in his head surged deep into his brain—like it was being swallowed.
Then, as if sensing a signal, the chakra in the rest of his body rushed toward his head uncontrollably.
At the same time, Tamura Hiroshi's consciousness was suddenly pulled into a vast, dark, and empty space.