The moment the deal was sealed, the atmosphere in the office shifted.
The thick pressure of negotiation disappeared, leaving only the faint tapping of Ryo's fingers against his knee and the soft hiss of tobacco as Hiruzen exhaled a long stream of smoke.
"The debt is cleared."
Hiruzen's murky eyes glimmered with sharp light through the haze. "Now, let's talk about another kind of business."
He leaned forward, crossing the cluttered table. His shadow stretched across it, heavy with authority.
"That blue chakra sphere you taught Kushina, the one called Rasengan." His Adam's apple moved as he swallowed, his voice thick with desire. "And that sword technique of yours, the one that split the ground with a swing of its sheath."
His gaze turned razor-sharp. "Interested in making a deal with the village? Exchange them for something more… useful?"
Ryo didn't lift his eyes. "What kind of exchange?" His tone was curt, straight to the point.
Hiruzen leaned back, reaching beneath his desk. A deep scraping sound followed as he pulled out a massive ancient scroll bound in dark ebony wood.
With a thud, it landed on the table. The yellowed parchment was covered in dense crimson sealing scripts.
"The Scroll of Seals." Hiruzen's fingers brushed across it with reverence. "From the time of the First Hokage, this scroll records every forbidden technique in Konoha's history."
He tapped the hardened casing with a knuckle. "Your Rasengan, stabilized chakra shape transformation, fully controllable, devastating against defenses, no hand seals required. That's A-rank at least."
"As for that sword technique, barehanded, no chakra required, yet it split the ground open. That's S-rank material."
His gaze sharpened. "You can pick two jutsu of equivalent rank from this scroll. How about it? Do we have a deal?"
His voice carried temptation, and just a trace of unease.
Ryo finally moved.
His eyes scanned the twisting runes, silver pupils faintly rippling with hidden energy.
"Deal." The word struck like a hammer.
"Agreed!" Hiruzen's heart skipped. He had accepted that easily? He had expected to negotiate half the day.
But it made sense. The Scroll of Seals held countless forbidden techniques, many unusable. Trading a few to gain new foundational arts was profitable from a Hokage's point of view.
For Ryo, it was simpler.
The Rasengan was something he had gotten for free. That swordsmanship from another world? Also free. Whether others could master it was not his concern.
He was about to trade two things he got for nothing for two high-tier jutsu. Pure profit.
Afraid he might change his mind, Hiruzen quickly formed hand seals. His fingers blurred.
Chakra light shimmered at his fingertips as he pressed the central "Seal" symbol.
A deep hum rippled through the air. The complex seal patterns quivered like water, then shifted aside.
Moments later, a portion of the scroll unfurled, revealing lines of black ink.
"Check the index yourself," Hiruzen said hoarsely. "Only this portion is accessible. The rest is sealed."
Ryo's eyes flicked through the list, each name carried blood and legend.
Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence (S-Rank, Forbidden) Impure World Reincarnation (S-Rank, Forbidden) Yin Seal (S-Rank) Flying Thunder God Technique (S-Rank)
One by one, jutsu that had shaken the world appeared before him.
Then his gaze stopped, not on the top entries, but on a modest one marked in red.
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique (A-Rank).
His eyes narrowed. Then they stopped again, Flying Thunder God Technique (S-Rank).
He tapped the table lightly. The sound was soft, but it hit Hiruzen's heart like a hammer.
"These two," Ryo said calmly.
"What?!" Hiruzen's hand jerked, almost dropping his pipe. "Cough, cough, what did you just say?!"
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique," Ryo repeated. "And the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Clack.
The brass pipe hit the table and rolled twice before stopping upside down.
Hiruzen didn't even glance at it. His eyes bulged. "Are you insane? Do you even know what the Flying Thunder God is?! S-Rank forbidden art. Spatial teleportation. Tobirama-sama spent his entire life creating it. One misstep and you'll be shredded in spatial turbulence. Do you have a death wish?!"
"Young people!" he roared. "Just because you killed a few Kumo-nin doesn't make you invincible. These techniques aren't toys. Geniuses have died trying to learn what's written here!"
Ryo waited silently as the old Hokage fumed. His face stayed calm.
When the shouting stopped, he spoke quietly. "Then, can we trade?"
The calm weight of those words froze Hiruzen mid-breath. His face turned red, then pale.
Right. He was the one who made the offer. Jutsu for jutsu.
The Flying Thunder God was S-Rank. Ryo's sword technique was S-Rank.
He couldn't refuse.
Hiruzen sighed. "…We can trade."
He sank back into his chair, voice weary. "Of course we can."
Rubbing his face, he muttered, "The permissions are open. Copy what you need. Paper and ink are in that cabinet."
Before he finished, Ryo was already moving.
He pulled out standard Konoha scrolls and charcoal pens. His movements were clean and deliberate.
Hiruzen watched but said nothing.
Ryo's full attention was locked on the opened scroll. Beneath each jutsu title, short notes glowed faintly, pulsing like living warnings.
---
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique (A-Rank): A forbidden variant of the standard Shadow Clone. Consumes enormous chakra to create multiple, theoretically unlimited, physical clones. Each clone has independent mobility and thought. All experiences return to the user when dispelled. (Risk: High danger of chakra exhaustion and mental collapse.)
Flying Thunder God Technique (S-Rank, Forbidden): A secret technique for instantaneous teleportation through space. Uses spiritual imprints and spatial folding to move between marked coordinates. (Core Principles: Spatial Anchoring, Coordinate Analysis, Phase Folding, Vector Displacement Control.) (Risks: Loss of coordinates → dismemberment. Chakra miscalculation → dimensional tear. Drift → body fragmentation.)
Ryo picked up the charcoal pen. His hand was steady. He closed his eyes for a moment before writing.
The title "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique" appeared in bold strokes.
He wrote swiftly, copying every rune, every chakra diagram. The sound of charcoal scratching filled the room.
Soon, one scroll was complete. He set it aside and began the next.
He needed the Flying Thunder God.
Once his "little tomato" became a Jinchūriki, she would become everyone's target.
Strength alone wasn't enough. If he couldn't reach the enemy, it was meaningless.
He needed speed, speed that ignored distance.
He began writing again.
The diagram of the Flying Thunder God was ten times more complex. Each line carried the weight of space itself.
Time blurred.
Finally, the last stroke fell.
Two fresh scrolls lay before him, ink still glistening.
"Youth really is a kind of capital," Hiruzen murmured, breaking the silence. His tone carried weary admiration.
He toyed with his pipe, eyes softening. "The Flying Thunder God… I tried studying it once."
Ryo looked up.
Hiruzen avoided his gaze. "I held Tobirama-sensei's notes once. Just constructing seven basic anchors nearly tore my mind apart."
He rubbed his temples, as if feeling the pain again. Then he looked back at Ryo.
"So, listen. Don't rush. Don't copy blindly. When you write your sword technique notes, let me see them. I'll help you avoid the dead ends. So you don't end up in pieces."
The room smelled faintly of old paper and wood.
Ryo packed the scrolls, then stood.
"I owe you one," he said suddenly.
Hiruzen blinked.
"For that day," Ryo clarified, eyes calm. "For your protection."
Surprise flickered in Hiruzen's eyes, followed by something softer.
The tension between them eased.
So, the kid isn't completely cold after all.
Hiruzen chuckled quietly, polishing his pipe. "Didn't think the ice block could say something human." His tone was warm for once. "Alright. I'll remember this favor."
Ryo nodded, opened the door, and stepped out.
"I'll send the sword technique notes later," he said as he left.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Hiruzen sat alone in his vast office. The Book of Seals lay open on the desk, surrounded by the faint scent of tobacco and the lingering chill Ryo left behind.
The wind was gone. Silence returned.
It was as if the entire exchange, words, tension, forbidden arts, had been nothing but a fleeting illusion.
Hiruzen's smile faded into exhaustion.
He slumped in his chair. Schemes were useless with Ryo. Only honesty worked.
Among the mess of documents lay a scroll labeled: Team 8 — Tsunade, Ryo, Kushina, Mikoto.
Outside, the air over Konoha was taut like a drawn bowstring.
Hiruzen lit another pipe and took a slow drag.
For now, the mess was contained.
Once Tsunade returned, the battlefield in Ame would turn into hell itself.
He wondered how big a storm that boy would stir up in the Land of Rain.
(To be continued.)