After being led by Yondaime A through a thorough inspection, Tamura Zairo noticed that A looked like he had something he wanted to say but was holding back. Unable to resist, Tamura Zairo smiled and said,
"Brother A, we're fellow disciples now. If you've got something to say, just say it."
"…When is your next masterpiece coming out?"
Yondaime A glanced around. After confirming that no one was nearby, he lowered his voice and asked.
He was a diehard fan of this junior brother. He had bought every single one of his works and had been eagerly anticipating the next release.
Although this junior brother was incredibly prolific—one book a month, each around a hundred thousand words—it was still not enough!
He had finished the previous book on the very day he bought it. For the past half month, he had been suffering in anticipation.
Seeing that A was asking about that, Tamura Zairo's eye twitched. He replied helplessly,
"The manuscript has already been submitted to the publishing house. It should be in printing now. You'll be able to buy it on the first of next month."
"Junior brother, your output is insane!"
Yondaime A gave a thumbs-up, his desire burning even hotter.
Luckily, there was only one week left.
"Do you need to change your residence?"
He then asked about another matter. During the inspection, he had chatted with this junior brother and learned where he lived—in a civilian district. That place was a tangled mess and not very safe.
"No need. Lord Dodai seems to have some ideas. It's better if I stay there."
Shaking his head slightly, Tamura Zairo more or less understood Dodai's intentions.
In simple terms, he was to act as a semi–double agent, using that position to trick Shimura Danzō and Konoha.
Tamura Zairo wasn't opposed to this at all. Only by displaying sufficient value could he reap greater rewards.
"That's fine. I'll have an elder from my clan move nearby to keep an eye on things. If there's danger, use explosive tags immediately. It'd be best if you also set up some arrangements inside your home. Once there's any commotion, that elder will rush over to rescue you right away."
Yondaime A took out a thick stack of high-grade explosive tags and handed them over. He had just had someone fetch them—there were a full hundred sheets.
"Thank you, Senior Brother!"
Tamura Zairo accepted the stack gratefully. This was exactly what he needed right now for self-defense and secrecy.
"Work hard. Whatever Konoha can give you, we can give you more."
Yondaime A patted the boy on the shoulder. He thought very highly of this junior brother and didn't want him to make the wrong choice in the future.
As for his spy identity, that really wasn't much of an issue. As long as he sincerely integrated into Kumogakure and demonstrated sufficient value, the village could accommodate him.
After all, Kumogakure was extremely hungry for talent. Over the years, they had launched many external operations to seize talents and secret techniques. As long as those people genuinely joined the village, Kumogakure always provided them with decent treatment.
If they could accept those people, then naturally they could accept this junior brother as well.
"I'll remember that. I won't let Senior Brother or Master down."
Tamura Zairo nodded solemnly.
He truly didn't want to return to Konoha, nor did he want to continue working under Shimura Danzō. There was no future there—getting ahead was difficult, and there was even a real risk to his life.
Just look at how many people died in Konoha in the original story, how many clans were wiped out. In the end, even the two founding clans were exterminated. The darkness and bloodshed hidden beneath the surface were beyond imagination.
Later on, Konoha was even flattened multiple times. Truly a place with "simple folk" and endless disasters.
So while Konoha was powerful, with many clans, geniuses, and deep foundations, those strengths were also its weaknesses. Internal conflicts piled layer upon layer, forming a tangled mess. Step into it carelessly, and you'd be finished.
Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kumogakure had the best reputation overall. It had the fewest missing-nin, especially during the reign of the Third Raikage.
Konoha didn't need to be mentioned.
Kirigakure, after the Third Mizukage took power, implemented the Bloody Mist policy—killing their own people with gusto. An outsider like him wouldn't survive there.
Sunagakure was nothing but sand, lacking resources and secret techniques. He also had no interest in puppetry.
As for hand-building a Gundam—sorry, he didn't have that level of ability.
Iwagakure was also relatively exclusionary and had plenty of internal problems.
Unless he could become the Third Tsuchikage's disciple—which, given that old fox's personality, would be extraordinarily difficult. He'd probably be subjected to a round of genjutsu interrogation at the very least.
So comparatively speaking, Kumogakure was the best choice.
Mainly because the Third Raikage's personality was, in some respects, easy to deal with—and when he made a decision, he stuck to it.
That was precisely why Tamura Zairo dared to reveal his spy identity.
After chatting with Yondaime A for a while longer, Tamura Zairo left the Raikage Building and returned to his apartment.
The moment he got back, he took out the explosive tags and steel wire, setting up traps throughout the room. He didn't spare the walls, ceiling, or floor—anything to prevent someone from silently sneaking in and cutting his throat.
"The first hurdle is finally over."
Letting out a long breath, Tamura Zairo stripped off his clothes and went into the bathroom for a shower.
Earlier, he had put on a calm front, but inside he had been panicking badly. His inner clothes had been soaked through with sweat.
This had been a gamble. If he lost, he would have died without question.
Even though the odds of winning had been high, it was still a risk—and the pressure he bore was something ordinary people could never imagine.
Fortunately, he had succeeded.
Although he had only passed the first hurdle, it was the most critical one.
As long as he remained loyal to Kumogakure in the future, upheld the Will of Lightning, abandoned the Will of Fire taught by Shimura Danzō, and continued to demonstrate greater value, there shouldn't be any major problems.
"How are you doing now?"
From the bottom of a drawer in his bedside cabinet, Tamura Zairo took out a photograph and stared at the blonde-haired girl inside, his gaze filled with complicated emotions.
Back then, a large part of the reason he had been able to obtain the mission to infiltrate Kumogakure—and thereby escape Shimura Danzō's grasp—had been due to the schemes he carried out involving this girl.
Five years had passed. He wondered how she was doing now.
Given her excellence, she was probably doing quite well under Shimura Danzō.
Letting his thoughts wander for a while, Tamura Zairo placed the photo back at the bottom of the drawer.
The reason he kept this photo was mainly to mislead certain people—so that Shimura Danzō's side would believe his "bonds" were still intact, preventing that old bastard from sending someone to kill him.
At the same time, he could use this connection for future schemes. That old man had quite a few good things in his hands.
"What was that feeling earlier?"
Tamura Zairo recalled the strange sensation he had experienced when entering the Raikage's office.
At the time, it had felt as if some kind of power had entered his body—more precisely, entered his head.
He had initially thought it was some kind of genjutsu-based investigation method. After all, that was the Raikage's office.
But later, he had indirectly asked Yondaime A and learned that it wasn't.
Moreover, when he later demonstrated the firearms in the training chamber, that same inexplicable sensation had appeared again—as if something was entering his mind.
It had even happened once more after he returned home, while he was taking a shower.
So what exactly was it?
After pondering for a while without reaching any conclusions, Tamura Zairo closed his eyes. While refining chakra, he focused his attention on his head.
Refining chakra would activate both mental energy and physical vitality. If anything abnormal was happening in his head, he should be able to sense it.
And strangely enough, nothing happened until he began refining chakra.
The moment he did, it was as if something had been triggered.
The chakra in his head surged toward the depths of his brain, as if being swallowed by some existence.
Then, the chakra in the rest of his body seemed to sense something as well, rushing uncontrollably toward his head.
At the same time, Tamura Zairo's consciousness was drawn into a pitch-black, empty void.