"No problem—leave it to me!"
Tamura Haruki replied without the slightest hesitation. For him, anything that could be solved with money wasn't really a problem at all.
"Good! Good! Good! From now on, our training resources are in your hands. If you ever need anything, come straight to me—so long as it doesn't violate our principles, I'll make it happen!"
A laughed heartily. With this kohai's guarantee, his own future training was finally secured.
The foundation of nintaijutsu lay in physical conditioning. The stronger the body, the greater the power of nintaijutsu. Improving one's physique was therefore critical.
Yet the human body had limits. Training alone produced diminishing returns—only when paired with top-grade secret medicines like these could one achieve maximal improvement, even pushing past innate physical limits to a degree.
"If there's anything like this in the future, Bro, just tell me," Haruki said with a grin. "When it comes to money, I'll do everything I can."
He was genuinely pleased. He could tell A was taking advantage of his finances to enhance his own training, but Haruki didn't mind in the slightest.
A perfect team worked this way—those with money contributed money, those with strength contributed strength, those with resources contributed resources.
The fact that A was willing to bring out a clan-secret medicine already said a great deal. That kind of thing wasn't something money alone could buy.
Off to the side, Fukai felt increasingly puzzled. It seemed like something big was happening that he hadn't been told about.
"You all seem to be having a great time."
A massive figure stepped in—it was the Third Raikage.
"Sensei!"
"Dad!"
"Raikage-sama!"
All three hurried to greet him. Haruki's "Sensei," however, made the Third Raikage's eyelid twitch.
This student was dangerous. One wrong step, and his lifetime reputation would shatter.
Suppressing the urge to clean house, the Third Raikage said sternly, "Take off your clothes. I'll shatter your bones."
Seeing Haruki's stunned look, A explained, "Our Yotsuki clan's heirloom hand-blade requires extreme body forging. Only by fracturing the bones can the medicine fully penetrate them. Once healed, the bones become far stronger."
"Sensei—go ahead."
Haruki understood immediately. Without hesitation, he stripped down and signaled that he was ready.
This kind of opportunity was not to be missed. A bit of short-term pain was nothing compared to what Konoha's three notorious workaholics had endured.
The Third Raikage said nothing more. His hands moved swiftly, striking Haruki's body with exquisite precision—cracking bones throughout his frame, even creating fissures along the spine. Then he grabbed the grimacing, twitching boy and lowered him into the medicinal bath.
This bone-shattering training didn't mean breaking bones outright—only creating controlled fractures so the medicine could seep deep into the skeleton.
But the technique required extraordinary skill. One mistake could make a person cripple for good, especially around the spine. In present-day Kumogakure, only the Third Raikage could do this safely.
He then repeated the process on his son and his nephew, placing both into their own tubs.
Naturally, this arrangement was primarily for them. One was his son and successor; the other, a favored candidate for the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki. Both were future pillars of the village—the stronger their potential, the better.
"Sensei, shouldn't the skull be fractured too, to help absorb the medicine?" Haruki asked after recovering somewhat from the pain. Body forging should be as complete as possible—no weak points left behind.
"The skull already has natural sutures. No need."
The Third Raikage shot him a look. Touching the head was out of the question. Cracking the spine without damaging the spinal cord was already pushing his limits. Besides, cranial bones didn't need it—the sutures and even the jaw, connected through the teeth, allowed penetration without leaving flaws.
"Sensei, why not prepare a tub for yourself? Money's not an issue," Haruki said confidently. "I don't just earn from novels—the entertainment complex in the village is mine. It's basically finished now, and I should be pulling in a hundred million ryō in pure profit every month."
Haruki trusted his financial power completely. He'd never intended to rely on novels alone—those had limits and would eventually saturate the market.
Three years ago, he had quietly invested his earnings into food and entertainment ventures, recruiting people behind the scenes.
"Little Fat Sheep Hotpot City?"
"That's yours?!"
A and Fukai were stunned. They both knew the place—an underground complex carved out of a small mountain. It started as a hotpot restaurant and swept through the village overnight. They were regulars.
Over time, it expanded with endless new cuisines and attractions. The owner had always been mysterious.
And it was him?
Three years ago—he'd only been seven!
Even the Third Raikage was shocked. He knew that complex well.
"Can you actually get your hands on that hundred million?" he asked coldly. He'd heard from Dodai about the internal situation—without the owner present, management was starting to get ideas.
"That's why I have you, Sensei," Haruki chuckled. "I'm willing to hand over fifty percent of the profits as tax to the Raikage's office. And I want to expand this project across the world—especially into other villages. For that, I'll need your support, and the village's."
He'd anticipated internal scheming long ago, which was why he'd never shown his face, even using the Transformation Jutsu when recruiting people. He left only a development blueprint, keeping his identity hidden.
But things were different now.
Behind him stood the Third Raikage—the backbone of Kumogakure.
Anyone still harboring thoughts would have to decide whether their heads were tougher than Hell Stab.
Of course, profits had to be shared. Only with money binding everyone together—and with Kumogakure's backing—could the project expand across the Land of Lightning and beyond, earning the world's money.
"You've calculated even me into this, brat," the Third Raikage said with a laugh. "Submit a full report to Dodai later."
Then he shook his head, half amused, half satisfied. "This medicinal bath only works before full adulthood. Once the skeleton matures, the effect drops sharply. My own body has long surpassed what such methods can enhance.
"Some materials are limited as well—money alone can't obtain them. Supplying the three of you is already the limit."
These clan-secret baths were powerful, but not limitless.
Moreover, when he had awakened Black Lightning, his body had undergone a major refinement. That was how he'd forged the Lightning Release Chakra Mode into the strongest shield.
In terms of physical conditioning, he stood at the pinnacle of the shinobi world. Even the so-called God of Shinobi couldn't match him there—the First Hokage's true strength lay in his inhuman chakra.
"The bath will take three hours to absorb. Afterward, medical-ninjutsu specialists will repair the fractures. You'll be able to walk again by then."
With that, the Third Raikage turned and left. He was busy—far too busy to linger.
After he was gone, Fukai finally spoke in a low voice.
"Which author are you, exactly?"
Once Haruki mentioned earning money through novels, Fukai had already guessed. He was a reader himself—he knew how explosive those sales were.
But which godly loaded author…?
"All of them."
Haruki answered honestly.
A had brought Fukai here to share this rare medicinal bath—clearly marking him as one of their own. There was no need for secrecy.
Besides, Fukai was his squad leader. They'd be spending a long time together—better to be upfront now.
"All of them?"
Fukai was confused. None of the nine great authors were called "All of Them," were they?
"Hahaha—ow!"
A burst out laughing, then immediately winced as the pain tugged at his fractured bones. His face twisted—half laughter, half agony.
Fukai stared at him, baffled. He knew his cousin was also a devoted fan—neither of them had the right to laugh at the other.
"I mean all of them. Every one of those books—I wrote them."
Haruki explained helplessly. Embarrassing as the content was, they were all men here—no need to be awkward.
"All… of them—ow!"
Fukai froze, then gasped in shock, only to hiss again as the pain flared.
"How did you manage that?"
After a long moment, he finally caught his breath, still incredulous.
The kid was only ten!
"Probably because I have the mindset of a village leader."
Haruki replied calmly.
The future Uchiha Itachi would be known for having the mindset of a Hokage.
And his own?
Just as pure.