Haruki didn't take the blade. Instead, he spoke up to persuade him.
"Sensei, please accept it. I damaged your ninja sword earlier—consider this proper compensation.
"And we'll inevitably have to leave the village for missions in the future. If we run into real danger, having a good blade will help you protect me better.
"So let's call it this: I'm only lending it to you for now. When you no longer need it, you can return it to me."
Seeing that Fukai was still resolute, Haruki shifted his wording—turning it into a temporary loan instead.
"Take it," Yotsuki A said from the side. "We'll probably be facing serious danger soon. And war isn't far off."
There was something hidden in A's words. Fukai hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the ninja sword.
He could tell that A was hinting at something—something dangerous in the future, likely connected to this student. If that was the case, strengthening himself was absolutely necessary.
"I swear this," Fukai said solemnly.
"I will protect my student. Anyone who wishes to harm you will have to go through my sword first!"
The words were spoken with absolute sincerity.
Yet hearing them made Haruki's eyelids twitch violently.
For some reason, he was reminded of a certain infamous strongest death flag from another world.
A terrifying curse of fate.
And this world even had resurrection methods—like the Rinnegan.
If he ever died in the future… would his teacher shout something like:
"Rise again, my student."?
"Then I'll borrow this one as well," A said casually, taking the other ninja sword.
"If you ever need it back, just say the word."
Haruki was very satisfied with this outcome.
A future Fourth Raikage's favor was far more valuable than any single ninja sword.
After chatting with A and the others for a while, and once his condition improved slightly, Haruki finally left—limping back with the aid of a cane.
Bone fractures weren't something that healed quickly.
And the medicinal power still needed time to fuse deeply with his bones.
Right now, medical ninjutsu had only allowed the bones to knit together on the surface—their strength was far inferior to before. Even walking required extreme caution.
Back home, Haruki lay down on his bed and unrolled the scrolls given to him by A and Fukai.
He began studying their notes on Lightning Release chakra nature transformation and shape transformation—exactly what he needed most.
In the original records of Naruto, Wind Release nature transformation was shown clearly.
But Lightning Release? There was almost no concrete explanation.
The Ninja Academy and the village library offered no practical methods either. He'd only been able to grope his way forward using scattered hints from various texts, with little progress to show for it.
Now, with the firsthand insights of two jōnin who specialized in Lightning Release and possessed secret jutsus, it felt like a pillow had been delivered right as he dozed off.
Lightning Release nature transformation was currently the only path that could rapidly boost his strength.
He even wondered whether, through this, he might recreate Hatake's Chidori, or even Sasuke's Chidori variants in the future.
Even if he couldn't use the full versions due to chakra limitations, a downgraded version would still be enough.
This was where his cheat—enhanced comprehension—truly shone.
It would allow him to achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Unfortunately, before Haruki could even begin developing Lightning Release nature transformation, an uninvited guest arrived.
"Shinobi-sama, here's the ramen you ordered."
A middle-aged man stood outside the door, holding a large sealed bowl of ramen. At the same time, his other hand subtly formed several hand signs.
After seeing those signals, Haruki understood immediately.
They were from Danzo—no, Lord Danzo.
"Come in."
Haruki glanced around discreetly, then stepped aside and took the ramen.
The man entered without another word. But when his foot landed on the carpet, Haruki noticed something odd.
"A Shadow Clone?" Haruki muttered inwardly. "How cautious."
The carpet didn't sink at all—as if the man had no weight.
Either he was using a levitation technique…
Or he wasn't a physical body at all.
The latter was far more likely.
"Danzo-sama orders you to investigate Kumogakure's plans for the coming war," the man said coldly.
"Especially their strategic intentions toward the Land of Fire.
"In addition, you are to determine the progress of Kumogakure's utilization of the tailed beasts. This must be completed."
"I want the Second Hokage's Thunder God Sword," Haruki replied just as directly.
Lightning Release nature transformation wasn't something easily mastered.
Even A and Fukai had taken over five years to succeed.
Even Uzumaki Naruto in the future would rely on countless Shadow Clones and massive chakra reserves to brute-force his way through training.
Though Haruki had enhanced comprehension, it wasn't absurdly broken. This wasn't some system where he could just dump points into a stat.
By his estimate, it would still take at least a full year of intense training.
That was too slow.
He needed external assistance.
He had already thought of certain ninja tools—like the Leaf fan once wielded by the Gold and Silver Brothers, which could convert chakra into all five elemental natures.
Unfortunately, that fan had been sealed away via summoning before their deaths.
Even the Third Raikage had only managed to seize the Amber Purification Jar.
Which left one other option.
The Thunder God Sword of the Second Hokage.
If he could obtain it, mastering Lightning Release nature transformation would become far easier.
But hearing this demand made the man's expression turn cold.
How dare a subordinate make demands of Lord Danzo?
"Without a way to preserve my life and grow stronger, I won't be able to climb higher in Kumogakure," Haruki said calmly but firmly, continuing to eat his ramen at speed.
"The higher I climb, the more valuable I become to Danzo-sama."
The explanation made the man frown. He couldn't refute it.
He didn't know the specifics of the Thunder God Sword, but since it belonged to the Second Hokage, it was undoubtedly extraordinary.
And with the Senju clan involved, even someone of Danzo's caliber would find it difficult to obtain.
"I'll report your request to Danzo-sama," the man finally said.
"You'd better produce valuable intelligence."
With that, he left decisively.
His current cover was that of a delivery man—he couldn't linger.
"Take this and throw out the trash by the door," Haruki added casually.
"You stayed too long. Add more cover next time.
"And I didn't like your tone or your eyes. As punishment, bring grilled meat next time."
He finished the soup, handed over the empty bowl and lid, and pointed to the trash bag by the door.
If there were a direct hotline to report to Danzo, he'd have skipped this middleman entirely.
Using cheap ramen as cover?
Obviously pocketing part of the allocated funds.
Such corrupt trash was nothing but termites within Root—obstacles on Danzo's path to becoming Hokage. They deserved to be eliminated.
The man's forehead twitched, but he still took the trash bag and left.
He had never seen such an arrogant, stingy little spy.
But luck was on the boy's side—he'd already made contact with Kumogakure's core figures. In Danzo's eyes, his value would only continue to rise.
"Danzo… don't disappoint me."
After the man left, Haruki murmured softly, anticipation and confidence clear in his heart.
After all—
That was the famous antagonist himself.
As night fell, Haruki dressed and headed out to a nearby bathhouse.
Since Danzo had already made contact and issued orders, he naturally couldn't afford to disappoint him.
He needed intelligence—fast.
And for that, he would need Tutai.
This bathhouse was the agreed-upon contact point.
Haruki was certain that Tutai would be very interested in this—and might even use the opportunity to set something in motion.
After all, a competent half double-agent had to be absolutely clear about where he truly stood.
There could be no ambiguity.