A few days later, Kazuyama Gekkō once again set foot in the Land of Lightning, feeling a wave of nostalgia.
"Chōmei, remember the first time we came here?"
"Of course. You left that big oaf from Kumogakure drowning in debt. I'm curious—has he even paid it all off yet?"
Kazuyama couldn't help but laugh. Back then, to get revenge on A, he'd borrowed a fortune under the Raikage's name.
It was one of the reasons Kumogakure was the first to withdraw from the Third Shinobi World War. They didn't just lose their Raikage in the fight—they came out of it owing hundreds of millions of ryō, practically bankrupt.
"That's not all. You stole their Jinchūriki and took Turtle Island too."
"Tsk, tsk. I almost feel sorry for Kumogakure."
Chōmei crunched on an insect as he spoke. In all his years, he had never seen a village in worse shape. No fighting power, no money—tragic.
"Hmph, that bastard breaking my finger back then? He got off easy."
"This time, though, Kumogakure's going to bleed a little."
"Serves them right for hoarding good ninjutsu."
Kazuyama's goal for coming here was simple—no, singular.
The Heavenly Transfer Technique.
A long-distance teleportation ninjutsu. It could send objects—and, in theory, people—across great distances. But because it worked by launching the target at extreme speed, the friction and overload were enough to tear a human body apart.
Which meant it was only safe for transporting objects.
And that was exactly what Kazuyama wanted.
For an intelligence network, speed was everything, and the Heavenly Transfer Technique was perfect. He also had another idea—if it couldn't send things every day, then what was the point of calling it "Heavenly Transfer"?
He would train a group of ninja to specialize in it. With them, he could ensure information arrived instantly anywhere in the shinobi world.
"Tsk, tsk… so you're just going to wring Kumogakure dry, huh?"
"Kumogakure really ticked you off…"
As his partner, Chōmei could read his thoughts. Once he realized what Kazuyama was planning, he couldn't help but hold a silent funeral in his heart for the village.
"Don't exaggerate. I'm not ruining them."
"If they won't make use of such a great technique, that's wasteful."
"They're not using it—so why shouldn't I?"
Kumogakure was built into the side of a mountain, its houses clinging to the cliffs.
Kazuyama activated Transparent Escape and strolled casually toward the village. He wasn't here to waste time—once inside, he'd search everywhere. First, the Heavenly Transfer Technique. If he found anything else, he'd take that too.
Since he was here, leaving empty-handed wasn't an option.
He'd already mapped it out in his head:
First, the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
Second, other Kinjutsu.
Third, the Six Paths tools.
Lastly, money and valuables.
He stayed invisible until nightfall. After all, night was the best time to work.
As darkness settled, it was his time to move.
"No idea. I think someone set him up. A lot of people say it was the Daimyō's manor."
"No way. The Daimyō's manor has a great relationship with us."
Kazuyama stopped in his tracks. These days, what was more entertaining than gossip?
Leaning comfortably against the wall, he listened.
"Hundreds of millions in debt… Lord Raikage goes on missions during the day, then works in the office at night. Lord Dodai wanted to dip into village funds, but Raikage refused. Such a good leader."
"True, but even if he used village money, it wouldn't be enough."
"Don't forget, when Turtle Island and the Two-Tails disappeared, we sent out half the village. Add in the war expenses, and our savings are gone. If the Daimyō hadn't stepped in, we wouldn't even have enough to live on."
Kazuyama nearly laughed aloud.
Could they really be this bad off?
Sure, Kumogakure lost the war, Turtle Island, and the Two-Tails, and their Raikage was buried in debt—but still. Konoha had been attacked by four villages at once, and it was doing just fine.
"Hmph, it's those two hidden villages nearby causing trouble."
"Yugakure I can understand—they're broke, so they take whatever jobs they can."
"But what about Takigakure? I've heard the Land of Lightning's borders are crawling with their ninja on missions. They're blatantly taking our country's money!"
Well now…
That Yahiko kid was doing good work—putting Takigakure's operations right in the Land of Lightning.
Not bad. Not bad at all. Kazuyama approved wholeheartedly.
If that was the case, Kumogakure's sorry state made perfect sense. Their mission pool was already small, and now another village was taking a share.
But really, who could they blame? They started the war, and they were the first to bow out—in total defeat. Tsk, tsk… they'd lost the people's trust.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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