"This is your bonus for uncovering a spy and saving the village's one billion ryo in assets. That was the money set aside to purchase supplies. Losing it would have cost the village dearly..."
Early the next morning, Dodai came to see Tamura Hiroshi. As soon as they met, he launched into a long speech, expressing the village's gratitude and praise on its behalf. He also brought a one-million-ryo bonus and a record of an S-rank mission.
He also said the village would arrange for a powerful jonin to train him.
At first, Tamura Hiroshi was a little confused, but he quickly understood. This was probably Third Raikage's arrangement to make yesterday's events—and the plans for his future—seem reasonable.
"Thank you, Lord Raikage and Lord Dodai, for your praise and reward. I only did what any Kumogakure shinobi should. If I discover another spy in the future, I won't let them get away with it!"
Tamura Hiroshi made his declaration with grave sincerity. As a loyal Kumogakure shinobi, he, Tamura Hiroshi, would never tolerate spies!
"Your loyalty is admirable, but don't overestimate your abilities when dealing with such dangerous matters. Spies are dangerous. If you discover another one, don't act so recklessly. Report it immediately."
Dodai was very pleased with Tamura Hiroshi's response and gave him a few words of caution.
"I understand. I won't act recklessly again."
Tamura Hiroshi readily agreed.
Dodai continued to encourage him for a few more moments before leaving. Tamura Hiroshi discreetly glanced around, then shut the front door.
He knew Dodai had been putting on an act just now. As Shimura Danzō's spy, he had probably been under surveillance by Danzō's people for some time.
Because his strength and status were too low, he wasn't qualified to contact Shimura Danzō directly and could only deal with the person in charge.
The old man had been his handler before. After the old man died, contact had been cut off, but Shimura Danzō would certainly send someone to get in touch—especially now that Tamura Hiroshi had proved his worth.
"Who could this powerful jonin be?"
Sitting on the sofa, Tamura Hiroshi thought back over what Dodai had said.
His plan had worked out well. He'd secured a jonin to lead and train him, though Dodai hadn't said who it would be.
"It probably won't be Yozuki A. He's quite strong, but he isn't skilled with a sword, so he wouldn't be suited to training me. There are just too many people in the village who are good with swords. Almost everyone has a Ninja Sword, so it's hard to guess."
After thinking for a while, Tamura Hiroshi still had no idea. He could only be sure that the person was someone Third Raikage trusted. His identity was too sensitive; Third Raikage probably wouldn't feel at ease unless one of his confidants was in charge of him.
The other certainty was that the person had to be skilled with a sword. Tamura Hiroshi valued swordsmanship and believed it had great potential.
His ultimate enemies in the future would inevitably be the Ōtsutsuki Clan. Using ninjutsu against them would only charge them up, and genjutsu would be completely useless. Only Taijutsu and swordsmanship could hurt them.
That was why training in Taijutsu and swordsmanship was essential. They were the combat skills he could rely on until the very end.
"Time to train!"
Unable to figure it out, Tamura Hiroshi stopped thinking about it. He went to his desk and extended two Chakra Threads from his fingers, wrapping them around two pens and rapidly writing on the manuscript.
That was how he typed, and it also trained his chakra control and his ability to focus on two things at once.
Ever since he'd developed Chakra Threads, he'd used them to train and write.
Whenever he was exhausted from physical training, he typed like this. Controlling Chakra Threads didn't require him to move his body.
Graduation was only half a month away. After that, he'd train under his jonin instructor. He needed to write enough material in advance to cover several months of publication, so he could focus on training once the time came.
Of course, training was even more important. This would help him master his purified chakra faster and make the most of his current advantage.
Improving chakra control was useful in many ways. Even if he didn't use it for ninjutsu, he could still apply it to techniques like the Super Strength Technique.
Strictly speaking, the Super Strength Technique wasn't a jutsu at all, but a technique for controlling and using chakra, much like Water Walking or Tree Climbing.
There were two basic forms of the Super Strength Technique. One used precise chakra control to reinforce the body and produce greater explosive power.
That was also the main reason shinobi could leap and move across great heights. It was a form of Taijutsu.
The other form released chakra in a burst, causing destruction on the scale of landslides. Tsunade's Heavenly Foot of Pain and Sakura's Cherry Blossom Impact were examples of this, and they could also involve stimulating the body's explosive power.
Otherwise, a simple burst of strength would only make a hole in the ground, rather than shattering a wide area.
Tamura Hiroshi focused on increasing his body's explosive power. His Chakra Quantity was limited, so he couldn't afford to waste it on large bursts of chakra.
That was why he focused on swordsmanship: a blade's edge could increase his destructive power and reach.
If he could develop this chakra-bursting technique into the Super Strength Technique, it would surely give his combat ability a considerable boost.
While he wrote with Chakra Threads extended from his right-hand fingers, his left hand held a long Chinese Saber level with the ground. The blade was aligned with his arm, and its tip supported a shorter Chinese Saber of the same design. This trained his wrists and arms.
He'd spent a fortune having the weapons custom-made in the style of Chinese Sabers.
They were forged from Chakra Metal and several other precious metals. The total cost was 400 million ryo, of which 350 million was for the Chakra Metal. The other metals and the forging fee came to only 50 million.
Chakra Conductive Metal really was expensive—absurdly so.
Even Sarutobi Asuma's little blades would cost more than his own weight in metal. Tamura Hiroshi's huge Chinese Sabers were on another level entirely.
If he hadn't earned a fair amount over the past few years, he wouldn't have been able to afford such extravagance.
Fortunately, Chakra Metal made up only a small part of the weapons. If they'd been made entirely of it, the price would probably have started at one billion ryo.
The longer Chinese Saber had a blade 1.2 meters long and a 40-centimeter handle, for a total length of 1.6 meters—ten centimeters taller than Tamura Hiroshi himself.
But he was still growing, and chakra stimulated his growth. He was already taller than most kids his age and would probably reach at least 1.8 meters. By then, a long sword like this would suit him perfectly.
The shorter Chinese Saber was only shorter by comparison. Its blade was 90 centimeters long, its handle 30 centimeters, and its total length 1.2 meters. It weighed five kilograms, while the longer one weighed ten.
These were the weapons he'd made for himself. He'd named them Big Meow and Small Meow. They were a little heavy, but his current physique could handle them without trouble.
Shinobi in the Naruto world were often mocked by fans from his previous life as glass cannons, but their physical strength and explosive power were actually impressive.
They were called glass cannons in comparison to the destructive force of ninjutsu.
For example, the weights Rock Lee wore all the time were certainly far from light.
And Zabuza could wield Kubikiribōchō while using the Body Flicker Technique to kill silently. There was no way a weapon like that was light.
Samehada and Kabutowari were undoubtedly heavy as well. Even the Root shinobi who crossed blades with young Uchiha Shisui had wielded a comically oversized sword.
Shinobi were genuinely strong, especially when their bodies were reinforced with chakra. Their explosive power was even more astonishing.
Compared with those weapons, Tamura Hiroshi's two Chinese Sabers seemed rather small.
He'd made his blades so long mainly to keep as much distance as possible between himself and his opponent in a fight. That way, even if the other person used some hidden ninjutsu or secret technique, he'd have more time and space to react.
His limited Chakra Quantity meant he'd never be a long-range spellcaster. He could only take the path of a close-combat fighter, so he had to be wary of the tricks shinobi could use.
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