Hidden Cloud's Investment

At that moment, a derisive snort came from outside the door.

"Enough with the flattery. You trained yourself to do all that."

Tsunade leaned against the doorframe, a jug of wine dangling from her hand, her long golden hair falling loosely around her shoulders.

Her complexion was much better than yesterday's, and her lazy air had returned. Shizune merely smiled at her words without arguing.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded in the distance.

Everyone instantly went on alert.

Sōji's Six Eyes shifted slightly as he looked toward the source of the sound.

Ten chakra signatures.

Strong.

Every one of them was at jonin level, yet they made no attempt to hide themselves. Instead, they radiated obvious urgency.

"It's Hidden Cloud's support unit."

The moment the Fourth Raikage finished speaking, ten figures descended from the sky and landed in the open space before the stone house.

The ten men knelt in two rows. At their head was a lean, capable-looking middle-aged man.

He had brown skin, short black-gray hair, and a Hidden Cloud forehead protector. Dropping to one knee, he spoke in a booming voice.

"Lord Raikage! Your subordinate arrived late. Please forgive me!"

The Fourth Raikage waved a hand.

"Get up. The mission is complete."

The black-gray-haired man rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping over the stone house, the operating table, the extracted insects, Shizune, and Tsunade before finally settling on the silver-haired boy leaning against the wall.

His gaze paused for a moment.

There was no chakra fluctuation coming from that boy, but his instincts told him this person was dangerous.

The Fourth Raikage offered no explanation.

"Yurui, the payment."

As he spoke, he waved his hand. The black-gray-haired man immediately pulled a scroll from his robes and presented it with both hands.

"These are the Light-Weight Rock Technique and the Weighted Rock Technique that Lord Raikage promised earlier."

Tsunade accepted the scroll and casually tossed it to Sōji without even looking at it. "Kid, keep it."

Sōji caught the scroll and nodded slightly. The Fourth Raikage looked at him, then waved his hand again.

Yurui froze for a moment, but he still took another scroll from his robes and presented it with both hands. This one was clearly much thicker.

"This is..."

The Fourth Raikage cut off Tsunade's question. "This is extra."

He looked at Sōji, something meaningful in his hawk-like eyes. "Twenty-seven jutsu from the earth, wind, and water natures, ranging from D-rank to A-rank. Consider it a small token from Hidden Cloud."

Twenty-seven jutsu?

Sōji instinctively looked at Tsunade. She merely raised a brow and said lightly, "Take them."

Sōji fell silent for a moment before nodding slightly. "Then thank you, Lord Raikage."

The Fourth Raikage nodded and said nothing further. He turned sharply and strode outside.

After taking two steps, he stopped without looking back.

"Yamada Soji."

His voice was low. "When we meet again, I hope you're still alive."

Sōji tilted his head slightly. "I'll take that as a blessing."

The Fourth Raikage gave no further response. With a Body Flicker, he vanished from the spot, and the Hidden Cloud shinobi present followed suit.

Amai hurriedly bowed to the three of them before quickly following after them. The footsteps gradually faded, and silence returned before the stone house.

Watching his retreating figure, Shizune could not help asking, "Lady Tsunade, why did he give us so much? He clearly only promised..."

Tsunade snorted. "What else could it be? An investment."

"An investment?"

"You think that little display the kid put on yesterday came free?"

With that, Tsunade lazily took a swig of wine. "The Fourth Raikage isn't an idiot."

"He has no reason to make a move against us now, but Sōji's future certainly won't be weak. Giving us a little favor now is better than having things turn awkward when they meet again in the future."

Shizune suddenly understood, but Sōji said nothing.

He merely lowered his head to look at the scrolls in his hands, his gaze flickering beneath the black cloth.

An investment?

He suddenly remembered what the Fourth Raikage had said before leaving.

What was that man expecting? Or what was he testing?

Sōji did not dwell on it. He put away the scrolls, gripped his cane, and walked out of the stone house. Sunlight fell upon him, warm and gentle.

Three days later, at the port of Kanazawa Castle.

A merchant ship was slowly raising anchor, its sails swelling with wind as it prepared to sail into the distance.

Three figures stood leaning against the railing on the deck.

Tsunade still wore that lazy expression as she leaned against the rail, a wine jug in hand, her golden hair fluttering in the sea breeze.

Her gaze rested on the distant horizon, and no one knew what she was thinking. Shizune stood beside her with Tonton in her arms. Tonton had her eyes narrowed contentedly as she snored, her little belly rising and falling.

Sōji stood a short distance away, his cane resting by his side. The sea breeze stirred his silver hair and made his robes flutter lightly.

Three days.

They had spent another three days enjoying themselves in the Land of Gold.

Tsunade lost twenty million, while he won eight million, leaving her with a net loss of twelve million. Yet she seemed quite happy, because losing money was normal for her.

Shizune bought a mountain of local specialties: a new kimono for Tsunade, new little clothes for Tonton, and a conical hat for Sōji. Though Sōji said he did not need one, she bought it anyway.

As for Sōji, he used those three days to go through all twenty-seven jutsu.

The Light-Weight Rock Technique could lighten oneself or anything one touched, allowing flight.

The Weighted Rock Technique could increase an object's weight and strengthen its destructive power.

Then there were those wind, water, and earth release jutsu, from basic techniques like Wind Cutter and Water Formation Wall to advanced techniques like Wind Killing Formation and Water Dragon Bullet. They had everything.

These jutsu would be enough to keep him occupied for a long time.

At that moment, the merchant ship slowly sailed away from the port.

The outline of Kanazawa Castle grew farther and blurrier until it finally disappeared into the end of the horizon.

Shizune sighed. "Back to drifting at sea again."

Tsunade snorted. "What, can't bear to leave that little dump of a city?"

"It's not that..."

Shizune smiled somewhat sheepishly. "It just feels like so much happened over the past few days."

Tsunade said nothing, merely staring at the distant sea, lost in thought.

Sōji also said nothing. He simply stood there, feeling the sea breeze brush across his face.

After a long while, Shizune yawned.

"I'm sleepy. I'll head back to the cabin for a nap. Sōji, Lady Tsunade, you should get some rest early too."

With that, she hugged Tonton and swayed back toward the cabin.

Only Tsunade and Sōji remained on the deck. The silence lasted a long time before Tsunade spoke first.

"Kid."

"Yeah?"

"How much strength did you use that day?"

Sōji fell silent for a moment. "All of it."

Tsunade nodded. "No wonder. You could barely stay on your feet afterward."

Sōji said nothing. Tsunade looked at him, then suddenly smiled.

"Don't push yourself that hard next time. I'm not so weak that I need a little kid like you protecting me."

Sōji tilted his head slightly. "If there is a next time, I'll still do the same."

Tsunade froze for a moment, then turned her gaze toward the distant sea.

"Do as you like."

Her voice was soft, so soft it seemed like the sea breeze might carry it away, but Sōji heard it.

He looked at her profile, at her golden hair gleaming beneath the sunlight, at the faint curve lingering at the corner of her lips.

Suddenly, he felt that this trip to the Land of Gold had been quite rewarding.