"Kazuyama, what are you doing?"
"Haha, what? Isn't this old guy coming after me? How do I get back at him without making him rack up a debt of hundreds of millions?"
Kazuyama snorted in dissatisfaction, then led the way toward the town.
The Land of Lightning was full of towering mountains, and the town ahead was nestled at the outer edge of the country, backed by a large mountain. Despite the raging battle in Kumogakure, this place remained peaceful and thriving.
Upon entering the town, Kazuyama wasted no time and headed straight for the bank.
"Oh, if it isn't the esteemed shinobi of Kumogakure!"
"Looks like you've claimed another victory on the frontlines."
The bank owner, a slightly overweight middle-aged man, immediately put on a welcoming smile upon seeing the Kumo ninja.
With war spreading across the Ninja World, even civilians closely followed its developments.
"How could Iwa and Konoha possibly resist our advance?"
"Boss, I've come to you today on important business."
Kazuyama spoke in A's voice—deep and commanding—making the banker nod repeatedly in agreement.
"I am a Kumo Jōnin, the son of the Raikage. The frontlines urgently need funds, and Lord Raikage has ordered me to secure a temporary loan from the nearest town. I trust you'll cooperate."
The banker hesitated for a moment. Was this a direct demand for money?
"Do you not trust me?" Kazuyama pressed.
"No, no! You are all shinobi of our Land of Lightning. Of course, I trust you."
"Then how much can you provide?"
Kazuyama crossed his arms and smirked. With A's imposing build and demeanor, he looked exactly like a bandit leader. His clones behind him followed suit, standing like a group of thugs.
"You must be joking, my lord. Since it's a request from the Raikage, I will naturally do my best to assist."
"But… my small bank doesn't have that much liquid capital."
The banker was still wary. After all, this was the first time someone had come demanding money so boldly.
"Hmph! We are risking our lives on the frontlines, all for the prosperity of the Land of Lightning, aren't we?"
"Bring me paper and a pen. I'll write you a promissory note. Once the situation stabilizes, I'll personally return to pay you back."
"I'll tell you this—the Konoha garrison in the Land of Hot Water has been utterly crushed. All we need now is funding to secure the region. Lord Raikage is even willing to pay out of his own pocket to stabilize the Land of Hot Water and strengthen our alliance. Otherwise, if it were up to me, we would've already seized their wealth for ourselves!"
"You're practically donating to a worthy cause. Once the Land of Hot Water is stabilized, its wealth will flow directly into the Land of Lightning's reserves. Do you seriously think I won't be able to pay you back?"
Kazuyama was spewing nonsense, saying whatever came to mind.
But that nonsense was precisely what left the banker with no way out.
The Land of Hot Water was a prime location, boasting the best hot springs on the continent. The revenue it generated each year could fill an entire cart.
"Hey, what are you saying, my lord? To ensure the Land of Lightning prospers, even my small bank must contribute."
"Here, this is a promissory note for 50 million ryo. Sign it, and I'll get the money right away!"
Kazuyama took it without even looking and wrote: "A, son of Raikage from Kumogakure."
"Is that enough? If not, you can take a picture of me and demand payment later."
His tone was dismissive, but to the banker, it sounded like music.
"If the lord is willing to cooperate, that would be best."
"Go ahead, take my picture. I'm a Kumogakure ninja—I play by the rules, so I've got nothing to hide."
Kazuyama had perfected A's posture and expression—99%, if not 100%. If it weren't for the fact that he wasn't the real person, there wouldn't be a single flaw.
Click!
With the photo taken and the money in hand, Kazuyama could feel the weight of the box—50 million ryo was no small sum.
"By the way, boss, do you have a map of the surrounding area? I left in such a hurry that I forgot to bring one."
"I still have to visit other towns after this."
Hearing this, the banker nodded and had someone fetch a map of the Land of Lightning. Such maps were readily available in every town for convenience.
With a money box in one hand and a map in the other, Kazuyama led his clones away.
The banker, smiling as he held the IOU and the photo, was overjoyed.
At that moment, a system prompt appeared.
[Ding! The host has successfully burdened the Raikage's son, A, with a 50 million ryo debt, fully meeting the system's requirements. Reward: +10 Chakra.]
With money in hand and a reward received, Kazuyama felt so thrilled he could take off.
"Kazuyama, what do you need so much money for?"
"Don't you already have tens of millions at home?"
Chōmei couldn't understand what Kazuyama was doing.
The latter smirked before explaining.
"Chōmei, whose money do you think I'm holding right now?"
"The Land of Lightning's."
"Exactly. Isn't it brilliant? Taking money from your enemies and leaving them in debt!"
Kazuyama grinned as he checked his savings.
After the system prompt, his total funds had reached 146 million ryo.
He was still more than 300 million away from his goal of 500 million, but he'd get there soon enough!
Just then, the system prompts sounded one after another.
[Ding! Because the host allowed the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, to run amok, he dealt a heavy blow to Kumo's forces and caused significant damage in the Land of Hot Water. As a result, +5 chakra has been awarded.]
[Ding! The Eight-Tails' rampage resulted in countless casualties among Kumo's Jōnin. Elite Jōnin Dodai lost an arm and suffered severe psychological trauma. As a result, +5 chakra has been awarded.]
Wow, double good news.
However, these rewards made Kazuyama think—so the Eight-Tails' riot had finally ended.
The destruction was far greater than expected.
Still, he hadn't anticipated Dodai losing an arm. And why would just losing an arm cause such severe psychological trauma?
Dismissing his clone, he was briefly enveloped in white smoke before flipping through the map of the Land of Lightning.
Soon, he locked onto another town 30 kilometers away.
And while he was stirring up trouble behind enemy lines—
—In the Land of Hot Water, at Kumo's base—
After a night of fierce battle, the storm surrounding the Eight-Tails had finally calmed.
But Kumo had suffered devastating losses.
Killer Bee remained in a deep sleep, heavily guarded for fear that he might go berserk again.
As for A, he was in rough shape—covered in wounds that still oozed blood.
One eye was swollen shut, and his right arm was broken.
"Damn it, Bee, you bastard! Why did you go berserk?!"
"Not even the Iron Armour Seal could suppress the Eight-Tails?"
A turned with difficulty to look at the man beside him.
"Dodai, how are you?"
Dodai looked even worse.
His right arm was completely gone, a bloody stump. Blood oozed from his abdomen as well, and three Medical-nin were surrounding him, working desperately to stabilize him.
"I'm fine. Losing a hand isn't that big of a deal."
"But if I get the chance… I really need to have a talk with him about why Eight-Tails has a habit of biting people…"
At the end, Dodai's face twitched slightly, as if recalling the exact moment his right hand had been torn off.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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