As Chad expected, the "bonus" of handing over the Konoha Sealing Scroll to the village several days later, along with other scrolls from the Senju library (excluding those he kept for himself or didn't think it was wise to turn in)—and of which he most certainly made copies—brought enormous joy to the Raikage.
Mabui assured her brother that the man with the horrible mustache had been smiling for days.
Not to mention how some researchers from the village's R&D Department (specifically those in charge of creating or improving ninjutsu) fainted from excitement when they learned the notes were Tobirama's.
The people of Kumo hated Tobirama, but they recognized his ability!
Especially when techniques like the Eight Trigrams Seal were highlighted. With that seal, the Eight-Tails would no longer be able to escape so easily again when transferred to future jinchūriki and cause devastating damage and losses in the village.
People would no longer be unexpectedly caught in the crossfire.
For reasons of common sense, Chad selectively removed some techniques like Edo Tensei from the list. More precisely, he left information about how it worked in general terms, its effects, and how to deal with it, but the summary was so brief and concise that no one would know how to begin recreating it.
While he believed the Raikage would only resort to something like that in a crisis threatening the village's existence, given that the Kumo Council would later also receive a report on his contributions, he definitely didn't want them setting their sights on something like that.
People like Councilor Tenro could easily abuse such a technique without hesitation.
As for rewards, Chad used them to improve the conditions of his laboratory and gain access to certain materials and knowledge that would normally be restricted to him. But with such a contribution, the Raikage considered it acceptable to approve the exception directly.
As for the idea of teaching the Eight Gates at the ninja academy, the Raikage gave immediate approval. Physical conditioning had always been one of Kumo's foundations and strengths; even if the entire village could only use the Second Gate, it would still be worth it!
With the matter settled, Chad went to his izakaya to have a drink and found Yugao and Yugito chatting while enjoying a beverage accompanied by some strips of cheese. Judging by the color, it seemed to be the forest fruit smoothie from the menu.
The sweetness of the fruit and the creaminess of the cheese—excellent taste!
"Sensei!" Yugito greeted Chad as soon as he entered her field of vision, motioning for him to sit with them.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Chad commented as he sat down and gestured for them to bring him the usual.
"Not at all," Yugao shook her head after finishing a sip of her smoothie.
"What are you talking about? If you don't mind sharing."
"Yugito has kindly been helping me reintegrate into the village," Yugao explained. "She's helping me familiarize myself with the shops and was bringing me up to speed on the local 'factions.'"
Although, as a former Konoha ANBU, she had access to many of Kumo's spy reports, the village's political landscape was hard to clearly define based solely on secondhand observations.
Whether Yugao wanted to retire or not, she needed to know these things.
As for Konoha's spies, she had already given the full details to the Raikage. Many of the most skilled ones ended up in the Interrogation Department or committed suicide upon realizing they'd been discovered, while those who believed they were "safe" after the raid were so only because the village wanted to use them to transmit false or altered information for its benefit. Better to put them to good use.
"And what do you think so far?"
"I'd say the village's situation is better than Konoha estimates," Yugao replied, stirring her smoothie absentmindedly. "Maybe the Land of Lightning isn't as lush or fertile as the Land of Fire, but it's also true that there's no one like Danzo here."
And knowing that was an immense relief.
Sure, there were selfish people, not very bright ones, and troublemakers—but weren't there such people everywhere?
Danzo was an exceptional case; the entire ninja world knew that.
Compared to him, the Kumo Council looked like kindergarten children fighting over toys and cookies.
Yugao, trained in Konoha's political environment from a young age, had ways of dealing with them even without Chad's help. It would be annoying, but she could manage.
"It's not that bad," Chad felt he had to say a few words in defense of that old man. "Whether it's the Third Hokage or Danzo, both are amazing at sabotaging the village in the name of the Will of Fire!"
Yugao looked at Chad, speechless, but she couldn't refute it.
After what happened with the Senju, the White Fang, the Sannin…
Honestly, she was surprised that by this point, Konoha's F4 hadn't wiped out the Uchiha clan. The tension between both sides was tremendous.
"Is that why you saved the Third Hokage?" Yugito asked after chewing and swallowing some cheese. "Isaribi filled me in on what happened, but I didn't understand why you didn't let Orochimaru do his thing to the Hokage."
Normally, when a village lost a Kage-level ninja, it was something for the rest of the villages to celebrate.
Now, for a ninja from another village to reverse the situation and save a Kage from yet another village—that didn't seem to have any precedent.
"It benefits us more for Sarutobi to stay in the seat for another ten or twenty years," Chad said, taking what the staff placed on the table, starting with the drink. "He's different from Ōnoki, in a good way… for us," he added before taking a sip.
Ōnoki was a crafty fox who knew how to make use of talent, kept Iwa well united, didn't hesitate to use outside help, handled the village's money properly without skimming it, and promoted new talent whenever possible.
If it weren't for the fact that Iwa truly suffered from a serious lack of talent, he never would have been so lenient with Deidara.
One must remember that Iwa has a famous Explosives Corps; Deidara simply stood out enough to be singled out.
"I suppose I still have to adjust my mindset," Yugao sighed, realizing she was still viewing things from her old perspective, the one used for her cover.
"Relax, change doesn't happen overnight," Chad said, taking some cheese to go with his drink. "Have you already made a decision about what you'll do next?"
Yugao looked at her smoothie.
"I have," she nodded, finishing the drink and setting the glass on the table. "The Raikage offered me a job as a kenjutsu instructor at the ninja academy, with a generous salary."
Chad felt like cursing when he heard that; it was clear he wasn't the only one who valued Yugao's abilities.
"But I don't think I'd feel comfortable dealing with children right now," Yugao admitted, resting her hand against her cheek, elbow on the table. "With so much time in ANBU, even if I became a teacher, my standards are strict, and I might go too far without realizing it."
She was afraid.
She had done things in ANBU she wasn't proud of to maintain her cover, and she had only recently left Konoha. Not to mention whether she even had the confidence to teach—students' parents might feel uneasy if certain rumors spread.
"So I'd like to take your offer to work here," she concluded. "I think I need to spend less time in the shadows to lift this weight from my heart. But it's better if I stick to the VIP area for now."
The VIP area had private rooms and fewer people to attend to; the public area of the izakaya would be too much for her. It was better to take things step by step.
"Alright, you're hired."
"Aren't you going to interview me?"
"I'll pass," Chad rolled his eyes. "I think with your résumé, you're overqualified for the job."
"So, what do I do?"
"Serve food, keep the area free of trouble, help clean up when we close, that kind of thing. Don't make that face—I won't ask you to cook, we have people specifically for that," Chad explained. "And speaking of closing, come a bit earlier tonight. I'll take the opportunity to introduce you to your future colleagues. As for the contract, I'll give it to you the day after tomorrow."
As for matters like salary, vacation days, and so on, he had already laid out his conditions on the way to Kumo; there was no need to repeat them.
Puff!
A small lynx appeared in the middle of the izakaya with a small explosion of smoke, looking around. Upon spotting Chad, it hurried over, handed him a note, and disappeared in another burst of smoke.
Chad recognized the handwriting as he read it—it was from Isaribi.
"Looks like a little snake has slithered into the house."