Sometimes the most dangerous invention in the ninja world begins with nothing more than a quiet cup of tea.
"Cheers."
"Mm."
Souma raised his teacup and lightly tapped it against Tsunade's glass before glancing out the window.
This place used to belong to the Senju clan.
Now only a few old houses remain. The rest had long since been dismantled and replaced by ordinary village homes, blending seamlessly into Konoha's residential districts.
If the Senju clan had preserved their original estate…
They would likely still stand among Konoha's great noble clans today.
But instead—
They had chosen another path.
"What are you thinking about?"
Tsunade swirled the wine in her cup.
"Nothing in particular," Souma replied quietly. "I was just wondering what kind of resolve the First and Second Hokage had when they decided to disperse the entire Senju estate across Konoha."
He paused.
"Because of that decision, the civilian population of Konoha developed far greater potential and talent than those in other villages."
Tsunade lowered her head, slowly turning the wine cup between her fingers.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"That sounds exactly like my grandfather."
Then she looked up at Souma.
"If it were you today… would you hand a Tailed Beast over to the village?"
"Of course not."
"Exactly."
Tsunade sighed softly.
Her grandfather's kindness had been a double-edged sword.
It was precisely Hashirama Senju's personality that created the Will of Fire.
Yet many of the problems he left behind had become burdens for later generations to solve.
For example—
The rising strength of the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
"Forget it," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "The world was different back then. We can't judge those decisions with today's perspective."
She took another drink.
"The Land of Earth only truly rose to power starting from the Second Tsuchikage's era. Back then, no one could have predicted it."
Souma quietly sipped his tea.
I didn't say anything…
Tsunade then returned to the real reason she had invited him.
"I've recently reorganized the ANBU, the guard units, and the police force through the intelligence department. Now I want your opinion on cooperation between the research division, training division, and medical division."
"My opinion?"
"Of course," Tsunade said with a teasing smile. "You're practically a master across all three fields. If I don't ask you, I might accidentally offend you."
Souma thought for a few seconds.
"The training side is actually easy. Just follow the system I proposed earlier—test it within the guard units first, then expand it gradually."
Tsunade nodded.
"The real issue is the medical division."
"Medical…"
Souma frowned slightly.
The current medical corps had far too many responsibilities.
They handled research.
They treated patients.
They assisted in major surgeries.
Sometimes they even produced pharmaceuticals.
Every single medical ninja was overworked.
There was barely any free manpower.
"Has the soldier pill factory been completed yet?" Souma asked.
"It's under construction. Training the workers will take some time. It should start operating next month."
"In that case," Souma said slowly, "you can transfer some medical ninjas who aren't strong in clinical work but excel at research and innovation."
"Clinical meaning surgery and treatment?"
Tsunade immediately understood.
Separate medical practice from research.
Of course, they couldn't be completely isolated—medicine required practical experience—but the main focus could be divided.
Tsunade thought for several seconds before nodding slowly.
Afterward, she discussed several other problems she had encountered recently.
Souma answered as best he could.
Some questions, however, extended beyond his knowledge.
For example—
How to balance the power of Konoha's various clans.
Tsunade probably hadn't expected a real answer.
Sometimes she was simply thinking out loud.
Being Hokage did not make her happy.
Most days she was overwhelmed with work.
When she drank, she mostly complained about one problem after another.
But Souma understood.
Once tonight's drink was over…
She would still return to the office and continue working through endless stacks of documents.
Some problems didn't require answers.
Sometimes people only needed someone to listen.
Late at night, Tsunade fell asleep at the table.
Souma quietly carried her into the nearby bedroom before slipping outside.
Standing in the courtyard, he let out a long sigh.
"Is Lady Tsunade alright?"
Souma turned.
Shizune was leaning against the wall nearby.
She looked worried, but after hearing the answer, she relaxed with visible relief.
"She trusts you a lot," Shizune said with a soft smile. "Sometimes I envy that. There are many things she won't tell me."
Souma hesitated.
How was he supposed to answer that?
The truth was simple.
Telling Shizune wouldn't solve anything.
Shizune was talented—but her expertise lay almost entirely in medical ninjutsu.
In most other fields, she had little experience.
After all—
She had spent many years wandering the world with Tsunade.
Many aspects of ninja life were unfamiliar to her.
Shizune looked up and suddenly laughed.
"What's with that complicated expression? I was only joking. You don't need to comfort me."
Souma quickly improvised.
"Maybe it's because you're always taking care of her. She can't relax in front of you."
"So you're saying I'm like her mother?"
Shizune pretended to glare.
Then she smiled again.
"I know my abilities are limited. I can only help Lady Tsunade occasionally. It's a pity you'll be leaving the village again soon… otherwise…"
"There's no helping it."
The ninja world wasn't truly peaceful.
The current stability was like the calm surface of the ocean.
Beneath it—
A massive beast had been lurking for more than a decade.
Not to mention—
Even the sky wasn't safe.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
A ticking time bomb hidden on the moon.
Souma sighed again.
I'm just a kid.
Why do I have to deal with all of this?
He waved goodbye to Shizune.
"You're not staying here tonight?" she asked.
"I'll move in properly another day."
Souma returned to the Forest of Death.
The enormous crater from earlier had already been partially repaired with Wood Release trees.
When he reunited with his shadow clone, he learned that Kurama and Shukaku had fought several more times.
Fortunately, they had stopped using attacks on the level of Tailed Beast Bombs.
Later on…
They had even started arguing about how to innovate Tailed Beast techniques.
The debate had become so heated that they fought again.
Honestly—
When those two were together, not fighting would have been strange.
"Hey, brat," Kurama called out. "Your clone was boring. Tell us—which of our ideas is better?"
"What ideas? Explain first. I'll judge them."
Souma dismissed his shadow clone.
The clone had deliberately blocked most external information to conserve chakra.
That allowed it to remain active longer.
Kurama suddenly coughed.
"Never mind. Asking you is pointless."
His idea was actually simple.
He wanted to collide two equally powerful chakra masses, forcing them to react and explode with greater destructive power instead of simply compressing them.
Unfortunately—
His chakra imbalance made it impossible.
Shukaku also remained silent.
Because he didn't have a real idea either.
Earlier he had simply been bragging.
If Souma pressed him for an explanation…
He wouldn't be able to say anything meaningful.
Souma quickly realized both Tailed Beasts were bluffing.
"How about you think it through again?"
"Hmph."
Neither responded.
But their expressions said everything.
Souma pulled out a scroll.
Kurama's ears instantly perked up.
Wait…
That's…
Right.
Gyūki.
He had almost forgotten.
"You're going to release it?" Kurama asked.
"Not exactly. You'll understand in a moment."
Souma began forming hand seals.
Soon a shadow clone appeared beside him.
The two of them started preparing a complex sealing setup.
Shukaku watched curiously.
"Who is it?"
Kurama grinned.
"Beg me."
Shukaku snorted and ignored him.
I'll see soon enough.
The next moment—
A stream of chakra burst from the scroll.
Shukaku's eyes widened.
"Gyūki?!"
He sensed it carefully.
It wasn't the full Eight-Tails.
Only a fragment.
Yet the faint consciousness within the chakra proved that it still retained self-awareness.
Impressive.
Shukaku couldn't help admiring the technique.
Just as the two Tailed Beasts were watching, Souma suddenly cut off the chakra supply.
"?"
They looked at him in confusion.
"There are already too many Tailed Beasts inside the forest," Souma explained calmly. "Releasing the entire Eight-Tails would pose a security risk for the village."
More like it wouldn't cooperate, Kurama thought silently.
But after a moment he grinned.
Actually…
This arrangement was perfect.
If Gyūki only had a limited amount of chakra—
It would be easier to bully him later.
Soon, a strange creature appeared.
It resembled a bull, but its tails were octopus tentacles.
Its consciousness was extremely weak and immature.
It didn't even recognize the miniature Kurama and Shukaku nearby.
Souma's shadow clone carried the creature away to another location.
Kurama narrowed his eyes.
"What are you planning to seal the remaining chakra into?"
"Why does it have to be inside a person?" Souma replied. "Removing Tailed Beast chakra from a host causes great pain. I won't seal it into anyone. I'm just giving it a better container."
"…Right."
Kurama didn't believe him for a second.
He jumped onto Souma's shoulder anyway.
He knew Souma must have another plan.
Still—
Gyūki and Killer B shared a deep bond.
If Souma had simply let Gyūki roam freely, that would have been suspicious.
At least now it proved he hadn't used extreme methods.
Such as hypnosis or personality modification.
Shukaku tried to follow them but was dragged away by Souma's clone.
Even from far away, his angry shouting echoed through the forest.
Kurama was extremely satisfied.
At the research laboratory, Souma removed a chakra storage device.
Then he released the complete Eight-Tails tentacle he had obtained earlier.
In truth—
What he possessed was only a fragment of Gyūki.
But using that fragment…
He could reconstruct a miniature Eight-Tails.
The reason he separated most of the consciousness earlier was simple.
He wanted the powerful portion to remain…
A mindless beast.
Souma gathered a small amount of consciousness and stimulated the Eight-Tails' chakra.
The chakra rapidly began to grow and reshape itself.
Soon—
Another miniature Eight-Tails appeared.
Without hesitation, Souma sealed it directly into the chakra storage device.
Layer upon layer of sealing tags surrounded the container.
Souma looked at the finished tool with satisfaction.
A Tailed Beast—
Chakra battery.
Completed.
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