Some breakthroughs are born from battlefield necessity… others from a single flash of inspiration.
"The Raikage is coming here personally?"
Tsunade stared at Samui in disbelief.
She froze for several seconds.
Then she slowly turned to Shizune, looking momentarily at a loss for words.
Konoha had no intention of harming the Raikage.
But still—
For the leader of an entire village to come directly to Konoha like this…
The courage involved was astounding.
"Um… Lady Tsunade…"
Shizune looked even more confused.
Her thoughts were in complete disarray.
That hot-tempered Raikage truly never followed conventional logic.
Tsunade was the first to recover.
"If the Raikage wishes to visit Konoha, we naturally welcome him."
Her expression turned serious.
"But I'd like to know how he plans to arrive. As you know, the Akatsuki are still active in the shadows. Although we captured Hidan, there are still eight members remaining."
"If the Raikage travels recklessly, the danger could be significant."
Samui nodded calmly.
"Lord Raikage will arrive at the border of the Land of Fire through a space-time ninjutsu. At that time, we hope Konoha can send a squad to escort him."
"Space-time ninjutsu…"
Tsunade thought for a moment.
"Please wait here for now. I'll ask about it and give you an answer this afternoon."
"Ask… about it?"
Samui looked puzzled.
She didn't quite understand what Tsunade meant.
Considering the matter involved the Raikage himself, she had to clarify.
"Lady Hokage, what exactly are you planning?"
"I'm going to ask Souma whether he can directly anchor your space-time technique to a coordinate inside Konoha," Tsunade explained.
"That way, the Raikage could arrive here immediately without requiring an escort team."
"It would be safer for him—and more reassuring for us."
Samui blinked.
"Is that… possible?"
She wasn't questioning the feasibility of the technique.
She was wondering whether Konoha would actually allow Kumogakure to open a direct spatial gateway into their village.
What if they transported something dangerous through it?
Tsunade simply smiled.
"That's exactly why I said we'll give you an answer later."
"I understand."
Samui nodded politely.
"Thank you for your assistance."
Meanwhile, deep inside the ANBU base, Souma was studying the behavior of Hashirama's cells.
He carefully observed their invasive properties through sensory techniques.
At the same time, he conducted several experiments using kikaichū.
Unfortunately—
The insects couldn't withstand the cells' aggressive vitality.
In less than a second, the Hashirama cells began invading their entire bodies.
Even when Souma attempted to suppress the effect, it only slowed the process slightly.
After several attempts, none of the insects showed any sign of evolution.
Souma didn't consider it a loss.
Most kikaichū had relatively short lifespans.
And the insects he used were failed sage-transformation specimens.
Losing them wasn't a major setback.
If he had used the Insect King…
He would never forgive himself.
Those individuals were incredibly rare.
Sometimes thousands—or even tens of thousands—of insects were needed to produce a single one.
"Souma…"
Inoichi stood nearby, his cheek twitching slightly.
"I thought you were only observing the cells."
"Uh… I was," Souma replied innocently.
"The insects jumped in by themselves. I didn't have time to stop them."
"…Please be careful," Inoichi sighed.
"If something happens, I won't know how to explain it to Lady Tsunade."
He truly regretted agreeing to let Souma examine the cells.
Giving a genius researcher access to Hashirama cells was like giving gold to a thief.
How could anyone resist the temptation?
If Souma accidentally created some monstrous new kikaichū…
That would be terrifying.
Souma reluctantly extracted the Hashirama cells and sealed them again.
He scanned the entire room carefully to ensure no fragments remained.
Only then did he clap his hands.
"Alright. Let's go."
"I've finished the basic observations. Next time I'll submit a formal request to Lady Tsunade for a small research project."
"I'll buy you a drink next time," Inoichi said seriously, patting his shoulder.
Souma rolled his eyes.
"I've noticed something."
"You people always offer me drinks because you know I don't drink."
"Why not treat me to something else for once?"
Inoichi grinned.
"How about barbecue at the Akimichi restaurant?"
"Bring me a bouquet of flowers instead."
"Hmm?"
Inoichi's eyes lit up immediately.
The scent of gossip was irresistible.
He leaned closer with a suspicious grin.
"Who's the girl?"
"It's not like that."
Souma gave him a flat look.
"It's for my teacher."
"A promotion gift."
"Which teacher?" Inoichi asked curiously. "You have quite a few."
"Kitayama-sensei from the medical division."
Souma explained calmly.
"Lady Tsunade asked how the medical corps and research division should cooperate."
"I think Kitayama-sensei's abilities make her the best candidate to coordinate between them."
The most suitable person would actually be Kabuto.
But Kabuto's identity was too sensitive.
For now, Kitayama would have to shoulder the responsibility.
As for Captain Hanfang—
His medical skills were excellent.
But his research ability was limited.
"True," Inoichi said thoughtfully.
"Kitayama has improved tremendously these past couple of years. I heard she's even resumed combat training recently."
"…Ah. I see."
"Exactly," Souma said.
"So pick the flowers carefully."
To strengthen cooperation between the medical corps and research division, Kitayama would soon be promoted to jōnin and placed in charge of coordination.
Souma had originally planned to tell Ino later.
But since Inoichi mentioned treating him, he brought it up casually.
Inoichi nodded.
The Yamanaka clan's flower shop business was enormous.
Sending a bouquet was trivial.
If Souma wanted, he could send one every day.
"Oh, by the way—"
"Inoichi-sama. Souma-sama."
A nearby ANBU shinobi approached.
"What is it?"
"A message from Lady Tsunade."
The shinobi handed Souma a letter.
Souma opened it and scanned the contents.
The Raikage really was bold.
And surprisingly thoughtful.
Coming personally at a time like this…
Was he not afraid of ending up like the Second Hokage or the Third Raikage?
Inoichi peeked at the letter and dismissed the ANBU shinobi.
After the man left, he spoke quietly.
"If the Raikage is coming himself, it means he's very interested in Hidan—and in Konoha."
"Negotiations about cooperation will probably follow."
"Most likely," Souma said.
"Our outward display of strength probably frightened Samui's group. That's why the Raikage wants to see things personally."
He began thinking about how to modify the space-time technique.
After a long moment, he shook his head.
"Difficult?" Inoichi asked.
The moment he asked the question, he regretted it.
Asking Souma about difficulty…
Was dangerous.
Souma answered calmly.
"It's not that difficult."
"But Kumogakure might refuse."
"And if they discover the coordinates belong to my personal formula, it could cause trouble later."
"…Of course."
Inoichi sighed.
Souma's perspective was always unusual.
Trying to judge things with ordinary logic was pointless.
Souma suddenly snapped his fingers.
"I've got it."
"We can construct a stable space-time channel using the kikaichū summoning formation."
"They'll be able to pass through easily."
He paused.
"And if the Raikage is brave enough…"
"I could even open a channel large enough for his entire entourage."
That afternoon, Samui received Konoha's proposal.
She sat in her temporary residence, staring at the document in disbelief.
A spatial corridor…
Constructed through summoning techniques.
She had never imagined solving the problem that way.
That boy named Souma had produced a complete solution in only half a day.
The only question was whether it would actually work.
After considering it carefully, she decided to send the proposal back to Kumogakure.
Another day passed.
The reply arrived.
Approved.
Both villages began selecting locations and finalizing the schedule.
Souma himself didn't participate in the negotiations.
He only provided the technical plan.
When the time came, he would stabilize the spatial channel.
Everything else could be handled by others.
Meanwhile—
He returned home to focus on research.
And soon something unexpected happened.
The feedback from the Seven-Day Breathing Method arrived.
However—
The enhancement wasn't what he expected.
After half a day of testing, he discovered the improvement targeted his internal organs.
Especially the five major organs.
Souma found that surprising.
Previously, when studying Gentle Fist principles, his organs had already been strengthened once.
Now they had been reinforced again.
Meanwhile many people were already learning his Gentle Fist methods.
If his internal organs and body continued evolving…
The higher stages of the Seven-Day Breathing Method might become usable.
Souma's heart raced.
Imagine combining—
Sage Mode.
Seven-Day Breathing.
And Tailed Beast Mode.
The explosive power of that moment would be unimaginable.
But then he remembered the breathing technique's conditions—and side effects.
"No matter what, I can't use the Fifth Activation unless absolutely necessary."
"And even if I do… I can't attack directly."
"The recoil might shatter my own bones."
"Unless…"
He paused.
"Unless my bones were as strong as Shikotsumyaku."
Bone Release.
Should he transplant it?
His first thought was direct implantation.
But Shikotsumyaku combined with sage chakra could evolve into unstable Ash-Killing Bones.
One mistake could kill him.
Unless he possessed a body like Hashirama's.
Even transplanting Hashirama cells might not truly match the First Hokage's physique.
That left only one option.
The Bodhi Seed.
But what technique would it produce?
Bone manipulation?
Shikotsumyaku again?
"Damn… full circle."
Souma tossed his notebook onto the table.
Then suddenly slapped his forehead.
"I've been thinking too narrowly."
"There may not be many offensive techniques targeting bones directly…"
"But I could replicate the regeneration principle used by Jiraiya and Shikotsumyaku!"
His eyes lit up.
"Bone regeneration!"
In combat it might not be extremely useful.
But in the medical field—
It would be revolutionary.
"Time to test it."
Souma immediately rushed toward Kimimaro's cabin.
Kimimaro had no objections.
His only goal now was to resurrect Orochimaru and serve Souma.
No matter what task Souma gave him, he would accept.
And Souma's request was simple.
One bone.
Under Souma's guidance, Kimimaro extracted a small finger bone.
Throughout the process, Souma carefully monitored the growth mechanism with sensory techniques.
He observed the entire regeneration cycle.
The next step—
Was recreating the process with ninjutsu.
Unfortunately, just as Souma left the forest to head toward the Konoha hospital—
A summons arrived from Tsunade.
The Raikage's side was ready.
The kikaichū summoning markers had already been delivered.
Now all that remained—
Was for Souma to stabilize the space-time corridor.
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