Chapter 79 (Patreon)

“What exactly is Konoha trying to pull? Their Fifth Hokage is that woman who serves as the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki, isn’t she?”

A, the Fourth Raikage, furrowed his brow. No matter how much he considered it, he couldn’t understand Konoha’s intentions.

Some suspected that Konoha was merely trying to swindle the other villages out of their money and resources, but A didn’t believe that. Konoha was one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. If its Hokage were exposed as a fraud, the village’s reputation would be destroyed.

Why else had the Third Hokage used Danzō as his shield whenever the village needed something questionable done? A hidden village’s reputation carried enormous weight. If a scandal ever came to light, someone had to be there to shoulder the blame.

Now, however, the announcement had come directly from the newly appointed Hokage. There was no chance Konoha would risk its reputation merely to obtain a small amount of money and a few scrolls.

A couldn’t make sense of it, and even his most trusted strategist, Dodai, was equally baffled.

Dodai also doubted that Konoha intended to deceive anyone, but if that wasn’t their goal, what did they hope to gain?

Had Konoha’s finances deteriorated so badly that they had been forced to sell their own secret techniques?

Over in Iwagakure, Ōnoki was wrestling with the same questions.

In the end, both great villages decided that the gamble was worth taking. Kumogakure and Iwagakure each selected shinobi skilled in fūinjutsu and sent them to Konoha with the required tuition and Uzumaki Clan scrolls.

If Konoha dared to detain their shinobi or seize the payment without honoring the agreement, the two villages would gain a legitimate justification for military action.

On the other hand, if Konoha genuinely taught them Uzumaki fūinjutsu, they would profit enormously.

Such knowledge was normally impossible to obtain, regardless of how much money one offered.

The movements of the great villages couldn’t be concealed for long. News that Kumogakure and Iwagakure were sending students to Konoha soon reached the other hidden villages, numerous independent factions, and even the daimyō of various nations.

Even Danzō considered sending someone back to investigate.

He still possessed several scrolls left behind by the Uzumaki Clan, but choosing whom to send presented a problem.

His closest subordinates could be trusted, but Root’s Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal would expose them immediately. The moment they returned to Konoha, they would undoubtedly be detained and interrogated.

As for sending someone outside his inner circle, Danzō couldn’t bring himself to trust them. What if they simply disappeared with his money and scrolls?

“What are Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kushina thinking?” Danzō muttered bitterly after finally abandoning the idea. “They’re openly handing valuable techniques to potential enemies. At this rate, those two will ruin Konoha sooner or later.”

“Roy-kun, do you really think anyone will come?”

Kushina lay comfortably on the bed, enjoying the massage Roy was giving her as she voiced the question.

“It’s difficult to say what the others will do, but Sunagakure will almost certainly send someone.”

“Sunagakure?”

“Their fūinjutsu has always been lacking. The only reason they successfully contained the One-Tail was because its current jinchūriki, Monk Bunpuku, possesses exceptional control. If Shukaku had been sealed inside an ordinary person, it would have broken free long ago.”

Roy continued as he worked the tension from her body.

“Rasa knows exactly how weak Sunagakure is when it comes to fūinjutsu. Now that he has an opportunity to acquire superior sealing techniques, there’s no chance he’ll let it pass.”

His explanation reminded Kushina of what Minato had told her about the One-Tail’s jinchūriki during the Third Shinobi World War.

Bunpuku might not have become a perfect jinchūriki, but he probably wasn’t far from reaching that level.

However, the old monk was already advanced in age. Several years had passed since the war, and no one knew how much longer he would live.

Sunagakure was therefore in a far more desperate position than the other villages.

“You don’t need to worry about the fūinjutsu training program,” Roy said as he turned Kushina over and continued the massage. “Someone will eventually come and pay the tuition. You should focus on discussing the special training program for Konoha’s clans with their respective clan heads.”

“Roy-kun, are you truly confident that you can help more members of the Uchiha Clan awaken the Sharingan?”

“Absolutely. As long as they’re willing to pay the fee, raising their awakening rate from roughly thirty percent to fifty or even sixty percent shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Then we’ll begin with the Uchiha Clan. I’ll speak with Fugaku about the training program tomorrow.”

Once the full-body massage was over, Kushina nestled into Roy’s arms, one hand idly toying with him.

“Kushina, I want Kaorui to join us next time.”

Her hand immediately tightened.

Kushina raised her head and stared at Roy’s grinning face.

“Why? That would be far too embarrassing.”

She needed a proper explanation—one convincing enough for her to accept such an arrangement.

Things were already perfectly fine as they were. She had never objected to Roy visiting the house next door after the two of them were finished, either.

Roy patiently explained his reasoning from beginning to end.

Kushina remained silent for a moment before finally sighing.

“All right. I agree.”

“If you truly find it difficult to accept, you don’t need to force yourself.”

Roy took Kushina’s hand and gently reassured her.

Strangely enough, hearing him say that made Kushina feel more at ease.

Roy might be unrestrained when it came to such matters, but he still cared about her feelings. That was enough for her. What more could she ask of him?

It would undoubtedly be embarrassing, but if it made Roy happy and could expand his range of movement, she believed she could gradually learn to accept it.

The following morning, while Kushina was working, Roy went out to test the limits of his newly expanded range.

He managed to travel roughly five kilometers away from her. That was already enough to exceed the boundaries of Konoha’s main residential district. Even if Kushina were placed in the Forest of Death, Roy’s range would still encompass roughly a quarter of the entire training ground.

However, this was only the beginning.

Once Kushina became completely accustomed to the new arrangement, Roy estimated that his range could double again. She had struggled even to speak at first, yet eventually adapted. This should be no different.

As for when Roy would completely regain his freedom and no longer be restricted by Kushina’s location, he had no idea.

Perhaps it would happen after he uncovered every last one of Kushina’s secrets.

Or perhaps the restriction would remain with him for the rest of his existence.

His limited range wasn’t the only problem weighing on his mind.

Although existing as a soul didn’t prevent him from being intimate with Kushina and Kaorui, Roy still wanted a genuine physical body. At the very least, he wanted to discover for himself what the famous Ichiraku Ramen tasted like.

In Soul Society, a soul could experience food from the Human World by entering a Gigai developed by the Shinigami Research and Development Institute.

Unfortunately, no such technology existed in the shinobi world.

“I wonder if Orochimaru could create a Gigai.”

The thought of Orochimaru reminded Roy of the method the man had used in the original story to exploit a loophole in the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.

Orochimaru had cut open his own stomach and offered his body as a sacrifice, releasing the souls of the first four Hokage along with the portion of his own soul corresponding to his arms, all of which had been trapped within the Shinigami.

Such an act would have been fatal for anyone else.

Orochimaru, however, had used Living Corpse Reincarnation to transfer himself into the body of a White Zetsu, allowing him to survive and obtain a new vessel.

“Wait... Couldn’t I simply possess a White Zetsu?”

Roy’s eyes lit up.

White Zetsu possessed physical bodies, and their individual consciousnesses were extremely weak. The possibility of one resisting Roy’s soul and taking control from him was practically nonexistent.

The more Roy considered it, the more plausible the idea seemed.

Unfortunately, his excitement didn’t last long.

The problem wasn’t the danger involved.

If he possessed a White Zetsu and then used that body to be intimate with Kushina and the others, wouldn’t that be the same as allowing another man’s body to touch them?

No matter how he looked at it, that felt disturbingly close to betraying himself.

Furthermore, regardless of whether the body’s genetic material originated from Hashirama or someone else, it would have nothing to do with Roy himself.

More importantly, possessing a White Zetsu might place his life directly in the hands of the Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki.

As a disembodied soul, Roy might be able to remain unaffected by the Infinite Tsukuyomi. If he took control of a White Zetsu’s body, however, he could potentially be controlled without any means of resistance.

“No. White Zetsu is out of the question.”

Roy decisively abandoned the idea.

“I’ll have to find another way.”