"Those who awaken the Mangekyō must be extreme. Don't be surprised."
Seeing Orochimaru's look, Natsume remained calm.
That included Shisui as well.
For a member of the Uchiha to remain mild—that was its own kind of extremity.
"Even if that's true, Itachi won't work with me."
Orochimaru's grin turned mocking. "I threatened him with Sasuke before. He's long since stopped recognizing me as his teacher."
"You don't understand Itachi."
Natsume spoke decisively. "He can do anything for Konoha."
Even for his most beloved younger brother Sasuke, he had prepared Kotoamatsukami.
If Sasuke betrayed Konoha, he'd forcibly correct him.
"And you and Danzō—he sees you as Konoha's dark side."
Natsume continued, "He'll hate you, but he won't kill you—because it would weaken Konoha. Where there's fire, there's shadow. He'll just see you as necessary."
"What a fool."
Orochimaru sneered. "The Will of Fire is quite the thing."
"Reward discussed—now for the price."
Natsume shifted the topic and tossed him a small slip of paper. "Tell Shimura Danzō this, and add that you'll definitely back him to be Hokage."
Orochimaru glanced at it and licked his lips.
Interesting.
Was this guy still collaborating with Danzō?
Before he could ask, Natsume vanished.
Unlike before, this time there was a faint ripple of chakra.
Orochimaru paused, then his face changed.
The Flying Thunder God Technique.
He'd learned it in such a short time?
The thought that he still hadn't gotten a Mangekyō Sharingan made a murderous light flicker in Orochimaru's eyes.
…
Standing on Konoha's main street, Natsume tilted his head.
What now?
He'd been practicing Flying Thunder God all this time.
Now that he didn't need to, he felt idle.
Tsunade was working at the Hokage Building—couldn't bother her.
Once she became Hokage, he'd make some moves.
Should he practice Danzō's famous line?
"Tsunade, you'll regret this!"
Natsume rubbed his chin, already picturing the amusing scene.
As for what to do with Danzō?
Have him defect.
A spark of inspiration—this would be fun.
He suddenly stopped, images flashing through his mind.
A shadow clone had dispelled.
After mastering Flying Thunder God, he'd sent clones to scatter marked kunai and shuriken all over.
The farthest one was in the Land of Water and Kirigakure.
Flying Thunder God's cost is determined by distance, weight, and volume.
The farther, heavier, and larger, the more chakra required.
Why is the first requirement for learning FTG a massive chakra reserve?
That's why.
To keep you from getting cocky and teleporting too far—and dropping dead.
Consider the first two FTG users:
Senju Tobirama needs no explanation—Senju chakra for days.
Namikaze Minato, though of civilian birth, had plenty of chakra.
You can tell from his Sage Mode training.
And during the Nine-Tails' attack, he used FTG to relocate a Tailed Beast Bomb.
If he didn't have tons of chakra, would he dare?
With Uzumaki Hinae's help and his own training, Natsume's chakra now far exceeded that of a typical jōnin.
He also had the First Hokage's necklace—a portable battery.
Worst case, swap in the Sage Body for a bit.
In short, he didn't need to worry about consumption.
He realized he hadn't seen Terumi Mei in a while and wondered how she was doing.
He found a deserted spot.
Activated Flying Thunder God.
Of course, he didn't jump straight into the village.
His sensory range wasn't that wide.
If you can't sense the mark, you can't trigger FTG.
Namikaze Minato, the fastest man alive, was always a step late at crucial moments.
He had no choice—FTG has limits.
Unless you have infinite chakra and god-tier sensory.
Even so, the technique was already broken.
After several jumps, Natsume finally reached Kirigakure.
He took a breath; his chakra was mostly spent.
But the speed was insane—a journey of several days done in under a minute.
…
Mizukage's Office.
Terumi Mei clenched her fist and finally couldn't help herself, slamming the desk with a decidedly unladylike punch.
"Those bastards! Delaying the funds again and again!"
After the change of Mizukage, Kirigakure had been wrecked by a Tailed Beast Bomb and needed rebuilding.
But there was no money.
They could only request funds from the Daimyō of the Land of Water.
The year's normal appropriation had already been disbursed early in the year—this was extra.
Naturally, the Land of Water was reluctant.
And Kirigakure was asking for a lot.
With that mindset, the funds were indefinitely delayed.
A month had passed—still not a single ryō.
"That's not like you."
The sudden voice made Terumi Mei flinch slightly, then she realized it was Natsume.
She quickly tidied the messy desk and regained her poise.
"Finished your business?"
Without noticing it herself, her tone had softened.
"More or less."
Natsume glanced at her hair—still the wavy curls he'd styled for her—and smiled. "What's got you mad?"
"It's the Land of Water. The appropriation still hasn't arrived."
She paused, then remembered Natsume's close ties to daimyō and nobles and asked, "Can you push them?"
"It's hard."
Natsume sighed. "With the Land of Water, it's just business between us."
Hearing this, Terumi Mei's eyes dimmed.
Without money, rebuilding and development would stall.
At this rate, even if she worked herself to death as Mizukage, it'd be hard for Kirigakure to catch up to Konoha.
"I do have some spare cash. I can lend it to you."
Natsume's lips curled.
Her eyes lit up, then hesitation crept in.
What would this loan cost?
"How much can you lend?"
"Seven hundred million."
Natsume said it lightly.
Terumi Mei's heart trembled.
In her eyes, Natsume seemed to turn to gold.
Too dazzling.
Seven hundred million was no small sum.
Even the most famous powerhouses of the Five Great Villages rarely had bounties over a hundred million on the black market.
Tens of millions was already impressive.
Seven hundred million would carry Kirigakure through the hardest stretch.
For a moment, Terumi Mei felt like quitting the shinobi path for business.
Of course, she was Mizukage—she quickly composed herself.
Seven hundred million sounded lovely, but the interest alone could be murderous.
"What's the interest—or the conditions?"
She asked calmly.
"Didn't you agree to work for me for a year before? Make it another year and a half. How about it?"
Natsume admired the sudden return of her Mizukage presence and smiled.
Terumi Mei looked surprised.
That again?
It felt… subtle.
Could it be that he…?
She shook off the thought. After a moment's consideration, she said, "Okay. But I have one condition: don't make me do anything that harms Kirigakure."
"Of course."
Natsume never intended to.
His plan was simple.
Give her two and a half years—that's enough time to turn her into an excellent idol.
Terumi Mei exhaled in relief.
In that case, working for him two and a half years was a bargain.
He'd driven off the masked man and was offering a zero-interest loan of seven hundred million to Kirigakure.
An absolute win.
She thought that if she weren't Mizukage, she'd be very willing to be friends with him rather than staying guarded as she was now.
But how would they repay seven hundred million?