Inside a small apartment in the Hidden Cloud Village (Kumogakure) of the Land of Lightning, a young boy gazed at the long blade that had snapped once again due to his training. His expression was far from pleased.
"My teacher's been acting more and more strange these days. When he looks at us, there's a sense of reluctance and helplessness. If I calculate correctly, the Second Great Ninja War is about to start, right?"
Thinking back to his teacher's recent expressions, Ayato Kamiyo could tell something was wrong.
As a transmigrator from Earth, Ayato Kamiyo had initially resisted accepting this world, especially after realizing it was the world of Naruto. After all, this was a world where even terrorists longed for peace and fought for it—such an absurd world!
What made matters worse was that nearly ten years had passed since the First Great Ninja War had officially ended, and the Second Great Ninja War was about to begin.
Yet, Ayato Kamiyo was nearing graduation. Even if he deliberately failed to pass his team leader's approval, there was a high chance he wouldn't be sent back to school for another year. Instead, he would stay behind and prepare for war.
The thought of the upcoming war filled him with dread.
"Right now, all the ninjas in the village are preparing for the war. Even several of the school's Jonin teachers have been called away. I suspect they won't send an outstanding Jonin to lead our class."
"For regular students like me, they'll probably just assign a Chunin to lead us. It's unrealistic to expect to learn any good jutsu from a teacher like that."
Despite the twelve strong genin from Naruto—the so-called "Konoha 12"—being guided by Jonin teachers, they were in elite classes, like special advanced groups back on Earth, filled with geniuses.
Even someone like Haruno Sakura, who seemed like a regular civilian, or Lee Rock, was no ordinary person. Or rather, in this world, anyone with a surname was not a common civilian.
Because commoners didn't have surnames. Ayato Kamiyo didn't have a surname either—at least not from his parents. The surname he had now was one his father had given him when he joined the organization known as "Root," to avoid being looked down upon. His current name was a shortened version of his original one, combining parts of the names his parents had given him. The original name was far too embarrassing, carrying too much baggage—he couldn't bear it.
In this world, commoners generally had average talents, especially when it came to chakra reserves. When his father passed away at thirty, he still had only a pitiful amount of chakra, and even casting a D-ranked jutsu was a struggle. Now, at the age of ten, Ayato Kamiyo's chakra reserves would only last through the basics of the Three Body Jutsu before depleting.
On the battlefield, such strength would definitely make him cannon fodder.
"I can't delay any longer!"
He glanced at the calendar. Graduation day was only two weeks away. Taking a deep breath, Ayato Kamiyo made a decision that went against both the Will of Fire and the Will of Lightning.
He had to take a gamble, or he would die on the battlefield.
Without wasting any more time, he took out two prepared sealed scrolls from a hidden compartment under his bed and immediately left for the Raikage's office.
Unlike Konoha, which was built on flat land, Kumogakure was nestled among towering mountains—an easily defensible, hard-to-attack location. This made it difficult for enemies to strike, but also increased the difficulty of climbing to the top.
Fortunately, Ayato Kamiyo was a ninja himself, having followed the rigorous physical training methods of Konoha's three legendary shinobi, enhanced by his chakra reserves. His physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, and it didn't take him long to reach the Raikage's building.
However, he didn't head toward the mission hall. Instead, he went straight to the Intelligence Department.
"I am Ayato Kamiyo, a student from the fifth year, class nine of the Ninja Academy. I have A-rank intelligence to report to the Raikage. Please pass these two sealed scrolls to him. Once he sees them, he'll certainly meet with me," Ayato Kamiyo stated.
He handed over the two scrolls to the middle-aged ninja sitting behind the desk and also showed his student ID.
At this stage, Ayato Kamiyo was still a student at the Ninja Academy. Unlike the system at the start of the story in Konoha, things were different in Kumogakure. Children entered school at the age of five, and the academic system lasted five years, meaning students graduated at ten years old.
"A-rank intelligence? Do you have any idea how serious it is to falsely claim such a high-level report?" the middle-aged ninja exclaimed in surprise, causing even the elderly man drinking tea by the window to look over.
"I will take full responsibility for my words!" Ayato Kamiyo replied seriously. If he didn't have any special abilities, there was no way he would have taken such a dangerous risk.
"A student from the Ninja Academy, huh?" The middle-aged ninja stared at Ayato Kamiyo for a while, then took the student ID and examined it. After confirming its authenticity, he finally looked at the two sealed scrolls.
"What's inside these?"
"The first scroll contains ten billion ryo. You may inspect it. The second scroll contains classified information that can only be unsealed in front of the Raikage."
Ayato remained serious, but the words he spoke made both individuals in the office stand up suddenly.
"Ten billion ryo!" They both stared at the scroll in disbelief, unable to fathom how a mere child could possibly possess such an immense sum.
You see, right now in the exchange office, a Jonin's bounty was only around ten million ryo. An elite Jonin's bounty was just twenty million ryo, and only individuals with special status would be awarded over thirty million ryo.
Ten billion ryo was enough to hire how many Jonin?
The middle-aged ninja glanced at the elderly man. If this was truly ten billion ryo, then this kid was no ordinary person.
The elderly man didn't say much. After calming himself, he gave Ayato a deep, meaningful look, then picked up the first sealed scroll marked with the number "one." After opening it, confirming it was legitimate, he made hand signs to unseal it. Instantly, ten large boxes appeared.
Opening one box, the elderly man was stunned to see it filled neatly with cash—every bill was of the highest denomination. Judging by the size of the box, it seemed like one box alone contained a hundred million ryo.
The elderly man was even more shocked. He proceeded to open the remaining boxes, carefully inspecting each one. After confirming everything was in order, he sealed the boxes back into the scroll.
"Follow me to meet the Raikage."
The elderly man glanced at the second scroll but didn't open it. He motioned for Ayato Kamiyo to follow and then left the office with the two scrolls in hand.
Regardless of what intelligence the boy had, or what was inside the second scroll, the ten billion ryo alone was enough to grant him an audience with the Raikage.
Ten billion ryo was no small amount, especially considering the village was currently short on funds. The Raikage had even been losing his temper several times recently due to the shortage.
Ayato followed quickly, and before long, they reached the Raikage's office on the top floor.
After waiting outside for a while, Ayato was finally called in. The elderly man unsealed the first scroll and revealed the ten boxes.
As the money was brought before the Third Raikage, Ayato momentarily lost focus, feeling something enter his mind. However, he couldn't tell what it was. He didn't want to focus on it too much, so he simply maintained eye contact with the Third Raikage, trying to stay serious.
It was hard not to be overwhelmed—after all, this was the strongest Raikage in history. The aura around him was so powerful that just looking at him made Ayato Kamiyo feel stifled.
"You can leave now," the Raikage said, glancing at the ten boxes, then back at the boy who was trying to maintain his composure. He waved at the elderly man.
The elderly man didn't say anything more. He glanced at Ayato before turning and leaving.
"Boy, what kind of intelligence do you have for me?" the Raikage asked, clearly curious. The combination of ten billion ryo and a ten-year-old child was too odd to ignore—there had to be something more going on.
Both Tsuchidai and Ai, who stood nearby, were also eyeing Ayato Kamiyo with curiosity. They were eager to know where this money had come from and what the so-called intelligence was all about.
"Ahem... the intelligence can be discussed later," Ayato Kamiyo said, trying to calm himself. "The main reason I'm here is to request to become your disciple, Lord Raikage. This ten billion ryo is my token of respect for you. I humbly ask that you accept it."
He cleared his throat, forcing himself to stay calm while making his request.
The Raikage couldn't help but twitch his eye at the boy's words. Even someone with the Raikage's level of composure couldn't help but be taken aback. Ai and Tsuchidai exchanged strange glances.
Was this some kind of bribe?
"Ten billion ryo is indeed a large amount, but it's not enough to make you my disciple," the Raikage said, keeping his stern expression. He then turned his gaze toward the second sealed scroll.
Ten billion ryo was indeed significant, especially at a time when both the Raikage and the village were in dire need of funds.
With this money, they could purchase more supplies, which would make the upcoming Great Ninja War much more manageable.
However, compared to the ten billion ryo, the boy seemed far more concerned with the second scroll. Whatever was inside was likely even more important than the money.
Ai and Tsuchidai also shifted their focus to the second sealed scroll.