Sakumo Hatake felt just as sick to his stomach.
He'd been living comfortably in the Land of Hot Water—collecting rare kabuki stories, selling pig iron, and enjoying a slow, peaceful life. Now you're telling me we're going back to Konoha?
Back to Konoha? Why? Isn't drifting around out here way better?
Back there, I'll just be the Hatake Clan's heir again, stuck in a boring cycle of collecting rent and counting coins every day.
Still, grumbling aside, Sakumo took Reiji's message to heart and rushed back to Konoha without delay.
Meanwhile, Reiji set off with the Kumogakure envoy.
As a bodyguard and a civilian ninja, he obediently kept to the rear of the group, quietly enjoying himself.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode—absolutely delicious.
The moment he read through the scroll detailing the technique, Reiji was hooked on its training methods.
Wrap your body in powerful lightning to attack or defend.
In Lightning Armor mode, the user gains extreme speed and formidable resistance to damage.
And that's just the base effect.
The longer you maintain the mode, the more your physical endurance gradually improves.
At the same time, though, the constant lightning stimulation drastically accelerates cell division and inevitably damages cells.
Fitting. That's so Raikage.
But to Reiji, the drawbacks were negligible.
He was immortal, after all. With limitless chakra and absurdly resilient cells.
Basically, he just converted his own chakra into lightning, then used a precise frequency and intensity to stimulate himself.
It boosted both his neural response time and physical speed.
As for increasing physical toughness—that could only come from relentless training over time.
But Reiji's advantage?
He could keep Lightning Release Chakra Mode running 24/7.
A regular ninja could only train with it for two hours a day.
A genius, maybe four.
A monster, eight.
But him? He could go twenty-four.
If you don't have talent, you stack hours. That's how he learned Flying Thunder God, too.
As for Shadow Clone Technique? Didn't give any cheats with this mode.
No matter—none of it really mattered.
Day one after departure, Reiji shivered with delight all day and night.
Day two, he was high on it—nonstop.
Day three, he was just numb—still going strong.
For three straight days, he discovered another surprising effect of the technique: it accelerated growth.
At first, he looked about eleven or twelve. Disguised as the fifteen-year-old Raimei, he was still a bit short.
So he padded his sandals with a thick layer of Iron Sand.
But now, he realized even without the Iron Sand, he'd already outgrown Raimei.
Honestly, it didn't matter—everyone grows eventually.
But on the fourth day, after they crossed into the Land of Fire...
Reiji suddenly felt like he was running low on charge.
Put simply, his chakra-converted lightning was losing edge.
His physical stats were still improving, but not nearly with the same kick as the first few days.
He sighed quietly at the thought.
Day five, and all he wanted was to curl up like a cat—melancholy vibes.
...
Just like that, another day passed, and the Kumogakure delegation finally arrived in Konoha.
At the village gates, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were waiting with a few ANBU.
As the victor of the last war, Konoha was at least courteous enough.
Soon, Reiji—his skin still dark from disguise—followed the delegation to the all-too-familiar Hokage Building.
While the key members attended talks, Reiji and the seven or eight other bodyguards were settled in the Konoha Guest House.
Time flew by when training. In a blink, night had passed.
Reclining on his bed, Reiji planned to stay under the covers all day.
Not because he didn't want to go out, but because he was afraid of running into someone familiar.
A man like him—he was like a firefly in the night. So dazzling, so hard to ignore.
The thought of being recognized by Rie, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Uchiha Kagami... was painfully embarrassing.
Too bad the world wasn't that kind. A knock came at the door.
"Who is it?" Reiji shouted.
"Who else? Your girlfriend~" came a seductive voice from outside.
Reiji's head throbbed immediately.
That woman—ever since she cried in his arms, she'd been ice-cold every time they met.
All the way from Kumogakure to Konoha, she hadn't bothered him once.
He'd actually been relieved.
He was on a mission, not some love trip.
"She's not here. She's asleep," Reiji yelled back, yanking the covers over his head.
Outside, a chilling laugh rang out.
"Raimei. You're Raimei, right?" the voice called again.
Reiji knew—she was threatening him now. If he didn't open the door, that vixen would definitely shout his real name.
"Squeak~" The door creaked open.
Seeing Amai standing there in a bold floral kimono, Reiji scratched his head, sighing in exasperation.
"Amai-sama, is there something you need?"
"Can't I come see you just because I want to?" Amai blinked her large eyes at him with a pitiful expression.
Reiji sighed again, poked his head out, glanced up and down the hallway, and, seeing no one around, reached out and pulled her inside.
After shutting the door, he sat down on the edge of the bed and spoke softly.
"Alright, out with it. What do you really want?"
Amai looked around the room with interest, then shook her head repeatedly.
"Raimei, this room's too plain. You should come stay in mine."
Reiji's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly like a pecking chick.
"Sounds good! But how many beds do you have? If it's more than one, I'm not going."
"Just one~" Amai held up a single slender finger and winked flirtatiously.
At that, Reiji clapped his hands with delight.
"Perfect! Go grab your bedding. Let's swap now—I've been saying this room's got cockroaches."
He picked up his futon, ready to head out.
But Amai's expression darkened in an instant. She stepped forward and blocked his way.
"It's not a swap. I'm inviting you to live with me."
Reiji paused, thinking for a moment, then nodded reluctantly.
"Alright, but you'll have to take the floor. Doctor said I've got a bad back—I can't sleep on the ground."
Amai's face flushed red with anger. She flung the door open, ready to storm out.
But then she remembered why she'd come to Konoha. Her hand froze on the door handle.
That damn Reiji, always pushing me to the brink—I'll make sure he knows just how serious I can get!
She bit her lip hard, turned around with a look of wounded pride, and slowly walked back to his side, eyes flicking up at him timidly.
"F-fine, whatever. You're always bullying me anyway~
But we'll talk about tonight later, in secret~
During the day, can you take me shopping?"
Looking at this troublesome woman, Reiji let out a long, weary sigh.
She's never giving up, is she?
"Fine, fine. Let's go now."
...
And just like that, under the jealous eyes of several Amegakure shinobi, Reiji walked out of the guesthouse with her.
No doubt about it—Amai was stunning. That figure of hers, all curves and attitude, was the definition of womanly charm.
Especially today, dressed in an elegant traditional kimono that barely showed any skin.
But that just made it worse. Her outfit, paired with her commanding physique, gave off a dangerously seductive aura.
Even walking down the main streets of Konoha, she drew stares from every direction.
They wandered here and there, Reiji trailing behind her, arms loaded with bags of every shape and size, looking absolutely miserable.
Immortal or not, even with Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he couldn't escape the soul-crushing exhaustion of shopping.
Honestly, not even a dog would want to do this.
...
Just then, at a stall selling hairpins, two delicate hands—one larger, one smaller—reached for the same item at the exact same time.
Their owners raised their heads and looked straight at each other.
For some reason, the air crackled faintly with static.
And at that moment, Reiji, weighed down by bags and shuffling with his head down, staggered right into Amai.
"Hey~ why'd you stop walking?"
Reiji looked up.
!!!
He froze.
Tsu... Tsu... Tsunade?!
Panic surged through him. His scalp tingled, a cold sweat broke out down his back, his vision blurred—he couldn't sit still.
"Ahem." Clearing his throat, Reiji quickly looked down, guilt all over his face as he stammered, "W-what's going on?"
Amai glanced at him with a thoughtful look, then suddenly curved her lips into a playful, alluring smile.
"You look familiar! Little sister, aren't you Princess Tsunade of Konoha?"
Her teasing voice rang out, but Amai didn't loosen her grip on the hairpin in the slightest.
Tsunade, though still quite young, didn't back down either, staring coldly at the woman in the flashy floral kimono.
For some reason, she felt an intense dislike for her—an unshakable sense that this woman was dangerous.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Orochimaru stood off to the side, their expressions a mix of confusion and intrigue.
Jiraiya even wiped a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth.
He couldn't help it. That woman, clearly not from Konoha, had an overwhelming presence—she was bigger than the Rasengan!
Wait, Rasengan? What was that again?
Twelve-year-old Jiraiya scratched his head, puzzled.
Orochimaru, in contrast, silently studied Reiji, who was doing everything he could to fade into the background.
The tension between the two girls only grew.
"Is that how Princess Tsunade behaves in Konoha? See something, take it?" Amai refused to let go of the hairpin, her voice sharp.
"Heh~ I'm only like this to outsiders. You overblown freak from Kumogakure," Tsunade sneered sideways at her.
Reiji, watching from the sidelines, broke out in a cold sweat.
No, no! Stop tugging! That hairpin's about to snap!
Amai, give it up already! Can't you see Tsunade's not even trying?
You're just a Jōnin! You're no match for this powerhouse!
The longer they held on, the more relaxed Tsunade's expression became—she even had time to look around casually.
"Hey, big-busted freak from Kumogakure, that all you've got? If you can't even eat properly, where're you getting the strength to kidnap me?"
And with a casual tug, Tsunade's slender fingers smoothly snatched the hairpin away.
Nice, Tsunade! With that strength, you could've broken six of Jiraiya's ribs—you totally went easy on her!
Flushed with anger, Amai pouted, face beet red. After all, she was only sixteen.
Then her gaze shifted to Reiji, who had just let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes sparkled mischievously.
You little brat... mocking me?
Fine, I'll seduce your savior, steal him right out from under you!
She instantly switched tactics, putting on a pitiful look as she clung to Reiji's arm.
Feeling that solid bicep under her grip, a blush spread across her cheeks.
"Darling, look! She's bullying me!"
In that moment, Reiji felt like his arm had ascended to heaven—completely out of his control.
But the bliss didn't last long. A voice echoed in his mind:
Reiji! Get a grip! Cut off your arm and offer it to Princess Tsunade as an apology!
Just then, Tsunade scoffed coldly, clearly annoyed.
She turned away, high ponytail flicking with pride, and walked off without a backward glance.