Naruto: I Can Upgrade My Techniques Infinitely
Chapter 149: Crossing the River with Konoha as a Stepping Stone

Chapter 149: Crossing the River with Konoha as a Stepping Stone

Kumogakure.

The moment Nara Kazuki stepped into the village, he was immediately struck by the aura of "Banana Lord Freedom." No, not because everyone here was gay—rather, the place was absolutely brimming with hulking, muscle-bound men. Kazuki couldn’t quite figure out why. Maybe it was due to Kumogakure’s emphasis on taijutsu. The current Raikage, just like the last one, was a mountain of muscle.

So the entire village gave off the vibe of a giant muscular bro convention.

"Oi, Konoha shinobi."

They hadn’t been inside more than a few steps when a group of Kumo ninja openly showed their hostility. No subtlety. Just full-on glares and posturing.

Kazuki glanced at them, but didn’t say a word. He was here for business, not a fight.

Fortunately, the "escort" team that had been so diligently collecting intelligence on them during the journey decided to step in and cool things down.

Soon, they arrived at the Raikage’s Tower. Kazuki stared at the towering building, his lips twitching slightly.

Who the hell did these people think they were imitating? Konoha?

Every hidden village had its own "Kage," its own big tower, its own ANBU. It was like everyone had copied the same damn blueprint. Kazuki couldn’t help but wonder if they’d all literally followed Konoha’s example across the river.

After a routine check by the ANBU at the gate, they were finally led in.

And that’s when Kazuki laid eyes on the Raikage.

This Raikage wasn’t the same hardened veteran from the Fourth Shinobi War. He was younger, even more muscular, and radiated raw aggression. If Kazuki didn’t know better, he’d think they were here to repay a debt, not propose a business deal.

The moment their eyes met, Kazuki’s body tensed instinctively. It didn’t feel like being watched by a person. It felt like being sized up by a predator.

Beside him, Shisui shifted his feet unconsciously, though he managed to hold his ground.

"I heard from the Hokage. You’re here for business? Make it quick—I don’t have all day!" A’s voice boomed like thunder, barely looking up from his paperwork.

Nara Suzaku cleared his throat and pulled out the documents on the steam-powered train, starting a summary presentation.

Kazuki noted that the Raikage hadn’t even stopped working. Still scribbling away, totally casual. But the moment Suzaku said the word "train," A paused, slammed the papers on his desk, and barked:

"A train? You’re telling me this thing is that much faster than a regular wagon?"

He wasn’t even trying to hide his paperwork—Kazuki’s sharp eyes caught the title on the top page:

"...Next Steps for Espionage Operations Targeting Konoha..."

The title was just sitting there. Plain as day. Kazuki’s lips twitched.

This guy was... bold.

Kazuki supposed it might even be a provocation—see if they’d try to snatch the documents. But neither he nor Suzaku reacted. They gave the paper a glance, then looked away like nothing happened.

"Yes. We ran internal tests. The train is dozens of times faster than a regular cart. A trip that takes three days with horses can be done in mere hours by train—and it hauls far more cargo," Suzaku explained confidently.

In truth, Konoha hadn’t simply taken Kazuki’s word for it and jumped into this plan. The research and prototyping had already started beforehand. Data had been collected, verified. Only after real results had been achieved were talks like this even considered.

"..."

A went quiet. If this was all true, then Konoha had indeed brought something valuable to the table. But what puzzled him was... why?

Why was Konoha bringing this to him?

He’d assumed they were here to trade for goods or prisoners. Instead, they dropped this bombshell.

A wasn’t some meathead with muscles for brains. He might’ve looked like it, but he’d earned the title of Raikage with more than just power. His mind was sharp.

And that sharp mind started clicking.

This technology was powerful, yes. But also hard to monopolize. You couldn’t really hide a train. Once it was running, everyone could see it. The only thing worth protecting—worth charging for—was the tech behind the engine itself.

So this was Konoha’s play.

Make everyone pay to get in on it.

It made perfect sense. Trying to build a national-scale railway would be an astronomical investment. Better to share the burden. And once everyone had a stake in the system, destroying it would require a really good reason. Like war.

A tapped his desk thoughtfully.

Then, suddenly, he smacked the desk hard enough that it nearly cracked.

"Tch. Say whatever you want. If it’s worth stealing, I’ll just take it. I don’t have to pay a damn ryo."

"Raikage-sama," Suzaku said with a warm smile. "Train construction takes time. Are you really willing to wait until you can steal it?"

A frowned. That... was true. Sometimes falling behind even one step meant wasting years catching up. Being ahead of the curve meant access to resources, faster deployments, and better supply chains.

Kumogakure still lacked a lot of key supplies. If they could leap ahead with this tech...

"How much?" A barked.

Kazuki smirked. There it was.

If the price was too high, A might really send out a team to extract the secrets by force.

Suzaku offered the number without hesitation.

A’s face twitched.

Konoha had done the math. The price was set just low enough to be acceptable—but not low enough to feel generous.

Still, A tried to haggle. But at this point, Kazuki knew the deal was basically sealed.

Suzaku had this handled.

No need for Kazuki to step in with theatrics.

He could just enjoy this trip as a sightseeing tour of Kumogakure.

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