This cat was unbelievable.
His words were like daggers, striking without warning. The Third Raikage fell silent for several seconds, suddenly at a loss for how to continue the conversation. He took a few steps forward, his mind blank.
'What was I about to say? Damn cat... he just had to butt in and make me lose my train of thought.'
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
"Meow? Why have you stopped talking?" Takeshi asked. "Honestly, building on a mountain isn't a bad idea. All this climbing is great exercise. It's probably why Kumo's taijutsu is so much stronger than Konoha's. Konoha is all flatland. It's a nice place, but life there is too comfortable, if you ask me."
"..."
Ay gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to throw a punch. If he could actually beat this cat, he would have done it already. Once again, he found himself wondering if his father had been brainwashed back at the Konoha camp. How else could he have invited such an infuriating creature here?
Konoha Kidnapper. Even the title sounded troublesome.
"Set everything else aside," the Third Raikage said, his voice firm with pride. "When it comes to pure taijutsu, I'm not bragging when I say Kumo is undeniably stronger than Konoha."
He was completely confident on that point. In a contest of taijutsu or kenjutsu, he was certain he could bring Konoha to its knees. Unfortunately, Konoha had more than just fists and swords, they had sealing arts and a whole arsenal of ninjutsu.
And, of course, the one they hated most of all was the Flying Thunder God. Since they couldn't match Konoha in other fields, he had to narrow the terms of the comparison.
"You sure about that, meow?" Takeshi glanced at the Raikage.
"Of course," the Third Raikage replied, full of confidence.
"Meow~ Well, as long as you're happy."
"Does that mean Konoha has some taijutsu that can rival Kumo's?" Ay demanded, bristling at the cat's tone.
'What did he mean by that?' he wondered. 'It sounded like he was mocking us, but I can't pin down how.' It was infuriating. 'If I can't argue with his words, I'll let my fists do the talking. I refuse to believe Konoha has any taijutsu that can match ours. This is the one area where we excel.'
"You can't even beat me, so what are you getting so worked up about? Scram, meow," Takeshi said with a dismissive flick of his tail.
'In a pure taijutsu fight, I might not be able to swat the Third Raikage away like a fly, but bullying this kid would be easy. It's not that the gap between him and his father is that huge, it's just a matter of matchups.'
"You-!" Ay sputtered, furious but unable to argue.
'Getting slapped around and knocked out every time I tried to match his speed... that was the definition of being countered.'
"So, you're implying Konoha has some remarkable taijutsu I'm not aware of?" the Third Raikage asked, trying to fish for information. "Perhaps one of the Second Hokage's forbidden techniques?"
He had to respect the Second Hokage's genius. Most of Konoha's most troublesome forbidden arts could be traced back to Tobirama Senju. The technique they despised most of all was the Flying Thunder God. That, and also the Flying Thunder God.
"Want to know, meow?" Takeshi turned his head, staring at the Raikage with an unnervingly serious expression.
"No. I don't want to know," the Third Raikage said flatly. He was starting to understand the cat's contrary nature. If he showed any interest, the creature would surely clam up.
"Meow~ Never mind, then. I was going to educate you a little." The black cat darted nimbly up the rock face.
'Of course, I had no intention of telling them a thing,' he thought. 'Why would I leak information about the Eight Gates? Kirigakure hasn't sold that intel to anyone yet, and I'm happy to keep it that way. Only an idiot would give away a secret that valuable for free.'
The Third Raikage and Ay exchanged a look, wondering if there was any truth to the cat's words.
"Father?"
"Don't overthink it. Let's go."
With a quiet word, the Third Raikage quickened his pace to follow. The three of them were blurs of motion, and in moments, they ascended from the base of the mountain to its peak.
"Well?" the Third Raikage boomed, his voice echoing with pride. "Are you not impressed by the grand achievement of Kumogakure?"
Takeshi wasn't.
'I'd seen Kumo before in the anime,' he recalled. 'It was impressive, sure, but... a mountain fortress? It's not like I've never seen one before.'
"Only Kumo could have built a village in a place like this!" Ay added, just as proudly.
Takeshi understood their pride, but he wasn't feeling the supposed greatness of it all.
"I think there's a lot of room for improvement," he said lightly.
"Oh?" The Third Raikage sounded skeptical.
The black cat leaped to the highest point of the summit, his small body perfectly balanced. After surveying the surrounding landscape, he hopped back down. "The biggest problem with your village is that it's completely inaccessible to ordinary people."
"Ordinary people?" Ay was puzzled. Kumogakure was a shinobi village. Everyone who lived there, young or old, had at least some training. Climbing mountain paths was second nature. They had never once considered access for civilians.
Takeshi's observation had struck a complete blind spot.
The Third Raikage considered it for a moment before asking, "And what benefit is there in letting ordinary people in?"
"Meow?" Takeshi looked at the two of them in disbelief. Were they serious?
Then again, of course they were. 'What would a village of shinobi know about economics? They were all muscle. When it came to making money, they probably couldn't even compete with Rasa.' The Land of Wind was poor, forcing Rasa to use his Magnet Release to mine for gold just to get by. But the Land of Lightning had untapped potential. A mountain fortress like this could be a huge asset if they knew how to use it. The land was rich with resources, from its powerful rivers to its hidden hot springs. If they just built proper roads, they could flourish.
But that would be expensive, and he hadn't yet explained what was in it for him. So, for now, he kept quiet. He hopped to the edge of the platform and peered down into the valley below. Ay followed, watching him with suspicion.
The black cat tilted his head.
"Ahem," the Third Raikage cleared his throat, deciding to lay his cards on the table. "What exactly is the benefit? If it will help Kumogakure, we will not be stingy. I also know that asking you to become the Fourth Raikage is unrealistic. Konoha would never let someone as talented as you go. But I believe there is potential for cooperation between Kumogakure and the ninja cat clan."
It wasn't Konoha he was interested in, but the clan Takeshi belonged to. He didn't know their circumstances, but if they were relying on Konoha for shelter, their situation couldn't be ideal.
"Cooperate? What kind of cooperation, meow?" Takeshi asked, giving him a sideways glance. He already had strong ties to Konoha's future Fourth Hokage and its rising stars. With his own reputation, he could even make a play for the Hokage seat himself. What could Kumo possibly offer him? He liked the Third Raikage, but business was business.
"I am willing to have Yugito study under you for a time," the Third Raikage said simply. "In return, I hope that once your clan is strong enough, you will consider leaving a copy of your summoning contract in Kumogakure."
Yugito's talent was exceptional, under the right guidance, she would become a formidable shinobi. The arrangement would benefit her as much as it would the cat. Loaning out a jinchuriki would certainly face resistance from the village elders, but the Third Raikage was willing to take that risk.
Takeshi considered it for a long moment, then shook his head. "A temporary arrangement isn't enough, meow."
"You want us to hand over the Two-Tails? That's impossible! The village would never agree to it," Ay exclaimed, alarmed. 'How did we suddenly start talking about the Two-Tails? This is getting strange...'
"If the Two-Tails is with me, you can still use the summoning contract to call her. You wouldn't be losing a Tailed Beast, meow," Takeshi said, licking his paw. Once Kanna mastered her sealing techniques, he was confident he could control Matatabi's complete form. It was just a question of whether Kumo would part with their Tailed Beast. As for the summoning contract, that was another matter.
'Of course, the contract wouldn't include me,' he thought. 'As the master of the summons, I could choose whether or not to answer their call. So in any deal involving the blood contract, I wasn't part of the package.'
"I want to see your sincerity," the Third Raikage said, sitting down cross-legged, ready for a serious negotiation.
"No problem, meow. The Land of Lightning is filled with mountains, and the constant storms scare away most merchants. If you build proper roads, more will come, and your economy will grow..."
Takeshi began to lay out his half-baked understanding of economics, claiming he had learned it from books in Konoha. The Raikage understood the basic principles, but his interest sharpened when Takeshi started applying them to the unique geography of a mountain fortress. He spoke of overpasses and proper mountain roads, of carving tunnels through the rock and building trestle and chain bridges to span the chasms. Some were concepts Kumo already used, but many were ideas they had never considered.
"If you build the infrastructure, merchants will come," Takeshi concluded. "And with them, the Land of Lightning will prosper."
He stopped there, having shared all he knew.
'I could afford to be generous with the advice,' he thought, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. 'I wasn't worried about the Raikage backing out of a deal. With the Flying Thunder God and my sealing techniques, anyone who tried to cross me would simply get kidnapped. That's the confidence that came with being one of the Konoha Kidnapper Duo.'
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