CHAPTER 9:Big Cat, Little Cat

"This is your bonus—for uncovering a spy in the village and preventing the embezzlement of one billion ryō in village funds. That's what we use to purchase mission supplies, equipment, and rations. Losing it would have crippled Kumogakure's operations..."

Early the next morning, Dodai arrived at Tamura Hao's residence. He wasted no time. As soon as the door opened, he extended the village's thanks, showering Hao with praise for protecting the integrity of the Hidden Cloud. He handed him a reward of one million ryō, along with formal credit for completing an S-rank classified mission.

He also added that the Raikage had arranged for a powerful jōnin to be assigned as Hao's mentor.

Tamura Hao was momentarily puzzled, but quickly connected the dots. This was clearly the will of the Third Raikage. The events of the past few days and the sudden importance placed on him all made sense now.

"Thank you, Lord Raikage and Lord Dodai, for your trust and encouragement. This is my duty as a shinobi of Kumogakure. If I ever encounter another spy, I won't hesitate to expose them again!"

Tamura Hao straightened his posture and spoke with clarity. As a true member of Kumogakure, he, Tamura Hao, could never tolerate traitors undermining the village from within!

"Your loyalty is admirable," Dodai nodded, arms crossed. "But be careful in the future. Spies are cunning and extremely dangerous. If you discover something again, report it right away. Don't act alone."

"I understand. I'll be more cautious next time."

Tamura Hao gave a serious response, accepting the warning without resistance.

Dodai offered a few more words of encouragement before departing. Hao looked around cautiously, then closed the door.

He understood this was all for show. Dodai, as a seasoned advisor of the Third Raikage, would be well aware of how tightly Konoha's intelligence network operated. Tamura Hao suspected he'd been under observation by Konoha's Root for some time now.

Due to his civilian background and young age, he was still unqualified to meet Danzo Shimura directly. He could only act through a local intermediary.

The previous contact was an elderly merchant, but after the man's sudden death, their line of communication was severed. However, now that Hao had shown his value, he had no doubt that Root would reach out again.

"A powerful jōnin, huh? I wonder who it will be...?"

Sitting down on his small sofa, Hao began to ponder the possibilities. The plan had advanced smoothly—perhaps too smoothly. A jōnin mentor was a tremendous resource, especially in the Cloud, where elite instructors were reserved for clan heirs or high-potential ninja.

"Unlikely to be A... He's strong, sure, but his lightning release–based taijutsu doesn't align with my sword-focused style. He's also not known for teaching. But the Cloud is full of kenjutsu users. Nearly every jōnin carries a blade."

After a few more minutes of speculation, Hao still had no answer. But he was certain that whoever it was would be someone personally trusted by the Third Raikage. His current position was too sensitive. A mistake in mentorship could leak secrets—or worse.

One thing was certain: his teacher had to be proficient in kenjutsu. Swordsmanship would be Hao's core method of combat going forward.

After all, his long-term enemies would be monsters like the Ōtsutsuki. Ninjutsu would only serve to recharge their abilities. Genjutsu was near-useless. Only physical combat and finely honed weapon skills had a real chance of harming them.

"Train..."

Hao pushed aside his idle thoughts and walked over to his desk. He extended two fine chakra threads from his right hand, wrapping them around pens. The pens danced across the manuscript paper in synchronicity.

It was his version of typing—but also a method to sharpen his chakra control and train his dual-focus mental discipline.

Since learning how to generate chakra threads, Hao had used this method every night. Even when physically exhausted from training, he could still push his mental limits with this exercise.

Graduation was only two weeks away. Once he was assigned to a squad under a jōnin, his free time would vanish. He needed to finish writing manuscripts ahead of schedule—months ahead—so he could dedicate himself fully to battle training.

Still, the priority remained practice. His recently awakened chakra purification ability had to be honed, and chakra control was the key.

Enhanced chakra control offered significant advantages. Even if not used in standard ninjutsu, it enabled secondary techniques—like the chakra-enhanced strength used by Tsunade and Sakura.

This wasn't a standalone jutsu. It was a system of precise chakra application, akin to tree-walking or water-walking. There were two main forms: one amplified the body internally to deliver explosive force; the other channeled chakra outward in a destructive burst.

Tsunade's monstrous punches and Sakura's ground-shattering strikes were a blend of both—internal power combined with momentary external expulsion of chakra.

Without refined control, all one got was a dent in the floor. With it? Earthquakes.

Hao focused on the internal amplification route. His chakra reserves were modest, so efficiency mattered. By pairing chakra-enhanced strength with kenjutsu, he could conserve energy while extending reach and power.

"If I could refine this burst technique into a controlled super-strength system, it'd massively increase my lethality..."

As he coded with his right-hand chakra threads, Hao held a long Miao Dao horizontally in his left arm. Balanced atop its blade was a shorter twin sword, forcing his wrist and forearm muscles to constantly adjust.

He had commissioned these twin blades after months of saving and planning.

They were Miao Dao-style swords, forged with chakra-conductive metal and rare alloys. The total cost: 400 million ryō—350 million for the chakra metal, and another 50 million for the craftsmanship.

The cost shocked even him, but chakra metal had always been rare. In the manga, Asuma Sarutobi's trench knives—small, by comparison—were worth more than most S-class bounties. Twin Miao Daos were a luxury very few could afford.

Luckily, only a small fraction of the swords' mass needed to be chakra metal. If they were fully constructed from the material, the price would be measured in "small goals"—that is, at least ten billion ryō.

Each blade was 1.2 meters in length, with a 40-centimeter hilt, making them 1.6 meters overall—ten centimeters longer than Hao's current height. But he was still growing, and with chakra stimulating his development, he expected to hit 180 cm easily. The blades would suit him perfectly in a year or two.

The shorter Miao Dao was more compact—90 cm blade, 30 cm hilt, total of 1.2 meters, weighing 5 kg. The larger one weighed double: 10 kg.

He named them "Big Cat" and "Little Cat." Slightly heavy, but manageable with his enhanced physique.

People in his past life joked that Naruto ninja were "fragile," but that was a misconception. Compared to the scale of ninjutsu, yes—but physically? They were monsters.

Take Rock Lee, for example. He trained under gravity-enhanced conditions, carrying heavy weights even during missions. Zabuza wielded the massive Kubikiribōchō and still moved with stealth and speed. That blade alone was heavier than most full-grown men.

Samehada, wielded by Kisame, was enormous—and semi-sentient. The twin hammer and axe of the Kiba brothers, or even the swords used by Root operatives like the one Uchiha Shisui fought, were often comically large.

By comparison, Hao's Miao Daos were conservative.

He chose long swords for reach. Maintaining distance against enemies using strange jutsu or bloodline powers gave him critical seconds to react. Given his limited chakra pool, he'd never win a prolonged battle of attrition.

He had to be fast, decisive, and lethal.

That meant one thing: become a warrior, not a caster.

And these two cats? They'd be the claws he'd strike with.