I, Konoha's Sage of Life-Chapter 187 – A: Are You Freaking Extorting Me?!

"Apologies, senior."

Yahiko bowed apologetically.

Ebizō waved it off. "No matter. I understand. Still, Sunagakure is a small village too. If any of you are interested, perhaps we could consider a regional collaboration in the future."

"Thank you very much for your guidance, senior."

Yahiko remained impeccably polite.

Everyone understood what was really going on.

This kid had clearly set his sights on small villages like Takigakure and Kusagakure from the start. Pulling Sunagakure into a so-called 'collaboration' was just a ruse—a decoy to bait the others in.

Ebizō had been used.

But even so...

He didn't seem to mind at all.

In fact, he welcomed it.

Sooner or later, Sunagakure and Amegakure were bound to cooperate anyway. The stronger the alliance among small shinobi villages, the more prosperous their internal economy would become.

While the alliance of minor villages was forming into a notable force—especially with Takigakure having a Jinchūriki...

What did that have to do with him?

Sunagakure was already the weakest among the Five Great Villages. If worst came to worst, they'd just lay low and join the alliance too. It was Iwagakure and Ōnoki who should be concerned.

"If Takigakure is willing to collaborate with Amegakure, that's wonderful. As for regional exams, Konohagakure won't interfere. But if you need expert guidance, we're more than happy to offer assistance."

"Really?"

The small villages were instantly intrigued. They exchanged looks, filled with both delight and hesitation—

If Konoha was truly willing to teach, then even a tiny bit of what trickled out of those teachings could mean a world of improvement for them.

But...

Were they really sincere?

"Of course we are. We offer several types of instruction, each with different pricing. There's Jonin-level coaching, strategy consulting, textbook sales—various options. If you're interested, we can discuss it further."

"Jonin-level coaching?"

Even A was caught off guard.

Every Jonin was a cornerstone of their village, each possessing valuable and often forbidden techniques. Sharing that knowledge was absolutely prohibited.

Was Kyoichi really planning to break that taboo?

"Don't misunderstand," Kyoichi explained. "I'm only talking about foundational instruction. For example... how to truly master the basic Three Body Techniques. If you're curious, we can talk details later."

Everyone nodded.

That made sense.

What kind of idiot would share actual jutsu?

But when it came to the basics...

A's teeth ached just thinking about it.

Konoha's genin had displayed an absurd level of foundational strength. Except for a couple of clear underperformers, the rest had fundamentals so solid it was almost disturbing.

Even the so-called underperformers each had areas where they shined.

They just couldn't fully showcase that in an exam.

A took a deep breath.

He understood now—

Kanda Kyoichi.

What a vicious, cunning move!

This entire exam was his stage, his platform. He wanted to spread this knowledge and uplift the power level of small shinobi villages.

But...

Did he really believe Konoha could maintain its dominance forever?

Some people still weren't convinced.

But when even Tsunade nodded her approval, their doubts were quickly replaced by eagerness.

No one dared dream of learning ninjutsu.

But the fundamentals...

To be blunt, the genin from this Konoha exam lineup—back in their own villages—would already be considered elite genin, promising candidates likely to be promoted to chunin within a year or two.

Even if they couldn't match Konoha's level perfectly...

Learning just half of it would be a massive upgrade.

Several interested parties began weighing their options.

Even A felt tempted.

Education...

In Kumogakure, education was rough and brute-force. As long as you didn't die, you were pushed to the limit. The harsh geography of the Land of Lightning—with its mountains and endless storms—meant that their kids were raised tough.

But...

A shinobi raised purely through grueling practice still couldn't match one molded by structured training.

At first, A hadn't felt the gap. But this exam had made it clear: a good educational system really could raise a shinobi's power.

So...

Rather than "Jonin-level coaching," he was more interested in the "strategy consulting" Kyoichi had mentioned.

But...

This wasn't the time or place to bring it up.

Everyone stayed quiet, and Tsunade smoothly shifted the topic back to the exam.

It was almost over now.

They'd entered the third phase of the sweep.

Only the genin from Konoha, Kumogakure, and a few elite members from Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure remained on the field.

But...

Konoha and Kumogakure still had plenty of elite genin, and with their numerical advantage, the other villages had no real shot at victory. All they could do now was survive—

And turtle up till the final round.

Kirigakure's team had already split into individuals, clearly playing the "see you in the finals" game.

Classic.

Kirigakure wasn't weak.

They had plenty of powerful bloodline clans. But this exam told the story plain and simple—

The Yuki Clan and Kaguya Clan hadn't even shown up.

They'd cut off their own limbs before the race began.

The worst part...

The Hōzuki Clan and the rest of the Kirigakure shinobi weren't exactly getting along, either. The teamwork in their squads couldn't be called non-existent—but it definitely wasn't anything to write home about.

Absolutely classic.

Yagura could only sigh in frustration.

He couldn't blame them. These were deep-rooted historical issues. The major clans didn't get along, and that wasn't something a few nice words would fix. Honestly, as long as it didn't get worse, he'd consider it a win.

By the time they reached the third round, Konoha's strength had fully come to light.

Every squad was a pain to deal with.

Most importantly—

They had teamwork. Some of their combo jutsu were enough to make people's scalps go numb.

Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. Black Oil Technique. Great Breakthrough.

The classic combo.

Unless you were part of a top-tier elite team, there was no way to take that head-on. And the way that translated in the exam was simple—

When it came to grabbing resources, Konoha was damn near unstoppable.

No one could match them.

Of course...

That was because the Iwagakure squads had already been wiped out.

Their Earth Release jutsu were amazing for claiming spots and sabotaging terrain—even Kyoichi had no good counter for it.

Fortunately, Kumogakure had hunted them relentlessly in the first two rounds, leaving them resource-starved.

By the third round, the remaining Iwa squads were down to their last scraps. A couple managed to limp into the round, but they quickly gave up once they realized they couldn't hold out any longer.

Still...

Kitsuchi was pretty satisfied.

At least they didn't get completely wiped out. That was good enough!

As for Roshi...

He was just watching the show.

Those guys had never treated him like one of their own anyway.

What happened to them had nothing to do with him.

By the end, the exam was basically turning into a Konoha civil war. Everyone else had lost interest.

This time, Shisui wasn't holding back.

He was going all out.

Asuma was strong.

He'd already mastered Flying Swallow ahead of schedule—enhanced with modifications from Kyoichi. The upgraded version included invisible wind blades, making it even more bizarre and deadly.

But...

Shisui had the Sharingan.

So Asuma lost.

And he didn't even understand how.

As for the others...

Genma Shiranui was a standout.

His training with throwing weapons had clearly paid off. He moved with more flexibility than ever. With continued growth, he was a shoo-in for special jonin.

In fact...

Some special jonin were even stronger than regular jonin—they just lacked versatility, or didn't have the leadership skills needed to lead teams or make strategic calls.

Take Might Duy, for example.

The exams were over.

Kyoichi didn't have time to meet with them just yet—

The nobility? The Third Hokage had stepped in to handle them.

He was well-versed in that arena.

But...

When it came to the team leaders from other villages, Kyoichi had to deal with them personally.

Tsunade had no interest in managing this mess.

The moment the exams ended, a string of visitors came knocking. The one bearing the grandest gifts was Asano Nariki, the leader of Kusagakure. If it hadn't been for the crowd present, the man might've dropped straight to his knees.

They were all from small shinobi villages.

They were indeed interested, but aside from Asano Nariki, none of them could make decisions on their own. And Asano Nariki...

He was practically useless.

Just like Fugaku—indecisive, hesitant, always teetering. Now, once again, he couldn't make up his mind, and Kyoichi's mouth went dry trying to convince him.

In the end, they all looked tempted... but said they'd have to go back and discuss it.

Because the price wasn't cheap.

Ten million!

For a small shinobi village, that kind of price was nearly impossible. And on top of that, it wasn't even Kanda Kyoichi himself who would be doing the teaching—it'd be other instructors.

Not quite the same, is it?

And...

The program was short.

Just the price and conditions alone scared off a few of the villages.

Still...

Some were seriously considering it.

Take Yukigakure, for example.

Yukigakure's environment was unique—it was the most famous hot springs village in the entire shinobi world. They had ninja, but none of them were particularly warlike. Even the village leader was an ordinary civilian.

So...

They had the need, but couldn't make a decision. As for the rest, they just asked out of curiosity—once they heard the price, their interest vanished.

After seeing off that batch of visitors—

Kyoichi spotted the Fourth Raikage a short distance down the street.

This guy's outfit was so flashy it was practically begging for attention.

"Well? No deals closed, right?"

A chuckle from A.

Kyoichi gave him a few glances, then his face turned serious.

"Lord Raikage, you're in need of help, aren't you?"

"Hahaha! Because I lack calm wisdom, is that it?"

A burst out laughing...

Though his tone carried a hint of irritation.

"Who else would be lurking around to find me at a time like this? Let me guess—Kumogakure wouldn't buy the jonin package, and you're not interested in textbooks. So you're here for a customized strategy plan."

As Kyoichi spoke, he gestured toward the building.

"Let's talk inside..."

The Fourth Raikage, hearing that, dropped his crude attempts at pretending he was just passing by, coughed awkwardly, and followed him in.

Once inside, he looked around.

Unfortunately...

Oriri had already tidied the place beforehand. Nothing important was left out in the open.

"Twenty million."

"What?!" A slammed the table and barked, "You're selling the jonin package to them for ten million, but charging me twenty million for a strategy plan? You looking for a fight?"

"You can't beat me. And another thing—watch your strength. If you break my table, I'll charge you ten times the price."

Kyoichi locked eyes on his hand.

This guy had the same habit as Tsunade—a fondness for smashing things.

The table was cheap, but...

It could be very expensive!

A choked for a second, his train of thought derailed. After a couple seconds of thinking, he muttered, "Brat, you think I can't beat you?"

"Isn't that normal? I'm just trying to spare your dignity as the Raikage. Anyway—twenty million. Yes or no?"

"How do I know you're not just ripping me off?"

"Fair question. I'll give you a small tip—Kumogakure's circumstances are very different from Konoha's. If you try to copy things blindly, you're guaranteed to suffer major losses."

"Ugh..." A knew that, of course.

That's exactly why he came to Kyoichi.

He could afford the twenty million, but Kyoichi's pricing was frankly outrageous—clearly gouging him like some dumb rich mark.

He wanted to buy it...

But he didn't want to be ripped off.

"You explain it. As long as you convince me, I'll pay," A said.

Kyoichi heard that, pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

"IOU..."

***************************

Read advanced Chapters ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.

P@treon/GodDragcell