58 Try the fruit

Mabui looked at the Raikage with pity, who was slumped over the table with an empty gaze, trembling, after somehow managing to finish reading the exhaustive report that had arrived at his office in just three hours.

If he had known it would all end like this, he would have ordered everything to be summarized on a single sheet of paper. No, half a sheet at most!

"Raikage-sama, here's your coffee; it's the dark roast you like," Mabui gently placed a tray containing a steaming jug of dark liquid, an elegant cup, and sugar cubes on the table.

The Raikage reached out with difficulty and took the jug before pouring its entire contents down his throat, ignoring the small cup and sugar.

A few seconds later, he returned to his energetic self.

Thank the Sage that the position of Raikage includes an endless supply of coffee!

"I'm back! Now, where were we?" the Raikage regained his memories from a few moments ago and shuddered imperceptibly. "Right, did you manage to find what I asked for, Mabui?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Raikage-sama," Mabui said solemnly while carrying out her role as an assistant seriously. "There's almost no information about Seimeigakure, not even in the black market. The only thing we could find, and it was more of a coincidence, is that Kirigakure and Konohagakure seem to be discreetly seeking information about it as well, but we don't know if it's routine intelligence gathering or if they have other motives."

"Do we at least know which land they belong to or their approximate location?" A asked, clearly dissatisfied with the results but not blaming the highly capable Mabui.

"No, but we did find out that they have no similar treaties or trade proposals with the other villages, which means..." Mabui's eyes lit up.

"Do you think we could squeeze an exclusivity contract out of them?" A understood where his assistant was going with this and considered it. "I see it as highly unlikely, if not impossible," the Raikage concluded shortly after. "Setting aside the unknown strength they demonstrated to dissuade us in a not-so-discreet manner, they gave us enough face by having their Kage come to offer the proposal in person, and the conditions they requested are so perfect that they don't seem real. So..."

"So pressuring them to supply us exclusively with Byakugan, SMILES, and any other product they have up their sleeve, even without revealing it, could make them withdraw the offer," Mabui finished realizing.

"That's right," the Raikage nodded. "By the way, how did the fruit test go?"

"The opportunity was given to Mikoto Tsumikata, a 37-year-old kunoichi whose strength had stagnated at genin level due to an accident during a C-rank mission," Mabui promptly reported the results obtained. "After eating the fruit, she said it had an indescribable taste, but soon her body began to change, and several spikes sprouted from her body, especially her back."

"How is she?" the Raikage asked with concern for his people. "Any negative effects?"

"Her wound has healed, and her current strength is equivalent to that of an intermediate chunin. We believe that in three to five years, she can advance to a special jonin, but not beyond that, as she missed the prime time for improvement," Mabui declared with a growing smile. "Based on the information provided on how the fruit works, we believe the animal she obtained was a porcupine or something similar. The spikes can soften and harden at will, so it won't affect her daily life once she gets used to the change."

"Are there any psychological issues?" the Raikage questioned. "Disgust, fear, power euphoria, or anything like that?"

"No, she was informed of the possible mutations and stated that if it could make her stronger to better serve the village, she didn't mind some aesthetic changes. She also underwent a psychological evaluation to ensure her mental health and a medical ninja checked for hidden dangers."

"Could it be determined if her children will inherit these mutations?" this was a crucial detail because it could lead to the emergence of clans with animal traits.

"It was reported that the mutation seemed to have containment measures to not affect descendants, so even if she has children, they will be one hundred percent human," Mabui denied as her eyes scanned the medical report. "Furthermore, it seems they were unable to isolate and study whatever caused the change in Mikoto's blood samples."

"So, for now, we can only rely on buying more of these rare fruits," sighed the Raikage, pinching his nose. In a way, he had expected this. He had hoped to study the blood and isolate the component to see if it was possible to create some kind of substitute medicine with the same effects. It was logical to expect that if someone could do something like that, they would take measures to maintain their monopoly.

He and anyone with common sense would do the same.

"No matter, the fact that the fruit can also heal wounds like this is a significant bonus that compensates for the randomness," A said as he got up from his chair. "Notify the Council that I want them to meet in an hour. We need to calculate how many eyes and fruits we will request and discuss the conditions they offered us."

"Raikage-sama, what should we do with the so-called 'cloud chair'?"

"Uh, just bring it to the office," A waved his hand. "They say it's comfortable, right? It might help me relax after exercising."

"As you wish, Raikage-sama," Mabui bid her farewell as she watched her superior begin to lift weights in the office and went to inform the council members.

...One hour later...

"Raikage-sama, the Council is ready for..." Mabui entered the office to report but widened her eyes when she saw A lounging in the cloud chair, sleeping with a look of absolute satisfaction.

In fact, he was so relaxed that he didn't even notice her presence!

"Raikage-sama?" Mabui called him several times, and seeing that he didn't respond, she had no choice but to implement contingency plan B. "Did you say there's going to be a new rap concert?"

"No!" the Raikage woke up startled with so much force that he went through the roof, and seconds later, another hole with his body shape formed when he fell into the office due to gravity.

"I'm glad to see you're so energetic, Raikage-sama," Mabui nodded in secret. "As I was saying, the Council is ready and waiting for you. Please don't be late." With that said, she left under A's bewildered gaze.

"Damn, did I really fall asleep?" he muttered, still not entirely believing it as he looked at the cloud chair in a new light. "Looks like I'll have to order some more of these, I hope they come with beds."

He got up to dust himself off.

"Someone come clean up this mess!" he shouted as he left.

The cleaning crew, always waiting in the next room, entered and began to work to put everything back in order and restore the place. It was just another day in their routine.

On average, their Raikage wrecked his office three or four times a week, and they hoped it would continue that way to keep their very profitable job.