Hearing this, Yagura Karatachi couldn't help but frown deeply, his tone turning serious as he questioned, "Are you saying… you want to unify the ninja world?"
Facing such a sharp and straightforward question, Rengoku naturally understood exactly what he meant.
But he didn't answer directly. Instead, the corners of his lips lifted slightly, and with a faint, ambiguous smile, he asked in return, "Then what do you think? In your opinion, what do the ordinary people of the Hidden Mist Village truly desire deep down? A better life, or just holding on to the empty name of 'Hidden Mist'?"
After a brief pause, Rengoku immediately threw out another question, "Or do you really believe that the daily quality of life for the people of the Land of Water can compare to that of the Land of Fire?"
Back then, when Rengoku used Kotoamatsukami on Yagura Karatachi, his goal had only been to make himself the person Yagura trusted most, not to establish a clear superior-subordinate relationship.
Because of this, although Yagura Karatachi trusted Rengoku without question, his own way of thinking and values had not changed.
He was capable of independent thought, but the topic at hand right now was indeed delicate and sensitive.
So much so that even Yagura Karatachi couldn't help but fall into deep contemplation.
It was true that after several years of relentless effort and development, the Land of Water had gradually begun to recover from its past hardships, and the situation had indeed improved compared to before.
But if it were compared with the Land of Fire, which was currently at the peak of its prosperity and influence, the gap was far from small.
Whether in overall national strength or military power, the Land of Water lagged far behind the Land of Fire.
As for the standard of living of their people, the difference was like heaven and earth.
Nowadays, although starvation had basically been eliminated within the Land of Water, life was still quite difficult and strained for most people; in contrast, the Land of Fire had long since solved the problem of food and clothing. Not only did its people no longer have to worry about their daily meals, they even had the means to consider buying things like televisions and refrigerators, appliances that once only existed in Konoha Village.
Now, even an ordinary civilian family in the Land of Fire could fully afford such expenses.
Faced with such a stark contrast, Yagura Karatachi fell silent for a moment.
Rengoku didn't press him to give an answer or make a decision on the spot. Instead, he gently patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "How to choose isn't something you, as the Mizukage, can decide with just a single sentence."
Then he added reassuringly, "Besides, thinking about all this right now is a bit too early. There's no need to worry so much."
"You can rest assured, given our relationship, I would never use force to threaten or coerce the Land of Water."
Rengoku wasn't trying to brush Yagura Karatachi off. He simply had confidence in himself.
Once he absorbed the other nations one by one, when the people of the Land of Water saw the vastly superior living conditions of the Land of Fire, how could they not be tempted?
Yagura Karatachi himself also felt that thinking about such matters right now was indeed premature.
"That's true. It really is too early to consider those things," Yagura Karatachi nodded in agreement.
"Once I've finalized my follow-up plans, I'll come back and tell you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rengoku's figure melted like ice and snow, slowly sinking into Yagura Karatachi's shadow until he completely disappeared.
———
Meanwhile, Rengoku's original body had already finished lunch and was preparing to head out.
When he returned, the tension that had been weighing on Kaori's heart finally eased.
After all, during this time, Rengoku had been missing without any news, and all the household matters had fallen on Kaori alone.
Now that he had returned safely, she planned to take Ryuri out for a trip to relax and unwind.
Rengoku, on the other hand, began methodically organizing the various pieces of intelligence sent back by his Hidden Mist clone.
Then, he activated the Kagura Mind's Eye, quickly locking onto the exact locations of several people who wanted to meet him.
In an instant, three figures emerged from his shadow once again. They were Rengoku's shadow clones.
They used Shadow Release and headed separately toward Gaara, Karin, and Minato.
Rengoku's main body, meanwhile, rushed straight toward Orochimaru's laboratory.
He soon arrived at Orochimaru's lab, to his surprise, Orochimaru was actually resting.
Normally, Orochimaru was constantly immersed in experiments and research, so seeing him this idle was quite rare.
"Well, this is a surprise. You actually take a day off too," Rengoku said with a smile.
Hearing the voice, Orochimaru slowly opened his eyes. When he saw Rengoku, a trace of delight appeared in his expression, "How was your trip through time and space? Did you gain anything interesting?"
Orochimaru asked with curiosity.
Rengoku smiled slightly and replied, "This time, I got some important information I didn't expect. At the very least, it saved me a lot of effort figuring things out on my own."
"Oh?"
Orochimaru's interest was immediately piqued. He stuck out his long tongue and licked his face, as if thinking about something.
Since Rengoku himself said the information was unexpected, it must be extremely valuable.
Then, Rengoku began to recount in detail his experiences during the time-space journey.
He talked about how he cleverly used clones as spacetime markers, and his original plan to forcibly seize the plow and bring it back.
However, at that critical moment, he encountered a powerful figure from another timeline, Uchiha Natsuki.
"Your Uchiha clan has someone like that?", Orochimaru's eyes were full of curiosity.
Rengoku shook his head, "In this timeline, he's already dead."
"And even if he were revived, he couldn't become that strong."
"The Uchiha Natsuki from that other timeline and I are both special existences."
Orochimaru gave Rengoku a long look but didn't ask further.
After all, everyone had their own secrets. When Rengoku wanted to tell him, he would.
"Go on," Orochimaru prompted.
Rengoku continued, "The nearest Otsutsuki force to us is called the Shintei Shiki Clan…"
"...beyond the Kekkei Mora…"
The more Orochimaru listened, the brighter his eyes became. A burning light burst from them, and his entire body trembled slightly from overwhelming excitement.
"The Shintei Shiki Clan? And star-ranked divinity?"
"Hehehehe… how interesting, truly fascinating…"
His already hoarse and unpleasant voice sounded even more eerie at this moment, and along with his bouts of laughter, he seemed completely immersed in an extreme state of exhilaration.
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