"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!"
Victor didn't answer with words, he let his actions speak for him.
He pressed his palms together, and spiritual power surged forth. At the same time, Xiao Wu's mother's reanimated body began transforming at a visible rate, shifting from a corpse into living flesh and blood.
"Mother!"
Xiao Wu couldn't hold back any longer. She rushed forward and threw her arms around her mother, tears streaming down her face.
"Xiao Wu... thank you for enduring so much over all these years."
"It wasn't hard. It was all worth it!"
Watching the mother and daughter embrace so tenderly, Victor didn't interrupt. He took Renxue by the hand and stepped away, giving them space.
Renxue stood beside him, glancing between the reunited pair and Victor. She opened her mouth, hesitating, clearly wanting to say something but unsure if she should.
Victor guessed what was on her mind. "You want me to help you revive your father?"
"Yes." Renxue nodded, acknowledging her thoughts.
"I can't do that." Victor shrugged. "Using the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive the dead requires extremely strict conditions."
"First, I need to find the deceased's soul. Second, I need the deceased's body or body tissue as a medium."
"Forget about the soul, your father died without leaving a single trace. There's no way to bring him back."
If Victor remembered correctly, Renxue's father had been devoured by Bibi Dong. His soul, body, and spirit power had all become nourishment for her.
Otherwise, even with twin martial souls, Bibi Dong never could have become a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo at such a young age.
"I see..."
Though she hadn't held much hope to begin with, Victor's answer still left Renxue feeling disappointed.
Half an hour later, mother and daughter finally finished catching up.
Xiao Wu took her mother's hand and brought her over to Victor.
"Master, let me introduce you, this is my mother. Her name is Ah Rou."
'Ah Rou? Soft Boned Rabbit?'
'Ah Yin? Blue Silver Emperor?'
Victor couldn't help but notice how casually spirit beasts named themselves. Though, honestly, it made sense. After all, they never attended school. It was already impressive they hadn't ended up with names like "Big Dog" or "Number Two."
"Ah Rou greets you, sir. Thank you for keeping me safe." Ah Rou dropped to her knees and kowtowed to express her gratitude.
"You're welcome."
Victor exerted a gentle force and lifted Ah Rou to her feet.
"If you truly want to thank me, you can serve as a maid in my household from now on."
While Victor didn't share Cao Cao's particular enthusiasm for acquiring married women, having one more maid would certainly lighten the workload for the girls at home. And besides, he was certain Xiao Wu wouldn't want to be separated from her mother.
"Of course! It's Ah Rou's honor to serve... to serve Master!" Ah Rou agreed without a moment's hesitation.
She'd been thinking the same thing, after all, she didn't want to be parted from her daughter.
"Thank you, Master!"
Xiao Wu was thrilled by this development. She wrapped her arms around Victor's, her eyes glowing with an alluring pink light.
Just as Victor was about to take everyone home, a purple-haired woman wearing an animal mask and an Anbu uniform suddenly appeared before them, kneeling on one knee.
"Lord Victor, the Hokage requests your presence at the Hokage Building."
At first, Xiao Wu and the others tensed at the sudden arrival. It wasn't until the woman called out Victor's name that they realized she wasn't an enemy.
"Tsunade is looking for me?"
Victor frowned slightly. Why hadn't Tsunade sent a message through the chat group if she needed him?
Still, he didn't dwell on it. He nodded. "I'll be there right away."
In a flash, Victor transported himself and the three women directly to the Hokage's office.
At that moment, Tsunade sat in the Hokage's chair, reviewing documents. Her brow was furrowed, and she looked to be in a foul mood.
"You're here. Didn't Gu Yuena say she was giving you one maid? Why are there two more?" Seeing Victor arrive, Tsunade's expression finally relaxed a bit.
Victor shrugged. "Buy one, get two free. Actually, make that buy one, get three free!"
As the two "extras," Ah Rou and Renxue both blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"So, what did you need me for?"
Tsunade rubbed her temples. "War may be breaking out again."
Victor raised an eyebrow, genuinely interested.
"Interesting."
"Even without the Akatsuki organization, the Fourth Shinobi World War is still going to happen? And it's several years earlier than in the original timeline."
"You people in the Ninja World really do love your wars, don't you?"
It seemed like every few years, someone in this world felt the need to start a conflict.
"So what's causing this war?"
Victor conjured a plastic chair and sat down, ready to hear the full story.
"That's exactly why I called you here, I don't know the specific reason yet." Tsunade sighed.
"I don't know what's gotten into the Land of Lightning. They've started gathering troops at the border, and their numbers keep increasing. It doesn't look like a bluff."
"The Land of Water seems to be making moves as well, but we'll have to wait for the intelligence team to return with details."
"I asked you to come because I wanted to know if you have any useful information."
Victor shrugged again. "How would I know?"
"Haven't you watched the anime from this world? What's it called... Naruto?"
"I have watched it, but ever since I wiped out the Akatsuki organization, the plot has deviated from the original track."
"In the original story, the Fourth Shinobi World War broke out several years from now, and it was the five great nations joining forces to fight against Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito, and that glasses-wearing snake enthusiast, Kabuto Yakushi."
Now that he thought about it, the Land of Lightning suddenly provoking war at this time was indeed suspicious.
Looking back at history, whether it was the Land of Lightning or any of the other major nations, they always needed an excuse before starting a war.
For example, "Oh no, one of our people went missing, it must be related to you, so you have to take responsibility!" And then they'd declare war.
This time, however, the Land of Lightning said nothing and just suddenly began gathering troops at the border. It was baffling.
It was as if the idea had just popped into their heads out of nowhere.
"What actions have the other countries taken?"
"Reporting to Lord Victor, there's been no action for now."
"The Sunagakure in the Land of Wind responded to our call and formed an alliance with us, preparing to jointly face the war that may break out."
Instead of Tsunade, it was Shizune standing beside her who answered.
The old man Ōnoki was performing exactly as expected.
That old geezer loved scheming and backstabbing people.
Victor imagined he must be absolutely delighted right now, just waiting for the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Leaf Village to tear each other apart so he could swoop in and claim the spoils.
Tsunade looked at Victor seriously. "If war really does break out, I hope you'll come and help."
"Sure." Victor nodded and stood up, dismissing the plastic chair. "I'm leaving now. Call me when the war starts."
With that, he used a Transportation Talisman and left the Ninja World, taking the three women with him.