After Zabuza left, Ryosuke took Haku to a small restaurant and sat down to wait quietly for his return.
Making several sets of black cloaks with red clouds would naturally take time—even if the tailor rushed, it would probably take two to three hours. And before long, the shinobi from Kumogakure would likely reach this port town.
Zabuza was an experienced ninja; he would certainly notice that and urge the tailor to hurry.
Ryosuke ordered food from the owner: tempura, sushi, grilled octopus, and eel rice.
The seafood at the port was always fresh, so the taste should be excellent.
He waited patiently—after the recent trip to Kumogakure and the battle at sea, he hadn't eaten a proper meal.
Now he could finally enjoy one.
Once they finished eating and resting, they would head for the Land of Waterfalls.
Haku, sitting across from him, asked curiously:
"Lord God-King… is that Akatsuki organization truly an evil group?"
Ryosuke nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. Akatsuki is an evil organization."
"They're made up of four factions, and each has its own selfish goals."
"Nagato wants to force peace onto the world."
"Obito just wants a world where Rin is alive."
"And Uchiha Madara… he's simply chasing a delusion that will never bear fruit."
A sane, ordinary person would never agree to Madara's dream.
Only those drowned in endless suffering—who had lost hope entirely—would cling to the false happiness offered by an illusion.
Such people were rare.
Of all their motives, Ryosuke felt Nagato's was the only one that had some logic to it.
"Capture all the tailed beasts, revive the Ten-Tails, then use the Ten-Tails' overwhelming power to intimidate every village…
Force a fragile peace through fear."
That was Nagato's version of peace.
But Nagato had a fatal flaw—
His heart had once been shattered.
He lost his dearest comrade, Yahiko, because of Danzō and Hanzō's schemes.
Even years later, that trauma twisted Nagato and Konan, driving them down an extreme path.
That was Danzō's poison at work.
So, in the original timeline, they had become so radical they even killed their own teacher, Jiraiya—the man who raised and taught them.
Part of that hatred came from the fact that Jiraiya was a Konoha shinobi.
They held a deep resentment toward Konoha…
Which was why they flattened the whole village with Chō Shinra Tensei—
They wanted the world to feel their pain.
People capable of annihilating an entire village with no hesitation could hardly be called anything but evil.
After listening, Haku nodded earnestly.
"Then… is there anything I can do, Lord God-King?"
Ryosuke raised a hand and gently rubbed her hair, smiling.
"Haku, your job is simply to grow up well. In the future, the Lightbringer Society will need you."
He wanted Haku to live a good life—unlike the tragic fate she had in the original timeline.
Dying pitifully at Kakashi's hands had been unnecessary.
All she had ever wished for was to live.
Now that he had the opportunity, he would ensure she survived and grew strong.
Everything else—he would take care of.
Haku's expression became serious.
"Yes, Lord God-King."
She understood well—
With her tiny arms and legs, there was little she could help with now.
The best she could do was grow stronger so she could someday carry part of his burden.
Before long, the owner brought out the food.
Haku was stunned—
This looked far better than anything Zabuza had ever fed her.
As expected, Lord God-King treated her the best.
Ryosuke's appetite flared the instant the dishes were served.
Unlike the modern world, this world had no preservatives, no additives.
With low technology, everything was made fresh, with pure flavor.
He immediately picked up his chopsticks and dug in.
He ate quickly, though he still left enough for Haku.
Then he ordered even more.
He felt he could keep eating indefinitely.
Haku, meanwhile, had barely eaten a few bites when she froze—staring, shocked, at her lord's eating speed.
Lord God-King's appetite was enormous.
She knew how young he looked beneath the mask—perhaps even younger than Zabuza—
yet he was overwhelmingly stronger, able to dominate someone like Zabuza with ease.
She had once asked Zabuza if she could catch a tailed beast on her own.
Zabuza had told her flatly that even ten of her wouldn't be enough.
Tailed beasts were the strongest natural life forms in the world.
Even a strong jōnin like Zabuza wouldn't stand a chance without a Kage-level ninja leading the charge.
But Lord God-King…
He captured tailed beasts alone.
So Haku guessed… maybe it was because he ate a lot.
If she ate more and trained harder, maybe she could grow strong faster too.
Inspired, she began stuffing food into her mouth at high speed.
She finished everything Ryosuke left for her; her stomach puffed up like a little drum.
When the new dishes arrived, Ryosuke resumed eating—and Haku matched him bite for bite, until she was completely full, unable to take even one more bite.
Ryosuke glanced at her, puzzled.
Why is Haku eating like she's been starving for days?
"Haku, if you can't eat anymore, don't force it."
"You don't need to overstuff yourself. There will be plenty more delicious food in the future."
Haku struggled to respond:
"I… I want to become strong like Lord God-King… so I must eat a lot too…"
Ryosuke was speechless.
"There's no need."
"Everyone's body works differently."
"Yours is not the type that grows stronger just by eating a lot."
"If you force yourself like this, you'll only get fat—and that will slow down your training and make you less agile. It'll also ruin your beauty."
Ryosuke's body was not comparable to ordinary humans—or even the special physiques of the Uzumaki clan or Sage Body users.
Haku, on the other hand, should grow into a refined beauty.
He absolutely didn't want to raise a chubby girl.
Protecting her future "aesthetic investment," he felt, was important.
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