Hearing his Young Master's warning, Gin let out a soft click of his tongue thoughtfully.
"There's actually so much going on behind the scenes, huh?"
Clearly, during this period of continuous sword training with a certain Mr. Zabuza, they had also developed quite a bit of camaraderie. It even earned the Hidden Mist Village quite a favorable impression from Gin.
Of course, when it came to major issues, he still knew how to draw the line.
"If the higher-ups of every Hidden Village were as foolish as you—"
"This Ninja World would've already been unified…"
Shimoku mercilessly ridiculed. If everyone were as naïve as this Gin fellow, he probably wouldn't even need five years. Just one year might be enough to unify the entire Ninja World…
Riyō: "By the way, Young Master, there's another piece of news."
Shimoku: "Go ahead."
"Besides the Five Great Hidden Villages, many smaller hidden villages have recently started becoming restless too. They seem to be discussing plans for forming an alliance together. Among them, Takigakure and Grass are particularly active…"
Shimoku took another sip of watermelon juice, unfazed.
"Takigakure is understandable—it still has one Tailed Beast. But for Grass to dare act so boldly? They barely have any real strength yet always like jumping around everywhere recklessly."
Speaking of which…
A certain orphan girl named Karin, along with her mother from the Uzumaki Clan, should currently be suffering under oppression in Grass Hidden Village. It might be worth our time to rescue them for potential use later.
Shimoku secretly pondered.
Riyō: "Young Master?"
Shimoku: "Don't worry about it."
"But this trend of smaller villages trying to ally could still prove useful."
"They've all been oppressed by the Five Great Nations. If they truly unite, they might form no small force."
"Not enough to confront the Five directly, but definitely sufficient to make them hesitate slightly."
"As a sharp weapon, they still have some potential use."
Riyō: "Then what about us?"
Shimoku: "No rush. Let's first observe how things unfold."
"Compared to us, the Five Great Nations would absolutely dislike seeing these small villages uniting, so they'll likely make their move first to suppress them."
"If they can't even survive the first round of crackdown—"
"Then even if they do unite, they'd be utterly useless—not worth the effort at all."
"I understand!"
"By the way, how's the situation in Amegakure?"
"We've already sent a team over for observation and learning. According to reports coming back from there—"
"The leader of Amegakure, Pain, and Konan haven't returned yet."
"The village is still self-governing for now and shows no signs of unusual activity. However, there's clearly a slightly more anxious atmosphere among the villagers…"
Hearing that, Shimoku frowned slightly:
"Nagato and Konan still haven't gone back?"
"That's strange…"
After all, the great war had ended.
Those who lost the Six Paths of Pain and suffered a devastating defeat should've prioritized returning to Amegakure immediately.
There was no reason for them not to return by now?
Had something unexpected happened?
Is he already back but hiding his chakra on purpose?
Shimoku mused silently.
Even though the Akatsuki were crushed this time with huge losses,
as long as Nagato, Obito, and Black Zetsu are still out there,
the Akatsuki remain a threat capable of stirring up chaos anytime.
Come to think of it, during the previous battle,
Obito didn't even show up, nor did Kakuzu participate. Something definitely feels off...
Could it be that they have other plans?
Despite many doubts, Shimoku chose not to dig deeper.
If enemies come, let generals handle them.
He had even defeated Hashirama before—what did he have to fear from two cowards lurking in the dark, "Earth Brother" and "Filial Piety Boy"?
"Alright then, let's end our chat here for tonight."
"Everyone's full already. Go back and rest first."
"We'll have plenty to deal with in the next few days."
Shimoku waved his hand, signaling an end to the post-dinner conversation.
However, just at that moment,
outside the village, a familiar presence suddenly appeared within Shimoku's sensing range.
"What is this?"
Frowning slightly, Shimoku instantly activated the [Flying Thunder God Technique] and vanished from the spot.
...
At the gate of Homuragakure under darkness,
a ragged figure staggered forward step by step toward the village.
Not even attempting to conceal their aura or hide their trail.
Whoosh—
Shimoku instantly reappeared in front of the person, staring solemnly at this silhouette.
Thud—
Konan stopped her steps, collapsing onto her knees, heavily injured and barely holding on to her fading chakra.
Like a flower that had shed all its tears, nearly wilting...
"Homuragakure? Shimoku Uchiha?"
Gasping with difficulty, Konan raised her head, stuttering as she asked.
"It's me."
"Judging from your condition, Nagato must've probably been betrayed, right?"
Instantly deducing the truth, Shimoku asked almost confirmatively.
"You... you already knew!?"
"Not exactly sure. But I know those two you were working with weren't good people in the first place."
"That's impossible! How could you possibly know that?!!!"
Shocked beyond reason, Konan felt numb inside—this kid really seemed to know everything!
Does it matter?
"You came all by yourself in this condition,"
"certainly not just to exchange pointless words."
"Just take this Pill first, don't die here."
"Now slowly tell me what happened..."
Without hesitation, Shimoku tossed a low-grade healing Pill to Konan,
gesturing for her to swallow it, lest she pass out mid-sentence.
After all, Konan's current condition truly was pitiful—her chakra nearly drained completely, her wounds serious and dire.
It was practically a miracle she made it here at all.
Without hesitation, Konan caught the Pill and gulped it down.
She clearly understood—if Shimoku had wanted to kill her, it would've taken merely an instant.
There'd certainly been no need to poison her.
Soon after swallowing the Pill, Konan could distinctly feel a rich surge of vitality spreading inside her body.
Quickly mending her injuries.
She wasn't fully healed yet,
but she was definitely better off now—her life was finally stable, and she no longer faced the threat of dying at any moment.
Without hesitation, Konan stepped forward next.
Her eyes rimmed red, fists clenched tightly in fury, she spoke through gritted teeth, her voice filled with boundless hatred:
"Nagato is dead..."
"Killed by that cursed Black Zetsu!!!"
"At the time, I knew I could no longer take part in the battle, so I headed back toward Nagato's main body, planning to take him and retreat first."
"Who'd have guessed that cursed wretch had been tailing me all along..."
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