Even those who are already married can have more children with their wives, even if they end up increasing Konoha Uchiha's population. Her funds are more than enough to support these new generation babies.
With this thought, Ruri looked at Hakushi with an odd gaze, then glanced at her own belly.
Forget it, better to wait until things are completely stable before considering the matter of raising offspring.
Right now, she is one of the few top-tier combat powers. Getting pregnant now would be too risky.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing. I'll just head out for a bit."
"Alright, take care. You should know how to use coded messages to communicate with our spies outside, right?"
Hakushi asked.
"Yes, I do."
"Do you need to bring a perception ninja?"
People who cultivate natural energy usually develop some perception abilities.
However, the strength of these abilities can vary based on what they prioritize.
Ninjas like Ruri, who focus on combat, tend to have weaker perception abilities and may struggle against tricky stealth-type enemies.
"No need, I have a better candidate in mind."
Ruri declined Hakushi's offer and walked out of the office alone.
◎
Beside the pond squatted an orange cat as tall as an adult male.
Its body was chubby, with plenty of fat, and such a giant cat would generally be considered slow-moving in human perception.
Its cat eyes were fixed on the plump, delicious fish in the pond, just waiting to pounce and have a feast.
"Ubi, what are you doing here?"
"Ah!"
Not expecting anyone to speak to him from behind, he slipped and splashed into the pond, coming up with a large fish perched atop his head.
"Master Ruri?"
Ruri stared intently at the orange cat, exerting a significant pressure on it.
"That's a Feng Shui fish, not for eating."
"Oh, I see."
Orange Cat Ubi put the Feng Shui fish back in the pond, climbed out of the pond, and shook his body to dry his matted orange fur.
"I have some matters to attend to, and I need you to come with me."
"Is it for a full fish feast, Master Ruri?"
Ubi was already drooling with anticipation.
"Once the job is done, I'll have someone prepare a full fish feast for you."
"I'll give it my all, Master Ruri!"
Ubi earnestly promised.
Being a summoning beast who also practices natural energy, Ubi's combat abilities were among the top within the Ninja Cat Race.
He had recently been trying to merge his abilities with Sage Art Chakra, making him likely stronger than when he was last in Konoha a few months ago.
Additionally, Ubi possessed decent perception ability. Though occasionally clumsy, he was mostly reliable and a trusted battle partner for Ruri.
Another point is, he's incredibly resilient.
Even after being beaten up by the Third Hokage with the Adamantine Staff, he seemed unfazed and was bouncing around energetically.
"So, the enemies we are up against this time are..."
"Those who wield Wood Style... maybe even someone with the Sharingan, which makes me excited."
Ruri had a slight smile on her lips, filled with battle spirit.
◎
Land of Mountains.
A little-known country sandwiched within the gaps of the major power territories.
As the name suggests, this country is filled with mountains, and due to its unique terrain, hardly any prosperous towns can be found.
Most of this country's mountain regions are desolate lands, seldom visited by people.
At the base of a mountain range, a massive operation stronghold had been constructed, surrounded by a large number of White Zetsu.
They protected the area without any blind spots, giving the impression that this was the enemy's main base.
"Hey, Tobi, are you sure there will be enemies coming here to cause trouble?"
A group of bored White Zetsu exchanged conversations.
Most of the White Zetsu were of the ordinary grade, with special individuals like Tobi being rare exceptions among the White Zetsu collective.
However, even among the special White Zetsu, there were substantial differences in their individual abilities.
Tobi ignored these White Zetsu and instead continued to draw on the ground with a wooden stick while muttering to himself.
"Tobi, what are you doing?"
A curious White Zetsu approached.
"Oh, I'm trying to draw various kinds of poop. After all, in my observations, human poop actually varies slightly in shape and color."
Tobi said quite seriously.
He seemed to think this was something extremely important, capable of shocking the Ninja Realm.
"..."
Lord Madara once said Tobi was not right in the head, and it seems he wasn't joking. This White Zetsu found itself a bit speechless.
"Isn't that great? At least Tobi can find meaningful things to do; we can only idly watch our lives waste away. It's quite dull when you think about it."
Another White Zetsu lamented their life's encounter.
From birth, their will had been controlled by others.
It seemed like their greatest purpose in life was to have none at all.
So Tobi, this idealistic and imaginative White Zetsu, was actually someone many White Zetsu envied.
Being so carefree must be nice.
"I wonder how Lord Madara is doing now."
"He's probably brooding in the dark, thinking about something."
A White Zetsu insightfully remarked.