"Is Raizen-sama in?" Sakurako's voice drifted in from outside the door.
Hearing that voice, Uzumaki Keiko's expression shifted instantly. She had been so careful to keep Raizen's arrival a secret, yet these "vixens" had still managed to catch his scent and hunt him down.
"Is that you, Sakurako? Come in!" Raizen called out in response.
Sakurako, dressed in flowing white robes, slowly pushed the door open and entered.
"Raizen-sama, you're here! Why didn't you tell us? We were so eager to serve you!" Sakurako walked straight to Raizen's side and knelt, looking at him with a sultry, flirtatious gaze.
Raizen smiled faintly. "I didn't tell you, yet here you are anyway."
Sakurako blinked innocently at him. "Raizen-sama, it's been many days since your wedding. Isn't it about time for our turn? So far, none of us eighteen sisters have seen any 'results' in our bellies."
"If the ten-month deadline arrives and no children are born, those two monsters will come back and make things very difficult for us. Please, Raizen-sama, have mercy and save us!"
Raizen laughed, reaching out to take Sakurako's hand and patting it gently. "Don't worry, Sakurako. I will definitely save all of you."
Sakurako's eyes lit up. "Then Raizen-sama... please come to Sakurako's room tonight!"
Listening to this, Keiko chanted internally: Don't agree, don't agree, don't agree.
"That was exactly my intention," Raizen said, winking at Sakurako.
Raizen's agreement left the carefully prepared Keiko feeling utterly depressed and resentful. She glared at Sakurako, wishing she could bite her. This "hussy" had not only ruined her plans but was also snatching her man right in front of her. It was detestable.
"That's wonderful! Raizen-sama, this humble one will go wash up and wait for you. I'll make sure I'm smelling sweet for you, My Lord." Sakurako rose to leave, turning back to blow Raizen a kiss. "Raizen-sama, I'll be waiting!"
With a final wink, she vanished around the corner.
"Hmph! Hussy!" Keiko huffed under her breath, her cheeks puffed out in anger.
"Keiko? What's wrong?" Raizen looked at her, confused. She had been so happy a moment ago, and now she looked like she was about to explode.
"Raizen-sama... do you think Keiko isn't beautiful?" she asked, her eyes turning slightly red.
"You're very beautiful!" Raizen replied.
"Am I not... big enough?" Keiko straightened her posture, emphasizing her curves.
Raizen finally realized what the change in her mood was about. She was jealous!
Raizen looked her over and said with a straight face, "Well, compared to Kurenai and the others, you are indeed a bit smaller."
Upon hearing this, Keiko's face fell into an expression of deep dejection. "I see," she murmured gloomily. "So that's why Raizen-sama refuses my request for the mission... it's because I'm not big enough."
Seeing her miserable expression, Raizen burst out laughing. "When did I ever say I only liked large ones?"
Keiko froze, looking at him suspiciously. "Raizen-sama, you don't like big ones?"
"I focus on the person. Whether they are large or not isn't my main concern," Raizen laughed.
"But the women at your home are all so... endowed," Keiko argued. "If you don't like it, why would you choose them?"
"Actually, they grew later on!" Raizen teased.
"Grew later?" Keiko was baffled. "Is it possible to grow more after the development period has passed?"
Raizen nodded solemnly.
Keiko's eyes went wide. "Growing even after that... how is that even possible?"
"Well, they just 'ate' their way into it," Raizen said, intentionally remaining vague.
"Ate their way into it?" Keiko racked her brain but couldn't think of a single food that would cause such a targeted secondary development.
"Keiko, I've had enough to drink, so I'll head over now." Raizen checked the time, estimating that Sakurako had finished her bath, and prepared to go have an "in-depth exchange of ideas" with her.
Seeing him get up, Keiko said hurriedly, "Raizen-sama, why not have a few more cups?!"
"No, that's enough." Raizen shook his head and smiled. "If I get too drunk, it's hard to 'communicate' properly. Goodbye, Keiko."
Waving her off, Raizen turned and left.
Left behind, Keiko stomped her foot in frustration.
"I will succeed! Just you wait, you hussy, I will make Raizen-sama notice me," she vowed silently. She looked down at herself. "I'm going to go find out how to do it. I want to grow too!"
"Just you wait, Sakurako. I'm going to surpass you!"
After clearing the table, Keiko cast one last resentful glance toward Sakurako's room before leaving the inn and heading toward the Uchiha compound. She couldn't wait to ask Kurenai and the others exactly what they had been "eating."
Somewhere in a Secluded Courtyard
Several ANBU ninjas lay unconscious on the ground.
"Is there still no word from Orochimaru?" Danzo Shimura stood at the entrance of his residence, his face dark as he glared at a Root ninja kneeling before him.
Although he had been forced to officially disband much of the Root, Danzo still maintained a large number of elites in the shadows. He would never fully relinquish his grip on power; he had only disbanded the surface-level forces. The true elite of the Root remained firmly under his control.
"Lord Danzo, we have received no word from Orochimaru," the ninja replied.
"That cursed snake... it's been so long and he still hasn't acted. How long does he expect me to wait?!"
Danzo yearned day and night for Orochimaru to launch an attack—ideally one that would result in Hiruzen Sarutobi's death. Only then could he walk out of this courtyard with his head held high. While he could technically ignore the confinement, he wanted to stay in Konoha to wait for the perfect moment to seize total control and realize his dream of dominating the shinobi world.
Until Hiruzen was either dead or deposed, Danzo had to play along and stay in his gilded cage.
"Go! Continue monitoring for news from Orochimaru. Report to me the instant there is word!"
"Yes, Lord Danzo," the ninja nodded. He stood and gestured toward the fallen guards. "And what of these ANBU, My Lord?"
"Kill them," Danzo said coldly. "Dump them in the wilderness."
"Understood."
The Root ninja signaled a few subordinates. With swift strikes, they ended the lives of the ANBU who had been tasked with monitoring Danzo.
"Carry them away. Throw them into the river behind the mountain to feed the crocodiles."
After the ninjas left with the bodies, Danzo turned a cold, sneering gaze toward the Hokage building.
"Hiruzen... one day, the Hokage seat will be mine. Just you wait and see!"
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