Chapter 186: Madara's Move, Mikoto's Hand
After the war between Akatsuki and Amegakure ended, Natsuki did not hurry down.
As a shinobi of Konoha, and a rather famous one at that, it was not suitable for him to show himself.
Although with the intelligence capabilities of the five great shinobi villages, they would be able to trace it back to him.
Natsuki put away Minazuki and opened a spatial door in the air.
He walked into it and arrived at the leader's office in Amegakure.
When Yahiko and Nagato attacked the leader building, they had deliberately held back and avoided damaging it.
After all, this was the core of Amegakure, and there were many important documents and ninjutsu inside.
Natsuki walked toward the sofa.
He planned to wait for Yahiko and the others here.
[Congratulations to the host for unlocking Ability Three of the Kikyō Template: Sacred Arrow.]
A line of text suddenly appeared before Natsuki's eyes.
He glanced at it and nodded in satisfaction.
After Sacred Arrow was unlocked, his long-range attack ability improved greatly.
But the most important point was that Sacred Arrow had a special attack effect against barriers and nonhumans.
Natsuki had not known what special attack meant before, but after unlocking Sacred Arrow, he understood. Simply put, it doubled the power.
With the power doubled, and then stacked with other abilities such as Armament Haki, Broken Phantasm, and Kamui, even a tailed beast would not be able to take it easily.
The only pity was that after Akatsuki took control of Amegakure, it did not trigger a new character template.
Was it because Amegakure was not important enough?
If that was the case, perhaps he would have to wait until Pakura became the Fourth Kazekage before triggering a new character template.
Or perhaps he had to bring the other shinobi villages outside the five great shinobi villages under control?
Natsuki shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
After all, no matter which one it was, it would require a great deal of time.
Natsuki came back to himself and leaned back against the sofa.
His mind suddenly stirred, and an idea flashed through it.
He could refer to the Kamui Arrow from earlier and develop a new ability for the Door-Door Fruit.
The unlock condition for the Kikyō Template's Dimensional Seal was either creating a new ability for the Door-Door Fruit or learning a space-time ninjutsu.
Natsuki's idea was to open a door on an arrow.
When the arrow hit the target, it could teleport the target away.
Although it could not directly kill the target, it could greatly delay them.
Especially in a war or group battle, he could send one of the enemy's powerhouses away first.
By the time they ran back, the battle would already be over, or they would be at a complete disadvantage.
Thinking of this, Natsuki began pondering it.
This new ability of the Door-Door Fruit could be called Banishment Arrow.
Time slowly passed.
The door was pushed open.
Yahiko walked in. When he saw Natsuki, he froze for a moment, then immediately understood.
"Is everything handled?"
Natsuki raised his head, looked at him, and asked.
"After Ameyado and the others died, the remaining Amegakure shinobi all gave up resisting."
Yahiko answered, "After the Amegakure shinobi in our organization persuaded them, they all became willing to join us."
"You did well."
Natsuki was not surprised when he heard this.
Amegakure had been in a state of war for a long time, so most of its shinobi did not have much so-called loyalty.
In addition, Akatsuki was also a native force of the Land of Rain, so it was not difficult for them to accept it.
Besides, what could they do if they did not accept it?
"Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, you can begin rebuilding Amegakure."
Natsuki stood up and said.
"Yes, Natsuki-sensei."
Yahiko took a deep breath and revealed a smile.
He had gone from a wandering orphan of the Land of Rain to the position of Amegakure's leader. Thinking about it carefully, it truly felt like a dream.
But he knew very well that all of this was because of Natsuki and Akatsuki.
Natsuki opened a spatial door and returned to the Senju clan compound.
It was already deep into the night. The lights were out everywhere, and everyone had entered their dreams.
Natsuki thought for a moment and decided not to disturb Nonō.
He went to the bathroom, took a bath, and returned to his room.
But after opening the door, he raised an eyebrow.
Nonō was lying on his bed, fast asleep.
Natsuki could not help smiling.
He walked forward and slipped under the blanket.
Nonō shifted her body slightly.
Natsuki held her warm, soft body, lowered his head, buried his face in her embrace, and fell asleep.
A new day arrived.
The events that had happened in Amegakure had already spread throughout the shinobi world.
The five great shinobi villages were the first to receive the related intelligence.
But it did not cause any waves.
After all, Akatsuki's background was easy to investigate.
Since Akatsuki had Natsuki behind it, this war was purely something Konoha had directed and acted out on its own. It was not worth paying too much attention to.
Only Iwagakure and Sunagakure became wary.
After all, the Land of Rain's location was quite important.
If they went to war with Konoha next time, they would have to take Amegakure into consideration.
Or they could simply choose another small nation as the battlefield.
In a certain dim underground location.
The white-haired old man, Uchiha Madara, had his eyes closed as he rested.
A moment later, a White Zetsu emerged from underground.
"What is it?"
Madara asked.
"Akatsuki occupied Amegakure last night."
White Zetsu immediately said.
"Amegakure is not weak. How did Akatsuki occupy it?"
Madara asked again.
White Zetsu immediately gave a simple account of what had happened the previous night.
The intelligence it had received was far more detailed than that of the five great shinobi villages. Even the three great snake priestesses had been noticed by it.
After all, it had been at the scene.
"No wonder."
A trace of understanding flashed across Madara's face.
Naturally, he knew who the three great snake priestesses were.
It was not strange that they had appeared there. Natsuki was Orochimaru's student, so he had definitely become a contractor of Ryūchi Cave.
With Kakuzu, Mui, and the others added in, dealing with a single Amegakure was indeed simple.
"For this period of time, focus on monitoring the Uchiha clan."
Madara thought for a moment, then said.
"Madara-sama, do you want to clean up the Uchiha clan?"
White Zetsu asked curiously.
"No."
Madara lowered his head and glanced at his frail body, then said, "I need to find another proxy."
"I understand, Madara-sama."
White Zetsu burrowed back underground and disappeared.
"Are you not going to deal with Akatsuki?"
Black Zetsu suddenly appeared.
"We will talk about it during the next shinobi world war."
Madara said casually, "War will come soon."
"How are you so sure the next war will come soon?"
Black Zetsu was somewhat surprised and asked.
"Is that not how this shinobi world has always been?"
Madara snorted coldly and said, "As long as shinobi still live, war will never stop."
After he said this, he thought of Hashirama.
Back then, the two of them had been so spirited. After pacifying the chaotic era, they thought they would bring lasting peace to the shinobi world.
But what happened?
Whether it was distributing the tailed beasts or the system of one nation and one village, both had been proven useless.
How long had it been?
Not even forty years had passed, yet the shinobi world had already broken out into two shinobi world wars.
Now, it looked as if the Third Shinobi World War was about to erupt as well.
The reason Madara made such a judgment was because he had been closely monitoring the situation of the five great shinobi villages through White Zetsu.
The current Kumogakure was already itching to move, and internally, it had been preparing for the next shinobi world war.
"Only the Infinite Tsukuyomi can truly bring peace to the shinobi world."
Madara closed his eyes again.
Amegakure's leader office.
After Natsuki stepped out of the spatial door, he found that Yahiko and the others were all here.
"Natsuki-sensei, you came at just the right time."
When Yahiko saw him, he quickly stood up and said, "We are discussing Amegakure's future development plan."
"How do you plan to develop it?"
Natsuki asked.
"Our current idea is for Akatsuki to provide the funds to repair Amegakure."
Yahiko immediately answered, "Especially Amegakure's drainage system."
"Improving Amegakure's living environment first is indeed a good choice."
Natsuki nodded and said.
"But we have a problem right now."
Yahiko said with distress, "Amegakure cannot attract merchants to move in like other shinobi villages."
"Have you analyzed the reasons?"
Natsuki thought for a moment and asked.
"It rains every day in Amegakure."
Yahiko answered.
"Amegakure has too few residents and shinobi."
Konan pondered for a moment and said, "Its spending power is insufficient."
"It seems you have learned what I usually teach quite well."
Natsuki reached out and stroked her head.
The corners of Konan's mouth immediately rose, and a smile appeared on her face.
"I think there is no need to develop Amegakure. Directly developing the Land of Rain would save more time."
Kakuzu said bluntly.
"No."
Yahiko immediately said, "Amegakure is now Akatsuki's base. We cannot leave it alone."
"Both Amegakure and the Land of Rain must be developed."
Natsuki said in a low voice.
Hearing this, Kakuzu said nothing more.
"Did I not have Honoka and the others research hydroelectric power before? How is that going?"
Natsuki looked at Yahiko and asked.
"They are researching it, but they have not succeeded yet."
Yahiko immediately answered.
"Amegakure's economic development can be delayed."
Natsuki said, "Prioritize infrastructure and population first."
"Infrastructure?"
Hearing the unfamiliar word, Yahiko instinctively revealed a puzzled expression.
"It means basic construction, such as the drainage system you just mentioned."
Natsuki paused, then said, "Aside from that, we can also study a weather system to control Amegakure's weather."
"That can be done too?"
Yahiko could not help widening his eyes.
"Konan can do it."
Natsuki chuckled and said.
Everyone subconsciously looked at Konan.
"Me?"
Konan could not help freezing.
"The Sorcery Clima-Tact."
Natsuki reminded her, "We are shinobi. When we encounter difficulties, we can use shinobi methods to solve them."
Konan's eyes immediately brightened.
After Natsuki said this, she felt as if her thinking had suddenly opened up.
Since the Sorcery Clima-Tact could artificially create rainy days, snowy days, thunderstorms, and other weather, it could also artificially create sunny days.
"I understand. I will try."
Konan said firmly.
"As expected of Natsuki-sensei!"
Yahiko said excitedly.
"Merchants are one aspect. The most important thing is that Amegakure's own population must increase."
Natsuki raised two fingers and said, "First, attract people from other places. Second, encourage childbirth."
"How do we attract people from other places?"
After thinking for a moment, Yahiko asked.
He could understand encouraging childbirth, but he felt that attracting people from other places would be difficult.
Even if they could solve the problem of Amegakure's constant rain, Amegakure still could not compete with the other shinobi villages.
"Settlement funds, such as providing free housing."
Natsuki gave an example, "If merchants move in, a certain amount of tax can be waived."
"I see!"
Yahiko said with an excited expression.
Although Nagato, Konan, and the others were not as excited, they admired Natsuki even more.
Kakuzu included.
In his view, Natsuki, who could make money, was much better than any of the Five Kage.
"The detailed plan and how it should be implemented still need to be discussed."
Natsuki changed the topic and said, "For Akatsuki, the most important thing is still the Land of Rain."
Everyone nodded, all expressing agreement.
Compared to the Land of Rain, Amegakure was still too small.
Moreover, they all knew very well how profitable the rainwater business of the Land of Rain was.
It could be said that most of Akatsuki's income came from the rainwater business.
As for the stamina recovery potion, it had already become a scarce item and was only occasionally auctioned.
"Kakuzu, you will gradually take over the Land of Rain."
Natsuki instructed, "When the time comes, I will have the daimyo of the Land of Rain give you an official position responsible for the nation's economy."
"Fine."
Kakuzu's heart shook, and he became pleased.
All of the Land of Rain's businesses would be under his control. How much money would that be?
In any case, it would be a lot.
To him, this was undoubtedly an excellent job.
"As for Amegakure, develop it according to what we discussed earlier."
Natsuki looked at Yahiko and said.
"Yes, Natsuki-sensei."
Yahiko immediately said.
"You can discuss the remaining matters among yourselves."
After Natsuki finished speaking, he brought the three great snake priestesses back to the Kuja Pirates.
Leaving the three great snake priestesses in Amegakure would be a pure waste.
Because they did not understand what development meant at all.
Meanwhile, the Kuja Pirates could not lack them.
Without them and the snakes of Ryūchi Cave, there would be no way to deal with Kirigakure.
"For safety's sake, I will teach you a barrier."
Natsuki suddenly thought of something and said, "It is called the Concealment Barrier."
The Concealment Barrier could hide an entire area, and it could also be used on a ship.
With this, the Kuja Pirates could greatly avoid being discovered and falling into a Kirigakure shinobi encirclement.
Although the three great snake priestesses were not human, nor were they shinobi, they knew senjutsu.
Senjutsu was powered by senjutsu chakra. In other words, they had chakra.
Since they had chakra, they could learn the localized version of the Concealment Barrier.
By noon, Natsuki returned to Konoha.
He stepped out of the spatial door and saw falling snow.
Konoha's first snowfall of the year had arrived unexpectedly.
Natsuki felt the temperature drop.
After thinking for a moment, he went to Nonō's office.
Nonō was sleeping while lying on her desk.
Natsuki walked behind her and stretched out his hands.
Nonō woke up and felt herself being held.
She raised her head, looked at Natsuki, and her face flushed uncontrollably.
"Are you warm now?"
Natsuki said without changing expression.
Nonō was not as shameless as him. Enduring the discomfort at her chest, she turned her gaze away.
Natsuki lowered his head, bit her ear lightly, and asked, "Do you have anything else this afternoon?"
Nonō's heart trembled. She bit her lip and said, "I can take leave."
Hearing this, Natsuki raised his hand.
A defensive barrier was casually set up by him.
He used both hands to lift Nonō and placed her on the desk.
Nonō widened her eyes and realized what he was going to do.
An embarrassed expression appeared on her face.
But in the end, she still could not refuse Natsuki.
It was not until an hour later that she was carried out of the office.
Natsuki placed her on the bed and let her sleep in peace.
As for him, he left her room feeling refreshed.
"Natsuki? When did you come back?"
Kushina, who was training, saw him and quickly came into his arms.
"I just came back."
Natsuki felt the softness of her body and said with a smile.
"Then let's train together!"
Kushina stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
"Mm."
Natsuki reached out and pinched her cheek.
She was in the prime of her youth, and her face was extremely smooth and elastic.
Nonō was the same.
No matter where it was, she was very soft.
Another new day arrived.
The snow that had fallen for a long time finally stopped, and Konoha became a silver-white world.
Natsuki arrived at his office in the Hokage building.
He pushed open the door and immediately smelled the fragrance of tea.
Natsuki paused, then saw Mikoto, who was brewing tea.
"Natsuki."
Mikoto immediately stood up and said, "Good morning."
"Good morning."
Natsuki said with a smile.
"The tea is already brewed. Please sit."
Mikoto raised her hand and said.
"Thank you."
Natsuki stepped forward and sat down on the sofa.
Mikoto held a cup of hot tea with both hands and handed it to him.
"It feels like my life has become better ever since you came."
Natsuki said with emotion.
"As long as you like it."
Hearing this, Mikoto revealed a gentle smile.
"Did I not say before that I would give you nail polish?"
Natsuki put down the teacup, took out a box of nail polish, and said, "This is for you."
"Thank you."
Mikoto waited for two seconds and realized Natsuki did not hand the nail polish to her.
She hesitated for a moment, then bent down and reached out to take it.
With her movement, her soft clothes also trembled slightly.
"How about I apply it for you?"
Natsuki grabbed her wrist and asked.
"Eh?"
Mikoto was startled. Her body swayed, and her clothes rose and fell even more.
"Come sit here."
Without waiting for her to refuse, Natsuki pulled her over.
Mikoto subconsciously sat down beside him.
"Stretch out your hand."
Natsuki took out a bottle of nail polish and said.
Mikoto pursed her lips and straightened her slender fingers.
Natsuki held her wrist with his left hand, picked up the nail polish brush with his right hand, and began applying it to her thumbnail.
Mikoto looked at his serious expression and only felt her heart beating very quickly.
Time slowly passed.
All ten of Mikoto's fingers had been painted with pale blue nail polish.
"It looks pretty good."
Natsuki looked at them for a moment and said.
"Thank you."
Mikoto withdrew her hands and let out a breath of relief.
"This is a return gift. There is no need to thank me."
Natsuki corrected her.
Mikoto picked up the tea on the table again and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Please have some tea."
"That is enough. You should go back to work."
Natsuki accepted the tea, finished it, and said.
"Then I will leave first. If you want more tea, call me."
Mikoto stood up and said.
Only after Natsuki watched her leave did he walk toward his desk.
He secretly thought that beauty truly did delay work.
Natsuki smiled and began his work as a Hokage secretary for the day.
(To be continued.)
