Kitsuchi looked at Ōnoki, who was staring into space, and reminded him,
"Are we still fighting?"
Ōnoki's eyes revealed deep killing intent.
"Fight. We must fight. Precisely because Kairen is growing too fast, we must strangle him while he's still in his youth."
"Otherwise, in the future, all of us will have to read his mood before eating."
Kitsuchi nodded. "Got it! I'll go reorganize the troops right now!"
After Kitsuchi left, Ōnoki continued to look at the materials on the desk, which contained many photos of Kairen.
Ōnoki frowned. "This brat—why is he squinting at people in every single photo? It really gives you the urge to beat him up."
...
Land of Water.
The daimyō's residence was the most panicked upon receiving news of the coup in the Land of Fire.
The Land of Water daimyō immediately invited all the Kirigakure-related forces in the residence to leave and hired a large number of rogue ninja to protect the surroundings of the residence.
Doing this was indeed cowardly.
Who doesn't know that the Village of the Bloody Mist is a bunch of lunatics?
The Land of Water daimyō's control over Kirigakure was basically zero. These lords wanted his money but didn't listen to his commands at all—practically fathers the state was raising.
When the Land of Fire's ninja made the first move against their daimyō's residence, the Land of Water daimyō feared Kirigakure would imitate them.
These lunatics had no logic whatsoever. Attacking the Land of Fire was entirely their own decision. He was nothing more than a man who stamped seals.
The Land of Water daimyō burned incense for an entire day and finally made it through a nerve-wracking day in peace.
After that came requests from Kirigakure for funds—they were preparing to mobilize all their military force to attack Konoha.
The Land of Water daimyō couldn't have been happier. He wished for both sides to suffer heavy losses, with a continuous stream of funds flowing into Kirigakure.
In truth, the one controlling Kirigakure from behind the scenes was Uchiha Madara. The old man naturally couldn't stand Kairen's rapid growth and wanted to give him some trouble.
So the talk about the four great nations going all-out militarily was truly becoming real.
...
While Kairen slept, the system's voice kept ringing in his mind.
"The Wind Country daimyō has generated 10 points of Fear toward you!"
"The Lightning Country daimyō has generated 10 points of Fear toward you!"
...
"Civilian A has generated 1 point of Admiration toward you!"
"Ninja A has generated 1 point of Admiration toward you!"
After one sleep, Kairen's experience points directly broke past 8000.
"Kakuzu thanks you for the 10 billion reward and has generated 100 points of Gratitude toward you!"
Kairen slowly woke up. It seemed the Land of Fire daimyō's head had been harvested.
"Mm…"
Kairen's movement made Miki a bit displeased—it disturbed her sleep.
She opened her light green pupils, and what entered her eyes was Kairen's sharply contoured face.
Waking from a dream, last night's memories surfaced in her mind.
After 23 years of life, she had finally found someone to accompany her.
Miki's clothes were half-revealed, spring scenery spilling out. She gently stroked the muscles on Kairen's chest.
"Will you take responsibility for me?"
She was afraid that Kairen would treat her as a toy, discard her after indulging himself.
Kairen rubbed her golden hair and said calmly,
"What are you thinking? Of course I'll take responsibility!"
Miki smiled. "That's good! If you dare abandon me…"
A trace of a hooliganish smile suddenly appeared on Miki's face.
"Careful I bite it off and make you a eunuch for life!"
Kairen didn't take Miki's harsh words to heart at all.
I have ultra-speed regeneration—if one breaks, there's still another.
"Mm…"
Hyuga Nochika was startled awake. She opened her eyes, her pupils as pure white as the sky gazing at Kairen.
It was as if she already knew everything.
No anger, no complaints—only a trace of calm.
Kairen pinched her cheek. "What I like most is this face of yours, hesitant even while staying aloof."
A hint of shyness flashed across Hyuga Nochika's face. In the end, she was still an unmarried maiden—she couldn't be as indifferent to such matters as a stone woman.
Kairen smiled and pulled one into each arm.
At this moment, his heart was filled only with serenity as he said to the two of them,
"What wishes do you have now?"
Miki focused on Kairen's exquisite skin. The texture on it seemed even more delicate than hers—what kind of skincare products did he use?
Hearing Kairen's words, she said directly,
"Don't abolish the clan names of the Ino–Shika–Chō three clans, and don't deliberately target them in the future. We'll definitely behave ourselves."
After hearing Miki's words, Kairen pinched her nose.
"Those three clans that handed you over like merchandise—what is there to be attached to?"
"Don't you hate them? As long as you say the word, I'll make all of them your slaves."
Miki shook her head.
"I do hate them. Compared to an enemy's humiliation, a family's betrayal is like a wound on my chest that can never close."
"But the Yamanaka clan is the family that raised me. I'll repay them for that kindness."
Kairen rubbed her hair and comforted her.
"From now on, just stay with me. I'm your only family. I promise you—I'll spare them."
A trace of emotion flashed through Miki's heart. Kairen wasn't someone who discarded others after satisfaction.
Then she heard Kairen say again,
"You've got a wound on your chest—let me take a look!"
Hyuga Nochika watched Kairen and Miki fool around, a sharp light flowing into her white eyes.
"Hey! Will you fulfill my wish?"
Kairen turned his head, looked at the beauty whose skin was like fine jade, and nodded.
"Say it."
Hyuga Nochika's Byakugan stared into Kairen's pitch-black pupils, as if searching for hypocrisy within them, or perhaps for sincerity.
"I want to abolish the caged bird of the Hyuga branch family!"
The cold words came from that flawless face without the slightest expression, as though it had nothing to do with her.
Kairen gazed seriously into her eyes. "You hate the Hyuga family."
Hyuga Nochika shook her head.
She was the kind of person who adapted to circumstances—able to endure hardship and enjoy comfort. Even when the Hyuga family gave her to Kairen as a gift, she had never hated the Hyuga family.
As a member of the Hyuga main lineage, Hyuga Nochika had received aristocratic education since childhood—well-read and well-mannered, cultivated into a young lady not inferior to high society.
But she always felt she was someone bound by dogma.
Although there was no caged bird on her forehead, her life was still that of a bird in a cage—every word and action constrained by the Hyuga family's rules.
How to act? How to speak? There were specific doctrines for everything.
She longed incomparably for the world outside the cage.
When she was given to Kairen by the Hyuga family, she had previously thought it would be another cage, darker and dimmer.
But after spending a night together, Kairen's companionship didn't make her feel repressed. The cage that belonged to her seemed to have opened a crack.
And lifting the caged bird of the Hyuga branch family was born from the sympathy in her heart.
Main family, branch family—just one word apart, yet the difference in status was like a chasm between heaven and earth.
She was usually served by members of the branch family and knew well the resentment hidden deep in their hearts.
Seeing Hyuga Nochika remain silent, Kairen nodded.
"I promise you—I'll remove the caged bird for them!"
Heaven and earth may be vast, but the wife is the greatest.
The Hyuga family indeed knew how to conduct themselves, but since their pillow talk had blown crooked, they couldn't blame Kairen.