Far to the east of the palace, several luxurious mansions with green bricks and dark tiles were hidden beneath dense tree canopies.
The vermilion gate was ajar, and inside the courtyard, a dozen maids were quietly cleaning. They were all carefully selected by Shun, tight-lipped and nimble. They never dared to inquire about the identities of the two masters of the house.
The warm lights in the living room cast a soft glow, and a floor lamp beside the beige sofa illuminated a corner, while the air was filled with a faint aroma of Keemun tea.
Mabui had just returned from the palace, taking off her cloak, still damp with night dew, and casually hanging it on the coat rack in the entrance.
The Land of Water is an island nation, so the humidity is quite high.
The wisps of hair at her temples were cool to the touch, but she didn't even take a sip of the warm tea on the table, instead walking quickly to the sofa.
Yugito was holding a celadon teacup, her thumb repeatedly caressing the rim. It was an old item she had brought from Kumogakure, with small cloud patterns carved on the cup's body. The tea had long since cooled, but she was oblivious, her anxiety coiling like a vine in her eyes, even her hand holding the cup was trembling slightly.
Hearing footsteps, she suddenly looked up, her voice trembling imperceptibly. "Mabui, what news is there today?"
Mabui sat beside her, placing her cool hand over Yugito's warm one, trying to draw some warmth.
She spoke cautiously, her voice very low. "When I was waiting outside the council hall, I heard internal strife in the Land of Fire... troops stationed in the Land of Whirlpools... and he also told me that unifying the Ninja World is only a matter of time."
She paused, looking at Yugito's face, which had suddenly lost all color, and her heart sank with it.
"He is calculating each country step by step. Kumogakure will be dragged into this sooner or later. You know his character, seemingly gentle, but in reality, ruthless. If we truly wait for him to unify the Ninja World, Kumogakure will probably not escape the fate of being destroyed."
"Kumogakure's destruction?"
The teacup in Yugito's hand crashed onto the carpet with a "clang," and the light brown tea quickly soaked the off-white carpet.
She suddenly grabbed Mabui's wrist and said, "Then what should we do? I can't let Kumogakure be destroyed. Can we find a way to convey the intelligence we heard today to the Fourth Raikage? Let him prepare in advance, perhaps the village still has a chance to resist."
Hearing this, Mabui gently shook her head, a hint of helplessness in her eyes. "Yugito, why do you think that big pervert made me his secretary, letting me access those confidential documents? He isn't afraid of us leaking the information to Kumogakure at all. The current strength of the Land of Water is no longer what it once was. Even if Shun doesn't act, with just the power of New Konoha, the other four great nations combined might not be able to defeat them."
Yugito was stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief. "How can this be? Kumogakure has over ten thousand ninjas, how could it be inferior to the Land of Water?"
She had grown up in Kumogakure, always believing her village was a top-tier existence in the Ninja World, never imagining that one day Kumogakure would not even have the right to contend with the Land of Water.
Mabui lowered her voice, almost whispering into Yugito's ear. "After the Third Great Ninja War, the situation has long changed. They moved Konoha to the Land of Water and also annexed Kirigakure. On the surface, New Konoha only has twelve thousand ninjas, but the actual number is at least eighteen thousand or more. There are also many hidden Anbu and elite squads that aren't counted openly."
She paused, continuing, "More importantly, the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Senju Kekkei Genkai clans of Konoha, plus the Hozuki, Kaguya and Yuki clans of Kirigakure, have almost monopolized more than half of the Kekkei Genkais in the Ninja World. Nine out of ten ninjas they train are elites."
Yugito felt a chill run through her, her fingertips trembling slightly.
She recalled the well-trained ninja she had seen when she had first arrived in the Land of Water. At the time, she only thought they were formidable, but she never imagined the Land of Water's strength had reached such a terrifying level.
She took a deep breath, raising a hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you. I won't tell Raikage-sama, we'll figure it out ourselves."
She knew that telling the Raikage now would not only fail to save Kumogakure but might also provoke Shun, causing Kumogakure to perish even faster.
Mabui gently patted her hand, her gaze becoming exceptionally firm. "All we can do is rely on ourselves. Yugito, listen to me. Although he doesn't come often, if we can bear him a child, the situation will definitely be different. A mother's status rises with her child. Then, when we ask him to show mercy, he will somewhat consider the child, and Kumogakure will have a greater chance of survival."
Yugito was stunned, her cheeks instantly flushing, then darkening again. She was like a flower dampened by rain.
Yugito said, "But he hasn't come for almost a month recently. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have the chance. Before, we could avoid it with contraception, but now that I want to conceive, I don't even have the chance to meet him."
She raised her hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. It was still flat, yet it carried Kumogakure's last hope.
Mabui straightened her back, her tone becoming more confident. "Opportunities must be created by ourselves. I am his secretary. I deliver documents daily and report on work, so I have more chances to interact with him than you. I will find a way to mention you and get him to come here. It's just..."
She changed the subject, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes, and her voice dropped even lower. "He recently hired a new secretary named Yūgao, and he's been particularly attentive to her. Last time I delivered documents, I even saw him personally hand Yūgao hot tea, and he even interrupted my report. He's been summoning me less often recently, and I even have to avoid her when delivering documents."
Yugito's heart suddenly sank, as if plunging into an ice cellar. She knew Shun's character all too well, he was a very lecherous man.
Initially, he used the safety of Kumogakure to coerce both of them to come to the Land of Water. But after more than a year of living together, she had to admit that he was a very excellent man.
He reorganized the economy of the Land of Water, allowing the common people to live in peace and prosperity.
Even if he wanted to unify the Ninja World and end the wars, they could actually understand.
But unifying the Ninja World meant that Kumogakure where they had grown up would inevitably disappear from the map, which was something they couldn't accept.
Yugito forced herself to calm down and asked, "Is his attentiveness to Yūgao genuine, or just a fleeting infatuation? We need to clarify this first. If it's just a fleeting infatuation, then we still have a chance. If he's truly serious, then our plan will probably be much more difficult."
Mabui pinched her brow and said, "I think it's lust at first sight, so we still have a chance."
As the two were speaking, the faint footsteps of a maid sounded from the courtyard.
Mabui got up and walked to the window, pulling back a corner of the curtain, and saw the maid sweeping late cherry blossoms into a bamboo basket.