(Sorry guys, a thief broke into my house and stole a lot of stuff, please be a little patient until i recover a bit. thank you)
Under Shibuki's lead, Yuzuru Uchiha and Kakuzu arrived beneath the God Tree.
Below stood a stone platform taller than a man. On it rested a glass container, half-filled with a deep green liquid that gleamed like imperial jade.
Shibuki spoke. "Lord Yuzuru, this is the Hero Water."
Yuzuru nodded, picked up the glass vessel, and examined it carefully.
When he opened it, a rich yet faintly violent aura rushed out.
He raised an eyebrow.
Within that deep green liquid, he could sense traces of natural energy.
"So this giant tree can purify natural energy?"
He murmured this softly, then tipped a few drops into his mouth.
Seeing this, both Shibuki and Kakuzu panicked.
Even if Yuzuru was powerful, Hero Water entered the body directly. If he couldn't handle the backlash, the consequences would be disastrous.
But to their shock, Yuzuru displayed no unusual reaction at all. It was as if he had only swallowed plain water.
Ignoring their tension, Yuzuru focused on the Hero Water's power.
Compared to raw natural energy, the liquid purified by the tree felt gentler—yet its effect was no weaker.
'I should let Orochimaru take a look when there's an opportunity. Maybe he can make some new discoveries.'
He nodded to himself.
Based on what he sensed, the Hero Water was essentially condensed senjutsu chakra. Once consumed, it temporarily transformed the drinker's chakra into senjutsu chakra.
That was why anyone who drank it gained a massive power boost.
But although it removed the risk of gathering senjutsu chakra, the intensity of the chakra itself still placed enormous strain on the body.
That was likely why so many who drank Hero Water died on the spot.
After thinking it over, Yuzuru stored the remaining Hero Water into Kamui space.
"Kakuzu, stay in Takigakure for now. I'll send someone later to connect with you."
Kakuzu nodded respectfully. "Understood."
"Then I'll be going."
"Jana~"
Yuzuru Uchiha finished speaking, and with a gentle wipe of his hand, his entire body disappeared from the spot as if erased.
Shibuki's jaw dropped.
He vanished… out of thin air?
That was far too outrageous.
Seeing Shibuki frozen in shock, Kakuzu snorted. "Takigakure has been isolated too long. Starting today, we need to learn everything that's changed in the outside world."
"Stay with me and learn properly. Once the Land of Waterfalls stabilizes, I'll leave and return to my bounty hunter work."
Compared to being drowned in endless paperwork, Kakuzu preferred counting money in peace.
Shibuki chuckled. "Everything will follow your arrangements, senior Kakuzu."
Though he was Takigakure's leader, he was only an ordinary jōnin. He knew full well that in front of Yuzuru or Kakuzu, he was nothing more than a disposable extra.
To live longer, he needed to know his place.
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Kumogakure.
Upon returning, Yuzuru headed straight to the Raikage Building.
The Third Raikage was sipping hot tea in his office. Tōdai and Mabuma sat at his desk, buried in paperwork.
When they saw Yuzuru enter, the Third Raikage immediately waved happily. "Yuzuru, you're back! Did everything go smoothly?"
Yuzuru nodded. "Very smoothly. We can start preparing personnel for follow-up coordination."
The Raikage grinned. "That's double good news. Just a few days ago, the Land of Bears sent envoys—they want to submit to us willingly."
"Really?"
Yuzuru was surprised.
Though the Land of Bears often clashed with the Land of Fire, he never expected them to surrender on their own.
Still, voluntary submission was a good thing. Fewer complications.
With that in mind, Yuzuru told the Raikage, "Third, you're going to be busy."
The Raikage waved dismissively. "I never handle these things. I leave them to Tōdai and Mabuma."
Hearing this, the two men looked up with matching panda-eyed expressions of suffering.
Tōdai pleaded, "Lord Yuzuru, could we slow down expansion for a bit? We really can't keep up anymore."
"Every nation brings mountains of materials to process… and we still have to plan their future development."
"And… we're severely understaffed."
Yuzuru thought for a moment, then nodded. "Then let's stabilize and focus on internal development for now."
If he only wanted to take wealth, he could simply plunder other countries by force.
But unification required far more—transferring authority, issuing unified policies, creating local development plans…
The territory had grown too quickly in the last few years. Without a period of stabilization, everything would be built on sand.
Hearing his agreement, Tōdai and Mabuma let out a long, quiet sigh of relief.
At least they wouldn't die from overwork at their desks.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll leave—"
"Wait." The Third Raikage stopped him. "Yuzuru, I need your help with something."
Yuzuru paused. "What is it?"
The Raikage spoke slowly. "The Two-Tails jinchuriki just graduated from the academy. I want you to help her—see if she can become a perfect jinchuriki like Killer B."
"The Two-Tails jinchuriki?"
A proud, mature woman appeared in Yuzuru's mind.
"That child's name is Yugito. She has a proud personality, but she's actually gentle. Even as a jinchuriki, she's made many friends."
"Compared to Killer B back in the day, she's far better."
"If you have time, please help her."
He rummaged through the stacks of documents on his desk and handed Yugito's file to Yuzuru.
Seeing the photo, Yuzuru nodded. "Alright, leave this matter to me."