After Kurenai Yuhi finished reporting on the Chunin Exams, she cast a playfully flirtatious glance at Natsume before finally leaving.
Half an hour later, a knock sounded on the door.
Natsume put down his papers and called out casually, "Come in."
The door opened to reveal Hinata Hyuga entering.
"Did the clan meeting end?"
Natsume asked with a smile.
"Yeah."
Hinata nodded slightly. "Just ended."
"Drink some water."
Natsume stood up to pour her a glass of plain water. "You did really well during the meeting."
Blushing slightly, Hinata lowered her head, holding the cup as she replied, "It's all thanks to what older brother Natsume taught me."
"Teaching is one thing, but more importantly, you listened and actually put it into practice."
Natsume reached out and patted her head, smiling. "You're just twelve, and you've already surpassed most people your age."
Unable to hide her joy, Hinata couldn't help but smile.
She nodded determinedly and said, "I'll work harder!"
"You don't have to push yourself too hard either."
Shaking his head, Natsume said, "Too much pressure can be harmful. You should take breaks occasionally and balance work with relaxation. Understand?"
"Mm."
Hinata instinctively answered.
Knowing her personality, though, getting her to take a break and have fun wouldn't be easy.
Thinking for a moment, Natsume decided he would take her along on a few light missions after the Chunin Exams were over.
Right now, however, there was no way she'd agree.
Since she had signed up for the Chunin Exams, even if it seemed like a sure thing, she wouldn't relax her efforts.
"Older brother Natsume."
Unsure of his thoughts, Hinata continued speaking, "Hiromasa Hyuga was arrested for attacking Father, and now he's in Anbu."
"He handled it well."
Natsume had already witnessed this at the clan meeting, but for her to fully carry out orders was still rare.
In addition, Hiashi Hyuga hadn't objected either, which sufficiently showed his current stance.
Although partly due to Natsume's overwhelming strength, offering a pair of Byakugan eyes ensured a future guarantee for the Hyuga clan.
Hiashi clearly understood what needed doing.
"Older brother Natsume," Hinata looked up and asked, "are you really planning to kill him?"
She naturally held no emotional attachment toward Hiromasa.
This question was essentially what Hiashi wanted to ask.
He wanted to know what those Byakugan eyes would ultimately be used for.
Natsume could also sense his underlying motive.
With a faint smile, he asked, "Hinata, did you know the Byakugan can evolve?"
Hinata paused briefly, a thoughtful look crossing her face, but from the records she had seen within the clan, there was no answer.
As the main house heir and next clan leader, Hiashi definitely wouldn't withhold information from her.
This meant that no one in the Hyuga clan actually knew the truth.
Hinata shook her head, asking, "Older brother Natsume, do you mean the Byakugan can evolve?"
"That's right."
Natsume didn't hide anything, anyway, because any achievements made would eventually benefit the Hyuga clan.
As for Hinata herself, it wasn't all that complicated.
A simple trip to the Moon would be enough.
Mainly, he was worried that Kabuto Yakushi's research would be completed too late, and perhaps not even producing a complete version.
Hinata Hyuga looked surprised.
She trusted Natsume, so she accepted it as true.
Yet even the Hyuga clan didn't know about this—how had he found out?
If evolution is possible, what kind of evolution would it be?
However, she did not ask, obediently waiting for Natsume's answer.
Her personality had transformed.
But her reliance on Natsume had become deeper.
To put it bluntly, her reliance on Natsume had already surpassed her loyalty to the Hyuga clan.
Natsume gently ruffled her hair and said, "The details are still under research. I'll tell you when the time comes."
Hinata responded without hesitation, "Okay."
"I'll take you back."
Natsume smiled as he said, "You've worked hard all morning. It's time to rest properly."
He crouched down, scooped Hinata into his arms, and vanished from the spot.
The sudden warmth caught Hinata off guard, leaving her unable to react at first. By the time she realized what was happening, her face had turned completely red.
"It's been a while since I've seen this cute expression of yours."
Natsume put her down, pinched her burning cheek, and said, "See you next time."
When he returned once more to the Hokage's office, Kurenai Yuhi was already there waiting.
"There's a major incident—the Hyuga clan has handed Elder Hiromasa Hyuga over to the Anbu, accusing him of attacking the clan leader."
Her expression serious, she asked, "Do we need to investigate this?"
The Hyuga clan is currently the largest ninja clan in Konoha Village.
And Hiromasa Hyuga was the only elder from the main family.
Kurenai sensed something ominous, so she rushed here to report.
"Don't worry," Natsume grinned. "I already know what really happened."
"In that case, good."
Kurenai exhaled in relief.
What she least wanted to see right now was any kind of disruption within Konoha Village.
After all, she didn't want her lifestyle altered because of it.
She was quite enjoying life as it was.
"Here's the list of ninja villages that have agreed to participate in the Joint Chunin Exams."
Kurenai pulled out a document and said.
Natsume glanced through it—it was basically as expected.
Except for Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and those distant villages, nearly everyone else was coming.
For the Five Great Villages, the Joint Chunin Exams served as a platform to showcase their strength externally.
But actually, these exams were even more important for smaller villages.
After all, they rarely ever got such opportunities.
Oh!
If a participant could truly shine during the Joint Chunin Exams, they could bring honor and recognition to their village.
Possibly even yield unexpected benefits.
"One more thing," Kurenai added after he finished reading. "This is the second-stage route map provided by Kirigakure."
Natsume took the map, unfolded it.
It started from the eastern part of the Land of Fire, curved in an arc, and ultimately reached the western edge of the Land of Water.
Of course, the path wasn't entirely across open water—it passed through several deserted islands where participants could rest or fight.
"Just follow this route."
Natsume gave a slight nod, then added, "No participating Genin will be permitted to use any form of transportation—they must run the entire distance."
Even without any fights along the way, simply arriving within the allotted time would already be impressive enough.
In short, the goal was to maximize the training value of the event.
After all, only a few would ultimately emerge victorious.
Most could only give their best effort, and that was the end of it.
Kurenai Yuhi jotted it down, picked up the documents, and held them to her chest as she asked, "Any further instructions?"
"You've worked hard, Sister Kurenai."
Natsume smiled and said, "Go take a rest."
"I'm not as laid-back as you are."
Kurenai teased him, "I've got a lot to do."
That wasn't an exaggeration.
In Konoha Village, most daily affairs were actually handled by the secretary group.
Only the most important ones were passed directly to the Hokage.
"Then should I reward you?"
Natsume arched a brow and asked.
Kurenai shot him a glare and left without giving him a chance to take advantage.
As she reached the door, she suddenly peeked her head back in and said, "The outfit you changed out of earlier, I've already taken it back."
Natsume immediately grinned.
After she left, he stretched lazily.
All the documents on the desk had been read through, and he had no intention of staying behind any longer.
Natsume thought for a moment before appearing in the Land of Fire's Metropolis.
Previously, the main focus had been on the Land of Snow, but now the center of attention had shifted.
Therefore, Kaguya Otsutsuki was also present in the Land of Fire's Metropolis.
She truly enjoyed this newly renovated city.
It deeply fascinated her.
Though only half-finished, one could already see echoes of its past life.
Wide streets, beautiful houses, colorful neon lights, and so on.
Natsume knocked on the door.
He entered once permission was granted.
He was quite taken aback.
Kaguya Otsutsuki stood before the mirror.
She wore a red cheongsam, striking graceful poses.
"Who bought this?"
Natsume asked curiously.
Normally, Kaguya Otsutsuki only wore clothes he purchased.
"Yukie Kazahana. She said you'd like it."
Kaguya turned around, lifted the hem of her cheongsam, revealing her snow-white thighs, and asked, "Do you like it?"
Natsume took a deep breath and gave a slight nod. "I like it. I like whatever you wear."
Kaguya suddenly bent down.
Right in front of Natsume, she pulled out a pair of black stockings and slowly started putting them on.
Wow!
Yukie, you trained her well!
Natsume's heart pounded with excitement. His heart stirred with thrill.
What made it even more effective was that Kaguya maintained an eternally cool and sacred expression throughout.
Not at all seductive—yet utterly captivating.
A completely different kind of experience altogether.
As though a celestial fairy had descended just to please a mere mortal.
Natsume secretly decided he should properly reward Yukie Kazahana later.
Kaguya slowly walked toward Natsume.
Her black stockings whispered softly against the carpet as she moved.
With each step, the cheongsam clung to her figure, accentuating her full curves.
While not quite possessing Tsunade's hourglass figure, her height lent her a uniquely elegant charm.
"Did you come here for something today?"
Kaguya stopped in front of him and reached out, gently caressing Natsume's face.
"No."
Natsume quickly shook his head.
At this moment, nothing—not even what once seemed urgent—could take priority.
Even if the ninja world were on the brink of collapse, it would have to wait.
A faint smile curved the corner of Kaguya's lips.
Her face flushed red, much like the rumpled cheongsam she wore—both dappled with deep crimson.
It was night when Natsume finally rose from atop her back. He glanced at the sleeping Kaguya Otsutsuki and couldn't help but smile.
[Sage Body] had grown even stronger once more.
Only with Kaguya Otsutsuki did his progress feel this tangible.
Natsume turned around and looked out the window, locking eyes immediately with Yukie Kazahana.
He motioned for her to come closer.
Yukie quickly stepped forward.
The wind stopped and the rain ceased.
The ground was littered with various objects.
Yukie knelt down immediately to start cleaning.
Although she was the queen of a nation, before Natsume, she willingly became his maid.
Natsume gazed down at her.
She wore a kimono, meticulously made up with thick eyeliner and crimson lips.
She must have just gotten off work.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't dress this elaborately.
Especially since she'd put on far too much lipstick—some of it had already smeared onto Natsume.
But he didn't care.
After all, Yukie was working so hard to clean.
Natsume reached down and gently ruffled her hair in approval.
Yukie offered him a faint smile in reply.
Standing was tiring, so Natsume sat down.
The area had just been cleaned, so it wasn't dirty.
Only nearby lay scattered black stockings.
They were Kaguya Otsutsuki's.
Still, they were unwearable—torn beyond repair.
Yukie let out a soft breath—the lipstick at the corner of her mouth had faded badly.
Oh…
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat in front of Natsume, saying, "Lord Natsume, good evening."
Natsume wrapped an arm around her slim waist and said, "You've worked hard recently."
He hadn't been present in the Land of Fire's Metropolis, yet the changes there were clearly visible.
The greatest credit undoubtedly went to Yukie Kazahana.
Even Ena Uzumaki paled in comparison.
It had to be admitted—Yukie had talent, especially in politics.
"I'm not tired."
Yukie shifted closer and replied.
Natsume felt a wave of emotion.
He realized the women around him were all remarkably diligent.
It almost made him look lazy in contrast.
But lazy or not, when it mattered most, he never slacked off.
Take now, for instance—he'd left Yukie completely satisfied.
"Lord Natsume."
A faint glimmer of tears appeared at the corner of Yukie's eyes. "I want to be like Sister Mikoto."
"No problem."
Natsume patted her smooth back and said.
Immediately, Yukie's face lit up with satisfaction.
Natsume picked her up gently and placed her on the bed. "Rest well."
He left the room and turned his gaze to the nearby area.
It was the backyard of the palace in the Land of Fire.
No one would come here.
Except for the few honored guests living within.
Natsume hadn't set up a soundproof barrier, partly for this very reason.
He walked toward the still-lit room and pushed open the door.
Mikoto Uchiha wasn't surprised by his arrival.
She rose to her feet, revealing a gentle smile.
"It's chilly out tonight."
Mikoto Uchiha pulled out a coat and helped Natsume into it. "You'll catch a chill if you don't."
"Thank you, Aunt Mikoto," said Natsume.
Seeing her flushed cheeks, he couldn't resist leaning in and gently nuzzling her.
"Let's eat first," Mikoto said, pausing briefly. "I made a late-night snack for you. If we don't eat now, it'll get cold."
"When did you make this?" Natsume asked as he glanced at the food on the table.
"While you were talking with Yukie," Mikoto replied softly, looking at him. "I was worried you hadn't eaten, so I made something for you."
"You're pregnant—you shouldn't be doing this yourself. Leave it to the servants."
Natsume held her hand as he spoke.
"It's fine," Mikoto couldn't help but laugh. "It's only been a few months—I don't need that much fussing over."
Natsume gave her a stern look. "That doesn't mean you should be doing it anyway."
Mikoto smiled even more, speaking in a tone usually reserved for spoiling a child. "Alright, alright. I'll listen to you."
Satisfied, Natsume gave a slight nod. He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of fried shrimp, and offered, "You should eat first."
Only to pop it into his own mouth.
Mikoto blushed and leaned forward herself.
A few minutes later, after swallowing her bite of fried shrimp, she said, "I'm not hungry. You can finish it all."
At this pace, they'd never finish before sunrise.
Which would throw off the schedule.
Natsume didn't insist further and quickly finished his meal.
Since he reeked, he shared a shower with Mikoto.
By the time they finished, it was already morning.
Instead of going home, he went straight to the Hokage's office.
Kurenai Yuhi arrived with the list of participants from various ninja villages.
Natsume skimmed it and recognized quite a few names.
All the preliminary arrangements for the Joint Chunin Exams had already been finalized. Now they just had to wait for the official start date.
Four thousand words. This brings the new book to a total of one hundred and twenty thousand. Please feel free to check it out. Also, the series is set to conclude in June.
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