Ryōsuke gave a firm answer to Zabuza's question.
"I'm stronger than them. Isn't that a given?"
Two years ago, he was already comparable to Six Paths-level powerhouses, having unlocked the sixth gate of the Eight Inner Gates at that time.
With his physical constitution then, opening the sixth gate was equivalent to a peak Might Guy opening the seventh. Furthermore, he could maintain that state for a long duration.
He didn't fear Six Paths-level experts at all.
Moreover, over these past two years, not only had Ryōsuke's attributes increased significantly, but his chakra had also surged. He could even open the seventh gate of the Eight Inner Gates now.
Naturally, he had opened the seventh gate through gradual progress, passing the threshold basically without injury.
Since there wouldn't be any formidable enemies for a long time, he was able to relax his pace and slowly open the seventh gate.
Zabuza heard the tone in his voice.
'Is this guy serious? How can he say something like that with such confidence?'
It would be one thing to be stronger than Hanzo, as Hanzo's reputation was somewhat inflated.
But the weight of Senju Hashirama's name was the real deal.
Although there was no way to compare them now, since Senju Hashirama was long dead.
He had another doubt and asked.
"Then what is your organization's objective?"
Ryōsuke said with a smile.
"To bring peace to the shinobi world, of course."
"After all, we're called The Illuminati."
Zabuza looked surprised once more.
Peace for the shinobi world? What a lofty goal.
But achieving such a goal was no easy feat.
Was there really anyone in the shinobi world who could realize such a grand ambition?
Even the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, had been unable to do so.
Legend has it that the Sage of Six Paths might have achieved peace.
But the current shinobi world was still a mess, having just experienced a major catastrophe.
The same was true for their Mist Village.
Suddenly, a bold idea struck him.
"Can you bring peace to the Mist Village?"
"The Fourth Mizukage is currently a tyrant, slaughtering innocent people who possess Kekkei Genkai."
If the tyrannical Fourth Mizukage could be eliminated...
Then the village would not continue developing in such an inhumane manner.
Ryōsuke lowered his head in thought after hearing this.
He didn't really care about bringing peace to the Mist Village.
However, his purpose for this trip was to obtain the Three-Tails from within the Fourth Mizukage.
In the original plot, even after Ao dispelled the genjutsu on the Fourth Mizukage...
He died shortly after, and Terumī Mei succeeded him as Mizukage.
That must have been Obito's doing. He likely calculated that the people of the Mist would eventually discover the Fourth Mizukage's actions were the result of a genjutsu.
Ryōsuke only needed to obtain the Three-Tails and dispel the genjutsu on the Fourth Mizukage. As for whether the man lived or died, that was none of his business.
"That won't be a problem."
Zabuza was a bit startled.
This guy actually agreed.
To speak so boldly—did he really have a way to deal with the Fourth Mizukage?
His heart suddenly raced with a bit of excitement.
Although he couldn't save this nation himself, the person before him might actually have a chance.
As long as the Fourth Mizukage was eliminated, the nation would improve.
In fact, many people in the village were dissatisfied with the Fourth Mizukage.
The tyranny he imposed had long since incited public outrage.
But who could do anything when he was the Fourth Mizukage?
He was incredibly powerful, and anyone who refused to submit was killed.
"Fine, I'll join your organization, The Illuminati."
Seeing him agree, Ryōsuke smiled.
"Good. Then tomorrow morning, meet me here to lead the way to the Mist Village."
"Also, you should be able to tend to your own wounds, right?"
He still had to take Haku to an inn to clean her up.
Zabuza said with certainty.
"I can handle this much myself."
The attacks hadn't hit any vital points or damaged his internal organs.
They were just some relatively heavy surface wounds; not a major problem.
Hearing that they were going to the Mist Village, Haku suddenly spoke up anxiously.
"Can we not go to the Mist Village? It's the base of operations for slaughtering Kekkei Genkai users. I'm also a Kekkei Genkai user."
She completely trusted the person in front of her now, so she didn't hide anything.
Ryōsuke comforted her.
"It's fine, I'll protect you."
"Actually, I'm also a Kekkei Genkai user."
His Kekkei Genkai was the Sharingan.
Haku was surprised; he was a Kekkei Genkai user just like her.
"Are you an 'evil' person too, then?"
Ryōsuke was a bit taken aback.
"It doesn't make one evil; rather, it makes us those favored by the heavens."
"Those with Kekkei Genkai have an advantage over ordinary ninja."
He didn't understand why those old fossils in the Mist Village wanted to persecute Kekkei Genkai users. It seemed the policy had been in place since the time of the Third Mizukage.
Forget it, he couldn't be bothered with such things.
Zabuza, meanwhile, was shocked once more. Not only was this guy a Taijutsu powerhouse, but he even possessed a Kekkei Genkai.
He had only used Taijutsu to deal with him—so how powerful must his Kekkei Genkai be?
This gave him even more confidence in going to the Mist Village tomorrow to take down the Fourth Mizukage.
Haku felt a bit of happiness in her heart. So, Kekkei Genkai users weren't evil people after all.
After parting ways with Zabuza, Ryōsuke took Haku and began searching for an inn along the street.
Eventually, they found a decent-looking inn and checked in.
The first thing Ryōsuke wanted to do was give Haku a bath.
Haku said with a slight blush.
"I can do it myself."
But how could Ryōsuke agree? If he didn't bathe Haku, how could he tell if she was a boy or a girl?
Haku couldn't win the argument and eventually agreed.
She didn't want to disappoint her benefactor.
He had given her food, clothes, and even brought her to soak in a hot bath.
He had essentially given her a new life.
Otherwise, if she hadn't starved to death, she would have frozen to death.
She could only wrap herself in a towel and follow Ryōsuke into the bathroom.
Fortunately, there were only the two of them.
Looking at the filthy Haku, Ryōsuke said.
"You're covered in grime. Let me scrub your back for you."
Haku nodded.
"Okay."
Haku found a small stool and sat down.
Ryōsuke took a towel soaked in hot water and wiped Haku's body over and over again.
While checking near the base of her thighs, he finally discovered Haku's secret.
He felt a pleasant surprise.
"Haku, you don't have a dick after all!"