"Really, I was just acting out of good intentions."
Sitting in the office, recalling being kicked out by Ruri earlier, Hakushi couldn't help but complain softly.
After all, he hadn't done anything particularly annoying, just out of goodwill, advising her not to overexert herself, to remember weekly hospital check-ups, avoid eating too much seafood or spicy food, eat more fruit after meals, and do less training... In hindsight, it was just him, as a man, naturally caring for his beloved.
Thinking this, Hakushi couldn't help but worry a bit whether Ruri was resting well in her room as he instructed, eating fruit after meals, resting on time after eating fruit, or doing some activities beneficial for a pregnant woman's body.
"Should I go back and check?"
Then he thought of Ruri's impatient look and dismissed the idea.
No worries, Ayane is there watching, there won't be any problems.
The focus had to shift to other matters; after all, personal and public affairs must be distinguished. Ruri's pregnancy, indeed, caught him off guard, leading to a recent inability to concentrate.
Though Ruri had mentioned wanting a child before, therefore not taking safety measures, he didn't expect it to hit right away.
Oh, right, once the child is born, will it be a boy or a girl? If it's a girl, they should pick a beautiful name. What name would be good for a boy?
Hakushi furrowed his brows tightly, beginning to seriously ponder this matter.
By two o'clock in the afternoon, he'd spent his time thinking about Ruri and the child, resulting in nearly stalling today's work, with a thick stack of unprocessed documents.
Coming to awareness, Hakushi let out a bitter laugh. People often say women become silly for three years during pregnancy, yet it seems the pregnant Ruri hasn't become silly, while he is the one who has, with attention completely diverted from work.
He wasn't following a woman's script, and men can't have children.
For this reason, Hakushi could only let out a helpless sigh.
Ruri's 'pregnancy silliness' seemed perfectly absorbed by him.
However, Ruri's pregnancy, this matter isn't too big or too small.
This means he can't trouble Uchiha Madara this year.
Even if he wanted to, Ruri probably wouldn't agree.
Even with the combined power of Ayane and himself, they might not be able to eliminate this seasoned conspirator lurking within the Ninja Realm.
Moreover, the remaining opportunity is only one, which must be utilized at a critical moment.
Luckily, he also needed to accumulate strength on his side, not rushing to act against Madara for now.
Madara, too, seemed to be waiting for something, not easily making a move.
The connection with Hidden Mist Village has grown increasingly tight lately, with Yagura secretly dispatching subordinates more frequently; likely drawing some inspiration from the Land of Demons.
This was the result Hakushi himself desired to achieve.
If he is to pull Hidden Mist Village over in the future, forming a collective destiny, he couldn't afford to hide everything from the Land of Demons, otherwise Yagura would only see superficial things and wouldn't decide to join him in conducting a grand reforming world enterprise.
In Hakushi's view, Yagura, who longs to radically reform the village and harbors strong dissatisfaction with the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Water, is the kind who can be won over as a friend, and once discovered, must be pursued single-mindedly to become truly one of his own.
With Hidden Mist Village's inclusion, the process of reforming the world in the future would undoubtedly accelerate significantly.
This matter and confronting Uchiha Madara are both top priority affairs, without distinction in importance.
At this moment, a transmitter used for long-distance text communication emitted noisy mechanical sounds and the brushing of pen strokes.
Soon, a piece of white paper with encrypted text emerged from the transmitter.
This transmitter utilizes Natural Energy as a medium to convey information, allowing ultra-long-distance communication, whether for issuing orders or relaying intelligence, it ensures the accurate information is instantaneously delivered, showcasing impressive timeliness.
However, due to technical and cost issues, it can't be mass-produced currently, only provided for internal use within the Land of Demons.
If this transmitter could be widely popularized, it could change the current war model in the Ninja Realm; this outcome is bound to happen.
This time, the intelligence was sent from the Land of Earth.
The sender is Ayane, briefly describing her encounter fighting Hidden Cloud Village Ninja, hired by Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
"Hidden Cloud, huh? I thought they would send us against Konoha Ninja, seems I miscalculated. Since that Third Tsuchikage stationed Ayane in the northern part of Land of Earth, the pressure from Hidden Cloud on Hidden Rock isn't negligible."
Hakushi could roughly simulate the current overall layout within the Ninja Realm.
Hidden Mist Village is embroiled in internal disputes, with serious discrepancies between the reformists and the Blood Mist faction, even shifting internal contradictions to external conflicts won't eliminate the rift between the two factions. For a short while, they can't afford to address the complex situation among the various Ninja Villages.
Hidden Sand and Konoha ignited war in the Land of Rain, and Hidden Rain joined the war under Hanzo of the Salamander's call, openly declaring war against Hidden Sand.