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After erasing the White Snake Sage’s corpse with a Truth-Seeking Ball, Shin surveyed the entirety of Ryūchi Cave.
With his Nine-Tomoe Rinne Tenseigan, Shin could encompass the entire Ryūchi Cave in his sight.
“Nothing worthwhile here.”
Finding nothing of value, Shin decided to leave, as he didn’t favor the environment of this place.
After he left, the surviving snakes in Ryūchi Cave breathed a sigh of relief. The cave had been split in two, and over half the snakes had been killed.
But it was still fortunate that half of them survived.
—
Shin used Yomotsu Hirasaka to return home. Previously, he hadn’t used Yomotsu Hirasaka to enter Ryūchi Cave because he didn’t know its coordinates.
Therefore, he summoned Manda to lead him there. Returning, however, was straightforward, as he possessed the coordinates of the outside world.
“Ah, it’s good to be back.”
Shin exhaled deeply. Despite the abundant natural energy in Ryūchi Cave, he didn’t appreciate its gloomy environment.
Uchiha Madara, who lived underground, would probably like it there.
—
Entering the house, Shin noticed that Kushina and the others were absent. This indicated to him that they were likely training.
He went to the training ground he had built, and indeed, Kushina, Tsunade, Mikoto, and Konan were all there.
“Shin, you’re back? That was quick.”
Mikoto was the first to notice Shin’s return. She paused her Fire Release training and approached him.
Considering the short duration of his absence, Mikoto’s face showed a hint of surprise.
“I’m back. Unfortunately, I didn’t achieve my primary goal, but it’s alright; I didn’t come back empty-handed.”
Although he didn’t obtain information about the Sage of Six Paths, he did acquire three Advanced Copy Cards—a considerable gain!
“Now that you’re back, hurry up and teach us,” Kushina said, pulling Shin towards them.
“You’re unusually diligent today.” Shin couldn’t help but smile.
“Of course! I have to surpass Mikoto.”
Kushina glanced at Mikoto.
“That’ll be difficult.”
Mikoto’s current strength was formidable. Even if Kushina and Tsunade teamed up, they might struggle against her.
The power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was immense. With its abilities, Mikoto’s strength had surpassed that of Kushina and Tsunade.
“Why do you want to surpass me?” Mikoto couldn’t help but ask.
Kushina placed a finger on her chin, pondering before responding, “I guess it’s a matter of pride. I used to be able to easily defeat you, but now you’ve overtaken me.”
“Kushina, you were never able to beat me up easily,” Mikoto said, rolling her eyes.
Even before, their strength had been similar.
“I’ll guide you in a few days. Right now, I need to help Konan with her Sage Mode training.”
Shin turned to Kushina.
Kushina nodded, understanding that Konan was at a critical stage in her training.
—
Time flew by, and a month passed. Shin remained busy, continuously instructing the four women in their training.
Konan had now mastered Sage Mode proficiently.
Kushina and the others had also improved, but not by much. It was difficult for them to improve further. They had almost reached their limits.
At this moment, Shin stood by the seaside. Not far from the shore, a ship was approaching.
With his eyesight, he could easily see the people on the ship. They were dressed as Shinobi, and from their forehead protectors, he recognized them as shinobi from Kirigakure.
“They’re heading towards the Land of Whirlpools.”
Shin’s eyes narrowed slightly. Did they really think they could come and go from here as they pleased?
“Shin, you’re here. Let’s go back and eat.”
Kushina appeared beside Shin, using the Body Flicker Technique.
“Eat? Let’s deal with these guys first.”
Shin pointed at the ship, which had reached the shore. A group of Kiri Shinobi disembarked.
“What are they doing here?” Kushina frowned.
“It doesn’t matter what they’re doing here. This is our land!”
In an instant, Kushina vanished, reappearing before the group of Kiri Shinobi.
“Kushina’s Body Flicker Technique is getting faster. I wonder how it compares to Shisui Uchiha’s.” Shin said to himself.
He had never met Shisui Uchiha, but he didn’t think Shisui’s Body Flicker Technique was better than Kushina’s.
The reason was simple: Kushina was far stronger than Shisui.
—
“Who gave you permission to come here?” Kushina demanded.
“Captain, there’s someone here!” A fierce-looking Kiri Shinobi said to the woman standing at the front of their group. The woman was their captain.
Kushina looked at the captain—a young woman with green eyes and long, wavy brown hair, younger than even Konan.
She was also quite beautiful. And as their captain, she must be strong.
She met all the requirements for Kushina’s ideal recruit.
“Hey, what’s your name?” Kushina asked.
“Mei Terumī. And you are?”
Mei looked at Kushina warily. Though Kushina seemed harmless, the fact that she had appeared before them in an instant meant that she wasn’t weak.
“I’ll tell you who I am later. For now, I declare that you’re a member of Suikagakure!” Kushina declared.
“…..”
“Is that Mei Terumī, the Fifth Mizukage?” Shin muttered to himself in surprise. She certainly looked like her.
Mei Terumī was confused. “Suikagakure?” She’d never heard of it.
“Kushina, shouldn’t you ask her if she agrees first?” Shin asked, walking over.
“Does it matter if she agrees? She doesn’t have a choice,” Kushina said, glancing at Mei Terumī.
She had decided to recruit Mei Terumī. There was no escape, unless Mei Terumī was stronger than her.
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