Great Ambition

"Hey! You freeloader, off you went fishing?"

"I have a name. What do you mean by 'mooching off'? I'm just short on cash right now. I'll repay you tenfold in the future."

"Tch! All talk and no action, hurry up and get going."

Yahiko pursed his lips and urged Katsuki to set off. Konan stood to the side, smiling broadly, while Nagato 'Nagato still covered his face, making it impossible to see his expression.

"Alright, alright, let's go!"

Katsuki casually picked up the fishing spear standing at the door, and the four of them walked towards the small river not far away.

Three full days have passed, Katsuki remains here, not in a hurry to leave and return to Konoha's camp, even though he has learned from Yahiko that this place is not far from Konoha's front-line camp, only about sixty miles away.

But he still chose to stay there, for a simple reason: to recover from his injury.

Having been struck by lightning and having just gone through a fierce battle, his body is now severely weakened. Even if he returned to the main camp, he would be a burden and unable to fight. So he decided to stay here, mooch food, and recuperate. With his physique, he should be able to recover in ten to fifteen days. He just needs to get through this period.

And there was something here that really interested him: the Rinnegan, the only pair of legendary eyes in the Shinobi World at present.

Having seen plenty of Red Eye in the Uchiha Clan, the Byakugan rabies in the Hyuga Clan was nothing new. The rarest thing was the Rinnegan, which was hailed as the foremost of the Three Great Dōjutsu. He really wanted to verify his distant memories. Curiosity was like a cat lurking in his heart, teasing him with its claws until he was uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, after three days of free meals, I easily became acquainted with Yahiko and Konan. They were about the same age, and their carefree and easygoing nature made them easy to get along with. Yahiko, in particular, was naturally a generous and outgoing person, the kind of person who easily makes friends and gains the support of others, and he had the natural charisma of a leader.

Konan is a girl, but she is not shy or timid at all. But thinking about it, it makes sense. She was able to survive in the Land of Rain with Yahiko. If she were a little weak, she would be devoured.

The only one he hadn't gotten to know well was Nagato. Nagato was somewhat resistant to the idea that Katsuki and Nagato were from the same clan, but he just ignored Katsuki and was very cold towards her.

Riverside.

The rain wasn't heavy today; a light drizzle swept across the river. Katsuki and Yahiko walked on the water, their eyes searching for fish swimming underwater. Every now and then, they would dart their fishing spears and catch One-Tail fish, which they would then throw onto the bank for Nagato and Konan to deal with.

How is your health recovering?

"I've regained some strength, but it'll probably take another seven or eight days to fully recover!"

The Katsuki -Gazing Fish is incredibly fast; in the time it takes to speak, the harpoon has already risen and fallen several times. No fish that swims within three meters of it can escape.

"How long do you plan to stay? I took a walk around town yesterday, and everywhere I went, I heard rumors about the war between Konoha and Sunagakure. It seems like Konoha has reinforced its troops again," Yahiko said.

"Let's talk about it after I recover. Even if I go back now, I won't be of any use. I might as well stay here and mooch some meals," Katsuki said calmly.

"Hey, hey, don't be so brazen about freeloading, okay? It'll make things difficult for me," Yahiko said, squinting.

Katsuki smiled and was about to reply when her eyebrows twitched and her face immediately darkened. However, Yahiko, who was focused on the surging waves, did not see this.

"What's wrong? I was just joking. You're not taking it seriously... are you?"

After a long Katsuki, Yahiko turned around and was taken aback by the serious expression on Katsuki.

"What's wrong? Why are you so serious?"

"No... I'm overthinking it. I'm used to the tension on the battlefield, so it's a bit strange to relax like this." Katsuki shook her head with a smile, but if you looked closely, you could see that the smile was just a facade; there wasn't a trace of a smile in her dark, deep eyes.

As he raised and lowered the fishing spear, he continued chatting idly with Yahiko, but in his mind he was pondering the fleeting Chakra fluctuation. He had sensed it for a moment, but when he looked for it again, he found nothing, as if it had just been his illusion.

His eyes narrowed slightly, as if searching for fish swimming in murky water. He was convinced of his judgment that someone was definitely watching them, or more accurately, watching Nagato, watching that pair of invaluable Rinnegan, the only pair of Rinnegan in the world today.

It seems the real owner was worried something might happen to these precious items, which is why they were constantly monitoring them.

With a thousand thoughts swirling around him, and relying on memories that transcend time and space, he quickly sorted out his thoughts. With enough information at his disposal, everything was based on evidence.

Nagato's Rinnegan was acquired through illegitimate means. It is unknown when, but at some point, without Nagato's knowledge, Madara Uchiha transferred his own Rinnegan to Nagato, granting him this unparalleled power. However, even Madara only had one pair of precious eyes. Nagato could have an accident, but these eyes could not be harmed in any way.

This was an outcome that Madara could not accept under any circumstances. Therefore, monitoring Nagato was necessary. At least until Nagato could use the Rinnegan to protect himself effectively, the reins that served as both a restraint and a protection would not be loosened. Moreover, with White Zetsu's Transformation Technique, which was known as the most powerful transformation technique, it was perfectly suited to take on the responsibility of monitoring. Even with the keen senses of Katsuki, she only noticed the fluctuation for that one moment.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, he focused on fishing. He couldn't and dared not interfere with Madara Uchiha's schemes now. Although his ambition was to prevent a series of tragedies caused by Black Zetsu and Madara in the future, such things couldn't be rushed. He could only proceed slowly. He still had time, enough time to strengthen himself to withstand the storms to come.

"Yahiko, Katsuki, that's enough. There's enough fish. Any more and we'll have to pickle it. I don't like the taste of salted fish."

Konan shouted from the shore.

There were indeed plenty of fish; the six wooden buckets on the shore were filled to the brim.

However, so much fish is only enough for two meals. Katsuki's appetite is enough to eat as much as Yahiko and the other two. Her body is severely depleted, so she definitely needs to find a place to replenish herself and eat more to make up for her losses.

"Katsuki, is your stomach some kind of glutton? You ate the whole rice jar in just three days!"

Yahiko hoisted the fishing spear onto his shoulder and walked back with Katsuki across the water, his mouth never stopping as he relentlessly made sarcastic remarks.

"Haha! This is a huge loss! You need to replenish your strength, otherwise you won't be able to handle it. Being a ninja is a very physically demanding job. Speaking of which, Yahiko, what are you planning to do in the future?"

Katsuki chuckled and changed the subject, bringing up model essays.

"Me? My ideal is to conquer the world, to make all these meaningless wars disappear, and to stop this country from weeping!"