Uzumaki? Hyuga?

"Nagato, is this enough?"

Konan, hidden in the shadows, asked Nagato.

Nagato's lips curled slightly. "That's enough."

"But... don't we need to take the Feudal Lord's body back with us?"

"No need, Konan. Ōnoki's decision to have us find a village to invade is a test of our trust. Why should I trust them?"

"He has plenty of ways to verify things, even if he has nothing to offer. I just want to know how he will choose."

"A choice?" Konan asked, puzzled.

Nagato: "It's about letting him choose whether to give me the Tailed Beast directly, or to verify it first. If it's verified first, we can try to get something else in the meantime."

"For example, Secret Base."

Nagato has a lot of ideas.

After the base in Amegakure was discovered, he moved there. Since there aren't many people left, they can settle down anywhere. However, the future Akatsuki Organization cannot wander around.

He needed land, and Mist Village was not suitable as Secret Base.

Surrounded by water, it would be difficult to escape once invaded, as the waterways are complicated and dangerous.

He needs to obtain a portion of land from either Ōnoki or Iwagakure Cloud Village use as his Secret Base.

You can also find your own Akatsuki Organization within it.

Once he truly becomes an affiliated organization of Iwagakure, it wouldn't be abnormal for him to establish his own sect within the village, would it?

At least Ōnoki couldn't find a particularly good reason to expel him.

Of course, Iwagakure was a secondary choice; his primary choice was Cloud Village.

The Cloud Village has more Ninja resent the Iwagakure Ninja; their homes were invaded, so naturally they harbor resentment.

No matter how well the newly formed Tsuchikage Kitsuchi is made, the result will be the same: hatred will never be completely eliminated in the first generation.

On the other side, in Konoha Village.

Kanami and Hinata enjoyed a rare period of peace.

During this week, he felt as if he had returned to the time right after the Chunin exam, a time when he could even go on vacation to the Land of Hot Water with Hinata.

Although an unexpected incident occurred, causing Hyuga Hiashi, the old man, to follow along, a minor incident also happened on the return journey.

Overall, however, it was an unforgettable trip for Kanami.

At least among so many events, this was a rare moment when he could relax.

Kanami has been staying at the Hyuga Residence for the past few days.

Although he didn't want to live in the Hyuga Residence and preferred to stay at his own home, he couldn't resist the various expressions of gratitude Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Kō showed him after their eyes were restored.

They insisted that he stay at the Hyuga Residence for a few more days.

As a result, they stayed one day, then another, and finally ended up staying at the Hyuga Residence for four days.

Today is the fifth day.

"Redhead Bro, your sister is calling you."

Hanabi Hyuga ran barefoot along the wooden path and called out to Kanami.

Kanami snapped out of his daze and stood up from the aisle, "Okay, I understand."

With his response, Hanabi Hyuga didn't linger for a moment longer, and with a series of thuds, she ran barefoot along the wooden path back into the house.

After passing through the wooden path, Kanami saw Hinata in Hinata's room.

She was alone in the room.

"What's wrong?"

Kanami asked first.

Hinata blushed slightly. "Kanami."

She let out a soft breath, her voice barely audible.

Following Hinata's suggestion, Kanami sat down next to her.

"You say."

"Um... yesterday Xiao accidentally revealed to me something that Father and he had been talking about before..."

Kanami:?

"What's the matter?"

"It's just..." Hinata seemed even more hesitant. After a moment of inner struggle, she finally managed to speak, "My father seems to be discussing our... date."

Day?!

Kanami's eyes widened.

If anyone else had said the word "days," he wouldn't have reacted so strongly, but this was Hinata Hyuga, his wife!

Hinata Hyuga didn't need to explain what this date meant; he already knew what date Hyuga Hiashi was choosing!

But they're both still children!

According to the standard age of adulthood in the Shinobi World, they are still six months away from reaching adulthood.

"Really?"

Kanami asked again to confirm.

Hinata Hyuga blushed and nodded slightly. "After saying that, Takashi suddenly slapped his head, his expression of apprehension seeming genuine..."

"Well... I don't recommend it, but Hinata, you..."

Kanami hesitated.

If he were to live two lives, he would have been an adult long ago. However, Hinata wasn't satisfied, as she felt that doing so would lead to gossip and speculation.

After all, she hadn't even reached the legal age for Shinobi World yet, and she was already getting married.

Hinata shook her head slightly. "It's alright, of course I'm willing... It's just that I didn't expect Father to suddenly consider this, so I'm a little nervous, so... I wanted to tell you first..."

"It's okay, I'm here."

Kanami held Hinata's small hand and could feel that it was slightly cold.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely give you the best for the wedding and everything."

"Okay... but I still have something to worry about..."

Hinata was conflicted, unsure whether she should speak up.

Kanami sensed her emotions, and his tone instantly softened. "You mean, it's about us?"

"That's right," Hinata nodded, "Normally, after a woman marries a man, she should change her surname to take her husband's surname, but Kanami, you... don't have a surname..."

"I'm afraid. What if Father makes you take the name of our Hyuga Clan...?"

Upon hearing this, Kanami suddenly understood.

He said that if someone was nervous, their hands shouldn't be ice-cold; it turned out they were worried about this.

"Are you afraid that I'll have a conflict with your father?"

"Um..."

"It's alright. Actually, I do have a surname, right? If I did, it would most likely be Uzumaki, look at my signature red hair."

As Kanami spoke, he grabbed a tuft of his red hair.

Hinata's worries eased slightly.

"Uzumaki Kanami, alright, let's go tell my father about this!"

Hinata thought for a moment, then grabbed Kanami and headed to find Hyuga Hiashi.

"No rush."

Kanami didn't move, but instead grabbed Hinata and made her sit back down.

"Your father didn't tell anyone about this. Going to him now would be tantamount to revealing that Brother Kō leaked the secret."

"Yes, that's true..."

"Besides, Uzumaki might not even be my surname; it's just speculation. And for me, any surname is fine."

A hint of reminiscence flashed in Kanami's eyes.

He had no recollection of his former name, only remembering that his surname was Xia. He didn't know why, but he hadn't forgotten many things, except for his name, which he had forgotten most severely.

Hinata Hyuga immediately stood up upon hearing Kanami's answer, "That won't do. If Father makes you take the Hyuga surname, wouldn't that mean you've married into the Hyuga Clan? If the villagers find out, it won't be good for you."

Kanami was taken aback.

He hadn't considered that yet. Although he didn't care what others thought, what if they secretly suspected Hinata Hyuga sugar daddy?

Although he would definitely kill him on the spot, given his current relationship with Tsunade and Konoha, killing him would actually cause a lot of trouble.

"Don't worry, it's not a big problem," Hyuga Hiashi's voice suddenly came from outside the door, "I won't let him have the Hyuga surname."