They left the great hall.
"Lord Hanzō, would you still like to tour the city?"
"No. There are many matters waiting to be handled in Amegakure."
"Then I won't keep you, Lord Hanzō. Safe travels!" Ria said with a faint smile.
"Young lady, I hope you can lead the Land of Rain down the right path!" Hanzō looked at Ria solemnly.
"Rest assured! We've always been on the right path," Ria replied with complete confidence.
Hanzō studied Ria carefully. At last, a hint of a smile broke through his long-standing poker face. "I look forward to seeing what you accomplish." With that, he swiftly departed with the Ninja behind him.
"Boss Ria, does this mean they've backed down?" Axel asked in confusion.
"What does it matter whether they've backed down? As long as we're strong ourselves, we'll overcome every obstacle eventually." Ria gazed at the departing Ninja in the distance as she spoke calmly.
"Yes! I believe we'll succeed too!"
"All right, let's prepare for the Holy Church's expansion!"
"Yes!" Axel quickly gave a Holy Light Salute.
"You little brat, are you asking for a beating? Shouting that loudly—afraid your big sister can't hear you? Take this!" Ria moved to thump her increasingly cheeky little brother.
Axel chuckled and immediately ran off. "Boss, I'm off to work!"
"That little rascal!" Ria shook her head in amusement.
"Ria, have you forgotten that you still have a huge pile of documents to approve?" Meli walked over quietly and reminded her with a smile.
"Ah! Why is my life so miserable?" The thought of work instantly soured Ria's mood, and she turned to Meli with a pitiful look.
Meli looked up at the sky. "It's getting late. Time to make dinner!" With that, she swayed gracefully toward the kitchen.
Ria was left standing alone, utterly at a loss.
"Lord Hanzō, how should we respond to the Land of Fire?" Qingyu hurried up to Hanzō and asked.
"Tell Danzo to handle it himself! We no longer need funding from the Land of Fire."
"Wouldn't that be unwise? After all, we've only just begun cooperating with the Evil... ah, the Holy Church," Hakai hastily added.
"What's unwise about it? We're merely using each other. Besides, don't you think these youngsters are more trustworthy than that devious old man Danzo?" Hanzō said coldly.
People had always called him a demigod, and he had thought there was little difference between him and those evil gods. They were all merely powerful beings.
Only after seeing Holy Light did he understand the gulf between gods and humans. Against Hashirama Senju, the Land of Fire's God of Shinobi, he would still have had the confidence to exchange a few blows. But before Holy Light, he could not muster even the slightest desire to resist, in body, mind, or soul.
"Lord Danzo, this is the reply from the Land of Rain."
"Oh, Hanzō was quite quick. Has he dealt with those cultists in just a few days?" Danzo opened the letter with a calm expression.
"Damn it! What does Hanzō mean by this, telling me to handle it myself? Does he no longer want aid from the Land of Fire?" Danzo's expression changed rapidly as he read the letter, and he erupted in anger.
"Aburame, what's going on here?" Danzo stood and paced impatiently through Root's headquarters, but he still could not understand why.
"My lord, something may have changed in the Land of Rain!"
"As the leader of the Land of Rain, he can't even deal with a mere cult?" Danzo asked darkly.
"Yes, my lord. On my way back, I saw that Hanzō had lost more than half the men he'd taken with him," Aburame replied expressionlessly.
"Send out members of Root immediately. You must find out how strong that cult is."
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
"Black Zetsu, what have you come to see me about this time?" The elderly Madara, tubes protruding all over his body, stared sharply at a patch of ground not far ahead.
"Lord Madara, a group of powerful cultists has appeared in the Land of Rain." Black Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground.
"Hmph. Just a cult. Is that worth making such a fuss over?" Madara said disdainfully. During the Warring States Period, he and Hashirama had killed more evil gods than they could count.
"But they repelled Hanzō, the Rain Shadow, and their leader appears to possess combat strength on the level of a tailed beast."
"Heh, you mean that Demigod of the Ninja World? The Shinobi World has declined so far that even little insects like these can become gods now." Madara paid little mind to Black Zetsu's report, instead recalling the glory of his and Hashirama's past.
Black Zetsu was somewhat speechless. Watching Madara continue to reminisce, he finally could not hold back. "Lord Madara, Nagato has had contact with them. I'm afraid those cultists may affect our plans."
Madara emerged from his memories and looked calmly at Black Zetsu. "Where have Nagato and the others gone now?"
"They've reached Amegakure."
"Hmm. Nothing must go wrong with the Eye of the Moon Plan. It seems this old body of mine must still clear the way for Nagato and the others. Let's go meet those cultists."
"Yes, Lord Madara."
With that, Madara yanked out the tubes in his back and stretched his body. "What a frail body this is. I can only hope Nagato grows up quickly!"
"Let's go, Black Zetsu."
"Yes!"
Ria finished her work for the day. "Finally, I can get some proper rest! Another wonderful day!" Leaning back in her chair, she gazed at the setting sun on the horizon and sighed contentedly.
"Ria, come down for dinner!" Meli called loudly from downstairs.
"All right, I'll be right down." Ria tidied her desk and hurried downstairs.
"Big Sister Ria! Big Sister Ria! Give us a hug!" The two little ones skipped over to her.
"All right, all right." Ria picked up Xiao Cao and Xiao Shu, one in each arm.
"You two are almost big kids now. You can't keep pestering your sister for cuddles." Seeing that Ria looked a little tired, Meli spoke sternly to the two little ones.
The two immediately looked a little ashamed. "We understand, Big Sister Meli." With that, they quickly clambered down.
Looking at her considerate younger siblings, Ria did not contradict Meli. Instead, she took one child's hand in each of hers and asked, "Big Sister Meli, what delicious food did you make today?"
"Don't worry! We have your favorite octopus balls."
"Wow! That's wonderful!"
"Yes, yes! We love octopus balls too! Big Sister Meli's are especially delicious." The two little ones also bounced with delight.
"Don't worry! You can eat your fill today," Meli said happily.
"Bishop Ria! Bishop Ria!" Mina ran over, panting.
"What's wrong, Mina?" Ria asked curiously.
"This is bad! Holy Light says a powerful enemy has entered our territory."
Ria frowned slightly. "Looks like I won't get to eat Big Sister Meli's octopus again today."
"It's all right, Ria. I'll save extra for you to eat when you get back," Meli said with a smile.
"Yes, thank you, Big Sister Meli. Wait for me to come home!"
"Big Sister Ria, come back soon!" The two little ones looked at Ria worriedly.
"Don't worry! Your big sister is very strong." Ria turned around. "Mina, let's go to the Holy Light Hall."
"Yes, Bishop Ria."
"Ria, you're here!"
"Holy Light, where is the enemy now?"
"It's hard to explain right away. Let's do this!" With that, Li Ming split a smaller ball of light from his Sub-body and merged it into Ria's body.
"Ria, focus quietly and follow the red arrow in your mind. It will lead you to the enemy. This enemy is stronger than any you've faced before. If you can't defeat him, you can call upon the power I've given you. It will strengthen all your skills."
"Yes, thank you, Holy Light! May I ask who the enemy is this time?" Ria asked curiously.
"The Asura of the Ninja World, one of the founders of Konoha Shinobi Village—Uchiha Ban!"
Before you continue