He possessed Yin-Yang Release and could keep his body clean at all times, so he had no need to bathe.
Still, he kept up the habit every day. It was a psychological thing.
"Now that Kirigakure can get back on track, have you considered its future development, Lady Mizukage?" Otsutsuki Toneri asked Mei Terumi with a soft chuckle at the dinner table.
He needed to make Mei Terumi depend on him, to make her unable to do without him. Only then could he gradually win her over.
Mei Terumi was Kirigakure's Mizukage, and judging by the ruthless, decisive methods she had displayed today, this woman was indeed worth cultivating.
Otsutsuki Toneri was quite pleased with her!
"Kirigakure's internal strife was far too severe. I imagine that for the next few years, our main focus will have to be recuperating and nurturing talent." Mei Terumi paused at his words, then spoke with some helplessness.
She wanted to make Kirigakure bigger and stronger in a short time, too, but that was clearly impossible.
Kirigakure had too few ninja now, and the chief cause was the Ninja Academy's former graduation exam.
Killing one another!
With such a system in place, Kirigakure's ninja population had already dwindled drastically.
"Why not consider annexing a country or two?" A sinister smile curled Otsutsuki Toneri's lips at her words. Recuperating was indeed a choice made out of helplessness.
But why did they have to do that? Recovery would be far too slow that way.
If they chose to annex a country or two to increase their population and territory, their efficiency in training ninja would improve greatly.
"It isn't that easy. Besides, with Kirigakure's current strength..." Mei Terumi was slightly tempted, but then shook her head.
War was not that easy, and the biggest problem was that Kirigakure was far too weak now.
Launching an invasion could very well trigger an unfavorable chain reaction.
"There's no need to mobilize all of Kirigakure. Against a few small ninja villages, sending elite ninja units to launch surprise attacks would suffice. I think the Land of Sea would make a good target."
Otsutsuki Toneri smiled, then spoke slowly, a faint glow flickering in his Tenseigan.
The Land of Sea was a coastal nation on the continent, extremely close to Kirigakure, and a small country without much strength.
If Kirigakure could conquer this country, it would be equivalent to establishing a gateway on the continent.
They could advance to attack or retreat to defend. Very convenient!
Mei Terumi pondered for a moment. Otsutsuki Toneri's words did make a great deal of sense. Although Kirigakure was somewhat weak compared to the other four great ninja villages,
it still held an enormous advantage over the other small countries and villages.
And although the Land of Sea was small, it had a considerable population. That was indeed very attractive to Kirigakure.
"That really is an excellent suggestion. Thank you, Toneri." Only after pondering for quite some time did Mei Terumi raise her head and smile at Otsutsuki Toneri.
If they really succeeded, they could considerably shorten the time Kirigakure needed to recover.
"You're too kind, Lady Mizukage. A prosperous and powerful Kirigakure is something I hope to see as well." Otsutsuki Toneri shook his head with a gentle smile. Those words were not wrong.
Kirigakure was his base. Once it grew strong, it would be extremely useful in the future!
He was counting on using Kirigakure to have some fun with those four villages!
But the Land of Water's territory was far too small. They would have to expand it.
"There's no need to call me Lady Mizukage, Toneri. It sounds far too distant. If you think well enough of me, how about calling me your big sister?"
Mei Terumi covered her little mouth and giggled, her eyes shining faintly as she looked at Otsutsuki Toneri.
She was growing fonder and fonder of Otsutsuki Toneri. No matter how she looked at him, he was so delicate and handsome.
He made her want to pull him into her arms and squeeze him, and he was so powerful and calculating, too.
The perfect little brother!
"..." Otsutsuki Toneri froze at her words. Looking at the stunningly beautiful Mei Terumi, he genuinely did not know how to respond. Big sister?
Mei Terumi was one of his future targets. Was he supposed to have a passionate romance with an older woman he called his sister?
Imagining himself thrusting into Mei Terumi in the future while calling her big sister...
Otsutsuki Toneri hurriedly banished the thought from his mind. Too sinful, far too sinful.
Besides, although he only looked seven now, his actual mental age was already that of a full-grown adult.
He could not bring himself to say it.
Chapter 78: Tsunade's resolve! Eleventh update!
"Huh? You don't want to, Toneri? Is it because you think I'm too old?" Seeing Otsutsuki Toneri remain silent, Mei Terumi blinked, then immediately put on an expression as though she were about to cry.
Even her voice took on a slight tremor, perfectly conveying sorrow and hurt.
Otsutsuki Toneri's eyelid twitched at the sight. Were women really all born actresses?
"How could I not want to? You're so beautiful, Lady Mizukage. But... my family takes this sort of thing rather seriously, so if I were to acknowledge someone as my sister, I would need to inform my family first."
After some thought, Otsutsuki Toneri could only find a rather poor excuse to politely refuse Mei Terumi's request.
He was going to conquer this woman before him one day. Calling her his big sister was out of the question!
Otherwise, it would be far too embarrassing.
"...I see. Then I won't insist, though it really is a shame." Mei Terumi paused slightly at his words, then dropped her expression and spoke helplessly.
Yet a peculiar gleam appeared in her eyes. Family reasons, was it?
Who would believe that nonsense?
It was obvious that Otsutsuki Toneri simply did not want to. But that made sense. How could a monster like him casually acknowledge someone as his big sister?
Still, Mei Terumi found it increasingly interesting. She decided to set herself a small goal first!
Make Otsutsuki Toneri call her big sister!
That would certainly be fun, wouldn't it?
If such a delicate, adorable little fellow called her big sister, how could an ordinary person experience a comparable sense of accomplishment?
Exactly! That would be her little goal!
The harder it was to accomplish, the more challenging it would be!
Mei Terumi had been a genius since childhood, a genius with dual kekkei genkai!
She would not give up easily. Besides, if Otsutsuki Toneri became her little brother, that would mean...
Otsutsuki Toneri was truly on Kirigakure's side, wouldn't it?
Otsutsuki Toneri was far too extraordinary, whether in strength or intellect. With someone like him, Mei Terumi did not dare use other methods. She could only draw closer to him step by step.
The initiative had never been hers. Otsutsuki Toneri could stay if he wanted to, and leave if he wanted to.
But for Mei Terumi and Kirigakure, letting Otsutsuki Toneri leave the village would be far too great a loss.
He was the key to Kirigakure's rise to the pinnacle of the continent!
"Please stop teasing me, Lady Mizukage. It's getting late, so I'll go rest now." Otsutsuki Toneri shook his head rather helplessly, then smiled at Mei Terumi.
This woman-if I weren't so young, I would certainly teach her a proper lesson!
Besides, a great deal had happened today. He needed to organize his thoughts and prepare for the next stage of his plan.
He enjoyed challenges because all sorts of unexpected surprises would arise, but he also always made many arrangements beforehand to ensure that unforeseen events would not interrupt his plans.
After saying goodbye to Mei Terumi, Otsutsuki Toneri returned to his room. When Mei Terumi had brought them over that afternoon,
the rooms had already been arranged.
After taking a bath, Otsutsuki Toneri lay down on the bed and sank into thought, gently stroking Matatabi's silky fur.
He actually already had ideas for most of his plans, but it would still be a long time before he could put them into motion.
"I wonder how that woman is doing. Has she made up her mind? Just how firm is her resolve?" Thinking of a certain blond, busty woman, Otsutsuki Toneri could not help curling his lips as he murmured softly.
He really was curious about what Tsunade would choose. He had already drawn out the memories and hatred in her heart.
So what would she do?
She certainly would not easily abandon the Senju Clan's grievances, but she surely could not bring herself to strike at Konoha either.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Land of Fire.
"The clan... glory... Konoha..." Tsunade stood on a small hillside, gazing into the distance, her face slightly haggard. Then she lowered her head a little and murmured softly.
Confusion filled her eyes, her voice, and her expression!
Yes, she truly felt so lost. These things had been tormenting her all this time.
She did not know. She truly did not know what she should do. Konoha was the Senju's roots-that was what she had always believed.
Yet the people in Konoha had single-handedly sent the Senju into the abyss. What exactly should she do?
As the dead spirits of the Senju seemed to whisper in her ears every night, should she take revenge? Against whom?
Her teacher, the Third Hokage? Shimura Danzō? Or those Konoha clans that had helped things along?
But if she took revenge on these people, would she still count as part of Konoha?
She did not know. She was so lost. Her eldest grandfather had founded Konoha with his own hands and ultimately sacrificed himself for it.
Her second grandfather had poured his heart and soul into it, giving everything for Konoha.
She truly felt such pain and confusion now.
She had not slept well in a long time. Whenever she closed her eyes, the anguished wails and whispers of those Senju clansmen seemed to ring in her ears.
They had died with their grievances unresolved!
"Konoha... is the Senju's roots... the Senju's roots, the Senju... are Konoha's... roots! That's right, the Senju... are Konoha's roots!" Tsunade murmured softly. By the end, her tone abruptly turned cold and fierce.
Konoha belonged to the Senju! The Senju had founded it with their own hands! The Senju were Konoha's roots!
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