C220

"Eight-Tails' power hiccup~ I seem to have a bit of indigestion."

Kain was lying on the ground in an unrefined manner, his belly swollen to four or five meters, constantly shifting into various shapes. 

It would take some time to fully digest the Eight-Tails, and the bulging horns on his stomach were a clear sign that the beast was still struggling inside him.

The injuries on Kain's body were healing rapidly. The battle had been inevitable—he had to fight hand-to-hand to swallow the Eight-Tails, and its counterattack had left him with some wounds. 

However, after consuming some mana and chakra, he recovered quickly.

After lying on the ground for a while, Kain sensed a surge of incredibly powerful chakra within him. 

At the same time, he slowly gained control over the Eight-Tails' abilities, such as the Tailed Beast Bomb and its unique ink seal.

A few hours later, the Eight-Tails was completely digested. Kain's chakra reserves had tripled. He had already possessed a vast amount of chakra, but now, even compared to the Nine-Tails, his chakra might surpass it.

Moreover, the Tailed Beast chakra didn't just increase his reserves—it enhanced his overall strength. 

With his newly gained power and the abilities of the Thunder Fruit, even if Senju Hashirama were resurrected, Kain would still be stronger.

Unifying the Five Great Nations…?

The thought suddenly crossed Kain's mind, but after some consideration, he dismissed it.

Now wasn't the time. While he had the strength to accomplish it, the majority of Konoha and the Land of Fire wouldn't support such an endeavor. 

Even if he managed to conquer the other four ninja villages, the people of Konoha wouldn't accept destruction in the name of unification.

Even Kushina disliked war. If it were purely for defense, she might fight without hesitation. But launching an aggressive campaign? Unless the benefits of unification were undeniable and tangible, she wouldn't approve.

Some Konoha shinobi, driven by an unnecessary sense of kindness, might even secretly rebel against Kain's rule. If that happened, he'd be stuck in the ninja world for over a decade, constantly suppressing uprisings.

Simply put, Senju Hashirama's ideology had influenced too many people. Their vision of peace was one where the status quo was maintained—where everyone simply "understood" one another and avoided war.

This mindset was the biggest obstacle to unification. Unless it was changed, even if Orochimaru himself gave the order, there would still be those who resisted.

Even Ji, who had been trained in the Root since childhood, turned against it on his very first mission. Danzo's "unshakable" Root training was nothing more than a joke.

"Next, the focus will be on newspapers, TV stations, and the internet, combined with Konoha's education reform. In a few years, we'll reshape the way Konoha thinks—then, the Land of Fire can unify the ninja world."

Kain was certain that the Fire Nation would eventually bring the ninja world under its rule. He just wasn't sure when. But by the time Naruto was sixteen, he had already changed his forehead protector—by then, the Fire Ninja Nation should have fully unified the world.

Upon returning to Konoha with Killer Bee, Kain handed him over directly to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru examined Killer Bee and sighed. "You really did pull out the Eight-Tails…"

"Don't worry, I've got you covered."

Kain tossed Orochimaru a sealing scroll containing the Eight-Tails' flesh and chakra that he had extracted during the battle. Orochimaru, satisfied with the offering, took the scroll without hesitation.

With that in hand, Killer Bee's life no longer mattered. Orochimaru ordered Anbu to detain him separately until he could be exchanged with the Cloud Shinobi. After that, he had no further interest in Bee.

Before Kain left, Orochimaru made another request—he wanted some Nine-Tails chakra as soon as possible. For Kushina, that was a simple matter, so Kain agreed.

After handing over Killer Bee, Kain also had to deal with the matter of becoming a daimyo. The current Fire Nation daimyo's body wouldn't last much longer, and the corruption of black magic was not something ordinary people could endure.

Once he became daimyo, he suspended Sky City above the capital of the Land of Fire as his new daimyo mansion.

When Kain returned home, he happened to find Uchiha Mikoto teaching Kushina about raising children. 

Upon seeing Kain, Mikoto got up, preparing to leave. Though Kain politely invited her to stay for dinner, she tactfully declined.

After Mikoto left, Kain took out some Sea Kings barbecue for dinner. While preparing the meal, he said to Kushina, "When the time comes, ask some people to help take care of Naruto, or I can prepare some robots for you. At least that way, you won't have to do housework."

"Mmm~, you really are the best. I'll give you a reward tonight."

Hearing Kain's words, Kushina felt a surge of happiness and immediately hugged him from behind. However, not long after she pounced on him, Kain felt a wet sensation on his back. A moment later, Kushina's panicked voice rang out.

"Oh~, I'll take care of Naruto first! I'll come back down when the meal is ready."

"Alright."

Kain had a pretty good guess about what had just happened. After cleaning up with magic, he looked forward to the evening even more.

But before long, he heard movement at the entrance, followed by Tsunade's voice.

"Kushina, do you have anything to eat? That bastard Orochimaru dumped a ton of work on me. Ugh—wait, why are you back?"

Kain sighed. "This is my home. Isn't it normal for me to be here? I seem to recall you saying last time that you wanted to go back to your own place."

"Too much dust. No one's lived there in a long time. I'll make Nawaki clean it when he gets back."

Tsunade was becoming less and less like a guest and more like a freeloader. She glanced at the barbecue Kain was preparing, licked her lips, and urged him to make more—just like a husky waiting for food.

Kain shook his head but didn't rush her out, deciding to tolerate her presence for now. After all, she had taken care of Kushina before.

During dinner, Tsunade ate meat, drank wine, and complained to Kushina about how hard she'd been working. 

More than once, she mentioned wanting to throw off her responsibilities and travel elsewhere in the ninja world, but Orochimaru wouldn't allow it.

It was impossible for Orochimaru to let a medical master like Tsunade wander around. If other ninja villages caught wind of it, they might attempt an assassination.

However, Tsunade had grown to dislike the atmosphere in the village. The political struggles were too intense.

Although Konoha was developing rapidly, it wasn't the village she had envisioned. It was far from Senju Hashirama's dream—it no longer felt like home but more like a federation of self-interested factions.

As usual, after drinking, Tsunade fell asleep. In the end, Kushina carried her to a room and tucked her in.

Late that night, Tsunade was awakened by faint, intermittent sounds. Because of the alcohol, her body felt uncomfortably warm, and her throat was dry.

"Water... I need water..."

Half-asleep, she sat up and spotted a glass of water on the bedside table. She grabbed it and downed it in one gulp.

The cool sensation as it flowed down her throat helped wake her up a little.

After regaining consciousness, Tsunade heard that scorching voice again—just like last time, but even more intense.

"These two… I really shouldn't have stayed here. How is anyone supposed to get a good night's sleep?"

An intoxicating blush spread across Tsunade's face, mixed with helpless shame. Kushina's voice carried a strange, almost magical power, making her breathing grow slightly ragged as her thighs unconsciously pressed together.

Beyond that, the alcohol in her system was an undeniable instigator. With a dry throat, Tsunade got out of bed, using chakra to silence her footsteps, and slowly made her way upstairs.

Her face was still flushed, and the lingering intoxication clouded her judgment. She didn't fully understand what she was doing—maybe she just wanted to get closer, to hear more clearly.

By the time she reached the upper floor, the master bedroom was just around the corner. The sounds coming from inside were already painfully clear, making Tsunade sober up slightly. Realizing what she had just done, she immediately smacked her own blushing face.

'Tsunade, oh Tsunade, what are you even doing? You're Tsunade-hime, one of the Sannin, and you're… eavesdropping on that?'

She squeezed her eyes shut, scolding herself internally. The most rational thing to do right now was to quietly retreat, go back to sleep, and pretend none of this ever happened. Tomorrow, she'd just clean her house and move on.

But her legs felt weak, and for some reason, she couldn't seem to stand.

'Maybe I drank too much… I'll just sit for a bit and go back once I recover.'

Pressing a hand against her heaving chest, Tsunade tried to calm herself. But before she realized it, her thighs had started rubbing together again, a deepening warmth building between them.

She didn't know how long she sat there. Eventually, a high-pitched cry echoed from inside the room, followed by the creaking of the bed settling. 

At that moment, something inside Tsunade seemed to reach a breaking point. Her entire body trembled, and she gasped desperately, like a fish starved of oxygen.

The night fell into silence.

It took Tsunade a long time to steady her breathing.

She needed to get up, go back to her room, and forget everything that happened tonight. But just as she convinced herself to move, she heard something—

A faint noise from inside the room.

Someone was getting out of bed.

Her heart jumped into her throat. Panicked, she scrambled downstairs on all fours, her movements clumsy in her haste. But the sound of footsteps behind her made her pulse skyrocket.

Instead of running back to her bedroom, she darted into the bathroom, trying to suppress any noise.

Inside the house, Kushina had already fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted.

It had been a long time since Kain and Kushina had spent time together like this, and Kain was quite satisfied. After giving birth, Kushina had gained a more mature allure, something he found himself enjoying immensely.

However, as he lay in bed afterward, something caught his attention.

There was someone outside the room.

Frowning slightly, he got up to check.

The moment he stepped out, he heard a faint noise—a soft shuffle, barely audible. But it was enough to confirm his suspicion.

Yet, as he scanned the house with his mind's network, he sensed no change in the number of people inside. That was strange.

Then, as he walked around the corner, his eyes landed on something unusual.

A puddle.

A small, wet trace glistening on the floor.

"This is…"

Kain crouched down, examining it closely. A peculiar expression crossed his face before he stood up and made his way downstairs.

The footsteps grew closer to the bathroom.

Inside, Tsunade held her breath, her heart pounding violently against her ribs.

She had prayed to the Sage of Six Paths countless times, but her silent pleas went unanswered.

With a soft click, the door swung open.

…

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