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Thus, after Black Zetsu had found his direction, Kitahara Kaede, on his end, also finally got his vacation.
Having sent Black Zetsu to the moon, Kitahara Kaede's mood improved significantly.
So, he took the little ninja rabbit and began writing in his journal.
Of course, this also somewhat amounted to [spoiling] a few things for the ninja rabbit.
After all, she had hidden herself away in the Heavenly Gap and had no idea what was going on.
The little white ninja rabbit watched his writing seriously.
Then she understood… Black Zetsu, that fool, really had gone to heaven.
But her opinion was the same as Kitahara Kaede's.
If Black Zetsu went to the moon, then it could help confirm: was this current rabbit version of her really her original body?
Or had she, in this rabbit form, already been freed from the seal her two unfilial sons had placed on her?
"I've got vacation now."
Kitahara Kaede put down his pen and gently stroked the soft white fur of the rabbit.
"Tomorrow, under the pretense of a mission, I'll head out."
"And you'll come with me," he said.
"..." Ninja Rabbit – Shiro.
Shiro usually didn't go out with Kitahara Kaede. But… this time, the moon was so close, and the fact that Kitahara Kaede managed to keep her hidden during everything also showed—she could rely on him.
"..." Ninja Rabbit – Shiro.
After a brief pause, Shiro used her little paws to hold the pen Kitahara had put down and neatly wrote one word on the paper: [Okay].
"Mm." Kitahara Kaede nodded.
"And another thing, I meant to say this yesterday… do you not feel suffocated when you bury your face into the blanket while sleeping?"
"..." Ninja Rabbit – Shiro.
"..." Kaguya.
She was at a loss too.
She wasn't really a rabbit—it was just that her current form had rabbit instincts. Some things, she simply couldn't control.
And rabbits… well, they slept with their faces buried in fluff.
She had tried to correct it, but once asleep, she'd unconsciously return to rabbit-like habits.
"It's fine, I'm just saying. If you're used to sleeping that way, it's not a big deal." Kitahara Kaede said as he gently touched her little paws.
"Your claws are too long." He added. "Let's trim them."
"..." Ninja Rabbit – Shiro.
She's a rabbit! How is she supposed to trim her own nails!?
Before she could even react, she found herself being picked up.
"Well, after trimming, let's give you a little bath too." Kitahara Kaede suggested.
Even though there was the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God mark on the way back from Kumogakure, he had still stood on an octopus when returning.
So, sweating was inevitable.
A bath would definitely feel nice.
Still, the Flying Thunder God Technique was just way too convenient. Like a teleportation array—if he could place its mark all over the ninja world, wouldn't that mean he could travel anywhere instantly?
But just as he said that, the little ninja rabbit stiffened up.
!!!!!
Shiro instantly vanished from Kitahara Kaede's arms and reappeared on the dining table.
"..." Kitahara Kaede.
Looks like his hopes of getting closer to his pet were postponed… yet again.
········
The next morning, when Konoha's ninja woke up, they discovered that the number of ninja in the village had suddenly increased by 800 people.
Over 400 Jonin, and more than 300 Chunin.
Even before the war, this would've been a shocking figure. Now, when other villages were declining? It was unprecedented.
And that wasn't even the full count.
Konoha had also added the Eight-Tails – Gyūki to their ranks.
Which meant, after the Sand Village became a Konoha sub-village and the One-Tail returned, now even the Eight-Tails had joined them.
To most ordinary ninja, aside from strengthening the village, they also received orders—
Starting today, for the next six months, all missions would be reduced, while in-service ninja would be given more time to train and grow.
After that, a new assessment would take place, adjusting the number of Jonin and Special Jonin.
At the same time, ANBU recruitment would expand.
This made even the most laid-back ninja realize…
Konoha wasn't the same anymore. So… they had to work harder too.
But none of this had much to do with Kitahara Kaede—because he wasn't just any ordinary ninja. He was at the top.
Right now, it was time for his long-awaited date with Hinata.
The next morning, he stuffed the ninja rabbit Shiro into his jacket pocket. Seeing her look slightly dissatisfied, he shoved a carrot in with her.
Hinata soon arrived.
She seemed a bit shy.
"..."
Because today… it was Regular Hinata.
Er, Black Hinata.
It wasn't that he wasn't trying to help—she was just unlucky.
"This is…"
Regular Hinata had an awkward, embarrassed look.
Kitahara Kaede looked over.
Oh my—
Behind her was a whole crowd dressed in white.
Because…
The entire Hyūga Clan had shown up.
Kitahara Kaede had asked out Black Hinata, but Regular Hinata showed up.
That was fine—they were the same person.
But what was with the entire Hyūga Clan tagging along?
From the Main House head Hyūga Hiashi, the elders, to the Branch House members—and even Hinata's younger sister, Hyūga Hanabi, who was being raised as the next Branch House heir.
Even the usually distant Hyūga Neji was there.
"..." Kitahara Kaede.
Did they come to stop him just because he invited Hinata out?
Hmm!?
No… something was off…
Because as soon as Kitahara Kaede appeared, the entire Hyūga group went silent for a moment.
And then… bowed to him.
[Beep!]
[Today's Descendant Chat Group (^_-) has been activated.]
[@Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Kakashi Hatake, Minato Namikaze, Might Guy, Mei Terumi, Third Tsuchikage – Ōnoki, One-Tail, Nine-Tails, Fourth Raikage – A]
[Due to a lack of members, we're adding two new slots today.]
[Big Dumb – Hashirama]: We're already starting today with two newcomers?
[Tobirama]: What's wrong with that?
[Tobirama]: Our collapsing Konoha has now been completely stabilized.
[Tobirama]: Even if we haven't fully absorbed the Sand Village… no, Konoha Sub-Village… and the forces we "collected" from Kumogakure—
[Fourth Raikage - A]: So now Konoha doesn't even bother hiding its intentions? You're just saying that straight to me, the Raikage?
[Tobirama]: Your Kumogakure used to kidnap our people.
[Tobirama]: Now it's your turn to get kidnapped. It's karma. Natural consequence.
[Tobirama]: So what more is there to say?
Even though he said that, the Fourth Raikage fell silent.
Because not only had he lost himself—his adoptive brother Killer Bee was gone too.
Even the Eight-Tails had been taken.
Kumogakure was now a village in name only.
And he… was the last Raikage.
Hmm.
Minato observed Lord Tobirama now.
As one of the early members of the group, he knew very well—Lord Tobirama used to be constantly depressed.
To see him now, confident and full of energy, was almost touching.
But it made sense.
Because—
Of the Five Great Ninja Villages, only three remained.
Both Iwagakure and Kirigakure had aligned themselves with Konoha.
Ōnoki had even been branded "Cowardly."
As for Mei Terumi—the Mizukage… well… she was determined to cling to Kitahara Kaede's leg, so rebellion wasn't happening anytime soon.
Add to that the fact that Sunagakure had become a direct Konoha branch, and the elite ninja "recruited" from Kumogakure filled all the missing ranks—
So…
It was obvious to anyone: Konoha had become the undisputed number one village in the current ninja world.
This was no small feat.
The Third Hokage and his generation had spent 40–50 years dragging Konoha from number one… all the way down to second-to-last.
And now, with the livestreams of Kitahara Kaede's antics in the group—
In less than a month and a half, it had climbed back to number one. And it was more stable now than even in Hashirama's era.
So, looking ahead, one could clearly see the future of the village.
Lord Tobirama bouncing back from depression? Totally understandable.
At this point, true peace across the ninja world…
Was no longer a dream.
It was something that now belonged—fully and undeniably—to Konoha.
---
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