It was already noon after interacting with the villagers at the village entrance.
As the future Kazekage, he needed to show a side that was close to the people.
After handling some affairs and the arrangements for the injured, as well as the family pensions for those who died in battle with Ebizo, Qingshui decided to head home first.
He'd put aside things like the Tailed Beasts for now; he planned to rest well for the afternoon and deal with them tomorrow.
Ebizo was currently helping him with the other post-war matters.
Only...
"Why don't you come in for a bit?"
Qingshui looked at Pakura, who had followed him to his doorstep, took out his key, and asked.
"Your place?"
Pakura gave Qingshui a mischievous smile and pulled out another key from her pocket.
"I'm just going home."
"This isn't my key," Qingshui said, comparing the two keys, puzzled.
We're not living together yet, are we?
But living together now wouldn't be so bad. Then, when I feel swollen and uncomfortable every morning, I could ask Doctor Pakura for help.
"This is the key to the place next door," Pakura said with a slight smile, turning her head and walking towards the house next to his. Her high ponytail swayed behind her, radiating youthful energy.
"Oh, so you bought the house next door too? We're neighbors now! Why don't you invite me in for a bit, Neighbor Sis?" Qingshui said, grinning as he moved closer to Pakura, watching her open the door.
"Then didn't you prepare a gift for me, your neighbor?" Pakura opened the door, turning to Qingshui with a smile.
"A gift, huh... I don't have one on me right now. How about you come to my place and see? My Puppet can do somersaults."
"Never mind, just come in. You can make it up to me later. I have a gift I want to show you too, come here." Pakura excitedly skipped inside, beckoning Qingshui with a fair, slender finger and winking.
"A gift? For me?" Qingshui followed Pakura into the bedroom.
"Huh? This whole wardrobe..."
"I bought all of it. How about this purple one? Didn't you say last time that purple was the most charming?"
"Okay, but I want to play the game where the chief doctor teaches the nurse sister to give injections!"
And so, soon after, Nurse Sister Pakura changed into a split-hem nurse uniform, put on a short skirt and white stockings, and donned a cross-shaped cap, ready to learn how to give injections.
The next morning.
Outside the window, a light rain fell, while spring bloomed inside.
"You were at it all night? And you still want more this morning?!"
"Ahem, my inner fire is quite strong. I'll need your help, Nurse Sister, to alleviate it."
Qingshui looked at the disheveled beauty before him, revealing glimpses of her fair skin, and reached out to help her pin up her hair.
After washing up together and having breakfast, they left together for the training ground.
Just then, the rain stopped, and the clouds parted, revealing the sun. Otherwise, they would have had to find a sheltered place to exercise.
In the past, it was rare to see rain in the Sand Village even once a year, but after the canal was dug, the Sand Village also dug a lake not far from the village, built a dam to store water, transplanted plants along the riverbanks and lake, and had Earth Release Nature Transformation ninja clear the salt from the soil to prevent salinization.
In just two or three years, an artificial oasis had sprung up around the Sand Village, with large areas of shrubs appearing, showing a trend of transforming from desert to grassland.
The precipitation also increased with the abundant water sources and increasingly dense vegetation. Since last year, during the rainy season, such light rains would occasionally fall.
As long as the transformation continues, with the ninja's ability to influence the environment, coupled with the help of scientific knowledge, perhaps in a few more years, this place could also become a lush oasis with abundant water and grass.
After their morning training, the two went together to the Kazekage Building.
Pakura left after taking a B-rank mission that could be completed the same day, while Qingshui went up to the Kazekage's office on the second floor.
Ebizo was currently sitting in the corner of the room, organizing documents.
"You brought back two Tailed Beasts this time, which has added a lot of work for this old man."
Hearing Qingshui's voice, Ebizo looked down at the desk, writing something, without lifting his head.
"Oh, it's just two Tailed Beasts, it's not a big deal."
Qingshui plopped down opposite Ebizo and casually poured himself a cup of tea.
"What do you mean Tailed Beasts aren't a big deal? Including Bunbuku, we'll have three Jinchuriki needing Tailed Beast transfers in the coming year. Just finding the right candidates is a headache."
Ebizo shook his head and continued:
"Aside from Uzumaki Ayane, the village doesn't truly have any other suitable candidates. A Jinchuriki needs an extremely vast amount of Chakra and rapid Chakra recovery to maintain the seal long-term.
They also need excellent mental resilience and Chakra control. Without these conditions, if the Tailed Beast Chakra overflows, the Jinchuriki could be corrupted by the Tailed Beast's will within the Chakra, leading to a rampage.
Even if these conditions are met, the Jinchuriki must possess sufficient Chakra manipulation ability. Only then can they draw upon and control the Tailed Beast's power from the seal, becoming a qualified Jinchuriki.
When the Second Kazekage selected the One-Tails Jinchuriki, he went through more than a dozen containers before finally settling on Bunbuku. It's only in the last decade or so that Bunbuku's Buddhist teachings have deepened enough for him to resist the Tailed Beast Chakra's erosion. However, his life force was greatly depleted during several Tailed Beast rampages in his youth, leaving him unable to do much more than sit in the Buddhist temple, living out the rest of his days."
Qingshui nodded slightly.
Given the Sand Village's shoddy Sealing Jutsu in the past, it was no surprise that various accidents occurred.
"That's all in the past now. With the strength of the Grand Funeral Seal, it's enough to seal the Tailed Beast's overflowing Chakra. As long as the Jinchuriki's Chakra recovery rate can continually maintain the seal, the Tailed Beast won't easily rampage."
"No, Qingshui, you haven't personally experienced the Jinchuriki training process. There's something you haven't considered: if a Jinchuriki wants to master the Tailed Beast's power, they inevitably have to come into contact with the Tailed Beast Chakra, leading to erosion. So, no matter how advanced the Sealing Jutsu, without the potential to master the Tailed Beast's power, they are merely a vessel for the Tailed Beast, not a qualified Jinchuriki.
Being a Jinchuriki is by no means something just any ninja can do."
Ebizo, having finished organizing the documents in his hand, said gravely to Qingshui.
"Vast Chakra, fast recovery, excellent manipulation, and a firm will? With conditions like that, they'd likely have a good chance of being trained as a Jonin even without becoming a Jinchuriki, wouldn't they? By the way, I read some files on the Jinchuriki of various villages and found that both in our Sand Village and other villages, the living conditions of Jinchuriki seem somewhat…"
"Somewhat deliberately persecuted, causing them to suffer excessive malice, right? Then you should understand the intentions of the higher-ups in each village now, shouldn't you?"
Qingshui nodded slightly.
"Yes, I understand. Forging their will from a young age through malice from the external environment, gradually deepening it. This way, whether the seal loosens, Tailed Beast Chakra leaks out, or when they begin to train in controlling Tailed Beast Chakra, because they've adapted to this intense malice since childhood, they are able to endure the constant malicious erosion within the Tailed Beast Chakra.
Accepting malice, enduring malice, adapting to malice, getting used to malice—these are indispensable steps for a Jinchuriki to master the Tailed Beast's power.
And to prevent them from hating the village and retaliating as rogue ninja in the future, they are given a way out. They form extremely deep bonds with one or more important figures in the village, making these central figures the reins that control the rampaging Tailed Beast, to be used for the village's benefit."
The Jinchuriki of the Five Great Ninja Villages were discriminated against and called monsters from a young age; this was all intentionally done by the respective Ninja Villages.
Malice and bonds are the two crucial tools for the higher-ups of these Ninja Villages to control the Tailed Beast's power.
The higher-ups of the Five Great Ninja Villages might do some foolish things due to differences in personality, vision, tactics, or ability, but those are caused by limitations in their own conditions and the internal and external environment of the village. In reality, they aren't that stupid.
One or two might be less intelligent, but it's impossible for the leadership of every single village to lose their minds.
Everyone has been using this method for generations because it's the least difficult, the lowest cost, the highest return, and the most suitable for the current era.
It only requires making the Jinchuriki suffer through a miserable early life, then comforting them more once they've grown, in exchange for a top-tier combat force that can serve the village for decades.
No higher-up in a Ninja Village would be so foolish as to miscalculate such a profitable venture.
"However, with this approach, if a Jinchuriki loses their bond or cannot withstand the malice, the risk of them rampaging or defecting is still too great. In my opinion, it's still too uncontrollable and unreliable."
Ebizo saw the look on Qingshui's face and knew he had other ideas.
"Then do you have a better method?"
"Yes, the reason we can smoothly control Chakra is because there's our own mental energy within it. When facing erosion from external Chakra, if our own mental energy is of higher quality, or if we can directly master the application of mental energy, gaining the upper hand in this clash of wills and minds, then the Jinchuriki can not only defend against this malice but also master the Tailed Beast's power faster."
"Everyone knows that principle."
Ebizo shook his head.
"Bunbuku practices Buddhism, and Rōshi also became a monk. This is to seek mental cultivation and tempering through religion, to better suppress the malice within the Tailed Beast Chakra. Other accomplished Jinchuriki also have some beliefs or hobbies as a spiritual anchor to resist and embrace the Tailed Beast's will within the Tailed Beast Chakra."
Qingshui understood. It seemed Killer B's liking for singing and rapping, and Utakata's liking for blowing bubbles, followed the same principle.
"Then, Ebizo-sensei, what if I've comprehended some techniques and methods for mental cultivation that can effectively strengthen the spirit and fortify the will? Would that mean we wouldn't need this high-risk method anymore?"
Qingshui said to Ebizo.
Qingshui's Avatar in the Marvel Universe controlled four Infinity Stones, with the Mind Stone being the one he studied the longest. Coupled with Loki's extraordinary talent in manipulating the mind, Qingshui had summarized many techniques that could be used for mental cultivation.
They might not directly enable someone to master mind-related magic, but they could at least increase mental strength, providing high resistance to any related attacks, including Tailed Beast erosion, Genjutsu illusions, and hypnosis.
At worst, Qingshui could also cast protective mental magic on these Jinchuriki, or craft some small Magic Tools specifically for mental defense.
These special Magic Tools were difficult to craft. Even with Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements, Qingshui could only produce them in small batches, but supplying a few Jinchuriki shouldn't be a problem. Any extras could be given to high-ranking villagers or valuable ninja.
Being able to defend the mind and resist mental attacks would naturally also affect Genjutsu.
Qingshui couldn't claim that his Magic Tools could definitely block the endless bizarre Genjutsu-type Mangekyo Sharingan eye techniques like Tsukuyomi, Kotoamatsukami, or Yachihoko, but they could at least weaken some of them.
As for regular Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Qingshui was quite confident that the success rate of resistance would not be low.
Ebizo finished another document, tossed it into a drawer, and lifted an eyelid.
"If anyone else said that, I might not believe it. But if it's you, and you're confident, then go for it. By the end of the year, you'll be the Fourth Kazekage. You can continue to seek ideas from us old-timers with experience and insight, but the final decision will be yours."
"Then I'll go select the remaining two suitable Jinchuriki candidates."
Qingshui understood that this meant the entire matter was now his responsibility, and from now on, all such major decisions would be his to make.
Ebizo was already laying the groundwork and preparing for the upcoming transfer of power.
"Oh, and one more thing, don't be in such a hurry to leave."
Ebizo suddenly seemed to remember something, reaching out to stop Qingshui, who was about to walk out the door, then pulled out a large stack of documents from under the table.
"You're going to be the Kazekage, so it's time you learned how to handle these affairs that are the Kazekage's responsibility. With the Third Generation gone, I've been managing things for him for the past year. This stack is what's accumulated recently, and there's even more on the computer. I feel like I can't finish it all.
But thankfully, even though the Third Generation hasn't returned, you, the Fourth Kazekage, have. So, I'll leave all of this to you!"
Qingshui: …
He suspected Ebizo knew he was coming back, so he deliberately slacked off, reduced his workload, and let some non-urgent matters pile up for him.
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