Kairen lay there for a while, and a shadow clone burst in—it was one of Canon's people.
He held a neither-yin-nor-yang tone: "Your Majesty, the Golden Hall and the Bronze Bird Terrace have been completed. Please move and ascend the throne."
Kairen nodded, stood up, and prepared to go take a look at his own Bronze Bird Terrace.
Just how big a space could it hold? And how many women could move in?
As soon as Hanabi heard this, interest showed on her face and she immediately clung to Kairen:
"Brother-in-law, I'm going too."
Kairen nodded. The little sister-in-law was going to see the new house—how could the brother-in-law refuse?
"Let's go. I'll take you to see our future new home."
"You're the best!"
Hinata was tidying the furniture in the room. Hearing the noisy voices of Kairen and Hanabi, a faint smile touched the corner of her mouth.
Hanabi hurried over again and tugged at Hinata's cook's skirt.
"Let's go out to see the new house."
Hinata rubbed Hanabi's little head and smiled gently: "You go ahead! I'll stay home and tidy up a bit."
Hanabi was helpless—her sister liked quiet and wasn't the especially curious type.
"Then I'll go with brother-in-law."
Hinata nodded. "You and your brother-in-law go have fun."
"Got it!"
Leaving a trace of sound behind, Hanabi bounced out like a little deer.
Hinata looked at the figures of Hanabi and Kairen leaving hand in hand outside, smiled slightly, and continued to carefully wipe the wooden table.
Hanabi had changed too—no longer as serious as before, becoming childlike and brimming with energy.
Hinata suddenly remembered what had just been said and immediately blushed bright red.
Hanabi was used to calling Kairen "brother-in-law," and she had gradually accepted that title too.
She shook her head, then her eyes suddenly caught a streak of golden hair.
Right after, a woman in brown ninja armor jumped down from the eaves.
Temari folded her arms and looked at Hinata, saying softly, "Hinata Hyuga."
"Temari!" Hinata recognized this Chūnin Exam contestant.
Temari looked at the layout of the room and didn't see Kairen's figure.
"Where did Moku Kairen go?"
Hinata asked, "Are you looking for Kairen for something?"
Temari was startled inside—what was she coming to find Kairen for?
She just wanted to peek at Kairen's shadow from the dark and, by the way, throw a few barbed words at him.
But how could she expose her little thoughts? She immediately put on the bearing of the desert princess.
"I want to ask him where he plans to take Sunagakure. Where is he?"
Hinata pointed outside the village.
"Kairen said some platform of his was finished, and he took Hanabi to go have a look."
"Hmph!" Temari snorted and then seriously sized up Hinata.
"The intel says Moku Kairen captured you two sisters. Seeing it now, it looks like you followed him yourself."
Hinata didn't know what was going on—Temari suddenly turned the guns on her.
Hinata's silence made Temari think she had tacitly admitted it, and a faint jealousy rose in Temari's heart.
Damn that man—there's actually such a great beauty hidden in the house.
"Hmph! Your man isn't as honest as you imagine."
After snorting and leaving that line, Temari used Body Flicker and ran toward outside the village, leaving behind a somewhat dazed Hinata.
...
The illegal building Kairen built wasn't inside Sunagakure.
One of Kairen's palaces was bigger than Sunagakure itself—this small place simply couldn't hold it.
They said there were two buildings, but in fact it was a single city—the Forbidden City.
The city gate towered high, carrying an ancient, weathered air, and also the supremacy of imperial power.
Kairen nodded and said to Canon beside him,
"Not bad. It has the bearing of my ruling the world. Let's go see the Golden Hall."
Hanabi looked excitedly at this towering ancient city.
"Brother-in-law, you're amazing—you actually built such tall city walls."
Kairen smiled. "Your brother-in-law has plenty more skills. You'll find out later, Hanabi."
Entering the city gate, there were many soldiers in heavy armor—all of them Kairen's shadow clones.
Canon explained, "Some shadow clones wanted to experience what ancient soldiers feel like, so they joined the Imperial Guard."
Kairen nodded, then pointed at some shadow clones holding fly-whisks.
"They want to experience being eunuchs?"
Canon laughed. "Yeah, these shadow clones like having nothing between two legs."
Kairen shook his head.
He'd been poisoned by palace dramas before—when being goofy he'd even do a few lines in a eunuch's tone. These shadow clones probably inherited that trait.
Kairen and Hanabi walked and stopped along the way, admiring this ancient city of drunken dreams.
Canon acted as the tour guide: "That's the Imperial Garden—flowers bloom in every season."
"That's the Martial Elegance Hall—inside are various documents from the ninja world."
"That is…"
Hanabi watched with great relish, and when she got excited she even clapped and said it was magnificent.
Kairen found it boring—no matter how nice the scenery, it couldn't compare to the fragrance of a beauty.
Canon saw Kairen's boredom and immediately understood.
"Boss, let's go to the harem."
Kairen's interest immediately came alive.
"Let's go!"
The harem was located behind the Golden Hall.
This area was also part of the Bronze Bird Terrace—the place where Kairen would lead hundreds of millions of elite troops in the future.
Small bridges and flowing water, bamboo fragrance drifting.
The palace plaque read [Orchid Gold Palace]. "Golden Orchid" also carries the meaning of sister flowers.
Kairen pointed at the largest palace and said,
"Hanabi, this will be your and your sister's home in the future. How is it—do you like it?"
Hanabi looked at the luxurious, beautiful palace, her little hands clapping nonstop.
"So pretty! You're amazing!"
Kairen smiled.
Canon then took Kairen and Hanabi to visit other buildings.
"Boss, look—that's the Palace of Twin Flights, that's the Fort of the Covered Bowl, that's the 69 Hall…"
Kairen laughed heartily and kept patting Canon on the shoulder.
"Very criminal. I really like it."
"Let's go to the Golden Hall and hold court. Call the people from Sunagakure to come too—we'll discuss the big matter of the selection."
Hanabi held Kairen's hand, a bit puzzled. "Brother-in-law, what does 'selection' mean?"
Kairen quibbled, "It means selecting the 'performers.' The harem needs performers to dance with spears and play with staffs."
"Oh!" Hanabi half-understood.
Kairen smiled. Selection—put bluntly, it means the emperor is going to fool around, openly and aboveboard snatching women.
"Hmph! Just hearing it, it's obviously not a good word!"
A snort sounded. Kairen and Hanabi turned their heads—it was Temari.
She was folding her arms and mocking Kairen.
Hanabi asked in confusion, "Brother-in-law, who is she?"
Hearing Hanabi call Kairen "brother-in-law," Temari felt a bit uncomfortable.
They're already calling him brother-in-law—looks like Kairen really got together with the Hyuga family's eldest miss.
Kairen wanted to send the little sister-in-law away so he could have an affair, so he gave Canon a look.
Canon instantly got it and lied to Hanabi, "Hanabi, the boss has to talk big business. Let's not disturb him—let's go look somewhere else."
Hanabi gave Kairen a disdainful look.
"You just promised me this morning, and now you're going back on it. Brother-in-law is really a big liar."
Kairen rubbed her head. "Your brother-in-law is a man who does big things. I can't delay my career because of children's feelings. Next time I definitely won't go back on my word."
"Deal!" Hanabi believed Kairen's nonsense once again.
Canon came over. "Let's go to the Nine Dragons Bath—that's the royal bathing grounds. It's huge."
"Alright!"