Hearing this series of notifications, Rengoku couldn't help but focus and think it over.
He noticed that compared to before, the rewards this time didn't seem very different, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the rewards for level one and level three seemed to have undergone some subtle changes.
His brows unconsciously furrowed as he pondered to himself. If things really worked according to this pattern, then those higher-tier rewards he hadn't managed to collect in time before, for various reasons… wouldn't that mean he had suffered quite a loss?
After all, a full five years had passed. That amount of time was enough for those unclaimed rewards to be fully replenished with energy again.
With that thought, Rengoku's gaze slowly shifted to Kushina's fourth star.
What gave him a bit of relief was that, even after five years, that fourth star had only completed half of its energy charge.
In other words, to completely fill that fourth star with energy, he would still need to wait at least another five years.
However, for Rengoku, checking the star levels of these people wasn't the main purpose of his inspection this time.
What he truly cared about were the students he had personally taught.
As his eyes swept over the names one by one, a look of delight appeared on his face.
Sasuke had already reached the three-star level, but Naruto was even more surprising, having advanced to four stars.
Rengoku continued scanning down the list. Kimimaro, Haku, Gaara, Hinata, Hotaru, Shion, Shizuku, Kurama Yakumo, each of these students had their own strengths.
Among them, aside from Kimimaro and Haku, most of the others had their star levels steadily settled at around three stars.
There were usually two possible reasons for insufficient star levels. One was that the bond between them wasn't deep enough and hadn't reached the required standard; the other was that their own strength was still lacking and couldn't meet the necessary conditions.
As for him, his next goals were very clear. Either step into the realm of Bloodline Limit: Kekkei Mora as soon as possible, or elevate his Mangekyo Sharingan to the third stage.
But the two didn't conflict. He could push both forward at the same time.
Later, he would find time to discuss it with Orochimaru.
———
While Rengoku was soaking in the bath, Karin, Kaori, and Ryuri were sitting around a table.
Kaori poured Karin a cup of hot tea and gently placed it in front of her.
However, since the tea had just been brewed and was still quite hot, Karin had to carefully hold the cup with both hands, bringing it close to her lips and blowing on it softly to cool it down.
Perhaps it was because of the meaningful and slightly teasing smiles on Ryuri and Kaori's faces that Karin couldn't help but feel a bit shy, not even daring to raise her head to meet their eyes.
At that moment, Ryuri suddenly asked with a curious expression, "Karin, does that mean I'll have to call you sister-in-law from now on?"
Hearing this, Karin was startled. Her hands trembled, and she almost dropped the teacup.
With a sharp "clack," the startled Karin slammed the teacup heavily onto the table.
Right after that, she let out a cry, "Ah! No! No! No!"
It turned out that the sudden movement had caused some of the hot tea to spill, scalding the back of Karin's hand.
But fortunately, Karin's physical condition was quite strong. After just a few breaths, the red marks from the burn quickly faded away.
She raised her head, her face flushed red, "Shishou said… we should start by dating."
Kaori crossed her arms as she spoke, warning Karin, "Then Karin, you'll have to keep working even harder. After all, there are quite a few beauties in our Uchiha clan."
Hearing this, Karin shivered slightly and couldn't help but think to herself, 'Did Shishou used to…'
However, as if knowing what she was thinking, Ryuri eagerly cut in from the side, "Nii-san has never had a girlfriend before!"
The moment those words came out, Karin's eyes lit up instantly.
At that point, Kaori added, "Back then, Rengoku was busy every single day. He simply didn't have any extra time to date."
"After he became Hokage, he got even busier. It was hard for him to even catch a breath."
"I really don't know how long he'll be able to rest this time after finally coming back."
Just as they were chatting, a familiar voice suddenly came from nearby, "What are you all talking about here? Sounds so lively."
It turned out that Rengoku had already finished his bath, changed clothes, and walked out.
Although five whole years had passed, fortunately, the clan issued uniform clan attire every year on schedule.
Even when Rengoku wasn't in the clan, those clothes were still delivered to his home on time.
At this moment, Rengoku was wearing the latest version of the clan outfit, making him look completely refreshed.
Seeing this, Ryuri playfully made a cute face at Rengoku and said with a grin, "Hehe~ Not telling you."
Rengoku smiled helplessly, reached out, and lightly flicked Ryuri's forehead, pretending to scold her, "You, you're getting more and more mischievous."
Then he looked up at the sky and said, "Alright, it's about time. Let's head out."
———
On the vast outskirts of the Land of Fire, there were many small countries that didn't even have names.
Among them lay a region known as a sacred land, Hacho.
This village within a small nation possessed an astonishingly unique landscape.
At its center was a massive, deeply sunken basin. Within it were water resources so abundant they were almost unimaginable. Clear streams flowed gently, gathering into shimmering lakes; lush vegetation grew thick and verdant, stretching endlessly like a green ocean.
However, once one's gaze moved beyond the basin, the scenery changed drastically.
Endless stretches of barren wasteland extended as far as the eye could see. Lifeless and desolate, forming a stark contrast with the vibrant basin.
The boundary between the two was incredibly clear, with no transition whatsoever, as if two completely different worlds had been forcibly split apart. It felt strangely unnatural.
At this moment, inside the mayor's house in this small town, a vortex suddenly appeared in midair.
Accompanied by a faint distortion of space, Obito, dressed in a black robe, quietly descended.
He gently pushed open the door, and the scene inside came into view.
A man dressed like a priest was busy working with his head lowered.
His head was covered in terrifying scars, crisscrossing in a way that clashed sharply with his attire.
Wearing a pair of thick gloves, he was focused on preparing some unknown substance.
Looking at the wide table, it was filled with all kinds of medicine bottles and jars, as well as corpse fragments of varying sizes and shapes.
Some of those pieces were already shriveled and blackened, giving off waves of a foul, rotting stench; others still had traces of blood on them, making for a horrifying sight.
Clearly, this man named Disonasu was engaged in a dangerous and forbidden kind of research.
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