Rengoku sensed the natural energy around them.
"You've got good luck, kid. The natural energy in this place is abundant, so the time needed to stabilize the seal will be greatly reduced."
"You'll have to stay here for the next few months."
Sasuke's face was full of determination.
"Don't worry, Shishou. I'll stabilize the seal as soon as possible and achieve Sage Mode!"
After thinking for a moment, Rengoku said to Minato and Kushina, "Minato, have you and Naruto leave a few shadow clones here. They can act as his senjutsu chakra batteries..."
Minato then gave everyone a rough explanation of how a senjutsu chakra battery worked.
Surprised, Minato praised Rengoku.
"I can't believe you came up with a method like that. You're a genius."
Rengoku laughed but didn't take the credit, since it had all been Naruto's idea.
"This only works for people like you jinchuriki, or those with huge chakra reserves. Nobody else can do it."
Minato looked around, "This place is so clean and beautiful. I'll have Yamato come build a few wooden houses. That way we won't damage the environment here too much."
Rengoku nodded slightly. The place really was best suited to things that blended naturally with the surroundings.
"That's fine. You can arrange it."
He noticed Karin still looked a little down, so he reached out and rubbed her head.
"Karin, if you really want to learn senjutsu, you can use the engraving method just like Sasuke."
"Really?"
Karin looked toward Sasuke. Through her sensory abilities, she could feel the enormous energy inside his body, and senjutsu chakra was rapidly pouring out of him.
Rengoku nodded, "Of course. Sasuke's talent is about the same as yours. He was also stuck at the stage of sensing natural energy."
"The engraving is basically adding a receiver to your body that absorbs natural energy."
"As long as the engraving succeeds, you'll be just like Sasuke is now."
Realizing she still had a chance, Karin immediately beamed, "I knew Shishou treats me the best."
Rengoku gestured toward Orochimaru, "How high are Karin's chances of succeeding with the engraving?"
Orochimaru answered without hesitation, "The greater a person's chakra and life force, the more suitable they are for the engraving."
"In fact, she's even more suitable than Sasuke."
"That's great! Shishou, I want the engraving too!"
The moment Karin heard she was well suited for it, she was instantly full of energy.
At that moment, however, Orochimaru glanced at Karin and Rengoku with an odd expression, amusement showing on his face.
"Oh, but you'll have to take off all your clothes during the engraving, Karin."
"Huh?"
Karin looked at Orochimaru, then at Rengoku, before quickly hiding behind Rengoku.
"Then forget it. I don't want the engraving anymore."
Although Orochimaru had lived as both a man and a woman, and even his current body had been created from one of Rengoku's dojutsu clones, he usually appeared as a man, and his mindset still leaned more toward the male side.
More importantly, this kind of thing depended on whether the person involved minded.
Clearly, Karin did.
Her reaction was exactly what Orochimaru had expected, and the smile on his face grew wider.
"Did you forget that Rengoku is also an expert in sealing techniques? I meant having Rengoku do the engraving for you."
"Shishou?"
Karin looked up at Rengoku. For some reason, her face visibly turned red.
Rengoku shot Orochimaru an annoyed look. He could tell this was nothing more than Orochimaru enjoying the show.
"Enough. We'll talk about that another time."
"You can handle things here. Sasuke, keep training in senjutsu."
Sasuke acknowledged him, then continued absorbing natural energy, mixing it with senjutsu chakra to deepen the engraving.
"I'll leave one of my dojutsu clones here. I'm heading back to Konoha."
"Kimimaro, Haku, are you two staying here?"
Kimimaro and Haku exchanged a glance. Kimimaro, in particular, had an even greater need for natural energy.
Rengoku added, "It's fine. Minato's Flying Thunder God is fast. He can bring you back anytime."
"Then we'd like to stay here and train for a while."
Kimimaro and Haku both made the same decision.
"Then I'm off."
Rengoku nodded to Minato while Karin stood beside him.
Orochimaru looked up at the giant formation in the sky, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"Minato, bring Anko to me when you get back. I'll try improving the seal on her."
"The chakra armor here has given me quite a bit of inspiration."
Although both Rengoku and Orochimaru treated Minato like a Flying Thunder God taxi, Minato didn't mind at all. In fact, he was happy about it.
He created several shadow clones. One took Rengoku and Karin, then used Flying Thunder God to return directly to the Uchiha clan compound in Konoha, right outside Rengoku's home.
Objects marked with Minato's Flying Thunder God seal had been placed at important locations like this.
After bringing Rengoku back, that shadow clone immediately dispersed.
To Minato, these shadow clones were simply Flying Thunder God taxis.
After all, chakra was no longer a limiting factor for him.
He could go wherever he wanted.
———
Rengoku hadn't been back for quite some time, and seeing the familiar scenery immediately put him at ease.
"Come on, Karin. Let's go home and clean up."
With that, Rengoku opened the door and walked inside.
He had already sensed from outside that no one was home, so he didn't call for his younger sisters.
After going to the Land of Snow, bathing hadn't been convenient, and it had been quite a while since they'd had one.
Rengoku was eager to take a shower.
Karin looked around the courtyard and saw that Ryuri and Kaori weren't there.
She then spread her arms and blinked at Rengoku, clearly asking to be picked up.
Rengoku lifted her onto his shoulders and walked toward the room.
"Why are you acting spoiled as soon as we get back?"
Karin giggled, leaned close to his ear, and whispered softly,
"Shishou... will you do the engraving for me?"
Supporting Karin's smooth thigh, Rengoku could feel her body temperature rising, accompanied by the steady thump of her heartbeat.
He chuckled quietly, "But your master would see everything."
Karin gently bit her lip and said in a coaxing tone, "If it's Shishou... then it's okay."
Rengoku suppressed the surge of emotion within him, opened the bedroom door, and set Karin down on the bed.
Holding her by the shoulders, he stroked her cheek with one hand and said gently, "No. I refuse."
Karin looked at Rengoku with affectionate eyes and breathed softly,
"I want Shishou to do the engraving."
Rengoku's hand moved downward, from her cheek to her neck, then to her collarbone. After passing over the front of her chest, he wrapped an arm around her waist.
Seeing Karin's face flushed crimson, Rengoku leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Only after we're married."
Karin hugged Rengoku, closed her eyes, leaned against his shoulder, and said in a spoiled voice, "Shishou, can we get married sooner?"
Rengoku stroked her hair, "I'll move it up a little, but not anytime soon."
Karin looked completely satisfied, "Hehe! I knew Shishou loves me the most."