If Seisui hadn't still been there, Konan probably would've already started experimenting with her new idea.
Seeing the eager spark in her eyes, Seisui smiled faintly.
"Think it over carefully first. Refine your paper properly."
"I'll head out for now," he added, turning toward the door. Before leaving, his voice drifted softly back into the room:
"I'm just next door. If you three run into something you don't understand, come ask me."
"Alright!" Konan nodded vigorously, watching as Seisui disappeared into his room.
I'll definitely create Paper Release! she thought, clenching her fists. Determination burned brightly in her eyes like a living flame.
Meanwhile, in the next room, Seisui still wore that faint smile.
Helping Konan and her friends had been part of his plan from the start.
He intended to become Hokage—and beyond that, to achieve his true goal.
To make sure his ideas could be implemented the moment he took office, he needed his own foundation, his own people.
Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko were one part of that foundation.
Minato and Kushina were another.
And with Haru in the mix, even the Uchiha clan could be considered part of his camp.
The Ino–Shika–Cho trio as well, though since Shikaku and the others hadn't yet inherited their family leadership, they only half-counted.
He was also publicly recognized as the head of the Uzumaki clan.
That title alone meant that even the remnants of the Senju clan could be considered loosely aligned with him.
Uchiha. The Nine-Tails. Civilian geniuses. Bloodline families.
Without realizing it, Seisui's influence had already spread across nearly every major faction in the village.
A faint grin tugged at his lips. His power wasn't lacking either.
Once Nagato's group matured, once Minato, Kushina, and Haru grew to their full potential—and factoring himself in—that would be at least seven Kage-level fighters.
Seven guaranteed.
But unification couldn't rely on power alone.
Numbers and might were only one side of the equation. Public opinion—control of the narrative—was equally vital.
Otherwise, even if he managed to unify everything, it would all end up like Qin Shi Huang's empire—peaceful on the surface, yet seething with unrest beneath.
A rule based solely on force only breeds more hatred.
I want to build a powerful empire that will last for a thousand generations.
That was the desire engraved deep within the soul of every nation's people.
And becoming Hokage… was merely the first step.
As those thoughts stirred within him, Seisui turned his head and saw the three young pandas gnawing away at tri-colored dango, their paws slick with oil, sticky rice crumbs littering the floor.
His face darkened immediately.
"Before you leave, clean up that mess!"
"Got it!" the three pandas mumbled through full mouths, not even looking up.
Watching their carefree gluttony, Seisui's stomach rumbled.
Now that you mention it… I'm kind of hungry too.
So he picked up a skewer and joined in.
During his talk with Konan, the rest of the food he'd ordered had been delivered one after another—ramen, rice, all kinds of dishes.
Soon, a massive bowl of steaming ramen sat on the table.
Seisui grabbed a pair of chopsticks and sat down among the pandas. It had been days since he'd had a proper meal.
Time slipped by, and eventually, one man and three pandas lay sprawled on the floor, clutching their stomachs.
"Buuurp~"
"That was so good," one of the panda youths groaned contentedly. "If my stomach weren't about to explode, I could still keep eating."
Seisui chuckled. "You should take some back and let Panda Sage try it too. I doubt he's ever tasted anything like this."
"Eh? Our boss hasn't eaten this stuff before?" one panda asked nervously, scratching his head. "If we bring leftovers, won't we get beaten?"
The three exchanged uneasy looks.
If Panda Sage saw that, they were as good as dead.
"Idiots," Seisui sighed, smacking his palm against his forehead. "Just wipe the sides of the buckets clean, rearrange them neatly, and he'll never know. In fact, he'll probably praise you for being considerate."
Their eyes lit up instantly. "Seisui-sama, you're so smart!"
Without another word, they scrambled to tidy everything up.
Watching them work, Seisui reminded, "Don't forget to clean the mess on the floor too. Otherwise, I won't call you next time."
"Understood!" the three replied in unison.
Seisui nodded in satisfaction. Having three little helpers wasn't bad at all—especially three who were this easy to trick.
Smiling to himself, he stripped off his flak jacket and headed into the bath.
By the time he came out, the three panda youths were gone—along with the buckets and bowls.
"I just hope Panda Sage doesn't mind," he muttered, shaking his head.
That whole "he'll never notice" excuse had only been to calm the kids down. The food had long since gone cold—of course it would be obvious.
If Panda Sage couldn't tell, he wouldn't be the Panda Sage, the underworld boss himself.
May heaven have mercy on them, Seisui prayed silently. Amen.
The next morning, Seisui and Uchiha Haru strolled through the village streets. Watching the bustling crowd and the bright morning sun, Haru couldn't help sighing.
"It's strange… We've only been gone for about half a month, but it feels like forever."
"Probably because too much happened," Seisui replied lazily, holding her hand.
They'd fought bandits and rogue ninja, sparred with Jiraiya, trained Nagato and Konan, fought Uchiha Madara, awakened the Mangekyo, then caused a stir in Takigakure.
Basically, the whole trip had been one long chain of battles—or travel between battles.
Hand in hand, they walked on.
Behind them, hiding in a shadowy corner, crouched Uchiha Setsuna, glaring at their joined hands.
"That damned little brat of pure evil!" he muttered through clenched teeth. "Why isn't he dead yet?!"
His eyes reddened with frustration.
If Seisui wasn't dead… then how on earth had his sweet granddaughter awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan?
Could it have been a fake death?
That'd be ridiculous!
"Don't tell me… my dear Haru is really going to end up with that evil little devil?!" Setsuna groaned in dismay.
Originally, he'd planned to "raise" Seisui like a fattened pig—kept alive but firmly under control. That was why he hadn't interfered before, even telling Haru that if she liked the boy, she should pursue him.
If he'd known this would happen, he'd never have said that!
He'd basically delivered his granddaughter right into the wolf's mouth with his own hands!
"Setsuna, what are you doing here?"
A voice spoke behind him. It was Uchiha Kazunori, frowning as he eyed the old man crouched suspiciously in the shadows.
"We've had several reports," Kazunori said, "of some creepy old guy following people around. It reached my desk at the Konoha Military Police."
Setsuna straightened up, coughed twice, and forced a calm tone.
"I'm merely… out for a walk."
"Heh." Kazunori gave him a look of pure disdain.
He'd been tailing Setsuna for quite a while—and could clearly see whom the old man was stalking.
"Give it up," Kazunori snorted. "That's your grandson-in-law."
"You—shut your mouth!" Setsuna barked, stamping his foot. "I absolutely refuse to admit it!"
Kazunori chuckled. "Deny it all you want—it's still true."
Yesterday, after Setsuna had bragged endlessly about Haru's Mangekyo, Kazunori had to endure his smug grin.
Today, watching him squirm was karmic balance.
"You can't stop it," Kazunori added with a smirk.
"I will stop it!" Setsuna snapped, pointing at him angrily. "That wicked brat isn't worthy of my Haru!"
"Pfft," Kazunori snorted. "Like it or not, that so-called wicked brat is already one of the leading figures of his generation in Konoha."
"If even he's not worthy, do you want Haru to end up like you—old, bitter, and alone?"
Setsuna froze, stung by the words.
He hated seeing his granddaughter with someone he couldn't stand, but reason whispered that Seisui was, in fact, the best possible match for her.
Kazunori pressed on mercilessly, "Besides, could you even beat your granddaughter in a fight?"
"Watch your tongue!" Setsuna barked. "Haru would never raise a hand against her own grandfather!"
Then he paused—and suddenly smirked. "Ah, I see now."
"You're just jealous!"
He leaned closer, grinning smugly. "Your son Fugaku still hasn't awakened his Mangekyo, has he? Still stuck at two tomoe, isn't he?"
He patted Kazunori's cheek mockingly. "At his age, and he's still like that? Shameful!"
Kazunori's face twitched.
"Hmph! Fugaku will awaken the Mangekyo someday!" he growled before vanishing in a blur of movement—though not before leaving one last jab behind.
"Stop tailing them, old man. Everyone's laughing at you already."
"Hmph! Making the clan look bad," Kazunori's fading voice echoed.
Setsuna snorted in return. "You? Compete with me in grandkids? You're not even close."
Then, turning once more toward where Seisui and Haru had gone, he sighed deeply.
"No helping it, I suppose…"
Slap! He smacked his own face. "This is my punishment!"
Seisui, of course, had no idea of Setsuna's inner torment.
Even with his Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he didn't keep it active all the time.
Unlike Uzumaki Mito's Nine-Tails perception, Mind's Eye of the Kagura required constant focus—keeping it open endlessly would drown him in information.
Just then—
"Seisui, long time no see."
"Yeah, long time indeed," Seisui replied with a friendly smile, greeting the familiar face of Nara Shikaku.
"Congrats on graduating, by the way."
Shikaku sighed heavily. "Ah… my youth is gone for good."
"Youth?"
Before Seisui could reply, Might Duy suddenly popped up out of nowhere, his eyes blazing with passion.
"As long as you work hard, youth will never fade!" Duy declared, pointing dramatically at Shikaku. "That—is youth!"
"Guy! You heard that, didn't you?!"
"Mm!"
Beside him stood a small boy in a matching green jumpsuit, hair messy and eyes shining.
That boy was none other than the future "Blue Beast" himself—Might Guy.
The man who would one day nearly kick the story to its end.
And the next successor of youth.
"Guy!!"