"This is what you said, right? Don't back out later," Shishou chuckled upon hearing the Great Slug Sage's words. With his current strength, killing the White Snake Sage was challenging but not impossible.
The Great Slug Sage shook its head, "If you can truly kill the White Snake Sage on your own, it means you're already stronger than me. In that case, following you wouldn't be a loss."
This little slug knows how to adapt, Shishou thought, amused by the sage's pragmatism. The Great Slug Sage continued, "Your chakra reserves are immense. If you train in sage arts and successfully enter Sage Mode, you'll have enough sage chakra to seal Ryuchi Cave. You should focus on improving your sage arts."
Training in sage arts... Shishou's face fell at the thought. He had hoped to avoid this arduous path by killing the White Snake Sage and obtaining its sage bloodline. Now, it seemed that without mastering sage arts, he couldn't accomplish his goal. Ironically, he was back where he started.
Meanwhile, at the Hyuga clan compound:
"Master Elder, the clan leader's wife has returned," a Hyuga servant announced respectfully to the gathering elders.
"Rinmei has returned?" The head elder stood up in surprise.
"Yes, Master Elder. She is currently with Lady Hinata and Lady Hanabi," the servant replied.
The other elders exchanged glances. Rinmei's sudden appearance in Konoha was likely due to the Flying Thunder God user. Recently, Tsunade had also returned to Konoha, rumored to have been brought back by him.
"Let's go see her," the head elder urged, leading the way. The other elders quickly followed, understanding the importance of Rinmei's connection to the Flying Thunder God user for the Hyuga clan.
They soon arrived at Hinata's residence, where Rinmei was with her daughters. Noticing the elders' presence, Rinmei sighed and had the servants take Hinata and Hanabi away, then invited the elders into the living room.
"Rinmei, how powerful is the Flying Thunder God user?" one elder asked eagerly after brief pleasantries.
Prepared for this question, Rinmei calmly sipped her tea before stating unequivocally, "Very strong."
Very strong? How strong exactly? The elders looked at each other, puzzled.
Seeing their confusion, Rinmei elaborated, "If he wanted to destroy Konoha, Konoha wouldn't stand a chance."
Konoha wouldn't stand a chance... The elders were stunned, staring at Rinmei in disbelief. They had expected the Flying Thunder God user to be powerful, but this seemed too exaggerated. Konoha was one of the five great ninja villages, after all.
"Rinmei, are you serious?" her father, the head elder, asked incredulously.
"Absolutely. I've seen him in action," Rinmei replied, her expression solemn. Having witnessed Shishou's immense power firsthand, she had chosen to become his servant.
"How does he compare to Mr. Lurigan?" another elder inquired.
"He can't even defeat a clone of the Flying Thunder God user," Rinmei answered without hesitation. After all, Mr. Lurigan and the Flying Thunder God user were both Shishou in disguise; she could say whatever she wanted.
Not even a clone... The elders were left speechless. If this was true, they needed to align with such a formidable figure.
"Does the Flying Thunder God user still want the Hyuga clan's Byakugan or maidservants?" an elder asked, hoping to find a way to appease this powerful ally.
Rinmei found their eagerness to offer what was once considered sacred to be both ironic and sad. "He has no interest in the Byakugan. He only mentioned it to challenge us. As for using women to curry favor, that's out of the question. The women around him are all strong and extraordinarily beautiful. Ordinary women wouldn't catch his eye. Tsunade, who recently returned to Konoha, is one of his women."
The elders were taken aback. If the proud and powerful Tsunade was one of his women, it only reinforced the Flying Thunder God user's immense strength.
"Are there any other ways to build a relationship with him?" an elder asked, frowning.
"I don't know," Rinmei replied coldly, sipping her tea.
Another elder, squinting at Rinmei, asked, "Rinmei, how does the Flying Thunder God user treat you?"
The other elders immediately understood the implication. If Rinmei could seduce him, it would benefit both her and the Hyuga clan immensely.
The head elder, Rinmei's father, angrily protested, "Rinmei is Hizashi's wife!"
"That was in the past," another elder retorted with a smile.
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