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  Eight years slipped by in a fsh.

  ...

  Snowfkes drifted down across the Land of Whirlpools, c the forests in a pristine b of white.

  Shin stood there, unbothered by the biting wind. Behind him floated—Twelve Truth-Seeking Orbs, up from nine before.

  These three extra orbs were something he'd fed after achieving Kekkei Mōra—the pinnacle of elemental fusion that included Yin and Yang Release.

  Shin had finally merged all chakra natures and now had genuine Six Paths–level power.

  It took eight years, but at st, he'd fused everything successfully. The domain of Kekkei Mōra was essentially godlike in this world. o someone like Kaguya ōtsutsuki, yes—but Kaguya herself couldn't match Shin in a fight.

  He also noticed the ges in his eyes from the synergy with Bloodline Enpassing. The inal Tensei-Rinnegan had gained Six Boe arranged on the rings, f the Six-Tomoe Tensei-Rinnegan.

  He wondered if an even higher form—like a or omoe version—might be possible iure.

  "Why're you standing out here in the snow like a weirdo?" Kushina's voice cut across the wind, drawing Shin's gaze.

  "I wao test my new powers, but there's no suitable oppo." He let the orbs fade, then faced her with a rueful shrug.

  He truly wished for a challe found none worth fighting.

  "You sound bored. Then how about joining my vilge? Give me a hand building it up!" Kushina asked, eyes sparkling.

  Shin gave her a ft look:

  "You mean that 'Vilge' of yours with only four people?"

  Indeed, eight years had passed, yet the "vilge" Kushina built—Suikagakure—still had exactly four members: herself, Mikoto, Tsunade, and Konan.

  After incessaering from Kushina, Tsunade and Mikoto finally caved and joihey went through multiple name ges—inally "Beautiful Shinobi Vilge," which was te.

  Eventually, they settled on "Suikagakure."

  Kushina served as the First Suikage, but… the vilge struggled with expansion. She was determio recruit Shin, but so far, no luck.

  "You're looking down on us again," Kushina huffed. "We might be small, but we're strong!"

  She did have a point: Tsunade, Mikoto, and Konan all achieved Kage-tier strength, making them each as strong as any major vilge's leader. On paper, that was an impressive ratio. But "four ninjas total"—was… well, awkward.

  "Yes, four people still hardly qualifies as a proper vilge," Shin quipped.

  Kushina put her hands on her hips, cheeks puffed in annoyance.

  "Don't keep harping on the 'four people' part! You'd make five if you joined, and we'll definitely expand iure!"

  "But you once said your vilge only accepts female Shinobi. So you basically excluded me from the get-ght?" Shin suddenly remembered her earlier stance.

  "That rule doesn't apply to you, dummy. You're my man. I'm allowed to make exceptions." Kushina shrugged as if it were obvious.

  "Uhh, yeah, thanks but no thanks. Suddenly I recall something else I o do—bye!" Shin coughed awkwardly, then vanished into a swirl of bck portal space.

  He wasn't about to bee the vilge's "manual bor." Tsunade and Mikoto had only given in because they couldn't handle Kushina's relentless pressure, but Shin refused.

  "Damn it!"

  ....

  She headed baside, only to see Tsunade, Mikoto, and Konan sipping tea. Mikoto shot her a sympathetic look.

  "He's not back yet?" Mikoto asked.

  "I tried to recruit him again, and he ran off. you believe that?"

  She flopped down and grabbed a nearby cup, downing the steaming tea in one gulp—

  Only to spit it right back out, wing.

  "Ow, so hot!"

  She nearly spit it out, gring at Mikoto acgly.

  "Why didn't you war was so hot?!"

  "You drank it too fast for me to say anything." Mikoto said calmly.

  "Fine, Anyway, any bright ideas on how we get Shin to join us?" Kushina switched topics, eyeing them hopefully.

  "Hmm… 't think of anything." Konan shook her head.

  "I might have osunade spoke up.

  "Really?" Kushina's eyes lit with hope.

  "Simple. Just pester him until he gives in, the same way you ered us. Let's be ho, if we hadn't caved, we'd still be free." Tsunade said dryly.

  "Tsuhat's so mean," Kushina grumbled, a little stung. But then her eyes lit again. "Still, it might work…"

  Mikoto cleared her throat, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Leaning in close, she whispered to Kushina:

  "Or you could… let's say… 'eain' him so well he just 't say no."

  In an instant, Kushina's face fred scarlet.

  "What kind of weird suggestion is that, Mikoto?" she hissed, gring while the rest of them wondered what they were whispering about.

  Tsuiced them murmuriively.

  "Hey, what are you two whispering about? Speak up!" Tsunade demanded, uo catch their hushed exge.

  "We 't tell you." Kushina shot Tsunade a look, then shook her head firmly. "Ask Mikoto if you waails."

  Tsuuro Mikoto, but faced with Tsunade's stare, Mikoto certainly wasn't about to repeat that "spicy" idea out loud.

  So in the end, Tsunade was left in the dark—and poor Kushina's pn to recruit Shin stayed as stalled as ever.

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