I will traverse countless worlds and become a god entirely on my own!

Konan looked up at the sign and seemed to recall hearing the name of this ramen shop before, back in the Land of Rain.

"Is Lady Xiaoxue really not going back to the Snow Country?"

"We're not going back. The Snow Country no longer exists, and everyone has moved here. Everyone is working towards a better future. There's no need for us to cling to the past. Besides, didn't we find out what treasures Father left behind were when we went back?"

"Boss, give me a bowl of ramen, Samui, don't go! I'm sure I can beat you today!!"

Inside Ichiraku Ramen, the place was bustling with noise. Xiao Nan was also somewhat infected by the atmosphere, and her mood suddenly relaxed a lot.

"Hey, hey, hey, how's my training going today, Byakuya-sensei? One day I'll defeat you and become the second leader of the Land of Ninja!"

"Naruto, you idiot! There's no way your master can be defeated by you. The only one who can defeat him is a member of the Uchiha clan!"

Sasuke retorted, and the four of them walked into the noodle shop one after the other.

Besides Naruto and Sasuke, Byakuya also took Neji Hyuga as his disciple because of Hiashi Hyuga's request.

That's how the four-person team was formed.

Following the sound, Xiao Nan subconsciously looked up. Noticing Xiao Nan's gaze, Bai Ye also looked over. Upon seeing Xiao Nan, a hint of surprise flashed through Bai Ye's mind. He hadn't expected to meet Xiao Nan here.

Is the Akatsuki organization planning to come here to gather intelligence because they want to unify the ninja world?

A smile flashed across Bai Ye's face, and Xiao Nan was subconsciously stunned for a moment before awkwardly replying.

It seems like it's been a long time since I've laughed; I've almost forgotten how.

Thinking of this, she lowered her head and stopped looking at Bai Ye, instead focusing on eating her noodles.

The one next to him is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and Itachi Uchiha's younger brother, right?

Before coming, Xiao Nan made a point of researching the specific information about that area.

Besides, all the other Jinchūriki are here now. It seems that the easiest Jinchūriki to capture is currently training with Byakuya, so it seems that they can't easily make a move against him.

And it seems that this time it might not even be necessary to take action.

As Nagato had said before, he only came here to investigate the information about this place.

Meanwhile, Byakuya was contemplating whether or not to incorporate the Akatsuki organization.

Aside from a few that were truly impossible to recruit, every single survivor who was recruited by him could provide him with a chance to win a prize, which was far more impressive than the entire Ninja World War.

"Teacher Bai Ye, are you even listening to me?"

Naruto muttered to himself, annoyed by Byakuya's dismissive attitude. He decided he would teach Byakuya a lesson later.

He recently learned a ninjutsu called Shadow Clone Technique, and based on that, he developed an even stronger ninjutsu. He believes that when Byakuya sees it, he will definitely be defeated by his own ninjutsu.

"Naruto, isn't your dream to become Hokage?"

Coming to his senses, Bai Ye turned to Naruto with a smile and asked.

He used to say he wanted to become Hokage, so why has he changed his mind now?

"Naruto is so outdated, and I'm going to surpass my teacher and my dad whom I've never met!"

Where is the Hokage now?

My goal is to become the leader of the Land of Ninjas!

"So you think that defeating and surpassing me will make you the leader of the Land of Ninjas?"

Byakuya's words apply not only to Naruto, but also to the other two.

Compared to Sasuke's frequent interactions with Byakuya and Naruto's outgoing nature, Hyuga Neji was somewhat aloof and reserved since he had just met Byakuya. As a result, he didn't say much, but his silence didn't mean he didn't want to.

He wanted to break free from his fate, but now he felt like a caged bird.

"Of course!"

Naruto nodded and answered seriously. In his opinion, as long as he could surpass Byakuya, he could become the leader!

Although he just wanted others to acknowledge him.

Even though he had already shed the title of "Demon Fox" by this time, and with the addition of other Jinchuriki to Konoha, Naruto had gained more Jinchuriki friends, such as Gaara, whom he had recently met. Although Gaara was somewhat aloof, the two seemed to have a special connection and became friends.

He heard that becoming a leader would bring him recognition from many people, so he wanted to become a leader and gain more recognition.

"Becoming a leader doesn't guarantee recognition from others; you need everyone's recognition to become a leader. Naruto has a long road ahead of him, so there's no need to rush."

Byakuya saw through Naruto's thoughts and chuckled. He didn't necessarily have to become Hokage to gain recognition.

Ultimately, the original policy of using Jinchūriki was actually flawed.

After the unification of the ninja world, Byakuya plans to extract all the tailed beasts without harming the Jinchuriki, allowing them to live near the village.

Actually, the Tailed Beasts aren't that scary, as you can see from Boruto. It's just that humans want to capture them and have been sealing them away. Anyone would be driven crazy in that situation.

"This guy really knows how to talk a good game."

Konan listened from the side, and seeing Naruto's thoughtful expression, she gained a deeper understanding.

After observing for a day, Konan also discovered that prices in the Land of Ninja were much lower than before, and many policies had also changed. The old policy of allowing nobles to have their way was no longer working here.

Even ordinary people have the right to live a good life, which made Konan waver. If they capture the tailed beasts again and start a war, will they break the peace in the future? Would they be sinners?

"Neji, I will talk to the head of the Hiashi clan about the Caged Bird Seal that binds you to the branch family. At the very least, I will remove the Caged Bird Seal from your body."

Now that Byakuya has accepted Neji as his disciple, it's impossible for him to be a caged bird again.

Furthermore, I will also try to fight for the branch family. Since reform is needed, the Hyuga family is also a major part. Maintaining the branch family and the main family is the same concept as the nobles and ninja villages back then.

Therefore, Bai Ye will not allow this situation to occur, and in the early stages, negotiations will be the primary approach.

"Release the caged bird?"

A flicker of confusion crossed Hyuga Neji's eyes. He too was able to break free of the Caged Bird.

The moment Neji was branded with the Caged Bird Seal, he thought he was doomed. The entire branch family was just serving the main family, and the Caged Bird Seal was essentially a cage, with him being the bird in the cage. Moreover, because of the Caged Bird Seal, his Byakugan had a weakness.

“I have said that the purpose of establishing the Ninja Country is to ensure that everyone can be equal. I am not just saying it.”

"Teacher, it's me."

Hyuga Neji gritted his teeth; despite his usual strength, he felt a pang of sadness welling up inside him.

He always felt that there was an insurmountable abyss between him and Bai Ye, or between Naruto and Sasuke.

Let's not even talk about Byakuya. Naruto and Sasuke are both free, unlike me. I am bound by constraints and always disguise and defend myself with a cold demeanor.

It's all because of the caged bird.

This is also why Neji always felt that he was inferior to others.

"Don't cry. If you cry, these two will laugh at you for the rest of your life."

Changing the caged bird wasn't just a whim; it was partly to fulfill a promise I'd made, and partly to see if there was a chance to win a prize.

"No, thank you, teacher."

Neji spoke softly, feeling a pang of sadness and a touch of bitterness in his heart. Since his father's death, he had indeed not felt such warmth for a long time. He was moved, but not to the point of crying.

"Eat early, and then go home."

Bai Ye has some things to do today, and Xiao Nan doesn't have the mind to deal with them for the time being.

He didn't know the other party's purpose in coming here, but under the surveillance of his Observation Haki, Byakuya could detect the other party at any time.

So he wasn't in a hurry to find Xiao Nan; instead, he needed to deal with the matters at hand as soon as possible.

After finishing their meal at Ichiraku Ramen and sending the three of them home, Byakuya spent several days dealing with government affairs. Once everything was settled, he finally realized that he had forgotten about one person.

Through his Observation Haki, Byakuya discovered that Konan was still in Konoha. After hesitating for a moment, Byakuya decided to go and talk to Konan.

At this moment, Konan was strolling around Konoha. Although she had been trying to gather information during this time, the more Konan learned, the more she felt that what they were doing seemed to be wrong.

They have already moved towards the path of peace.

People who were originally scattered in other villages around the world gradually began to move towards the old site of Konoha.

Meanwhile, Ninja City is expanding every day, constantly spreading outwards, and the population is growing, with many people wanting to come here to seek opportunities.

As people continued to gather, even Konan, a commoner from the Land of Rain, seemed to have seen them.

It seems everyone likes this place, but if they destroy it, won't they be ruining what others cherish?

She decided to tell Nagato everything she had seen and heard there, hoping that Nagato would have his answer by then.

Isn't this what they've always been pursuing?

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Ninja."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 141 Konan: Starting as an Undercover Agent in Konoha! To Be a Secretary?

"I'm just browsing around here, is that alright?"

Although Xiao Nan was somewhat surprised that her identity seemed to have been discovered by the person in front of her, she hesitated for only a moment and finally decided to just admit it.

Since the other party has taken the initiative to admit their identity, there is no point in trying to deny it.

Besides, before leaving, she actually wanted to talk to Bai Ye to see what his plans were for the future development of the Ninja Kingdom.

However, Xiao Nan remained somewhat wary before proceeding.

"It's alright. How do you feel about this place? Would you like to stay and live here?"

Byakuya stood at the site of the former Hokage Rock of Konoha, a landmark of the village that was not overturned despite the addition of other ninja villages.

The former Kage of other ninja villages also appeared here in other ways.

This is a memorial site belonging to the Ninja Kingdom. Standing here, you can see the entire village below at a glance.

His approach to Konan wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; his invitation for Konan to stay was actually a ploy to invite Payne over.

At least at this point, Bai Ye believed that Pain could still be saved, but Kenji was definitely not coming back; that guy was the Uchiha's number one love-obsessed person.

No ninja in the entire Uchiha clan has ever been more love-obsessed than Kenji.

"Stay here?"

Xiao Nan originally thought that Bai Ye approached her because of her identity.

After staying there for a while, she discovered that ninjas from various ninja villages had begun to re-register.