What's wrong with having a large harem if you're the emperor of the ninja world?

A flame burned in those pale blue eyes, a flame that Temari and Kankuro had never seen before.

"No, that wasn't a deal."

His voice suddenly rose, filled with a missionary passion:

"Temari, Kankuro, haven't you had enough yet?"

"Look at our Land of Wind, look at our Sand Village!"

What do we have? Endless yellow sand? Scarce water? Barren land?

"And what about those big names who embezzle funds year after year and treat us like tools?"

“We have nothing! We’ve been struggling.”

"Struggling to survive!"

"Why does the Land of Fire deserve fertile land and abundant resources? Why?!"

His emotions grew increasingly agitated, and his words flowed like a burst dam:

"Therefore, we 4.7 need to change! We need a true 'savior'!"

"A guide who can lead us out of this cycle of despair and bring us new life and prosperity!"

"And His Majesty the Emperor... His Majesty Emperor Yan! He is that person!"

"He possesses immense power, and even more so, the courage and wisdom to overturn everything!"

"He promised to help us and to change the Land of Wind."

"It will make Sunagakure a truly powerful entity, no longer dependent on anyone!"

"This is not betrayal! This is... embracing the future!"

Gaara's face was filled with an unwavering, fanatical conviction.

It was as if I could already see the beautiful blueprint drawn by Di Yan.

Temari and Kankuro stared in disbelief at their younger brother, who had completely "changed into a different person."

I just felt a chill rushing from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

They finally understood.

Gaara was not persuaded by a simple exchange of interests.

He... was completely "bewitched"!

By that emperor who was far away in Konoha.

In some way they cannot understand.

A completely new, dangerous, and fanatical belief system has been implanted!

Gaara seems to be leading Sunagakure down a path fraught with unknowns and risks, one that will become dependent on another powerful force.

But they were powerless to stop it.

.......

88. Hikari and Izumi prepare gifts; Ino takes a different approach.

Meanwhile, at the border of the Land of Lightning.

As night deepened, the crescent moon was occasionally obscured by thin clouds drifting by.

The earth was dimly lit.

The camp in Kumogakure was sparsely lit, and most of the ninjas had already left.

Only a few troops remained to carry out the final cleanup work.

The level of vigilance has clearly been relaxed considerably.

After several localized clashes with Konoha, when that crimson Susanoo made its appearance.

The probing by Kumogakure has already ended.

Therefore, it was only natural that the Hidden Cloud Village began to withdraw its troops one after another.

But right now.

Two slender black figures moved silently and stealthily in the shadows of the forest, like ghosts.

Finally, it stopped once again on the trunk of a giant tree that overlooked the camp.

It was Uchiha Hikaru and Uchiha Izumi.

"Is it confirmed, Izumi-neechan?"

Uchiha Hikaru lowered his voice, his scarlet Sharingan slowly rotating in the darkness.

It precisely locked onto a specific tent in the camp below.

"Yes, I'm sure. She went in and hasn't come out since. She's probably going to rest. This is the perfect opportunity."

A smile appeared on Uchiha Izumi's lips.

His eyes held a hint of excitement and certainty.

“I am very satisfied with her appearance and figure. More importantly... look at her breasts... His Majesty will definitely appreciate them.”

Uchiha Hikaru recalled the figure he had glimpsed from afar during the day.

Short blond hair, a calm and capable face.

And those curves that looked exceptionally impressive even under the ninja uniform.

She nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite, her little face full of seriousness:

"I'll bring my brother a gift when I get back; he'll definitely like it."

"Yes! For my brother!"

"Remember, you need to be quick. Use your eye power to suppress her instantly."

"Don't give her any chance to use her magic."

"I will set up an illusion barrier to isolate the noise, and then I will flee immediately after I succeed."

Uchiha Izumi gave her final words of advice.

"clear."

The words fell.

Their figures seemed to melt into the night.

The next moment, it had quietly appeared at the edge of the camp.

They avoided all patrols and traps.

They infiltrated the core area as easily as if they were returning to their own backyard.

Inside a tent in Hidden Cloud Village.

A graceful figure was preparing to turn off the lights and rest.

The standoff of the past few days and the sudden evacuation order had left her somewhat exhausted.

However, her intuition as a Jonin sent a chill down her spine in an instant.

"Who?"

She turned around abruptly, her hand already on the kunai.

But it's too late.

The tent curtains moved automatically even without wind.

A petite figure appeared before her as if by teleportation.

What kind of eyes are those?

The magnificent kaleidoscope pattern rotates slowly.

So deep it seemed to draw her soul in.

The powerful pupil force crashed down like an invisible mountain!

The woman felt her whole body stiffen.

The flow of chakra instantly froze, and he couldn't even move a finger.

Consciousness, too, became blurred, as if sinking into a quagmire.

The last thing she saw was...

It was the calm, expressionless face of that little girl with the terrifying eye technique.

And another smiling black-haired female ninja emerged from the shadows.

"Successful."

Uchiha Izumi chuckled softly.

He stepped forward and skillfully bound the helpless woman with specially made chakra ropes.

They then stuffed her mouth with a wad of cloth.

Uchiha Hikaru maintained his dojutsu suppression, watching Izumi's actions, and asked in a low voice:

"Is this okay?"

"Perfect."

Uchiha Izumi clapped her hands, looked at her "spoils of war," and nodded in satisfaction.

“Let’s go, Light. It’s time to go home and present this ‘surprise’ gift to His Majesty.”

The two led the completely subdued Cloud Ninja.

Just as when we came.

They disappeared silently into the thick darkness of the night.

Only an empty tent and a flickering oil lamp remained.

It was as if nothing had happened.

In the distant forest

Uchiha Hikaru glanced back at the rapidly receding Cloud Village camp, his tone tinged with a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty:

"Brother...will you like this gift?"

……

Even the sunlight in Konoha couldn't completely dispel the oppressive atmosphere that permeated the air above the Ino-Shika-Cho tribal area.

Di Yan walked slowly.

Beside her, on either side, were her newly appointed "personal bodyguards," Mitarashi Anko and Uzuki Yugao.

The two goddesses were tense, their sharp eyes scanning their surroundings.

They diligently fulfilled their duties as guards.

Even though they knew it perfectly well.

Those who truly need protection are probably the Pig-Deer-Butterfly tribe members around them who dare not speak out against their anger.

Walking half a step ahead of Di Yan was Yamanaka Ino.

Her face was a little pale.

His gait seemed to have a slight, almost imperceptible, unsteadiness and unnaturalness, as if he were feeling unwell.

But she still tried her best to remain calm.

As they ventured deeper into their tribe's territory.