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Nagato had been implanted with the Rinnegan by Uchiha Madara, which meant Uchiha Shin had to find him in advance. He couldn't attack him immediately, but he could mark him.
When Uchiha Madara eventually died, Shin might be able to sit back and reap the rewards, absorbing the power of the Rinnegan for himself.
In Shin's grand plan, obtaining the Rinnegan was a key step toward surpassing his current limits. With its power, he might evolve his Mangekyō Sharingan into the Eternal Mangekyō or even awaken the Rinnegan himself.
After all, these were the eyes of the divine, and their abilities should theoretically propel him to the next stage.
If that plan failed, then he would simply have to find another way. Either way, with the ability of his right eye—[Soul: Sacrifice]—Shin could function as a pseudo-Eternal Mangekyō user as long as he managed his abilities wisely.
As for his secondary objective, finding Konan, that was purely out of personal interest.
Was it so wrong to appreciate a cute little girl?
And knowing how stunning she would grow up to be, wouldn't it be ideal to take her now and raise her properly? Train her into the perfect kunoichi?
He already had Uzumaki Kanako in his household; he wouldn't mind adding Konan to the mix.
Tsunade and Uchiha Mikoto, unaware of Shin's true motivations, saw him as a kind-hearted man. Even Jiraiya was somewhat moved by the younger Uchiha's apparent compassion.
Jiraiya, already troubled by the state of the Hidden Rain Village, had been considering staying to offer some kind of aid.
"I'll head to Amegakure first. Tsunade-sensei, Mikoto, you two should return to camp and pack up our things," Shin instructed.
"Alright. Mikoto and I will take care of it," Tsunade agreed, nodding before leading Mikoto away.
At this point, Uchiha Mikoto already bore the diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, identical to Tsunade's. After a month of rigorous training, she had mastered the Yin Seal.
During that same month, Shin had devoted himself to refining his mastery over [Dust Release] and discreetly obtaining summoning contracts from Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
With Tsunade vouching for him, neither of them refused when he expressed interest in choosing a summoning beast.
Offering a scroll wasn't the issue—the real question was whether the summons would choose him.
High-level contracts such as Ryūchi Cave, Mount Myōboku, and Shikkotsu Forest were the ones doing the selecting, not the other way around.
From Jiraiya and Orochimaru's perspectives, Shin's approach—casting a wide net—was understandable.
However, they had no idea that he didn't give a damn about the summons themselves. He was after something far more valuable: Sage Mode.
"I should start by learning Slug Sage Mode from Tsunade first, then test whether the other two can work for me."
Tsunade might put in a good word for him, but for Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, he was on his own.
Shin wasn't foolish enough to barge in and demand their power. Who knew how strong the elders of those places truly were?
Each of them had lived for millennia—true monsters in every sense of the word.
Shin preferred to assume the worst and estimate their strength as "beyond Kage-level."
With a heavy mind, he once again stepped into Amegakure.
Thanks to its climate, the village rained almost incessantly—eight days out of ten. Today, at least, it was a mere drizzle.
It was no wonder Hanzō the Salamander sought to expand his country's borders. With terrain like this, developing infrastructure was a nightmare.
Despite the shinobi world being at a semi-modern level, the contradictions were absurd. There were sofas, televisions, and radios, yet the majority of the population still survived through subsistence farming.
"If I ever get control of the entire shinobi world, I'll push for major reforms," Shin muttered to himself. "At least introduce cell phones and computers—otherwise, what's left to do besides training and clapping cheeks with my women?"
With that stray thought, he resumed his search of Amegakure.
The previous war had devastated the village, wiping out most of its male population. The streets were now filled primarily with women and young girls.
That was the fundamental problem—there were too many girls who resembled Konan at this stage in her life.
It had already been nearly two weeks, and he still hadn't found her.
Yet, the moment he appeared, flocks of little girls ran up to him, excitedly surrounding him in groups, their faces filled with hope and admiration.
"Alright, line up! Everyone gets food!"
Outside a store owned by a wealthy merchant, Shin pushed open the doors and retrieved the rice porridge and side dishes provided by his 'generous' benefactor.
After spending weeks distributing food, his reputation in Amegakure had reached divine status. If it weren't for a lack of funds, the villagers would have erected a statue of him by now.
As for where he obtained the food? Part of it came from hypnotizing and controlling said wealthy merchant. The rest came from his use of [Wood Release] to forcefully cultivate rice.
Along with the bacon he'd cured from hunted wild animals and pickled vegetables supplied by the merchant, these provisions were keeping countless orphans alive.
Most importantly, the rogue ninjas lurking in Amegakure and the Konoha forces wouldn't dare steal food from Lord Uchiha Shin.
In Amegakure, food was survival itself.
"Lord Shin, me too!"
"Me! Me!"
A chorus of young voices rang out as the girls crowded closer, desperate yet disciplined. Thanks to his prior instructions, they all lined up obediently instead of rushing in a frenzy.
As he distributed food, another thought crossed Shin's mind.
"I might as well install a puppet leader in Amegakure. That way, I can keep indirect control of this village even after I leave."
He couldn't stay here forever, after all.
And once he left, what would become of these little girls?
Shin wasn't one to act purely out of kindness and then walk away. If he was going to play god, he might as well do it properly.
Considering Amegakure's location—right at the intersection of multiple major nations—having a firm grip on it was a strategically sound move.
And for him, this was an easy task.
His Mangekyō Sharingan's hypnotic abilities were so potent that even a Kage-level ninja caught off-guard would struggle to break free.
In Amegakure's current state, there weren't even any Kage-level shinobi left. A mere Chūnin was considered strong here.
With this plan added to his agenda, Shin finished handing out the last of the food.
As he shut the shop doors and prepared to resume his search, a small figure cautiously peeked out from a nearby alleyway.
A little girl with tattered clothes and sharp, guarded eyes—her short blue hair messy, her pale skin smeared with dirt—hesitantly stepped forward.
As Shin turned to leave, she finally mustered the courage to speak.
Stepping onto the wet, muddy ground, she slowly walked up to him.
Lifting her round, dirt-streaked face, she murmured softly, "Um… is there any food left? I don't need much… just a little bit."
She spoke timidly, her voice barely above a whisper.
And when Shin's piercing gaze fell upon her, she instinctively lowered her head, as if afraid to meet his eyes.
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Dear Readers
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones