~/ Enjoy!!

  ....

  Deterioration!

  Samui's eyes lit up. Bad news for Konoha meant good news for Kumogakure.

  She had to get her hands on this intel!

  She quickly pressed, "What happened?"

  "It's like this-"

  "Just this m, the Konoha sus Bureau pleted its first popution sus sihe end of the Third Great Ninja War. The main clusion, in a nutshell, is that sihe 37th year of Konoha, our vilge's popution has deed for the first time."

  Gojo Kaigetsu's mencholie was met with Samui's fusion. "Popution dee? What's wrong with that?"

  "A smaller popution means a lower limit on the number of ninjas we train. It also means a tinuous dee in Konoha's eic growth. In this turbulent shinobi world, a ck of funds is fatal for a hidden vilge."

  "People aren't having children etting married anymore. That's Konoha's problem."

  "Maybe in a few years, Konoha will bee a haven fing ninjas, with a drastic decrease in young ninjas, a shrinking market, and a plete regression in ninjutsu researd development..."

  This was a lie!

  Gojo Kaigetsu shamelessly fabricated this story. Iy, Konoha's "Ptinum Geion" was about to be born.

  Moreover… this was the shinobi world. If they truly faced a popution crisis, they could always resort to creating artificial humans.

  Of course, these were highly cssified secrets within Konoha, and Samui was naturally unaware of them.

  "Is that so?"

  Samui's initial flicker of joy quickly vahis problem also existed in Kumogakure!

  The stant wars had led to a tinuous dee in Kumogakure's popution. What made it worse was that the number of female ninjas and vilgers in Kumogakure was even lower than in Konoha.

  The problem Konoha currently faced would iably befall Kumogakure as well.

  "Is… Is there no way to reverse this?"

  "There is a way, but that's where the trouble lies."

  "That is to say, the Fourth Hokage, the Third Hokage, they're actually pnning to une kind of 'Many Children, Many Blessings' pn, and they're already preparing for a trial run."

  Gojo Kaigetsu pointed a fi himself. "I've also been included in this 'Many Children, Many Blessings' pn."

  "What's the… 'Many Children, Many Blessings' pn?" Samui repeated the awkward-sounding name, uo prehend its meaning.

  Such a forward-thinking cept was too advanced for the simple-minded natives of the shinobi world.

  "Simply put, it means that both male and female ninjas should form families and have children as much as possible."

  "The more children they have, the greater the rewards issued by the vilge, including high-level jutsu, body-temperi medies, and brand-new ninja tools..."

  "The vilge will forcibly promote popution growth."

  "That Minato, he has a wife, so he doesn't have to worry. But he hasn't sidered my feelings!"

  Gojo Kaigetsu ched his fist and raised his arm in modignation, veying the message of discord between Konoha's leaders to Samui. However, the Cloud kunoichi's focus had shifted elsewhere.

  Gojo Kaigetsu tinued his charade:

  "Elder Danzo said that the data is too unsightly, and they might have to stop colleg it ter. Like some coeffits, some civil affairs data, it's just too embarrassing to report."

  "If this data falls into the hands of enemy ninjas or a scheming like the Uchiha, it will shake the morale of our vilge."

  Gojo Kaigetsu feigned a worried expression. "As a Hokage advisor of Konoha, they said I must set an example, or I'll lose my position."

  Samui felt as if her body was being dragged along by Gojo Kaigetsu, while her soul was left behind.

  She could barely remember what he said afterwards.

  However, one phrase had struck a chord within her- Have! Children!

  For Samui…

  Gojo Kaigetsu had presented a crisis and a solution. She had to admit that the solution was indeed effective.

  But she couldn't reveal this impending crisis and its solution to the Raikage.

  As everyone knew, female ninjas were scar Kumogakure. And Mabui, her close friend and sister-in-arms, was still in the vilge.

  Based on Samui's uanding of the Raikage's advisors, those individuals were willing to do anything for the vilge. To address Kumogakure's future crisis, they might implement uable policies.

  The worst-case sario would be- Wife sharing.

  If that happeo Mabui, it would undoubtedly be hell!

  It was uable!

  For the first time, a thought took prece over her mission in Samui's mind.

  She was no longer loyal.

  "Hey, hey, Ai, are you even listening?"

  Gojo Kaigetsu waved his hand in front of Samui's face, attempting to pull her back from the depths of her thoughts.

  ‘Did I go too far and scare her?’

  "Uh, y-yes, I'm listening." A strained smile appeared on Samui's face. Her dition had worsened.

  The guilt of withholding information g her sce. In her previous worldview, a ninja was a tool to serve the mission. Now, she was no longer a reliable tool.

  Gojo Kaigetsu withdrew his hand and took a deep breath, as if making a signifit decision:

  "So, Ai, you help me?"

  "Help Kaigetsu-kun?"

  Samui furrowed her brow, momentarily fused by his request.

  "Yes. Ai, you wouldn't wao lose my position as Hokage advisor, would you?"

  "So, about having children, I'll leave it to you!"

  Gojo Kaigetsu reached out and grabbed Samui's soft and smooth hand, transferring his warmth to her.

  Even through the bck fabri air of intimacy seemed to permeate the air.

  Samui's body trembled, and goosebumps erupted on her skin.

  Unpleasant images flooded her mind-

  ‘A female ninja, her identity exposed, forced to infiltrate, coerced by a ruthless, lecherous target, forced to bear his heir.’

  ‘-In the end, she became nothing more than a powerless pything.’

  Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting!

  Samui was, after all, a proud woman.

  Even for the sake of her vilge, even to obtain intel from Gojo Kaigetsu… she… she couldn't accept bearing a child for the enemy.

  But… but, if Gojo Kaigetsu lost his position as Hokage advisor, he would no longer be of use or worth approag.

  Knowing the Raikage's advisors, would they then force her to approach other Hokage advisors in different ways?

  Other Hokage advisors…

  The aged and unattractive faces of Danzo and Homura fshed through Samui's mind.

  Ugh!

  Even more disgusting than Gojo Kaigetsu!

  Samui's face grew increasingly pale. She seemed to have been ered into an inescapable predit.

  ....

  To Be tinued...

  ....