It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

"This little brother is quite adorable, Father. Although I don't understand why you implemented the policy of isolating Gaara before, you must be very happy to see him gradually integrating into the village, even if you're in heaven, right?" Temari sighed and then left Gaara's room.

Not long after Temari left, Gaara was lying in his sand and gravel room preparing to sleep when a purple light suddenly appeared beside the window, alerting him.

"Who! Who's there!" Gaara stood up from the bed and picked up the sand gourd that was placed beside the bed.

Click~

With a crisp sound, Zhi Xue, dressed in a black robe, emerged from the broken crack like a streak of blue light.

Gaara stared wide-eyed at Shiki, who was radiating a bluish-green light.

Zhi Xue lowered the hood covering her head, then flicked a strand of hair that was partially obscuring her vision and smiled at Gaara, saying, "It seems Gaara has grown quite a bit taller after all these years."

"Master, Master?" Gaara's pupils dilated as he looked at Zhixue, who was so beautiful, even more so than in his hazy memories. He then rubbed his slightly reddened eyes in disbelief.

Ten minutes later... Standing by the window, Zhixue wiped away Gaara's tears with a tissue and said, "I'm sorry for making you, a child, watch over the academy for so long. I went to a very far place before, so I'm only just returning now."

"No, it's alright. As long as Master is back, that's all that matters. With Yashamaru's assistance, the academy isn't actually that difficult to manage..."

Seeing Gaara's joyful tears, Shiki was also quite surprised.

Am I really that important to Gaara? Why do I suddenly feel a little guilty?

"Master, did you come back to see me this time?" Gaara asked, blushing slightly, looking at Zhixue, who was only slightly taller than him.

"Ah, I guess so. It's mainly because you'll be in danger in the future, so I'm preparing for you in advance," Zhixue said, taking out a talisman that emitted a faint white light.

Looking at the incomprehensible symbols drawn on the talisman, Gaara asked, "What is this?"

“You’ll find out later…” Zhi Xue walked up to Gaara and placed the talisman on his chest. Under the absorption of a bluish-green chakra, the talisman gradually merged into Gaara’s body.

This is a special one; it only activates when Gaara's chakra reaction is about to completely dissipate. The power of the Sage Talisman is extremely strong; it can generally restore the body unless it is completely shattered into several pieces.

"Master, will you still go to the academy after you come back?" Gaara touched his chest and then asked Zhixue.

Upon hearing this question, Zhixue was taken aback, and then her expression became somewhat unnatural.

"Um, cough cough, well, emmm... it's actually a bit hard to say. Master is quite busy right now. If he were to go to the management academy... hey? What's this...?"

Before Zhixue could finish speaking, Gaara pulled a key from a crevice at the bottom of the gourd and handed it to her.

"This is the academy's income over the past six years. As the academy's headmaster, Master naturally has to keep the money safe. It's just that it's not much..." Gaara said earnestly, staring into Zhixue's eyes.

Stop Snow: ...

After obtaining the location of the safe from Gaara, Shiyuki's feelings were extremely complicated.

Why do I get the feeling that Gaara is being used as a money-making tool? Gaara, whose childhood was redeemed, really seems like a carbon copy of Naruto. Maybe I should pass on Magnet Release to him someday. That tanuki is also inside him, so he should be able to learn very quickly.

Zhi Xue used the first level of her ability to open a large hole in the sky, and in less than half a minute, she had arrived at the academy from Sunagakure.

A streak of turquoise light streaked across the sky, bringing a touch of romance to this desolate desert.

Having arrived at the dean's office, Zhi Xue wandered around inside a few times before finally opening a small opening in the hidden compartment under the headboard of the bed in the last bedroom.

She inserted the key into the air, and after a crisp click, Zhixue wasn't surprised to see that there was only half a silver note inside.

The academy was built on the edge of the desert, where there were not many people. Even if a main road was built on the north side, it would only attract a portion of the people. Not to mention that most of the people of the Land of Wind were not very wealthy.

After counting, Zhi Xue estimated it to be approximately 3.4 million.

After carefully storing the money, Zhi Xue shattered the spatial barrier, leaving behind the key as proof that she had taken it, before leaving the place.

Just as Zhixue flew out of the time tunnel and planned to take a break for the next few days, the ring on her hand suddenly appeared again.

Within the Land of Hot Springs, Shiyuki pondered for a while after receiving a sudden phone call from Pain. After finding a place to stay nearby, she received Pain's Illusion Body Technique in her bedroom.

Looking at the figures on the other ten fingers of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, Zhi Xue asked in bewilderment, "Why are there so many people? Did the plan start ahead of schedule?"

"What, start the plan ahead of schedule? That's so exciting! It seems my art will shine again!" Deidara exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly as he heard what Zhixue said.

"Heh, if the plan starts this early, should I start saving the money now?" Angle took out an abacus, fiddled with it, and began calculating the amount of money in his mind.

"The plan will not be brought forward. The main purpose of this meeting is to introduce a new member, who is Xu Tong's teammate. Although he is nominally just a substitute, he still needs to get to know everyone."

As Payne spoke, he snapped his fingers, and a man wearing an orange cookie mask and a loose Akatsuki robe appeared in the blank area in the center of his ten fingers. He placed his fingers on the mask in a rather comical manner.

"Oh, I'm Afei, a candidate member of Akatsuki. Please take good care of me, seniors!" Afei bowed to everyone, but then paused, looking at the blank area under his feet.

"Why are we in the air? We're going to fall! Aaaaaah!" Afei looked at the empty space beneath his feet and panicked, waving his arms and legs comically in mid-air.

Akatsuki members: ...

Chapter 233, Not-So-Smart

"Why do I get the feeling that the new member isn't very bright?" said Pipa Juzo, arms crossed, looking at Tobi who seemed to be swimming in the air.

Kisame Hoshigaki: ...

"Alright, Tobi, this is just a projection. You're not really here. As a member of Akatsuki, you need to be more composed, understand?" Pain said, somewhat speechless, as he looked at Tobi who was still making a fuss.

Upon hearing what Payne said, Fei also stood up from the air.

"Huh? I see." Afei spun around twice before scratching his head and walking up to Zhixue.

"Senior, I'll be your teammate from now on. Please take good care of Afei!"

Seeing the hand reaching out to her, Zhixue's lips twitched.

If it's a projection... we probably can't hold hands, right?

"Alright, now that Afei has become Xutong's teammate, let's have a good chat in the tower in a few days and get to know each other." Payne nodded to Zhixue and said.

After the meeting ended, Zhixue sat up from the soft bed and then pondered for a moment.

What was the point of Obito and Pain making Tobi their teammate? Were they trying to monitor her interactions with Konoha?

A few days after the meeting ended, Zhi Xue returned to Amegakure and met her teammate wearing the orange cookie mask inside the organization's tower, where she carefully observed him with her Byakugan.

When Afei saw Zhixue wearing a straw hat walking up the stairs, he exclaimed in surprise and ran over from a distance.

"Oh my, it's Senior Xu Tong! I'm A Fei, your teammate from the other day. Please take care of me in the future!" A Fei, who was full of lively energy, suddenly straightened up and bowed to Zhi Xue.

Seeing Obito's appearance, Zhixue sighed and rubbed her forehead, saying, "It's really hard for me to imagine you looking like this with that mask on..."

"Huh? What strange thing are you talking about, senpai?" Obito said, scratching his head as if he didn't know anything.

"Fine, I don't care what you do. Anyway, you can't stop me from skipping work."

Looking at Shisue, who was shrugging, Obito raised his hand, but quickly lowered it again.

It's been years since I last saw her, and this little one is still so adorable. But I believe she will have an even more beautiful and perfect life in the Infinite Tsukuyomi.

"Is it the Void Eye that's back?" Standing in the hall, Payne looked at the two people in the distance who seemed to be catching up.

"leader."

"Leader, are you about to issue some dangerous and exciting mission? Senior Xu Tong and I have just formed a team, so we must make sure to perform well!" A Fei floated to Zhi Xue's side like a sponge and said.

Payne: ...

Nagato also wondered if Madara's brain had been kicked by a donkey, which would have made him look like this. But even if it was an act, wasn't it a bit too much?

"Alright, I do have a small task for you this time, it's about... the request from Onoki, the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure."

When Zhixue heard Pain mention the name Onoki, she was also taken aback.

She...she must have heard correctly, right? The Tsuchikage of a major ninja village actually commissioned the Akatsuki to do a mission?

"Huh, it's actually the Kage, the leader of Tsuchikakuyomi. Is it really okay for a newbie like me to do such a difficult task?"

"How much is the bounty?" Ignoring Afei's acting skills on the side, Zhixue asked Payne.

"2000 million, the bounty is not bad. The target is in the northern ocean. Destroy the Cloud Village's stronghold on the island. Since it is at sea and the terrain and intelligence are unfamiliar, you need to be careful."

After receiving the map and quest scroll from Payne, Zhixue nodded to Payne and then set off northward in a straight line early the next morning.

After passing through the damp forest of Takigakure Village, Shiyuki turned to Tobi, who was walking and stopping nearby, and asked, "Tobi, is it usually the one inside or the one outside that controls things?"

"Oh my, it seems that you can actually see what kind of body Afei is. Although Mr. Madara, who is not here, sometimes controls it, it is usually the real Afei who controls it~" Afei jumped onto the tree and looked at the distant mountains and rivers.

Zhi Xue nodded in response to A Fei's answer, and then, looking at A Fei who was still admiring the scenery, she suddenly felt a strange urge to explore.

A White Zetsu? It seems quite different from other White Zetsu. It has a kind of bio-armor feel to it, and it can even control itself. That's really amazing.

"Senior, there's an orchard ahead!" Afei jumped down from the tree and pointed to the distant forest, saying happily. But whether it was his imagination or not, Afei felt that Zhixue's gaze was a little strange.

Afei scratched his head, looking a little confused, and asked Zhixue, "Senior, do you not really like eating fruit?"

"Ahem, of course not, I'm just curious about Afei's body structure." Facing the simple-minded White Zetsu Afei, Zhixue spoke without any concealment.

"Oh, is Senpai curious about this? Like how Tobi is curious about what it feels like for a human to need to defecate?" Tobi put his hand on his mask and recalled how Obito and Madara used to need to go to the toilet many years ago.

Stop Snow: ...

After a period of travel, Zhixue and Afei arrived at the coastline of Takigakure Village.

Looking at Obito emerging from the Kamui dimension dressed as Tobi, Zhixue handed him two bags of takoyaki and said, "Winter is coming soon, and the sea breeze is cold. Don't you plan to eat something before you continue your journey?" Zhixue said, dangling her short legs wrapped in white stockings as she sat on the cliff, wiping the grease from the corner of her mouth.

"Ah, no, I'm Tobi now, so I don't really have any particular requirements for hot or cold." Obito, dressed as Tobi, stood behind Shiki and looked at the endless coastline and the ever-rising tides.

"Fine, if you don't like it, then I'll enjoy it by myself." Seeing that Obito didn't seem to be in the mood to enjoy the food, Zhixue ate the remaining two packs of takoyaki as well.

Obito narrowed his eyes as he watched Shiki enjoying her meal with a contented expression.

He never really understood why Zhixue joined the organization. At first, Obito suspected that she might be a money-grubbing like Kakuzu, but her lazy attitude every day made him deny that idea.

If she loved money, would she be lazy every day? Besides, with her abilities, Zhi Xue couldn't have risen to such heights solely through talent; the effort she put in behind the scenes must be far more terrifying than they imagine…

"So all of this was just a facade after all?" Obito murmured to himself, looking at Shiki who seemed to be giving up all along.

Chapter 234, in order

boom!

On this frigid sea, streaks of fire erupted along the desolate coastline, and billowing smoke drifted into the sky, alerting some of the Iwa ninja guarding the area.

The next morning, a small reconnaissance team of Iwa ninja sailed to the nearby islands and found piles of corpses and buildings that were charred black and still had faint flames visible.

"This speed... this is a ninja force of nearly 400 people!" The Iwa ninja squad leader swallowed hard as he looked at the tragedy, and then ordered his men to check other areas to see if any survivors had been left.

It had only been two weeks since the mission was handed over to the Akatsuki, and the task had already been completed perfectly. Onoki almost burst out laughing when he looked at the photo of 400 people being wiped out.

Do those brutes from Kumogakure think they can suppress the power of their Earth Release ninjutsu at sea? I know how to be flexible.