Charlie raised an eyebrow, pretending to be calm. "Good! Your understanding of the ideology is impressive. To reward your dedication, copy the New Grass Spirit a hundred times.
I'm sure you'll learn even more that way. And don't forget to turn it in tomorrow."
"Understood," Mujie replied, though his mouth twitched slightly.
Looks like no matter what, The lord was going to give him a hard time today. Well, he'd take it. After all, if it came down to it, he could have Yahiko and Kaien do the copying for him.
No big deal! Kids just need to study more anyway. Speaking of Yahiko, he'd looked exhausted lately.
Every time he heard the phrase "Since you're here!" he'd shudder all over.
What was so scary about that? It was just slacking off, a sign of weak will and shaky resolve. Perfect chance to toughen up by doing some copying!
Mujie's tone grew stern and righteous. "Just a hundred times? I'm used to that. Every night, I copy it a hundred times to strengthen my Grass Spirit…"
Before he could finish, Charlie interrupted: "Make it a thousand times!"
Mujie's eyes immediately reddened. "Fine!" he said, feeling a bit defeated.
'Sorry, guys! Dad's letting you down!'
"If there's nothing else, I won't bother The lord any longer." He adjusted his wide, thick coat against the biting winter cold.
Watching Mujie's solitary figure disappear, Charlie smiled with satisfaction. He and Kana continued their stroll through the bustling Land of Grass.
Along the way, they passed the gates of the Castle and saw Ryoshi. Speaking of which, the Chinoike clan had also started cooperating with the Land of Grass's guard unit.
Though they'd faced some initial troubles, they stuck with it. Now, they seemed well integrated into the civilian population and had earned their respect.
As for Ayaka Ryoshi, as head of the second-largest family in the Land of Grass, she was far more reliable than the unpredictable Mujie.
Thinking back to the chaotic days of war, the Land of Grass was dominated by two main powers: Mujie's faction, the Kusano-mi ("Grass Seed") clan, a radical group guarding the Box of Paradise, and Ryoshi's faction, the Kusano-hana ("Grass Flower") clan, which was more moderate.
Over time, Mujie managed to unite the smaller factions, shaping the Land of Grass into what it is today. After checking in with the Chinoike clan about recent events, Charlie soon crossed paths with the elders of the Uzumaki clan.
"Lord!" they greeted him together. "Elder Youma, Elder Yojin!"
The Uzumaki clan had been thriving lately, likely because their long history of wandering made them value peace and stability even more. They wholeheartedly took on any mission Charlie gave them.
For instance, they were nearly finished building the sealing barrier around the Land of Grass in a surprisingly short time. Plus, Elder Youma had convinced Elder Yojin to join him in researching chakra capacitors and shinobi scroll technology, the groundwork for scientific shinobi tools.
Perhaps as a way to show their gratitude to the Land of Grass, the two elders worked tirelessly and had already made significant progress. Apparently, their research revealed that the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques could mimic the effects of chakra capacitors.
Charlie didn't know the details yet and would have to wait for the final results. After accepting their thanks, he didn't want to disturb the two elders during the rare festival and continued on his way.
"It's wonderful," Kana said with a gentle smile. "Everyone's happy and peaceful."
She waved ahead. "Fuso-nee!"
At her call, Fuso looked up, surprised, then smiled warmly as she walked over. "Charlie and Kana are here, too!"
"Lady Fuso," Charlie greeted her with a smile and a nod, then glanced behind her. "Hmm? Where are Nagato and the others?"
'Weren't the three kids supposed to be with Fuso?' Now that he thought about it…
'Why haven't Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan come to visit me these past few days? They used to love stopping by! Could they be shy now? Or embarrassed?'
"Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan?" Lady Fuso covered her mouth delicately and smiled, her eyes warm and kind. "They found so many interesting things at the festival that they wandered off to explore on their own."
She glanced at Charlie with a grateful sigh.
"Thank you, Lord Charlie," she said gratefully.
If it hadn't been for that sudden arrival, she and Nagato might have been killed by the shinobi back then.
Charlie was about to reply, "No need to thank me," when Lady Fuso suddenly frowned, recalling something.
"Oh, right! Yahiko mentioned earlier that there was a painting booth up ahead that really got him excited.
Then he took Nagato and rushed over there. Some kind of painting booth…" Her voice held a hint of apology. "I didn't catch all the details. Are you feeling okay, Lord Charlie?"
"I'm fine," Charlie replied, though he raised an eyebrow and a twitch crossed his face.
'A painting booth?! Seriously? That guy wouldn't dare set up a booth and start painting here again, would he?
What about your mission, the important mission to save your mother?
Why are you running off like this at a time like this? What if you get caught?!'
And Charlie worry is not unfounded.
"I've found you!" Yahiko called out sharply.
White Zetsu, disguised as a human, looked at the three kids standing before him with a mix of annoyance and caution.
"This little brat, please don't interrupt my business," he muttered under his breath.
He wasn't really worried about the red-haired boy or the blue-haired girl nearby. No, what truly caught his attention was the orange-haired boy standing right in front of him, his eyes burning with intensity, as if silently declaring, "There is only one truth!"
Had he been discovered? He had been so careful, he even hid his actions from Lord Madara, sneaking out secretly to observe this human festival.
After all, he was barely a few years old, mostly assigned to take care of Lord Madara and rarely venturing out like the other White Zetsu clones. His plan was simple: quietly observe the festival and compare it with the spores the other White Zetsu had reported.
What he found was… lively. So many people, so many things happening, but no money to buy anything. Without the option to steal and unwilling to blow his cover, he decided to earn money the old-fashioned way, by drawing.
And now, here he was, clutching his precious sketchpad, ready to run if things went south.
But then Yahiko sneered, pointing at one of the drawings. "No need to lie to me! Those soft lines and terrible color choices, "
He paused, smirking. "I can tell right away, you're that ghost student who loves drawing poop!"