"You said what!"
The head elder of the Hyuga clan stared furiously at the other clan elders.
He couldn't believe they would say something so shameless.
Another Hyuga clan elder replied coldly, "Whether it's the main family or the branch family, we should all be ready to sacrifice for the Hyuga clan."
"Head Elder, if you lack this resolve, it's better for you to retire early."
The other elders nodded in agreement.
After all, it wasn't their daughters they were discussing, so they didn't care.
"You all…"
The head elder was so outraged by their shamelessness that he couldn't find words.
Hyuga Rimei listened to the main family elders, her heart burning with anger.
However, she stayed silent, calmly sipping her tea.
Seeing the despicable faces of the clan elders, her desire to gain great power only grew stronger.
Only then could she control her own fate!
After a heated debate, the elders reached a unanimous decision.
They decreed that Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Rimei should divorce.
Rimei was to fulfill her duty to the Hyuga clan by building a good relationship with the user of the Flying Thunder God while receiving treatment.
Ultimately.
Just as Hyuga Hiashi returned to see Rimei, he received the news of their divorce...
Rimei, not wanting to stay in the Hyuga clan any longer, had dinner with Hinata and Hanabi before leaving.
She activated a scroll, and a clone of Shishou took her back to the secret base.
...
Inside Shishou's secret lab.
After realizing he needed a massive amount of senjutsu chakra to seal Ryuchi Cave and kill the White Snake Sage, Shishou didn't immediately begin learning senjutsu. Instead, he continued to evolve his parasitic beetles, healing bugs, and leaf bugs.
These insects would soon advance after a few more evolutions, so Shishou decided to focus on them first.
Once the three types of bugs entered another evolution sleep, Shishou turned his attention to the giant body of the Slug Sage in his insect breeding space.
For a moment, he felt a headache.
The main issue was the enormous size of the Slug Sage. Accelerating its growth required an equally vast amount of energy.
Even with Shishou's current chakra reserves, it wasn't something that could be done quickly.
Unless he could find many animals to devour and harvest energy from.
However, where would he find so many animals?
He couldn't go too far in Ryuchi Cave while the White Snake Sage was still alive.
"Should I start a few animal farms?"
Shishou pondered the feasibility of starting farms as he stroked his chin.
Whether continuing to cultivate his parasites, accelerating Kushina's growth, or allowing the Slug Sage—no, the Young Slug Sage—to continue evolving, it all required enormous amounts of energy.
Moreover, as his number of bugs increased, the energy consumption also grew.
Relying solely on his chakra would eventually drain him dry.
Therefore, he needed a sustainable method to obtain energy.
For someone with parasitic bugs like him, starting a few farms and using the bugs to consume and return energy seemed the most convenient and cost-effective.
After all, farming was part of his plan to increase productivity in the shinobi world, so it wasn't a big deal for him.
Let's do it!
Having made up his mind, Shishou went to his study in the base, took out a scroll, and began drafting a plan for his future farming empire.
Before he knew it, it was late at night.
Knock, knock, knock!
Hyuga Rimei knocked on the study door, bringing in some snacks.
"Master, I just made these snacks for you to try."
"Okay, I understand." Shishou put down his pen, stretched his neck, glanced at Rimei, and said while eating the snacks, "You didn't have to rush back."
Rimei had only stayed with the Hyuga clan for a few hours before returning, which surprised Shishou.
However, her understanding made him very satisfied.
Rimei came up behind Shishou and began to massage his shoulders silently.
Being used as a tool to win over Shishou by the clan elders had completely shattered her sense of belonging to the Hyuga clan.
Now, the only things she cared about were Hinata and Hanabi.
After a long silence, Rimei spoke softly, "Master, I've divorced."
"Uh… why?" Shishou looked at Rimei in surprise.
"The clan elders wanted me to win you over," Rimei said, biting her lip.
"It seems the Hyuga main family is finished," Shishou remarked disdainfully, shaking his head.
Then, he looked at Rimei and said, "Don't worry."
"I always keep my promises. I said I wouldn't touch you, so I won't. You don't need to worry about that."
But I want you to touch me now…
Hearing Shishou's words, Rimei bit her lip, momentarily speechless.
She had come to Shishou with the intention of seducing him.
Although she resented the clan elders, she knew she had no other path but to stay by Shishou's side.
Since that was the case, she thought it was better to take the initiative and gain some control.
However, being a lady of noble upbringing, she had no idea how to seduce a man, despite her intentions.
"Alright, you can leave now. I need to continue working on my plan," Shishou said after finishing the snacks, waving Rimei away as he returned to his farming plans.
Failed!
Rimei bit her lip, feeling dejected as she left the study.
"Madam, what's wrong?" asked Hyuga Natsu as she saw Rimei leave Shishou's study looking downcast.
"Nothing," Rimei replied, shaking her head.
Then, she looked at Natsu, hesitantly asking, "What kind of women does Master like…"
She blushed deeply, unable to finish her sentence.
As the once dignified and cold Hyuga matriarch, she couldn't bring herself to ask such embarrassing questions.
"Madam, what happened?" Natsu asked, frowning at Rimei's unusual behavior.
Rimei bit her lip and explained the clan elders' plans for her.
So, even the Hyuga matriarch can be used as a tool for enough benefits, huh?
After hearing Rimei's story, Natsu felt a complex mix of emotions.
The cold-heartedness of the clan elders was evident.
Pushing aside her thoughts, Natsu took Rimei to her room to help her get dressed and made up.
"Madam, from now on, we can only stay by Master's side."
"So, let me help you."
**********
This fanfiction is complete on my Patreon. If you want to read it, you can find it at patreon.com/Betek.