Sand Shinobi Village – Underground Cell
The heavy iron door creaked open.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been curled up in a corner of the cold, damp cell, immediately began trembling when he saw who entered.
"No… please stop hitting me! I beg you!" Hiruzen cried out in panic.
His voice cracked from exhaustion, and his body was covered in fresh bruises and old scars. He had been hung up and whipped by Chiyo for nearly an entire day yesterday. That cruel, relentless punishment had almost broken him.
And now she was back—before dawn, no less.
"You can't do this again!" he sobbed internally. "This is torture! I'm a prisoner of war! This violates basic shinobi ethics!"
In his mind, he had already written a scathing report about Sand Village's treatment of captives. Once he escaped this hellhole, he'd publish an article in the Ninja Company Newspaper to expose the brutal abuse.
Especially that wicked old hag—Chiyo!
She had shown no mercy at all. If not for the medical-nin stationed outside the cell to patch him up after each session, Hiruzen was sure he'd already be dead. And even if he could resurrect six times over, it still wouldn't be enough.
Chiyo strode in with that same wicked grin.
"According to the schedule, the Konoha envoy should arrive today," she said cheerfully, cracking her knuckles. "Let's hurry and have a bit more fun before that."
Hiruzen's ears perked up.
Konoha's envoy… They're coming?
Hope surged in his heart. As long as the representative brought the ransom, he'd finally be free of this nightmare. He would rather go back to Uchiha Fugaku—yes, even him. Fugaku might hate him, might even want him dead, but at least he wouldn't abuse him like this.
At worst, Fugaku would end things cleanly. A quick death. A painless one.
Just the thought made Hiruzen tear up with relief.
All he had to do was hang on a bit longer.
Just... one more beating...
Chiyo reached for her whip and gave it a few testing cracks in the air. Hiruzen, instead of wailing, gave her an odd look—a mix of anticipation and, strangely, relief.
Chiyo paused, confused.
He wasn't screaming?
She raised the whip and gave him a hard lash across the shoulder.
Still, no scream. Just a twitch of the eye.
Instead, Hiruzen looked at her with a hopeful gleam in his eye.
That was not the reaction she expected.
What in the world? Chiyo thought. Is that… satisfaction I see?
She froze, staring at him as though seeing him for the first time.
Could it be... that this old man had developed some strange taste during captivity?
"You old woman!" Hiruzen suddenly shouted. "Why are you just standing there? What happened to your enthusiasm? Didn't you say we were going to have some fun?"
Chiyo's eye twitched.
That confirmed it.
The old monkey had gone insane... or worse—he'd awakened some twisted habit!
She didn't know whether to whip him or call for a psychologist.
"You're not gonna stop now, are you? Come on! Let's do this right!" Hiruzen said excitedly, squirming slightly in his bindings as though encouraging her.
Chiyo looked at him like he was a deranged animal.
He's completely lost it.
Still, she grit her teeth, raised the whip again, and cracked it across his chest.
"CRACK!"
A loud, skin-splitting sound echoed through the cell as blood began to trickle down from a deep lash across his chest.
But Hiruzen didn't groan in pain.
Instead, he threw his head back and laughed wildly. "Hahahaha! Yes! That's it! That's the stuff! Again! Hit me again!"
His hysterical laughter echoed in the stone walls.
Chiyo stared in horror, the whip slipping from her trembling fingers.
It fell to the ground with a quiet clink.
"You… You're a madman!" she gasped.
She stumbled backward in panic and then turned and ran out of the cell in terror, scrambling as if running for her life.
From behind her, Hiruzen's deranged laughter only grew louder.
It's over… Chiyo thought in despair. I broke him…
This was bad—really bad.
If Konoha's envoy found out that their former Hokage had gone mad under Sand's care, they'd never hear the end of it. If this turned into a diplomatic incident, the Wind Daimyo might personally demand compensation!
She groaned inwardly, rubbing her temples. "Ugh… this is going to cost us."
Maybe we can reduce the ransom—call it reimbursement for medical bills…?
---
Back in the Cell
Hiruzen blinked.
He tilted his head and watched the iron door slam shut after Chiyo fled.
"…What just happened?"
He glanced down at his bloodied chest and the whip discarded on the ground.
"…That old bat was fighting like a demon yesterday. Why'd she give up so fast today?"
He sighed and leaned back against the stone wall, grimacing at the sting in his muscles.
"Whatever. I'll take it," he muttered, managing a relieved smile.
As long as he could survive until the Konoha messenger arrived, everything would be fine. Freedom was within reach.
"I just need to hold on a little longer," he told himself. "Then I'm out of this hell."
He took a deep breath and smiled up at the ceiling.
"What a great day."
Just then, a patch of earth nearby began to bubble, and a white figure slowly emerged from the floor.
It was White Zetsu.
His round eyes blinked as he peered at the battered old Hokage curiously.
"Eh? You're smiling?" White Zetsu asked. "Didn't expect you to be so cheerful after all that whipping."
Hiruzen's eyes lit up as soon as he saw him.
He trembled—not in fear, but with gratitude. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
"Mr. White Zetsu! Are you here to rescue me? Did Boss Peter send you?!"
Peter—formerly known as Black Zetsu—was the shadowy founder and CEO of Ninja All-Things Services Ltd., and Hiruzen's superior. Though he had doubted it at times, Hiruzen now felt certain that Peter hadn't abandoned him.
The fact that he sent White Zetsu meant everything.
It was the care he hadn't received in his entire leadership career.
He had been ready to give up. But now? He had a second wind.
"Thank you!" Hiruzen said earnestly, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Please tell Peter I'm grateful! I'll repay this debt with my life!"
White Zetsu scratched his head, tilting his head to the side.
"Uhh… That's not why I'm here."
"…Huh?" Hiruzen blinked.
"You misunderstood," White Zetsu said with a sheepish grin. "I didn't come to rescue you."
Hiruzen's smile froze.
"…W-What do you mean?" he asked nervously. "Didn't Peter send you?"
White Zetsu nodded. "He did. But I'm not here to save you."
Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat.
"Then… why are you here?"
White Zetsu gave a little chuckle. "I'm here to deliver a message from Boss Peter."
He leaned in close, then whispered with an impish grin:
"You're fired."
Hiruzen blinked. "...What?"
White Zetsu chuckled again and stepped back, raising his eyebrows as if savoring the expression on Hiruzen's face.
"You've been unilaterally terminated. Effective immediately. Company policy. Sorry about that."
The words hit Hiruzen like a Rasengan to the gut.
"W-What?! I was just tortured for the company! I endured everything! Why am I being fired now?!"
White Zetsu shrugged. "Budget cuts. Plus, you cost too much to maintain. Between your ransom and medical expenses, Peter decided it wasn't worth it. His words exactly were: 'Just let the old monkey rot.'"
"…"
Hiruzen stood frozen, staring blankly into space.
White Zetsu, clearly enjoying himself, gave him a thumbs-up and sank slowly back into the earth.
"Good luck, former Hokage!"
And then he was gone.
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