"Shigure, why are you wearing another village's forehead protector!?"
Naruto's sudden question made Shigure fall silent for a few seconds.
"…Does it not look good?" he finally asked with a faint smile.
Naruto shook his head. "No, it's not that it doesn't look good. You just—damn, you really know how to stand out, don't you! But…" He frowned, stepping closer. "You've gotten taller too!"
He raised a hand, measuring roughly half a head difference between them. "Are you really Shigure?"
At that, Shigure chuckled softly. "What do you think?"
Naruto's eyes drifted to the blade strapped to Shigure's back—the Zangetsu, a ninja sword he'd recognize anywhere. The person could be an impostor, but that sword wasn't. Tenten, whom Shigure respectfully called "senior," had given it to him herself. Shigure would never part with it.
So… it really was him?
Then why was Shigure here? And why was he wearing another village's headband?
Naruto opened his mouth to ask, but Shigure suddenly changed the subject.
"Here—try this."
He handed Naruto a paper tray of takoyaki, still steaming from the pan.
"Eh? Don't mind if I do!" Naruto said, already digging in with gusto. But when he looked up again—
Shigure was gone.
Naruto blinked, turning around in confusion. "Huh? Shigure?"
The street was empty. Not even a trace of chakra remained in the air.
And then—
A low, rumbling voice echoed from deep within him.
"Kid… your friend doesn't seem to be a Leaf ninja anymore."
Naruto froze mid-bite. "You finally decided to speak up, huh?"
"Hmph."
The Nine-Tails gave a gruff snort before going silent again, but Naruto could still feel the fox's eyes watching him from the darkness of the seal.
Even without Kurama's words, he could sense it—Shigure felt different.
Not just stronger… but distant.
As if the bond they once shared as comrades from Konoha no longer existed.
Still, Naruto clenched his fists. "No… I don't believe it."
Because the Shigure he knew would never abandon Konoha.
Would he?
"I need to find Shigure and ask him to explain everything!"
"Hmph. Aren't you looking for Tsunade anymore?"
Kurama's voice echoed lazily inside Naruto's mind.
Naruto didn't answer. For him right now, Tsunade wasn't as important as Shigure.
On a nearby rooftop, Shigure watched Naruto's retreating back, his eyes unreadable.
"As expected… meeting him again was going to be troublesome."
He exhaled quietly, his expression hardening. I have to find Tsunade quickly, have her treat Ringo, and then get out of here.
Without another word, his figure blurred and vanished.
He left a shadow clone to deliver the food back to Haku, while his real body sped toward the outskirts of town—toward Tsunade's location.
Inside a quiet inn room, Tsunade lay sprawled across the bed, snoring lightly, her blanket half-tangled around her legs. The legendary Sannin hardly looked like one at all.
She had no idea that not only Jiraiya but also Shigure of the Hidden Mist was searching for her.
When Shigure landed silently by the window, he took one glance at her and muttered,
"…So this is the woman they call the Great Sannin."
He stepped inside without a sound.
"I have a job for you," he said calmly. "Will you take it?"
The sudden voice jolted Tsunade awake. Her instincts flared instantly as she shot up, eyes sharp. For someone to enter her room without a single sound—this was no ordinary intruder.
But when she got a good look, she froze. It was just a boy—barely in his teens.
"What the—?" she muttered, brows furrowing.
The door slid open a heartbeat later as Shizune rushed in. "Lady Tsunade! What happened?"
Both women's eyes locked on the intruder calmly seated at the table, a faint mist symbol engraved on his headband.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "A Kirigakure shinobi?"
Shizune gasped. "Why would someone from the Hidden Mist come looking for Lady Tsunade? Could this be… an attack?"
Tsunade didn't sense any killing intent. In fact, she seemed intrigued.
"Hidden Mist, huh? I thought that village sealed itself off years ago. Didn't think any of you still roamed free."
"It was unsealed long ago," Shigure replied evenly. "We simply didn't make an announcement."
Tsunade leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "Oh? Then what business does a Mist brat have with me?"
Shigure didn't waste words. "I want you to treat someone—my friend."
Tsunade smirked. "Who do you think you're talking to? I'm Tsunade of the Sannin. You think I'll move just because you ask?"
Shigure raised a single finger. "If you can cure her, I'll pay you one hundred million ryō."
The room went dead silent.
Tsunade blinked, stunned. A hundred million?
That was the kind of money even she couldn't joke about. Just who was this kid?
Was he… the Crown Prince of the Hidden Mist?
"You say a hundred million…" she said skeptically. "Can you even pay—"
Before she could finish, Shigure tossed a heavy stack of bills onto the table with a soft thud.
"Examine her first. If she can be cured, I'll pay in full before the treatment."
That kind of straightforwardness was hard to refuse.
Tsunade grinned. "Alright then. I'll go take a look."
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune whispered urgently. "This could be a trap!"
Tsunade ignored her. "Where's the patient?"
"She's in town, another inn."
"Then lead the way," Tsunade said, scooping up the cash and casually flipping through it. Just for showing up, it was nearly fifty thousand ryō.
Maybe this boy really is royalty, she thought. Or the son of some noble clan.
Either way, it was believable that he'd spend anything to save someone dear to him.
In truth, Shigure's intention wasn't only to save Ringo—it was also to draw Tsunade away, preventing her from crossing paths with Naruto.
Because if those two met now, Naruto would definitely say something like, "I'll bring you back to Konoha no matter what!"
And Shigure had no patience for that kind of trouble.
Soon, they arrived at another inn where Haku was waiting. Ringo lay on the bed, her face pale and breathing faint.
Shizune relaxed a little. It wasn't a trap after all.
Tsunade knelt beside Ringo, placing her hand on the girl's forehead. After a few moments, her expression darkened.
When Shigure stepped back into the room, he immediately asked, "Can she be cured?"
Tsunade sighed. "She can… but not by me. Not right now."
Shizune instantly understood. The problem wasn't the treatment—it was Tsunade's own condition.
Her hemophobia.
Surgery on a shinobi required using a Chakra Scalpel, cutting and repairing organs with precise chakra control. And Tsunade… could no longer face blood without freezing up.
"Two hundred million," Shigure said flatly.
Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. The boy doubled the offer without hesitation.
Taking a deep breath, Tsunade waved it off. "It's not about the money. It's about me."
Shigure frowned slightly. "Hemophobia, right?"
Her eyes snapped to him—sharp and disbelieving.
"How do you know that?"
No one knew about that but Shizune. Not even Jiraiya had seen her freeze in years.
Tsunade's gaze turned dangerous. Her chakra flared subtly, tension thickening the air.
"Who exactly are you?" she demanded. "You know too much about me. How did a Hidden Mist ninja find out about something like that?"
...
TN:
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