Just minutes ago, Zetsu had returned in high spirits, only to be met with a shocking sight.
He watched as Shen slowly approached the injured ninja, initially thinking that his subject of observation had changed.
"The appearance is exactly the same. And the height and chakra signature are identical too. Huh? Even the speed is just as fast," Zetsu murmured quietly.
Zetsu observed Shen swiftly throw a punch at Nawaki's abdomen. He suspected either something was wrong with his eyes or this person was not quite right.
He saw Shen raise his right hand, swinging the hidden blade toward the injured ninja.
Then came words laced with emotion—and to his surprise, a spark of joy lit up inside him:
"He truly resembles Lord Madara—the same desire to end this chaotic era, the same ideals..."
Zetsu stood there stunned. Before he could secretly praise what he'd seen, Shen's usual suspicious-sounding words left him frozen again.
"This guy hasn't changed a bit. If he ever meets Lord Madara, things will definitely get interesting." Zetsu, already brimming with plans for the future, couldn't help but feel excited about their eventual meeting.
A few seconds later, the so-called "most intelligent mind" narrowly dodged a punch aimed directly at himself by sidestepping just in time.
"Hey, Nawaki, what's your problem? Who sneaks up on someone while making so much noise?" Shen smirked mockingly.
Nawaki became furious—this guy couldn't beat him in a fight nor outwit him in conversation. He thought if he stayed any longer in Team One, he would eventually go insane.
"Shen Uchiha, just you wait! One day, you'll see what regret truly is when faced with my might!"
At that moment, despite enduring pain in his lower abdomen, he straightened his back defiantly, his face twisted into an ugly grimace as he hissed lowly, "Repent now, Shen Uchiha! When I become Hokage, you may yet cling pitifully to life beneath my feet."
"Ha!" Shen finally lost his restraint upon witnessing the other man endure such pain while delivering this dramatic monologue, facial muscles twitching uncontrollably.
He burst out laughing, "Hahahaha! You're seriously entertaining, Nawaki! Such great lines wasted on you!"
"You arrogant fool—take this!"
"I already told you—if you're going to sneak attack, don't announce yourself!"
"I don't care—[Eat my Nawaki's Mightiest Punch!]"
The Injured Ninja looked at the two men brawling once again; his initial feeling of nostalgia vanished completely.
Gazing at that dark-cloaked figure, he found himself strangely trusting him.
"Is this kid hard to understand?" A voice rich with magnetic resonance reached his ears.
Orochimaru didn't wait for the Injured Ninja's reaction before continuing, "At first, I couldn't figure out why back then I was convinced so easily by just a few words from him to become an advisor at the Uchiha Laboratory. But..."
Their eyes met, and Orochimaru gave his own answer: "But now I kind of get it. It was his sincerity that moved me. No grand schemes, no dark intentions—deep down, that kid has always wanted to make this world better."
The Injured Ninja's eyes welled up again as he stammered with a choked voice: "I-I'm truly sorry to all of you. That Lord promised he would handle the ninja himself, and the supplies would belong to us. That's why..."
Orochimaru gently patted his shoulder and said sincerely: "It's alright. Shen said everything will be handled. Since he's spoken those words, it means he never blamed you from the start."
"B-But in my heart..."
"Believe in him. You don't really have anything left to lose, right?"
The Injured Ninja froze. Indeed, he had almost nothing left to lose now; he was merely living for the sake of those civilians whose survival was already in jeopardy.
That's just how life had always been for him—the death of his parents only made him colder.
He got strong just to keep surviving here, even though leaving would've been easy enough.
After all, rising from a common civilian to the rank of a Chunin was sufficient to elevate one's social status.
Yet he chose not to leave. Instead, under that war-obsessed "Lord," he lured ninja here just for those meager supplies.
Truth was, he wasn't living for himself—it was for those powerless civilians caught in this war-torn age.
Deeply moved by Orochimaru's words, tears streamed down the Injured Ninja's face as he sobbed hoarsely: "Thank you, thank you so much. I truly... truly appreciate it more than words can say."
"No need to be so humble. It's not much of an effort on our part. And honestly, if Shen had said it..." Orochimaru shook his head at this thought—it was far too absurd to consider seriously.
Could world peace truly rest in the hands of a seven-year-old like Shen? Still, the expression on that child's face had looked strangely meaningful.
Orochimaru—who had yet to witness the brutality of war—seemed to develop a new perspective toward life.
Because of this incident, he perhaps started yearning for something different.
"Shen, human life is extremely short. Let me watch carefully and see how much you can change this world throughout your lifetime," Orochimaru gazed toward Shen, who was still playfully wrestling with Nawaki. Orochimaru's gaze toward Shen held an inscrutable depth.
Beside him, Nayou also watched with a complicated look in her eyes.
Nayou's stare at Shen overflowed with unspoken anticipation—an enigmatic hope no one could quite decipher.
About half an hour later, after Orochimaru finished re-bandaging the injured ninja's wounds, Shen and Nawaki finally stopped their antics.
At that moment, one had tattered clothes while the other was additionally bruised and battered.
Of course, the protagonist was the one with the torn clothing. He could've walked away without a scratch if his opponent hadn't resorted to so many underhanded tricks—when they couldn't land a real hit, they went straight for the awkward spots instead.
So Nawaki was immediately pinned down and beaten thoroughly. It might've looked over the top, but the injuries were mostly skin-deep anyway.
Shen took off his ruined Uchiha coat and muttered angrily: "Underhanded! Truly underhanded!"
Certainly, there was no danger of indecent exposure—he wasn't as open and carefree as Second Pillar. Underneath, he still wore a tight-fitting black undershirt.
"Despicable! Absolutely despicable!"
After pulling on the brand-new Uchiha coat, he continued his rant.
Nawaki, flat on the ground and gasping for breath, just turned his head away and muttered, "Hmph."
That bitter, defiant look shot Shen's blood pressure through the roof.
Thankfully this was still the shinobi world; if they were in Konoha right now, he'd have already activated his triple-tomoe Sharingan and killed the bastard just to evolve into a Mangekyō.
Seeing the two about to come to blows again, Orochimaru quickly stepped between them, clearing his throat. "Ahem... So, Shen, what exactly do you mean by 'method'?"
"Method?" For a brief second, Shen looked genuinely surprised, but quickly regained his composure.
He struck a pose like some transcendent hermit, hands clasped behind his back. "It's simple. The Uchiha Corporation will expand its operations and eventually become legitimate merchants. That way, they can officially return to the Land of Fire."
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