"Oh… alright!" Hyūga Shigeo sat down, picked up the dice, and casually tossed them into the bowl.
Triple sixes—the highest roll, leopard eyes!
Not only Tsunade, but even Shizune, who was folding clothes to the side, froze in surprise.
"Wow, not bad for a little guy, huh?"
"Again, again!" Tsunade's interest sparked to life. Straightening her posture, she seemed to regain all her energy.
Shigeo picked up the dice once more. Across from him, the beautiful woman's eyes locked nervously onto his movements. Shizune also stopped what she was doing, sitting down to watch closely.
He shrugged lightly, then tossed the dice again.
The three dice spun and spun inside the porcelain bowl. Tsunade's eyes burned like fire as she glared at them. Shizune, brows furrowed and body taut, stared fixedly at the bowl as well.
Finally, the dice came to a stop—another triple six!
"Wha—!" Tsunade leapt to her feet as if she had just discovered a new continent. She paced around the room, fists clenched and unclenched, before finally calming down. Excited, she dug out two more dice and thrust them into Shigeo's hands.
"Try five this time!"
And still—five sixes. Then a straight sequence of two-three-four-five-six. Then four sixes and two fives. Whatever outcome he wanted, he got!
At first, Shigeo truly didn't know how to throw dice. But once he held them, he simply relied on his Mirror System to slow down the dice's motion in his mind's eye. Then, by subtly adjusting the rotation with natural chakra energy, he could force the result he wanted.
This was directly tied to both his system and his eye ability.
"Wahaha!" Tsunade cheered, practically dancing with joy. She rushed forward, grabbed Shigeo by the shoulders, and planted several kisses on his face.
"Baby, stick with your big sister. Danzō is a treacherous man. If you stay in Konoha, he'll take you for sure. With me, at least you'll be safe for the next two years."
Shigeo frowned slightly. He knew the Third Shinobi War was still ongoing. The current year was Konoha Year 48, and the war wouldn't truly end until Year 51. Tsunade's departure from the village was, for the most part, driven by the demands of war.
Would he really be safe if he followed her? On the other hand, if he stayed, he might become a wandering ninja in the future anyway. Regardless, there was one thing he knew for certain: he would never join Root.
"But I'm only five years old…" he reminded her quietly.
"Worried about school? Don't. Normal children start at six or seven. I'll bring you back when it's time. And think about it—Orochimaru just defected. Can you be sure there are no remnants of his influence still lurking in the village? What if they come for you while you're home alone?
"And then there's Danzō. Didn't you say you don't want to join ANBU? Of course, if you really want to go with him, I won't stop you…"
Tsunade's expression was unusually serious, as if she feared he might refuse her. She carefully laid out the situation he faced:
"See? You only have two choices now. Either follow me, or follow Danzō. Which will it be?"
Indeed, no matter how much the Third Hokage doubted him, he would never truly move against Danzō. As long as Shigeo stayed in the village, he could not escape the man's grasp.
And if he fell into Danzō's hands, then even with his talent, he'd be forced to live every day in fear. And if the man ever learned of his Invisible Rinnegan, it would only be a matter of time before his eyes were taken.
(End of Chapter)
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