Shigeo was preparing to head to Iwagakure. He had always held great regard for Ōnoki's abilities. If he could copy those abilities, he would gain access to Jinton (Particle Style) and the power of flight.
In the shinobi world, being able to fly was a skill that brought immense advantages in battle.
With this thought in mind, his fighting spirit ignited as he set off for Iwagakure.
After confirming the coordinates, a few space transfers, and some inquiries along the way, Shigeo finally arrived at the outskirts of the village.
With a twist of his body, he entered the village. The customs here were very different from Konoha. The houses were built of rammed earth, greenery was scarce, and the village was protected by rocky valleys and mountain winds, forming a natural barrier around Iwagakure.
It was currently the Third Shinobi War, and Iwagakure was on high alert, especially near the village gates. But since Shigeo could use dimensional transfer, he had nothing to fear. Still, he noticed that the village seemed sparsely populated.
On the streets, there were almost no children over the age of ten. Seeing this, Shigeo frowned slightly—this was the cruel result of the Third War.
The Tsuchikage's office stood prominently ahead. Shigeo stopped at the roadside, bought an ANBU mask of Iwagakure, and was preparing to impersonate an ANBU to meet with Ōnoki when someone caught his attention.
It was none other than the Four-Tails' jinchūriki—Rōshi. But he appeared for only an instant before vanishing without a trace.
"Beep! Reminder to the host: mirror system has detected a copyable target—Rōshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki. If you wish to proceed with the mirror copy, follow him immediately…"
It had been so long since the system last spoke, but now it rang out with urgency.
"You didn't copy him just now?" Shigeo hurriedly gave chase. Luckily, his mirror system's perception was sharp, allowing him to instantly sense the direction in which Rōshi had left.
At the same time, he realized that several ANBU were also trailing him. Seeing this, Shigeo slipped into a concealed spot, performed Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) to take the form of an adult, donned the Iwagakure ANBU mask, and followed.
"Reporting to host: the target moved too quickly, copying failed. Additional reminder—the target is a jinchūriki. To copy the tailed beast within him, the mirror system requires extended time. A full copy in three seconds is only possible when the beast manifests externally, not while sealed within the jinchūriki."
"System… you mean I'll have to shadow Rōshi for some time?"
"Yes, host," the system replied.
Shigeo remained vigilant and pressed forward, but he soon noticed the ANBU behind him had grown suspicious. Someone called out to him with coded signals.
He had no idea what Iwagakure's ANBU codes were. Indeed, impersonating ANBU was no simple task.
Before he could react, the ANBU surrounded him.
"Who are you really? Rōshi is trying to defect from the village—are you connected to this?"
So that was it—those men weren't chasing him, but Rōshi.
Shigeo shook his head, coughed to lower his childlike voice into an adult's tone, and said, "This has nothing to do with me."
With that, he vanished in a flash of Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
The ANBU searched everywhere but found no trace of him. Meanwhile, Rōshi too had disappeared.
Shigeo slipped out of the village and into the forest, breathing deeply as he returned to his true form. He uncapped his water flask and drank, when a man in coarse hemp clothing passed in front of him. The man wore a straw hat and had his face wrapped in a scarf.
Were it not for his striking red hair, Shigeo might not have recognized him.
At that moment, several ANBU leapt through the trees above. One spotted the two below and dropped back down to take a closer look.
Rōshi, disguised, grew tense. His gaze fell on the boy drinking by the riverside. "Ah, slow down—are you that thirsty? It's Grandpa's fault, I haven't taken good enough care of you!"
"Beep! Copyable target detected. Host, proceed with mirror copy?"
"Yes!" Shigeo answered at once.
"Confirmed. Mirror copy initiated. Copying target: Rōshi. Success. Copying tailed beast within jinchūriki: 0.0001%..." The system display appeared.
Shigeo checked inwardly and was stunned. He had expected the process to be slower with a jinchūriki, but not this slow. So this was what the system meant about requiring more time.
Looking up at Rōshi, he said, "I'm not just thirsty—I'm hungry too..."
Above, the watching ANBU were convinced by the act and moved on.
"Who was it?" one asked.
"A grandfather and his grandson. Nothing suspicious," another replied.
By the river, Rōshi, seeing the coast clear, quickly turned westward. Shigeo followed right behind.
"What are you doing? Don't follow me. Get lost!"
But Shigeo ignored him. The mirror copy process was still underway—he couldn't afford to stop.
Rōshi frowned and sped up, leaping across valleys and running for over ten kilometers. Yet when he turned around, the boy was still there.
"Oh? At your age, there aren't many who can keep up with me. Who are you?" Rōshi asked, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"I'm a wandering shinobi. I heard you're a jinchūriki, and very strong. I want to train under you!" Shigeo made up an excuse.
Rōshi's brows furrowed even more. "Better find someone else. As you can see, from now on I'll be a man in exile. I won't have time to teach you."
He continued walking, but Shigeo followed closely no matter how fast he moved.
For three days it went on like this. Finally, Rōshi lost his patience, tempted to strike. Twice he even prepared to use Yōton (Lava Release), flames ready to consume the boy, but each time he deliberately aimed wide.
"Like a cursed leech… You could have dodged just now, but you didn't. Why?" Rōshi muttered, shaken at how close he had come to harming him.
"I knew you wouldn't kill me," Shigeo said confidently. Though he didn't know Rōshi well, he remembered that in the Fourth Shinobi War, Rōshi had sided with Uzumaki Naruto—proof enough of his kindness.
After all, among jinchūriki, none were truly evil.
When villages chose jinchūriki, they would never select someone with a vicious or unstable character. That would be planting a bomb within their own walls.
If even those of good character needed careful handling, then what would happen if a malicious man bore a tailed beast? The village's future would collapse.
That was why Shigeo trusted Rōshi.
(End of Chapter)
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