Danzō muttered bitterly to himself, when suddenly, the medical-nin standing next to him spoke up in a slow voice:
"You have Mokuton (Wood Release), so you must know the Sashiki no Jutsu (Cutting Technique), right?"
Danzō frowned, turning his head. "What do you mean by that?"
In an instant, the tall medical-nin transformed with a henshin no jutsu (Transformation Jutsu) into Hyūga Shigeo. His hand was already pressed against Danzō's body.
"Mokuton: Sashiki no Jutsu (Wood Release: Cutting Technique)…"
"Ahhh!" A wave of searing pain exploded through Danzō's body. After one final cry, his life was snuffed out completely.
"Today will be the ending you'll never forget in your lifetime!"
Hyūga Shigeo looked down at the corpse before him, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile. He stripped off the white medical robe and tossed it aside, lowering his head as he admired Danzō's body pierced to death by the Sashiki no Jutsu.
"Not bad… a perfect work of art!"
The surrounding medical-nin collapsed in fright. Some even bolted from the room, screaming as they ran:
"Not good! Someone has killed Danzō!"
The evening wind was gentle. On a high mountain peak, Hyūga Shigeo stood atop a tall tree, gazing at the clear starry sky. He took in a deep breath, then spread his arms wide.
This was the scent of freedom.
From now on, he no longer had to worry about Konoha, about its endless schemes and struggles.
He touched his eyes and smiled faintly.
Since he no longer served Konoha, he would focus on the other tasks given by the system. Hadn't the system said that once he cultivated the Ten-Tails, he would receive a mysterious grand reward? For that gift, he had to keep working hard.
With that thought, he lowered his head and searched his mind for the locations of the Tailed Beasts. After calculating the time, he realized the Third Great Ninja War had only just ended.
Currently, all nine tailed beasts had been sealed into various jinchūriki.
The One-Tail Shukaku was inside Gaara.
The Nine-Tails Kurama was sealed into the infant Naruto Uzumaki.
The Seven-Tails Chōmei, held by Fū, was whereabouts unknown.
Going after them now would be inconvenient.
The others, however:
The Two-Tails Matatabi's jinchūriki, Yugito Nii.
And the Six-Tails Saiken's jinchūriki, Utakata, were closer to his own age—seeking them out was still feasible.
Then there was the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, Yagura. Thinking of him made Shigeo recall Uchiha Obito, who was currently using genjutsu to control Yagura in Kirigakure.
That lovesick fool—just to avenge Rin Nohara, he had plunged the entire Hidden Mist into chaos.
Such revenge was unprecedented: since Yagura forced Rin to become the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, Obito forced Yagura to live as the Three-Tails' jinchūriki too.
Simply killing him wouldn't have been enough—so Obito ruined the village Yagura cared about most, doing so in Yagura's own name, ensuring he would be remembered with infamy.
A ruthless hand indeed.
"Ten years to sharpen a blade… every cut strikes the heart," Shigeo mused with a faint smirk.
He had decided—his next destination would be Kirigakure.
Leaping down from the tree, Shigeo began heading south. He was in no hurry—sometimes resting at beautiful places, sometimes taking shelter in bad weather to train.
Half a month later, he arrived in a small seaside town in the south of the Land of Fire. He planned to rest there before traveling through the Land of Bears and then taking a ship to the Land of Water.
The reason he didn't simply use dimensional transfer was that he wanted to enjoy the journey, to experience the different sights and cultures along the way.
Upon entering a tavern, he was greeted by the exaggerated grin of Jiraiya. Immediately, Shigeo turned to leave—only to find Tsunade blocking the doorway.
"Brat, we haven't wronged you, have we? Can't you at least sit down and talk with us?" Tsunade grabbed his finger and pulled him inside. Shigeo frowned slightly, feeling uncomfortable.
"Come, sit here!" Jiraiya had already ordered several dishes, and even prepared a bottle of fruit wine. "This is low in alcohol, just a little won't hurt. Come on, have some…"
Jiraiya poured him a glass while Tsunade picked up food for him.
At that moment, Shizune walked in carrying several parcels. She immediately spotted Shigeo.
"Shigeo! Lady Tsunade said you might come here, and I can't believe you actually did!"
Dropping the bundles, she rushed over and hugged him tightly.
"You must have suffered so much… that Danzō, he's truly hateful!"
"Shizune! Don't say such things!" Tsunade warned. No matter how rotten certain higher-ups were, it wasn't their place to speak ill of them.
"Still, I hate him the most!" Shizune pouted before sitting beside Shigeo. She began unpacking the bundles.
"I heard you were going traveling for a few years, so I bought you lots of things. This is underwear—don't keep wearing old ones, change them often.
This is warmer clothing—if you head north, the snow and cold there are intense. Always using chakra to keep warm is inconvenient when resting, so wear more layers to save energy.
And these are shoes—I started making them three months ago and only finished them three days back…"
Her voice cracked. She turned away, lips trembling, unable to hold back her tears.
Shigeo gently rubbed her back, softly comforting her: "I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Shizune nodded heavily, sniffling, and continued rummaging through the bundles.
"These are snacks—don't just eat ration pills, they may fill you but they taste awful. And here—medicine, herbs, and medical tools. They'll help when you're studying Lady Tsunade's notes.
Put everything in a big scroll—it'll be easier to carry."
Shigeo was at a loss for words. Jiraiya and Tsunade hadn't come to drag him back to Konoha; instead, they were here to send him off. And Shizune… he really couldn't bear to part with her.
"Come, Shigeo, let's toast together!" Jiraiya lifted his cup. "Visit Konoha often. As for Danzō—don't worry, he won't dare mess with you anymore!"
"He's still alive?" Shigeo frowned.
"Is he dead?" Jiraiya asked, confused—he hadn't heard anything about such news.
Shigeo didn't answer. Of course. A man like Danzō could never die so easily.
If he survived, it could only mean he had used Izanagi.
He had thought to remove one of Uchiha Itachi's future stumbling blocks. But in the end, he hadn't succeeded.
Without Danzō, perhaps Itachi wouldn't have been forced into that impossible choice—massacring his clan, defecting from Konoha.
Whether double agent or loyalist, Shigeo only hoped Itachi could live with a little more peace.
(End of Chapter)
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