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Chapter 89 - Chapter 89: The Two Jinchūriki

Time seemed to slow down as the three children hopped and skipped past him, but his gaze never left Fū and Nii Yugito.

Even after they descended the mountain and entered the city, Hyuga Shigeo still felt his heart thumping.

It wasn't fear of Uchiha Obito—it was the kind of mysterious, fearless aura he radiated, that suffocating presence that made it hard to breathe.

Why was he here? And from the way he looked at them… was it for the Bijū?

In Shigeo's memory, Akatsuki's official plan to capture the Bijū didn't begin until after Orochimaru launched the Konoha Crush. That was at least ten years from now.

Had they already begun moving this early? Shigeo wasn't Akatsuki, so he had no idea what their goal was.

His eyes went cold. The street was crowded with people, rushing like a flood, but in his mind it all seemed like shadows.

"Shigeo, what's wrong? Let's go! Let's head to the arena and watch the matches!" The ever-lively Fū grabbed his hand and tugged him along with Yugito toward the spectator stands.

Shigeo looked at the two girls before him—one fiery, one calm. They hadn't known each other for long, but they treated him well.

At that moment, Yugito suddenly stopped. She glanced at a roadside stall selling cotton candy, bought three, and handed them to Fū and Shigeo.

Fū cheered happily, and Shigeo accepted his with a small smile.

"Maybe tomorrow we'll be enemies," Yugito said softly, "but right now, at least we're friends."

Shigeo's lips curved up. He took a bite of the cotton candy—sweet.

The three arrived at the arena and returned to their respective groups. Shigeo sat down beside Nara Shikaku, with Kakashi and Might Guy absent, probably still at the northern gorge.

"You're back. Well done," Shikaku said warmly, patting his shoulder. If not for those classmates who had forced his hand, Shigeo probably wouldn't have acted so quickly to secure the golden box.

Indeed, in Shigeo's heart, he had no intention of giving those dog-eyed brats even the slightest chance. Not at all.

The matches continued, like five or six action movies playing at once. One moment, a group snatched away a silver box lid and fled under pursuit; the next, another group combined the bronze box and fought desperately to protect it.

The chaos raged until dusk, when the silver and bronze boxes were finally secured, ending the match.

The results: Group Three took first, Group Five second, and Group Nine third.

That night, in the main hall, the host awarded the prize money. First place—ten thousand ryō per person. Second place—five thousand. Third place—one thousand.

For academy students, ten thousand was no small sum. When Shigeo appeared with his prize money in front of the other Konoha students, it nearly killed them with envy.

Still, exhausted from the day-long battles, they had no energy left to argue.

"Sensei, here." Shigeo, never short of money, handed his prize money to Shikaku.

"I'll hold onto it for you," Shikaku said with a smile, stowing it away.

"Can I advance five hundred ryō now?" Shigeo asked.

"Why?" Shikaku raised a brow, curious.

"I want to treat my teammates who fought with me to a meal."

Shikaku chuckled, pleased. "That's a fine thought." He handed him the money.

After excusing himself, Shigeo left to find his companions. He even invited Itachi, but Itachi declined, too exhausted from the day.

Everyone had competed in the same match, but while Shigeo had finished in half an hour, Itachi needed most of the day to secure the silver box parts. Some others fought until nightfall just for the bronze. The difference was staggering.

That night, the streets of Martial City bustled. Restaurants were packed.

Shigeo headed to the neighboring inn to invite Fū and Nii Yugito. Just as he stepped into the hall, he saw the small form of Deidara—blonde hair, defiant eyes. When Deidara spotted him, he gave a cold snort.

"Pathetic brat! Attacking from behind, is that all you can do? If you hadn't ambushed me, you'd be just like us—fighting until nightfall. Despicable!"

Deidara didn't know that Shigeo had held back against him. His anger made him shout across the hall.

The inn's hall was full of ninja. Hearing this, everyone turned to look.

"Is that him? The first-place winner?"

"Yes, it was him. I saw it—he struck from behind to take the box, then ran straight to the peak. It did look like he snatched an easy win."

"Bah, no matter what, he still won. Even if it was luck, he secured it. Tomorrow is the individual match—then we'll see who truly has skill. If he can 'snatch' victory again, I'll admit he's capable!"

"True enough…"

The voices around him dripped with jealousy.

Shigeo ignored them, heading upstairs to invite Fū, then over to Yugito's inn. He thought her strict Kumo escorts would refuse, but surprisingly, she accepted.

The three walked into the night streets. Fū skipped happily. "Shigeo, tomorrow's the solo matches! You better win!"

"You heard the rumors too, huh? That I only won by luck?" Shigeo asked with a wry smile.

"Yeah, lots of people are saying we only got first because you picked up a cheap win. But I believe in you—because you can fly, just like me!" Fū beamed.

"What do you want to eat? My treat," Shigeo asked.

"Grilled skewers!" Fū chirped.

"Me too," Yugito added softly.

So they found a street stall, ordered heaps of skewers and drinks, and sat together laughing.

But as they enjoyed their food, a man in black sat down at the table beside them. Tilting his head, he peered through the spiral mask.

"You see him?" Yugito whispered tensely.

Shigeo turned his head.

It was Uchiha Obito.

Through the mask, a low chuckle slipped out.

(End of Chapter)

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