"Alright!" Shigeki flopped onto Hiruzen's—no, onto Hiruko's back, not even bothering with a thank you. The group continued forward.
"Hyūga Shigeo, you took money from my father, so you should serve Takigakure. You wouldn't even carry me—when I get back, I'll tell my father to deduct your payment!" Shigeki shouted proudly, his face filled with arrogance.
In Takigakure, everyone treated him with respect—except Fū. For her to look down on him was already intolerable. Now even an outsider dared to ignore him? His father had praised Shigeo like some kind of legend, but in Shigeki's eyes, he was nothing special.
Shigeo glanced back at him with a sneer.
"I didn't come here for your village's money. Konoha never even approved this mission. I'm only helping because Fū is my friend. So don't treat me like your servant. Otherwise, when you're the one screaming for help, don't expect me to care."
"You—you! Who do you think you are—"
Before he could finish, a wave of Jiton (Magnet Release) sealed his mouth shut. Shigeki clawed at it, terrified, but couldn't peel it off. Muffled groans were all he could manage.
The group pressed on. Crossing out of Takigakure, they entered the Land of Earth. Following the trail of glittering scale dust, they turned west, and after two full days, the faint powder finally vanished within a deep valley.
Hiruko lowered Shigeki to the ground, his gaze shifting to the towering mountains ahead. One of the Kusagakure ninja said, "Shigeki-dono, please release more of the powder so we can track Fū again."
"Fine…"
Since being silenced by Magnet Release earlier, Shigeki didn't dare mouth off anymore. But he still made things difficult in other ways. For two days he'd made it clear—anything Shigeo did, he opposed. Yet whatever Hiruko or the three Kusagakure shinobi asked, he eagerly agreed.
It was pure jealousy. Ever since the War City incident, his father praised Shigeo constantly while berating his own son. And Fū, who had always scorned him, seemed close to Shigeo. That stung him more than anything.
"Here, try some beef jerky my mother made." Shigeki passed out strips of dried meat—to everyone except Shigeo.
Shigeo only scoffed. Such childish pettiness. Both father and son were fools in their own ways—one trusting Hiruko, the other cozying up to snakes.
"And these candied lantern fruits—delicious!" Shigeki smiled as he handed them out, again ignoring Shigeo.
Shigeo stood apart on a high boulder, surveying the land. This was the Golden Wheel Range—Mount Sumeru—the lair of Hiruko himself.
Why had Fū come here? Takigakure's reports said she left of her own will, and at the time she hadn't even fully recovered.
Could it be the Meijū? Its illusions could manipulate perception—was Fū lured here by its power?
The more he thought, the more connections formed: the Kusagakure trio, Hiruko, and perhaps even Orochimaru behind it all. After War City, news had spread everywhere. Orochimaru surely knew. With Kusa so close, it was only natural they'd join forces.
But what exactly was their goal? Him?
Fine. Let them play their game. He'd wait and crush whatever scheme they tried.
Activating his Mirror Perception, Shigeo felt the valley's magnetic field distort. His senses were being jammed.
So—that's why Hiruko chose this place. A natural fortress.
Shigeo leapt into the air. On the ground, Hiruko and the Kusagakure ninja tensed, thinking he'd discovered their plan. When they realized he was only scouting, they relaxed.
"What do you see, boy?" Hiruko called up.
"Nothing. The trail heads toward the mountain peak. Let's go."
"Very well."
The group advanced. The higher they climbed, the more the wind howled through the rocks, producing eerie animal-like cries.
They stopped. Hiruko exchanged a glance with the Kusagakure trio and suggested, "The mountain is vast. We'll cover more ground if we split up. What do you say?"
The three Kusa-nin nodded. "We'll take west and south. You two can cover north and east." Without waiting, they sped off.
The scale dust shimmered toward the summit. Shigeo looked to Shigeki. "You're with me. We'll take the eastern path."
"No! I don't want to go with you—I'll go with Brother Kitaflow!" Shigeki clutched Hiruko's leg like a frightened child. The mountain winds wailed like beasts, and he didn't dare stay behind alone.
"Absolutely not." Shigeo's tone cut like steel. "Your father entrusted you to me. I'll return you safely. You're not following anyone else."
His cold blue eyes pierced Shigeki's defiance, and for once, the brat flinched.
"You—y-you see? He wants to hit me! Protect me, Brother Kitaflow!"
Shigeo's expression darkened. "Are you brainless? Can't you sense danger at all? Get over here."
There was no way he'd let Hiruko take the boy. If Fū's condition was already tangled in some scheme, the last thing he'd do was hand another pawn to the enemy.
(End of Chapter)
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