The red flames roared, and the cave echoed with Orochimaru's anguished screams. His three guards rushed out of the tunnel, desperate to save him, but the moment their fingers brushed against the molten flames, their bodies ignited instantly.
Some tried Water Release, others Earth Release, but none could extinguish the overwhelming power of Earth Harmony.
Though it wasn't quite on the level of Uchiha Itachi's later Amaterasu, Earth Harmony was a technique Hyuga Shigeo had developed himself through his Mirror System—an advanced Fire and Earth release fusion based on Lava Release. Its flames could not be smothered by ordinary means.
"Ahhhh—Shigeo! Shigeo!" Orochimaru revealed his true body, writhing on the ground like a thrashing worm, screaming his name with a venomous hatred, his voice heavy with bitterness and fury.
"Thanks for preparing that sealing robe for me. Without it, you wouldn't have died such a miserable death."
Shigeo spoke coldly, casting one last glance at the warped terrain. If not for the strange magnetic field here, Orochimaru would never have been able to hide from his perception.
He glanced down at the cursed seal now burned into his arm and sneered.
All of Orochimaru's underlings were swallowed by Earth Harmony, and Orochimaru himself disappeared into the blazing inferno.
Shigeo stood at the cliff's edge, confirming that Orochimaru was truly gone, then turned to the side where Semoku trembled. "If you want to live, keep up."
"Y-yes, I'll walk on my own! I won't ask anyone to carry me again." Semoku's legs wobbled, and it took him several tries just to stand upright.
"Shut up," Shigeo snapped, already heading for the exit.
"O-okay, I'll be quiet. But Shigeo… where did Fu go?"
Shigeo had had enough. He spun around and kicked Semoku squarely in the mouth. "That's for whining."
Blood gushed from the boy's lips, but he still cried out, "Ow! That hurt! I didn't say anything bad! I was cooperating with you, and you still hit me!"
"One more word and I'll hit you again." Shigeo's cold glare silenced him.
Some people were nothing but dead weight; bickering with them only lowered his own intelligence. Shigeo ignored him and vanished ahead, leaving Semoku scrambling to follow, terrified of being abandoned in this cursed place.
Once outside the cave, Shigeo stood before the mountain, formed seals, and slammed his palms to the ground. A massive Earth Release shattered the terrain—the entire mountain collapsed in a thunderous crash.
From his dimensional space, he drew Fu back out. Without the suppressing talismans inside, she had recovered somewhat with a short rest.
"Are you feeling better?" Shigeo asked.
"Much. If not for your strong Eight Trigrams seal, the cries of that creature outside Takigakure would've drawn my beast out days ago." Fu's complexion was pale, but she forced herself to smile.
Shigeo bent down and swept her into his arms. "Don't worry. That beast will never appear again. Its summoner, Hiruko, is dead. Let's head back to Takigakure."
On the way, he pieced together her story: Orochimaru had disguised himself as Shigeo using the Transformation Jutsu, feigned injury while "fighting" the creature, and lured her here. Out of concern, Fu had followed—only to discover too late she'd walked into a trap. Surrounded by sealing arrays suppressing her Tailed Beast, she had been overpowered and caged. Hiruko had stayed behind to manipulate Takigakure's leader and draw Shigeo into the scheme.
"You don't know how perfect their plan seemed," Fu whispered, clutching his neck. "I was terrified… terrified they'd hurt you. But in the end, all of them against you still wasn't enough."
"They underestimated you so badly," she added with a soft laugh, her spirits lifting. "That Hiruko was far too arrogant. One strike of your Storm Release ended him. Compared to yours, his ninjutsu was nothing—child's play."
"He probably judged me only by what he saw in the tournament at Takejo," Shigeo replied, glancing at her. She was fiddling idly with his collar, her mischievous smile making her look even more lively and adorable.
"Then he was a fool," Fu teased. "That was a test between children—you'd never have gone all out and killed anyone. But with real monsters like them? That's different."
Their light banter carried warmth as they traveled on.
Behind them, Semoku's voice whined, "Wait for me! I'm exhausted! Fu, you're stronger than me, always bullying me, but now you get carried while I have to run?" His jealousy was obvious.
Fu only hugged Shigeo tighter and shot back, "Because I like it. I want to."
The two bickered, but Shigeo had no patience for Semoku's childish complaints. With a flicker of his Instant Movement, he vanished with Fu in his arms, leaving Semoku alone and humiliated.
He stumbled on by himself, too scared to stop. He would never realize the truth—that Shigeo didn't even see him as worth the trouble of hating.
Back in Takigakure, Shigeo delivered Fu safely home, explained Hiruko's betrayal to the village chief, and prepared to leave. Though the chief begged him to stay, Shigeo refused.
He had already sensed it: ever since leaving Mount Sumeru, someone had been trailing him. He would not risk leading danger back to the village. After urging Fu to protect herself carefully, he departed.
Heading south, Shigeo entered a dense forest. After some distance, he stopped and turned toward a tree trunk.
"Come out."
"Hehehehe, I knew you'd notice me."
From the bark sprouted a bud-like growth, peeling open to reveal a pale figure.
"Hello, Shigeo. I'm White Zetsu. How about we be friends?"
(End of Chapter)
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