Konoha's people had barely withdrawn when rumors began to spread through Wuwang City. Some whispered that Konoha shinobi were the very "sea demons" who had long planned to attack the city.
This whole chain of slander and entrapment was none other than Wu Youhua and Shennong's scheme.
Inside the lord's castle, a young girl paced nervously back and forth. Guards stood at the door, the windows were barred with iron, and there wasn't a single soul she could trust. She couldn't even speak her heart, the suffocating weight inside left unshared.
Just then, Hyuga Shigeo appeared.
"Tell me—what's the truth?"
The girl turned in surprise. He was seated on the sofa, casually eating the pastries laid out on the low table.
Her eyes widened with excitement. She glanced toward the door, already wedged shut with a table she had pushed there herself—afraid that after his sudden appearance, someone else might barge in.
She hurried over, hands full of sheets of paper, each already scrawled with black ink. She had prepared them all, waiting for his arrival.
Shigeo read aloud:
"The Wu Youhua now ruling is not my mother. My real mother has been imprisoned by her. If she dies, my mother will die too!"
"I suspect her true goal is to seize all of Wuwang City. This past year, countless have perished at her hands—the townsfolk all know it."
"I don't know exactly what she plans, but I know this: she means to gamble with the lives of the entire city. Please find Master Bu, and save these people."
After finishing, Shigeo felt the gloom in his chest dissolve. His lips curved into a smile as he looked up at the girl.
"So—you're not her daughter?"
She nodded firmly.
"What's your name?"
She wrote: "Wu Qianling."
Shigeo chuckled, stood, and ruffled her hair. "Then I understand. Take care of yourself."
With that, he snatched the papers from her hands, turned, and vanished.
As long as she wasn't that demon's real daughter, everything could be worked out.
Suddenly, Wuwang City burst into commotion!
Shigeo leapt across rooftops and alleys, while shinobi from every village and city guards pursued from all sides—but they couldn't keep up with him.
"Ahhh! The lord is the real killer! She's trying to murder me! I'm just a child, how could I kill anyone? I'm innocent! Help!" Shigeo shouted as he ran, laughing between cries. Sometimes, when the shinobi lagged behind, he even stopped and waited.
Thus the whole city witnessed a bizarre sight: a seven- or eight-year-old boy darting across rooftops, chased endlessly by shinobi from every village.
His cries echoed across the dead, fog-drenched city.
"Ahh, I almost fell! Oi, don't use Katon (Fire Release), you'll ruin the gardens! Hey hey hey—you just smashed that poor person's roof!"
Shigeo's voice gave the stifled city a strange, almost lively rhythm. Many residents peeked timidly from their homes, watching the boy's wild chase.
"Mom, why are those shinobi and guards trying to catch that little brother?"
A child tugged at his mother's sleeve, asking innocently. The woman quickly clamped a hand over her son's mouth. "Don't speak," she whispered.
In the shinobi world, Namikaze Minato's Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) earned him the title of "Yellow Flash" for his unmatched speed.
Though many of the pursuers were jōnin, they still couldn't catch this boy.
And in a city like this, they couldn't unleash their ninjutsu freely. Besides, what gain would Konoha have in murdering random civilians? Especially while shinobi from all Five Great Villages were stationed here? It made no sense.
Anyone with a working mind would doubt the official story.
Still—orders were orders. A hired shinobi does the job, whether or not the client speaks truth. So long as they didn't break contract.
For two hours Shigeo caused chaos, until finally he vaulted down from the beams, slipping into a narrow alley when no one was looking.
His stomach rumbled loudly. He hadn't eaten since morning. All day he'd dealt with corpses and Wu Youhua, then spent hours fleeing pursuit—no wonder he was starving.
He pulled out a ration pill from his scroll, stared at it, grimaced at the thought of its taste, and shoved it back.
Above, shinobi voices echoed across the rooftops:
"Did you see him here? Where'd he run off to? That brat's too fast!"
"Not here. Check the other side!"
Just as Shigeo looked up, about to yell, two hands reached from a doorway and yanked him inside.
Warm sunlight filtered through yellow curtains. Inside stood more than ten people, all smiling kindly at him.
"You are…?" Shigeo asked warily. "Are you townsfolk?"
"Yes," answered an elder, stepping forward with a nod. "Boy, you haven't eaten, have you? We've prepared food. If you don't mind, sit and share with us."
They stepped aside.
Behind them, a long dining table stretched across the room, laden with delicious food and carefully baked pastries.
"Really? I can eat this?"
Shigeo grinned. This was exactly what he'd hoped for. His noisy antics across the city weren't just for fun—they were meant to show the townsfolk that Wu Youhua was hunting him.
Since Wu Qianling said the people already knew the false lord was the murderer, he trusted that if they saw him chased, they would act. Then finding Master Bu among them would be far easier.
And indeed, his gamble had worked.
"Of course, little brother! This is all for you!" A boy tugged at Shigeo's hand, leading him to the table.
The townsfolk all sat down too. Shigeo rubbed his stomach and, though he had many questions, he was simply too hungry to wait.
He devoured the food eagerly. The people watched with joy and began eating alongside him.
(End of Chapter)
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