The Six Paths of Pain stood upon the ruins of Amegakure, joined by Uchiha Obito, Black Zetsu, and Konan—nine figures in total.
In each of their minds lingered only one image: Hyūga Shigeo.
"If he's not our ally," Tendō Pain said coldly, "then one day, he'll be our enemy."
"Our intel was wrong," Black Zetsu replied. "None of the records we found mentioned that he possessed the Rinnegan. If we'd known, things would never have turned out this way."
Obito clenched his fist tightly. "We've never lost before. Hyūga Shigeo… we won't let you go unpunished."
In Nanmoku City, within the royal castle's grand hall, Queen Wu Youhua and more than ten elders stood by the window, anxiously awaiting news.
Moments later, a guard entered and bowed deeply. "Village Chief-sama has returned—and he brought back Princess Wu Qianling!"
Before long, Shigeo strode into the chamber.
He handed Qianling over to the medical-nin and went straight to the council room.
Everyone rushed toward him.
"How was it? Who were they? I've never seen ninjutsu like that before!"
Shigeo shook his head.
"A secret organization. We're not getting involved in their affairs. Let's handle our own problems first."
They spent the following hours inspecting the damage.
The clock tower was destroyed. Two tall buildings were reduced to rubble.
The total loss was estimated at nearly two hundred million ryō.
Shigeo placed a scroll on the table.
"This came from their base. Consider it compensation. Use it to rebuild. Pay the workers, restore the homes, and compensate the citizens for everything they lost."
He turned to fetch more documents—
and suddenly, the room fell silent.
Every elder froze, eyes widening in terror.
Half of White Zetsu's face emerged behind Shigeo.
His body was warped and half-covered in plant matter, a single yellow eye burning with rage.
His cracked mouth stretched wide, trembling hands holding a kunai to Shigeo's throat.
"Why? Why did you do this?" White Zetsu shouted, voice hoarse and furious. "We treated you so well—and you tried to destroy everything we built! Hyūga Shigeo, you'll never succeed! Even without us, the Five Great Villages won't let you live! We could've been friends—why did you betray our goodwill?!"
Shigeo snorted coldly.
"You call assassination and slander goodwill? That's rich. I've never heard logic that twisted."
"Hyūga Shigeo!" White Zetsu roared. "We only wanted to steer you toward the right path! These insects you protect—they'll hold you back! You could've become the pioneer of a new world, but instead you chose mediocrity, filth, and attachment! For someone like you, that's disgraceful!"
His voice grew louder, almost hysterical.
He glared at the gathered officials, hatred flickering in his eyes—he wanted to slaughter them all, to force Shigeo to choose his side.
The officials stood frozen in fear.
If Shigeo sided with the white creature, would they all die?
"I'll give you one more chance!" White Zetsu pressed the kunai closer. "Choose—us, or these insects! Speak!"
The room filled with tension.
Some wanted to plead, but none dared move, afraid that one wrong word would doom them all.
Shigeo exhaled slowly.
"You really think I don't know your plan? White Zetsu, you and Black Zetsu must believe I'm as foolish as your other pawns. I choose to be human, not a fool—and certainly not a fool manipulated by things like you. You disgust me."
In the next instant, he jerked his head backward, slamming it into White Zetsu's face.
He twisted, seized the attacker's wrist, and spun around, forcing him into a hold.
"White Zetsu," Shigeo said coldly, "I know exactly what you're plotting. If you ever appear in Nanmoku Country again, I'll smash your precious Gedō Mazō to pieces. Believe me—I can."
"You—!"
White Zetsu's fury turned to dread.
Those Rinnegan eyes stared into his soul.
He could do it.
He tried to sink into the ground—but Shigeo's hand was still on him.
There was no escape.
"Raiton (Lightning Release): Raihō (Thunderfall)!"
A blinding bolt of lightning erupted from Shigeo's palm, striking White Zetsu squarely.
The creature screamed as his body blackened and crumbled to ash.
Even if it had been only a clone, his final moments transmitted perfectly to the original.
Far away, the real White Zetsu—now merged with Black Zetsu—trembled.
Both shared the same body, eyes dark with anxiety.
News of Amegakure's destruction and the need for reconstruction soon reached Land of Fields.
When Orochimaru heard, his entire body went tense.
So, Hyūga Shigeo's Rinnegan had manifested at last.
Pity—he'd left Rain Village too early. Otherwise, he could've witnessed the invisible Rinnegan's true power firsthand.
"Defeated? Heh… even Pain couldn't win?" Orochimaru murmured.
Perched on a boulder, Sasori of the Red Sand replied coldly, "He used strategy. He struck when the village was undefended—and when we were gone. Otherwise, he never could've succeeded."
Orochimaru didn't answer.
A loss was a loss.
Excuses meant nothing.
After a brief exchange, the two went their separate ways.
Orochimaru still had missions to complete—ever since joining Akatsuki, his time was no longer his own.
One day, he'd break away from them entirely.
But his current body was nearing its limit.
He needed a new vessel soon.
If only he could acquire Hyūga Shigeo's body…
Unfortunately, even Pain had failed against him.
Returning to his base, Orochimaru retrieved the files he'd collected over the years on Hyūga Shigeo.
He compared them carefully, then added one new line to the record:
"The Invisible Rinnegan has awakened."
He examined the data again, his pulse quickening.
Years ago, he had cursed Shigeo with the Curse Mark of Heaven, waiting for it to take effect—waiting for the boy to come crawling for help.
But the curse had never activated.
He truly was an anomaly of the shinobi world—nothing about him followed the rules.
Orochimaru gazed at the portrait he had drawn from memory three years ago—
a sketch of Shigeo, eyes cold, face calm.
Three years, and still he wanted to see him again.
He set the dossier down, his hand brushing another personnel file nearby—
one with the photograph of an adult man, and detailed notes written beside it.
(End of Chapter)
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