In the late hours of the night, Uchiha Itachi departed from Nanmo Country.
Shigeo, however, immediately began preparing a home for him in Nanmo Village, arranging every living necessity down to the smallest detail.
By his side, Wu Qianling quietly helped.
It might take years before Itachi returned—but that didn't matter. Shigeo wanted him to know that here, a place was always waiting for him.
He had once thought about destroying Akatsuki, reorganizing its members, and personally killing both Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. Even if their plan had spanned a thousand years, he was determined to ruin it.
But now… he had changed his mind.
He wanted to leave space for Itachi. As long as he didn't interfere with Akatsuki's actions, Itachi would have the chance to clear his name.
Shigeo would make sure that one day, Itachi could join Nanmo Village openly, honorably.
The thought made him smile unconsciously.
"Does this color look fine?" Qianling asked, holding up a gray bedsheet.
Shigeo glanced over and grinned. "You snuck up to the roof last night to look at him, didn't you?"
She nodded slightly. "He's not as handsome as you, but I have to admit—if you two walked down Nanmo City's main street together, every woman in the country would lose her mind."
Shigeo chuckled at the image. "Of course! If we stood side by side, we'd charm the entire shinobi world—total domination."
He burst out laughing.
Qianling sighed, shaking her head. "So full of yourself."
The days that followed were just as busy.
Sometimes Shigeo was so buried in documents that he couldn't even attend the meetings in Nanmo City, resorting to sending a Mokuton (Wood Release) clone in his place.
One afternoon, while he was drowning in paperwork, Jinshi rushed into the office.
"Lord Moe-kage, urgent matter! A letter from Konoha—they've invited Nanmo Village to participate in this year's joint Chūnin Exams!"
He placed the sealed scroll in Shigeo's hands.
The urgency on Jinshi's face was understandable. He knew better than anyone that Nanmo's stability depended entirely on Shigeo. If anything happened to him, the whole nation could collapse overnight.
Sending young genin to such a large-scale exam seemed reckless. Just a month ago, Nanmo had been an obscure minor village.
Now it was recognized as the sixth Great Shinobi Village, its leader an S-rank powerhouse whose name shook the world.
But the genin… were another story.
Their strength couldn't compare to the other nations. And the Chūnin Exams weren't just a contest of individuals—it was a test of a village's overall might.
If their performance was poor, Nanmo could become a laughingstock.
Yet, refusing the invitation wasn't an option.
"So," Jinshi asked carefully, "do we accept or decline?"
"Of course we accept," Shigeo replied without hesitation. "And not only will we attend, we'll make a grand appearance."
"But… our strength—"
"Hahaha, don't worry about that. Just go in with confidence. Winning isn't the goal."
In truth, Shigeo knew exactly what year it was—the same year as the Konoha Crush Plan.
The so-called "joint Chūnin Exams" would end long before the final stage, interrupted by Orochimaru's invasion.
For Nanmo, simply reaching the third round would already be a success.
As for those from other villages hoping to use the event to gauge Nanmo's power—let them. Even if they discovered the genin's inexperience, what could they do?
Would they dare launch another joint invasion against Nanmo?
Unlikely. The Five Great Villages' alliance was fragile at best—today's allies could become tomorrow's enemies.
This time, Shigeo would go only to observe the show.
"Since we're joining the exams," Jinshi said, "I'll notify the academy immediately. We'll select candidates within two days and depart for Konoha?"
Nanmo was far from Konoha; travel would take time.
"No rush," Shigeo replied. "Three days early is enough. Have the instructors push extra training for now—'sharpen the spear before battle,' even if it's late.
When it's time, I'll use Kamui to teleport everyone there. It'll save us the trip."
"Yes, sir!"
The following weeks were filled with intense drills at Nanmo's ninja academy.
Dozens of students were tested in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and teamwork until nine genin—three full teams—were selected to represent Nanmo Village.
Half a month later, with three days left before the exams, the group prepared to depart.
Twelve people in total—nine genin, along with Wu Mang, Hongyan, and Shigeo himself.
Through Kamui, they appeared directly at Konoha's main gate.
At that very moment, the representatives from the Five Great Villages and two smaller nations were also gathering.
When they saw twelve figures materialize out of thin air, conversation stopped.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"What kind of jutsu was that? They just appeared out of nowhere!"
"Look at their headbands… Nanmo Village? That man must be their Moe-kage, Hyūga Shigeo."
"I've heard of him. They call him the 'Man Who Shouldn't Exist'—wielder of countless abilities. A former member of the Hyūga clan who can use the Sharingan, and a host to seven—no, nine—tailed beasts!"
"Nine? I thought it was seven."
"Some say two more appeared later. Who knows? But what's certain is that the Five Great Villages lost their joint invasion to him."
"Not surprising. The alliance sent only ten thousand shinobi, and Nanmo crushed them. Considering their size, that's terrifying."
"But wasn't Nanmo tiny back then? Just two cities, a few islands, less than two hundred thousand people—and maybe a few hundred shinobi at most? Ten thousand versus a thousand, and the alliance still lost?"
No one spoke after that. The air around the gate grew heavy as they turned to study the newcomers.
Beyond the crowd, the high-ranking figures of each village stood gathered:
Fourth Raikage A, the elders of Iwagakure and Kirigakure, and Fourth Kazekage Rasa.
Even representatives of the smaller nations had arrived, their gazes locked on the man who had defied the entire world.
All eyes were on the Moe-kage of Nanmo Village—Hyūga Shigeo—who stood calmly at the head of his delegation, smiling faintly as if the pressure of a thousand stares were nothing at all.
(End of Chapter)
[50 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews = 5 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]