Hyūga Shigeo smiled faintly. "If I wanted to kill you, do you really think you'd still be alive right now?"
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed at the words. He dropped to one knee, trembling.
"Thank you, my lord… thank you for sparing me!"
Nearby, Sasuke stood tense, his gaze fixed on Shigeo, studying every movement.
"As I said," Shigeo continued, "I came here for him."
He lifted his hand and pointed directly at Sasuke.
Orochimaru's heart burned with unwillingness. The last time he fought this man, he had lost his four Edo Tensei Kage trump cards. Would he lose yet another prized asset today?
Shigeo turned toward Sasuke. His expression softened slightly.
"All I need is your answer. What do you want?"
Sasuke hesitated. Time stretched long. Then he spoke clearly:
"I'm willing to leave with you… to go to Ink Village."
The words hit like thunder. Orochimaru's golden eyes went cold. His hands twitched; he wanted nothing more than to tear Sasuke apart.
He had worked for years to lure him out of Konoha—and now the prize he'd nurtured was being stolen before his eyes.
Shigeo laughed. "Then come with me."
He grabbed Sasuke by the arm, turned back to Orochimaru, and said casually, "Goodbye."
"My lord! You're leaving just like that?" Orochimaru cried, desperate. "I've been nothing but loyal to you! At least… at least leave me a single vial of your blood!"
Blood from Shigeo's body could create a replacement—perhaps even another Sasuke.
Shigeo's smile vanished. His voice turned cold.
"I spared your life. That's generosity enough. And you dare ask for my blood? Are you insane?"
"Yes, insane!" Orochimaru hissed, retreating slowly. "But it's you who drove me to it!"
Suddenly, chaos erupted around them.
A dozen figures burst from the tunnels—along with two monstrous summoned beasts.
Their eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging; some snarled mindlessly, others drooled foam. The curse marks twisted across their bodies. Whatever humanity remained had been erased.
"More Cursed Seal experiments…" Shigeo muttered.
How many lives had Orochimaru twisted?
He moved.
A spin, a kick, a grab, a throw.
Without even using ninjutsu, the first wave was slaughtered within seconds.
The ones still standing were the partially successful subjects—those who retained reason and could wield jutsu.
"Katon: Chokusha no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Direct Spray Technique!)"
"Doton: Great Cover Technique!"
Fueled by the Curse Seal, their chakra surged violently. Their ninjutsu power spiked.
But against Shigeo, it was meaningless.
Two minutes later, the chamber was a slaughterhouse.
The floor was carpeted with dismembered bodies and blood. The two giant summoned beasts lay dying, gasping weakly.
Shigeo seized Sasuke's wrist. "Let's go."
"My lord—just a few strands of your hair, please!" Orochimaru's voice echoed through the tunnels, filled with frustration. After all that, he had gained nothing.
…
Forest, Land of Fire.
Shigeo glanced at the Curse Seal on Sasuke's neck. He reached to dispel it—but pain shot through his leg.
He looked down.
A syringe was buried in his thigh.
Sasuke stood before him, expression cold, holding the plunger—drawing Shigeo's blood into the tube.
"You…" Shigeo's eyes narrowed.
He kicked out, sending Sasuke flying into the trees.
"Hyūga Shigeo," Sasuke snarled, rising to his feet, "you should've expected this. No matter how powerful you are, I'll never truly follow you. You're Uchiha Itachi's friend. His friend is my eternal enemy. Someday—I'll kill both you and him!"
Shigeo's expression darkened. Then he laughed—a cold, menacing sound.
"Then you'd better be strong enough to try."
He shot forward.
A flurry of shadowless kicks—then a burst of Raiton (Lightning Release) exploded on impact.
Sasuke, still barely at chūnin level, was sent crashing through several trees, spitting blood.
"Better I end you now than let you become a future threat," Shigeo said grimly.
He had once thought to heal the rift between the brothers, to change their fate.
Now he understood why people called Sasuke "the Second Idiot Pillar." The boy was consumed by hatred, blind to reason.
He struck again.
Sasuke barely reacted before he collapsed, unconscious.
Shigeo was about to deliver the final blow—when a familiar figure appeared high above on a distant branch.
Itachi.
Shigeo stopped mid-strike and looked up.
"You have a good little brother," he said quietly.
Itachi's gaze was calm. "He's chosen his own path. I'll wait for him."
The message was clear—he would not take Sasuke by force, and he hoped Shigeo would do the same.
"Tch. Playing the noble type again, huh?" Shigeo muttered. "You know if I don't take him now, he'll be your worst enemy one day. You think I'll just stand by and let that happen?"
He sighed. "Fine. Whether the fruit's sweet or bitter, I'll take it anyway."
He hoisted Sasuke by the collar. "Better he lives in Nanmo than dies here. Maybe then you'll live long enough to see him again."
"Thank you," Itachi said softly. "But it's unnecessary. The bond between us can only end in blood. The sins of our clan… can't be undone."
His voice carried the weight of destiny—calm, inevitable.
Shigeo frowned but said nothing.
He took the syringe from Sasuke's hand, crushed it, and scattered the blood into the dirt.
Then he turned and walked off beside Itachi, leaving the clearing behind.
From the shadows nearby, Yakushi Kabuto emerged, examining Sasuke.
Though unconscious, his body was uninjured—no broken bones, no internal damage.
Clearly, Shigeo had shown restraint.
"Such a waste… that blood," Kabuto muttered.
…
Later, over drinks at a small tavern, Itachi explained the rest.
Akatsuki had restored the Gedo Statue using forbidden methods.
To prevent anyone—especially Shigeo—from summoning it again with his hidden Rinnegan, they had performed a blood ritual:
One hundred and one living sacrifices, their blood poured over the statue, sealing it permanently within the underground vault.
The battle in the Land of Wind against Shigeo had delayed Akatsuki for over three months, but their plan never stopped.
New members had joined—Deidara, Hidan, and others—and they were now actively tracking the locations of all tailed beasts and their hosts.
Pain had even issued a new order:
Without my permission, no one is to provoke Hyūga Shigeo again.
They had learned the hard way—if he couldn't be destroyed, then he had to be avoided.
Only by steering clear of that obstacle could the "Eye of the Moon Plan" ever hope to succeed.
"Itachi," Shigeo said, sipping his sake, "you're smart enough to realize the Eye of the Moon Plan is a lie, aren't you?"
The two sat quietly in the corner of the tavern, sake cups clinking softly as the night deepened.
(End of Chapter)
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