Chapter 4 — Arrival in Konoha
In that instant, the exact same thought surfaced in everyone's mind:
Holy hell—I'm blind!
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!"
Hidan went berserk, wildly swinging his three-bladed scythe in every direction. He had completely lost it.
What is this?
What the hell is this?!
Why can't I see anything?! Why is it so damn bright?!
Shizune dropped low to the ground, scrambling away from the sound of Hidan's voice. With her eyes squeezed shut, she groped blindly until she found the trunk of a tree and crouched behind it, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
Tsunade held both hands in front of her eyes, chakra slowly circulating to soothe and protect her retinas, refusing to lower them no matter what.
Tonton frantically dug a hole in the earth and dove headfirst inside it.
Even Shunsuke Ryouta had his eyes shut tight. Though he himself was the light, his retinas were still protesting violently.
No wonder Borsalino always wore sunglasses…
Still, it wasn't a problem.
As the user of the Glint-Glint Fruit—an ability system originating from another plane's Devil Fruit laws—within the luminous domain radiating from his own body, Shunsuke could perceive everything. Light was not merely brightness; it was extension, medium, and omnidirectional awareness. Within his field, nothing escaped him.
For the first time, he felt just a trace of what it meant to resemble a god.
Inside, he was laughing wildly.
I am—Light!
Maybe he should change his nickname to Diga someday…
After all, he was only a second-year high schooler. What was wrong with being a little chuuni?
About ten seconds passed—though it felt much longer—before the blinding radiance gradually faded.
When vision returned, Hidan lay sprawled on the ground. One hand clutched his eyes. The other clutched his crotch. He howled without pause.
No matter how tough a man claimed to be, no one could endure that kind of pain.
Moments earlier, Shunsuke had successfully introduced Hidan to suffering.
Now Shunsuke stood calmly, the crimson three-bladed scythe slung over his shoulder, a ninja tool pouch dangling casually from one hand. Hidan had been thoroughly stripped of every useful item.
Helping Shizune to her feet—she was still rubbing her eyes—Shunsuke pointed toward the collapsed figure on the ground.
"He's yours now."
Shizune: "..."
Watching Hidan writhe and scream, Shunsuke's small face brimmed with youthful arrogance.
What nonsense ninja techniques. What nonsense ocular powers.
In front of me, if you can even open your eyes, I lose!
From this day forward, this world would have no more Sharingan, Byakugan, or Rinnegan.
There would only be glaucoma. Nearsightedness. Presbyopia.
As for the technique he had just improvised on a whim, Shunsuke felt that in some ways it worked even better than the so-called Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
"P-pui…"
Tonton's trembling voice emerged from the dirt. The poor pig still seemed convinced she had gone permanently blind.
More than ten minutes later, deep within the forest, Shizune finished off Hidan.
Because of his abnormal "immortality"—a curse-based biological anomaly sustained by a foreign religious system—Shunsuke had even provided a meat grinder.
Yes. The kind used at a marketplace to mince dumpling filling.
When Shizune returned, she vomited three times. By the third, there was nothing left but bitter stomach acid. Had it been Tsunade instead, she likely would have fainted outright.
Watching Shizune's pale face, Shunsuke shook his head silently.
It seemed Hidan's immortality wasn't quite as exaggerated as legend suggested. At the very least, "regenerating from a single drop of blood" was clearly impossible.
And truth be told, Shunsuke hadn't wanted to use such a brutal method. It had been Tsunade who asked whether there was any way to eliminate Hidan completely. Shunsuke had simply decided to test the limits of that so-called undying body.
He swore on heaven and earth—he'd only been curious.
Reality proved it: even immortality couldn't withstand being processed into dumpling meat.
Of course… perhaps Hidan wasn't truly dead.
Maybe he simply couldn't be reassembled.
Who could say?
In the end, Hidan's appearance was nothing more than a minor interlude on their journey. It failed to stir any lasting waves.
Several days later.
Land of Fire.
Konohagakure.
"Lady Tsunade has returned!"
Cheers erupted through the streets. Ninjas and civilians alike gathered along the roadside, curiously observing the trio who had just re-entered the village. Numerous gazes swept over Shunsuke.
"Is that… Lady Tsunade's son?"
A civilian whispered discreetly.
"I've never heard of Lady Tsunade having a son…" The other stroked his chin thoughtfully. "But that kid's really good-looking. A handsome little guy."
Tsunade's ear twitched. The smile on her face stiffened.
I am still an unmarried woman! Since when did I have a son?!
She shot Shunsuke an irritated glare.
He didn't notice.
He was too busy looking around in fascination.
For someone like him—an ex-chuuni transported across planes—arriving in the legendary Hidden Leaf Village was inevitably exhilarating.
While observing everything, he wrote diligently in a small notebook.
Tsunade knew what he was doing.
He was writing his travel journal.
For the past few days, wherever they went, Shunsuke documented it all—the culture, the legends, the faith systems, the local cuisine.
He recorded meticulously. And he wrote beautifully.
Tsunade quite enjoyed reading his entries.
At the very least, they were far better than Icha Icha Paradise.
Watching him, Tsunade's lips curved slightly.
A traveler…
Not bad at all.
Despite possessing such powerful and bizarre abilities—powers that transcended this plane's chakra system—he hadn't lost himself in indulgence or decadence. Instead, he continued exploring the beauty of the world.
"Look, look! Lady Tsunade's expression when she looks at that boy—it's so doting!" a civilian whispered. "He must be her son, right?"
Tsunade: "..."
He is not my son.
At the village gate earlier, Tsunade had registered Shunsuke as an orphan and her honorary disciple. The gate guards—Izumo and Kotetsu—had allowed him entry without issue.
Now, standing before the old family estate and the unfamiliar crowd gathered at its entrance, Shunsuke blinked in surprise.
"I didn't expect you to have so many clan members, Granny."
"Call me Big Sister!" Tsunade's face darkened instantly. "And the Senju were a great clan. It would be strange if we didn't have relatives! The way you phrased it makes it sound like we were wiped out…"
Counting the gathered relatives, Shunsuke clicked his tongue.
Thirty or forty people, at least.
But then… why had he never heard of the Senju Clan in later generations of Konoha?
Tsunade seemed to read his thoughts and sighed softly.
"My name is Tsunade. Just Tsunade. My grandfather wanted our clan members to integrate into the village, so he had them drop the Senju surname. These here are closer relatives—but none of them use 'Senju' anymore."
Understanding dawned on him.
So that was the truth behind that bit of hidden history.
"You seem to know quite a bit about our world," Tsunade said, glancing at him.
She still remembered clearly how he had identified Hidan's abilities at a glance.
"I know… some things," Shunsuke replied.
He couldn't exactly say he grew up watching their world from another plane.
Though, technically speaking, he had.
"Forget it." Tsunade shook her head and stopped pressing. She arranged an empty room for him, then left.
No matter what, having just returned to the village, she had to visit the Hokage's office. Even if she avoided it, ANBU would come requesting her presence soon enough.
About ten minutes later.
Inside the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, rested his hands beneath his chin, gazing at Tsunade with warm eyes.
"You've returned?"
"Yeah. I'm back." Tsunade crossed her arms casually. "Something came up, so I headed back."
Hiruzen frowned slightly.
What kind of situation would make Tsunade return so suddenly?
Among his three students, he knew them intimately.
When Jiraiya had been teaching in the Land of Rain, even the outbreak of the Third Great Ninja War hadn't immediately brought him back. The war had dragged on for quite some time before he returned at a leisurely pace.
The other two Sannin were equally willful. Orochimaru had left the village in fury. Tsunade wandered the world under the pretext of "traveling." Ordinary matters rarely stirred them.
Had another hidden village made a move?
His gaze sharpened.
"What happened?"
"Nothing serious." Tsunade waved it off, deliberately avoiding mention of Shunsuke.
It wasn't that she distrusted Hiruzen. The issue was the village's internal politics. Many decisions were not made by Hiruzen alone.
If the higher-ups learned of Shunsuke's existence—Hiruzen might remain neutral, but the other elders could easily develop… undesirable intentions.
Still, Tsunade wasn't particularly worried. She hadn't planned to conceal Shunsuke entirely.
He possessed a certain degree of self-protection.
And with her present, even if conflict arose between him and the upper echelons, she doubted it would escalate into hatred toward Konoha itself.
"I've taken in a highly talented honorary disciple," she said after a moment. "I can't disclose his origins for now. There's no need for the Intelligence Division to investigate. His name is Shunsuke Ryouta. Bone age suggests around eleven or twelve."
"A disciple?" Hiruzen blinked. "I understand. I'll have someone arrange enrollment procedures."
"Enrollment?" Tsunade quickly waved her hand. "Whether he enrolls or not—I'll ask him first."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"So be it."
Tsunade couldn't decide on her own?
That implied the boy was likely only a disciple in name.
For someone with Tsunade's temperament to consider the other party's opinion meant one thing: the boy probably possessed considerable strength. Or perhaps their statuses were, in some sense, equal.
After decades as Hokage, Hiruzen's political instincts were anything but ordinary.
Still, he suppressed further questions for now.
The Hokage's office was filled with eyes and ears. Not a suitable place for secrets.