"That damn monster, Hayashi Yuto!"
Danzō stood at Konoha's entrance, his face flushed with anger as he spat the words.
"How dare he make fools of us like this? The bastard!"
"You have to admit, the guy's something else," Homura Mitokado let out a heavy sigh, his expression a mix of frustration and grudging respect. "No matter how you look at it, Konoha raised him. And where does all the good stuff go? To outsiders! What did we get? Seafood?"
Bloody seafood!
The worst part? He was allergic to the damn stuff! Couldn't even eat it!
"Let's just drop it for now," Hiruzen Sarutobi interjected, taking a deep breath. "We should be grateful we made it back to the village in one piece. Everyone, pull yourselves together. The villagers are coming out to greet us."
As if on cue, a group of Leaf ninja emerged, led by Koharu Utatane.
"Hiruzen, you've had a rough time," Koharu said, her eyes scanning the weary group.
"Unfortunately, we lost," Hiruzen admitted openly, his voice thick with emotion. "As Hokage, I've failed the teachings of the First and Second."
"Don't be so hard on yourself. It wasn't just us who took a loss," Koharu paused, her gaze sweeping over the returning shinobi. "There's no need to carry all this weight alone. Let's continue this inside."
Hiruzen nodded, his expression complicated, before turning to address the several hundred Konoha ninja behind him. "Everyone! Your families must be worried sick. Go home and let them know you're safe."
The crowd began to disperse, ninja heading toward their respective homes and loved ones.
Among them was Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru's father.
Unlike his relieved companions, Konoha's head strategist seemed lost in thought, his mind elsewhere.
Standing at his front door, he took a moment to collect himself before knocking.
The door creaked open to reveal his son—sporting the same signature spiky ponytail—looking as calm as ever. "You're back."
"Yeah," Shikaku nodded, slipping off his shoes and stepping inside. "Where's your mother?"
"Out shopping with Auntie" Shikamaru replied, already moving to pour his father a cup of tea before settling cross-legged opposite him.
"Is that so?" Shikaku nodded, seemingly unsurprised. He took a sip of tea, his expression neutral. "What's going on between you and Hayashi Yuto?"
"Heh, so you figured it out?" Shikamaru rubbed his head, feigning a headache.
"Don't play dumb with me. You practically spelled it out for me before I left," Shikaku reached over and rapped his son lightly on the head, a familiar mix of annoyance and affection in his gesture. "I might be getting older, but I'm not an idiot, kid."
"What a drag," Shikamaru sighed. "If I thought you were an idiot, I wouldn't have hinted at it, right?"
"So, what are you getting at now?"
"Nothing much, just giving you a heads-up. Maybe one day I'll disappear and head to the Land of Waves. Don't bother looking for me when it happens."
Shikaku fell silent, holding his son's gaze for a long moment before finally letting out a heavy sigh. "You little brat. You've certainly found yourself a formidable friend. Took on the entire shinobi world by himself. I doubt even the First Hokage could have pulled off a stunt like that."
"Honestly, even I was surprised when I first got the news," Shikamaru smiled.
"So, is the plan to wipe shinobi off the face of the earth, then?" Shikaku paused, taking another deliberate sip of tea. "I'm curious, What did shinobi ever do to you two?"
"Eliminating shinobi isn't the goal; it's just the method," Shikamaru glanced away, his tone turning thoughtful and meaningful. "Yuto wants to build a world where everyone is truly equal. And as long as shinobi exist, with all our hierarchies and hidden villages... true equality is impossible."
Shikaku's eyes widened in sudden, dawning understanding. "So that's it... That's... really something else."
If anyone else had told him such an ideal was possible, Shikaku would have dismissed it as a naive fantasy.
Equality for all? It would mean overturning every single power structure in the world—no daimyō, no nobility, no Kage, no elders. Even the First Hokage, for all his idealism, never dreamed that big.
But if it was Hayashi Yuto they were talking about... the man who had just humbled the great nations...
Nara Shikaku wasn't so sure anymore. With achievements like that, maybe he really could reshape the world.
"Well, that's the situation," Shikamaru blinked, breaking the heavy silence with a more characteristic lazy grin. "Hey, old man... you're not going to report me to the Hokage as a traitor, are you?"
"Scared?" Shikaku raised an eyebrow, a challenge in his voice.
"Not really," Shikamaru shook his head, his grin widening. "I just think father-son betrayal dramas are way too much of a cliché."
"Get out of here, you brat," Shikaku shot back, though the fondness in his eyes betrayed his gruff tone.
—
—
Konoha, Hokage's Office.
How could this have happened?" Koharu Utatane gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
"Thirty thousand shinobi... wiped out in an instant?"
"Those bastards from the Land of Waves... they didn't fight fair!" Homura Mitokado slammed his fist on the table, his beard quivering with rage. "Attacking from the sky? It's inhuman, I tell you"
"On top of that, they knew our every move," Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long, weary drag from his pipe, the smoke curling around his tired face. "It wasn't just us. The other fronts suffered the same fate. Precise, surgical strikes."
"It's obvious Sunagakure was feeding them information," Danzō concluded, his voice a low, venomous growl. "But by the time we realized the Sand had turned traitor, it was already too late."
"..."
"Let it go," Koharu Utatane shook her head, trying to inject some calm. "The fact that you all made it back alive is a blessing in itself. It seems Hayashi Yuto might still hold some... sentimental attachment to his old home."
"Sentimental attachment? Don't make me laugh!" Homura sputtered, slamming the table again. "That brat is a menace!"
"What do you mean?" Koharu asked, confused.
Hiruzen let out another weary sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He's talking about the... parting gifts."
"Parting gifts?"
"Gifts from the Land of Waves for the 'key figures' of the alliance. The other Kage received new state-of-the-art electronic devices. Only the three of us got seafood."
"Se... seafood?"
"Homura got crabs, I got clams, and Danzō got a giant turtle..."
Pfft.
Koharu Utatane couldn't hold back a snort, almost bursting into laughter.
As pitiable as her old friends' plight was, it was also hilarious! A giant turtle—pretty fitting for Danzō, honestly!
"What's that look for?" Danzō noticed the mockery in her eyes.
"N-Nothing," Koharu averted her gaze, changing the subject. "For now, let's all take a good rest. We can discuss how to handle the Land of Waves another day."
"Not a chance!" Danzō snorted, lifting his chin defiantly. "I've already thought of a countermeasure. Hayashi Yuto won't be smug for much longer! That bastard—I'll make him feed turtles for the rest of his life!"
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