Natsuhoshi's chakra wings vanished as exhaustion overtook her, and she fell from the sky.
Shigeo reached out swiftly, catching her before she hit the ground, then gently laid her upon a nearby reef.
"Perfect timing," he said quietly. "This land needs new life."
Golden chakra flared around him, his face taking on the markings of Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode).
With a deep breath, he raised both palms and slammed them down onto the meteorite.
A deafening explosion shook heaven and earth. The meteorite shattered into dust, scattering across the newborn continent.
Wind chakra surged through his body—Fūton (Wind Release)—sending the dust whirling outward like glittering sand upon the air.
His hands formed rapid seals. "Ushi, Tora, I, Ten-gō, Chi-hō!"
Every true shinobi knew that the Mokuton (Wood Release) hand seals of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, were unlike any other.
Ordinary seals followed the twelve-sign cycle—child, ox, tiger, hare, and so on—but the Wood Release incorporated additional forms known as Ten-gō ("Heavenly Union") and Chi-hō ("Earth Embrace").
The former joined both palms, the latter intertwined all ten fingers in a clasping motion of unity.
When the final seal was formed, his chakra erupted.
The earth roared. "Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan (Wood Release: Tree Sea Emergence)!"
Countless trees burst from the soil, spreading outward in waves of green.
Within moments, the once-barren land bloomed into a vast forest, stretching far across the newly formed continent.
The energy of the shattered meteorite merged with the Wood Release, and the vegetation spread even faster, filling the air with the scent of new life.
Watching from the reef, Natsuhoshi smiled faintly. At last, no one would ever again rely on such a cursed power.
But nearby, from beneath the earth, a White Zetsu clone emerged.
His pale face twisted in both awe and greed as his gaze fixed upon Shigeo.
"During the battle at Iron Country's Shimizu Town, he said he had the chakra of nine tailed beasts within him… Nine?"
Zetsu's eyes gleamed. "If that's true, if we capture him—then the Tsuki no Me Keikaku (Moon's Eye Plan) can be completed."
A cruel grin spread across his face. "If only he weren't so strong…"
His fists clenched tight, eyes burning with covetous hunger.
Days later, the rescued children of Hoshinin Village finally stabilized under treatment.
Their two hundred surviving ninja, along with five hundred family members, were relocated to Nanmo Village.
The old Hoshinin Village, shrouded in poisonous mist, was no longer habitable.
At the border of the newly renamed Kumashū (Bear Province), Shigeo established new guard posts manned by Nanmo ninja.
In time, the reborn Nanmo Country found peace again.
Minor rebellions flared here and there but were swiftly extinguished by the Nanmo ANBU.
Balance had returned.
…
One afternoon, Shigeo finished signing the day's reports, reviewing blueprints for the next village expansion, when Wu Qianling entered his office.
Tomorrow, the Doton (Earth Release) specialists stationed in Nanmo City would return to assist with construction.
Qianling had come early, carrying a woven basket filled with freshly roasted beef made by her mother.
Even with the busy rebuilding, Wuyouhua always managed to prepare small meals for him from time to time.
Shigeo's expression softened when he saw the food.
"Thank you, ojou-sama."
"I knew you'd been too busy to eat. Try some," Qianling said, slicing a piece and holding it out to him.
He took it, sighed, and smiled. "Too bad there's no sake."
Popping the beef into his mouth, he chewed contentedly.
But just then, commotion erupted outside—shouting, and the clash of steel.
Still chewing, Shigeo rose and stepped out onto the balcony.
There, below, was a figure he instantly recognized—Uchiha Itachi—holding a bundle of sake bottles in one hand and a kunai in the other, sparring lightly with Nanmo's guards.
"Itachi," Shigeo called, smiling broadly.
He waved, then grabbed the food basket and leapt down to the courtyard.
At once, the surrounding guards backed away.
Itachi snorted softly. "I see. Your people aren't the same as during that day the Five Great Villages attacked you."
Shigeo chuckled. "You noticed. I might've used a few tricks back then."
He slung an arm around Itachi's shoulders, pointing toward the village headquarters.
"Come on—let's drink."
With a light leap, they landed atop the tiled roof.
Shigeo pulled off the cloth covering the basket. "Tonight, we don't stop until we're drunk."
Itachi sat beside him, gazing over the glowing expanse of Nanmo Village.
"To think you now have your own nation," he murmured. "The sixth Great Shinobi Village… The first in centuries. Even among Akatsuki, none of us achieved this.
"Pain may rule his hidden corner of the world, but you've built something real."
He took a swig of sake. "That's the difference—vision."
Shigeo passed him a piece of beef. "Then stay here. Make this your home. If you want it, Nanmo Village is yours."
Itachi turned sharply, stunned. For a moment, his cold heart felt something warm.
"…Thank you."
"What's there to thank? You're my brother, aren't you? Honestly, you'd be better at running the village than me."
Shigeo groaned, thinking of the mountain of paperwork awaiting him.
Itachi smiled faintly, then changed the topic. "I heard you met Sasuke?"
"Yeah. A few months ago. He's grown stronger," Shigeo nodded.
Then realization struck him. "Wait—you didn't say no just now, did you? That means you agreed! I knew it!"
Shigeo jumped up, eyes gleaming like a sunset over the horizon. "You should've agreed ages ago!"
Laughing, he punched Itachi lightly in the chest.
Itachi steadied himself, his own smile widening.
As their laughter faded, Itachi picked up a strip of beef, chewing slowly, then handed Shigeo the sake.
"Calm down. Try to look like the first Moe-kage for once.
Even if I accept your offer, not yet. Akatsuki is moving to enact something world-shaking. Once I finish that, I'll come here—openly."
Shigeo nodded hard. "I'll wait."
They clinked bottles and drank beneath the stars.
That night, two men—brothers not by blood but by spirit—sat side by side, eating and drinking until the moon sank low.
Shigeo talked endlessly; Itachi listened quietly.
For the first time in years, both felt something close to peace.
(End of Chapter)
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