"Honored Kage and village representatives, welcome, welcome…"
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, personally came to receive them. Two neat rows of Konoha shinobi stood to greet the arriving leaders, while others continued registering participants at the village gate.
Shigeo turned to Wu Mang and Hongyan, gave a slight nod, and then followed the other Kage-level figures into Konoha.
Outwardly, his face was calm. But inside, waves of emotion churned violently.
It had been nine years since he last walked these streets.
The main avenue hadn't changed much, though many new buildings now filled the surrounding blocks.
Civilians lined both sides of the street, murmuring and pointing.
Someone spotted him and cried out,
"Look, isn't that Hyūga Shigeo? They say after leaving Konoha he built his own nation—Nanmo Country—and founded Moenin Village! He's the First Moe-kage now! I can't believe Lord Third actually invited them to the Chūnin Exams!"
"Yeah, I heard the same. The Five Great Villages fought him and lost. Unbelievable—so young and already a legend!"
The streets buzzed with talk of the rising star—the First Moe-kage of the new shinobi village.
Hearing these words, the faces of the Four Kage twisted with anger and humiliation.
The Fourth Raikage and the representative of Iwagakure clenched their fists inside their sleeves.
If not for the recent public alliance between the Five Great Nations and Nanmo—acknowledged even by their daimyō—they might have already attacked him on the spot.
But they remembered the battle at Iron Country.
Four Kage and the Byakugan-user from Kirigakure had failed to defeat this one man.
Could they fare any better now? Impossible.
That was power.
Even if they couldn't accept it, they had to swallow it.
Because to strike him again would only mean humiliation.
The crowd thickened as they walked.
Among them stood Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hanabi, watching quietly.
Hiashi's feelings were complicated. The Hyūga clan had never protected Shigeo, never even cared for him—yet because he bore the Hyūga name, the clan's reputation had soared.
Now whenever people spoke of the Hyūga, they inevitably mentioned him.
He might not have the Byakugan, but his eyes were far more powerful.
Those eyes had even led Konoha's Intelligence Division to hold a special research meeting, convinced that Shigeo's overwhelming power was tied directly to them—eyes that could change at will.
And now, at just eighteen years old, he stood at the top of the shinobi world—founder of a new Great Nation, the Sixth Great Power, and the First Moe-kage.
A living legend.
"Hyūga Shigeo? Hey! Over here! Shigeo!"
A familiar voice shouted from the crowd.
Shigeo turned and saw Hyūga Hikaru, Inuzuka Hana with her three large dogs, the masked Aburame Torune, and Uzuki Yugao waving from the roadside.
They all looked older. Hana had grown strikingly beautiful, while Hikaru was still loud and dramatic as ever.
Shigeo raised a hand and waved with a faint smile, signaling them to meet up later that night.
They nodded eagerly, faces lit with the joy of reunion.
The Third Hokage saw it all—and something in his chest twisted.
Jiraiya had once told him, "If we'd treated him better, things might've turned out differently."
Yes… if back then, when Danzō cornered the boy, he had stood up for him… would things be like this today?
But it was too late.
Now, Hyūga Shigeo was no longer a friend—he was an enemy of Konoha.
The moment he had been forced to apologize before the Five Daimyō and the other Kage, humiliation had carved itself deep into his heart.
Even though all of them had apologized later, the criticism he'd endured afterward from the Fire Daimyō had been far worse, shattering his dignity as the Hokage of many years.
To him, Shigeo could never again be an ally.
Inviting Nanmo Village to the Chūnin Exams was nothing more than a trap—a chance to show the world that Nanmo's shinobi were overrated.
Even a soft knife could cut; even unhurt, humiliation could sting.
He wanted to see what kind of face the First Moe-kage would wear when his people failed in front of everyone.
The Third Hokage motioned forward. "Let's continue."
At noon, they shared a formal meal in Konoha's guest hall.
Afterward, representatives led the visitors to a manor outside the village—a secure, scenic residence prepared for the Kage.
The arrangement was standard protocol: each village leader had their own courtyard, and the entire area was heavily guarded.
Security, after all, came first.
Every leader had an attendant or vice-captain with them—except Shigeo.
He had come alone, leaving Wu Mang and Hongyan in Konoha to supervise the nine genin participants.
Each courtyard was separated, silent, and watchful—guards stationed at every gate to monitor the guests.
Of course, such precautions couldn't restrain him.
With a flicker of space-time ninjutsu, the man who wore the title of Moe-kage vanished from his room.
Moments later, Hyūga Shigeo, dressed casually, appeared in the heart of Konoha's streets.
In front of a Yakiniku (Grill House), several figures were waiting.
Hyūga Hikaru looked uneasy. "You think he's really coming? They say the Kage quarters are locked down tight. How's he supposed to get out?"
Inuzuka Hana rolled her eyes. "Idiot. Do you think he's like you? He's super-Kage level. Ever heard of that, brainless mutt?"
She glanced down the street—and spotted him immediately.
"There! Over here!"
Yugao saw him too, waving warmly.
The group entered the restaurant together. Hikaru immediately insisted that Shigeo pay for dinner. Laughing, he agreed, and everyone began ordering food.
Uzuki Yugao, older than the others and recently reassigned from ANBU to help oversee the exams, studied him quietly.
He was no longer the boy she'd once known.
"You've grown," she said softly. "Have you been living well… all these years outside the village?"
Shigeo tore into grilled meat like any normal young man, no trace of the high Kage he'd become.
"Yeah," he said between bites. "Can't complain. Life's been… interesting."
(End of Chapter)
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