Although they knew bits and pieces about him, none of them truly understood everything that had happened.
Out of curiosity, Uzuki Yugao had once secretly accessed Konoha ANBU's classified files about him.
The records confirmed that the Sky Ninja attacks on the Five Great Villages had nothing to do with him, and even the declaration of war issued in his name was a fabrication.
Yet despite being innocent, he had still become the enemy of the entire shinobi world.
Only through his own power had he reversed that fate.
Without that, this quiet reunion among old friends would never have been possible.
"Not bad. Nanmo treats me well."
Shigeo spoke plainly, truthfully.
Just days ago, Wuyouka had even suggested handing over the sovereign control of Nanmo Country to him.
He refused. Managing the ninja village already kept him busy enough—he had no desire to bear more burdens.
Besides, Wuyouka wasn't like the daimyō of the Five Nations.
She treated him better than a son—tending to his daily life, trusting him with even her personal wealth.
Such trust was rare.
"That's good to hear."
Yugao smiled softly and used her chopsticks to place a few grilled prawns onto his plate.
There was no need to pry further.
The shinobi world had already acknowledged the Sixth Great Nation, and misunderstandings had been cleared.
As long as he was living well—that was enough.
"By the way, I heard you're dating Moonlight Hayate, right?" Shigeo asked casually between bites.
Her lips curved slightly, and she nodded.
"Tell him to be careful for a while."
Shigeo remembered clearly—Moonlight Hayate was destined to die during the "Konoha Crush Plan."
He hoped this time, fate could be defied.
"Alright," Yugao replied with a firm nod, her smile widening.
The meal went on.
Hyūga Hikaru poured drinks for everyone, talking loudly as usual:
"Can you guys believe it? I still can't! Our boy here walks into Konoha in front of everyone, a Kage among Kage, with all that presence—hell, my heart almost exploded when I saw him! Too damn cool!"
He raised his glass and grinned.
"Come on, admit it—if I hadn't shouted his name in the street, would we even be sitting here right now? You all should toast me!"
"Toast you? My ass!" Inuzuka Hana punched his shoulder and smirked.
"Let's toast to Shigeo, not you. For not turning against us, and for still remembering his friends even from so high up."
"Right. A toast—to Hyūga Shigeo!"
They clinked glasses.
Shigeo smiled faintly, raising his own, and they drank it all in one go.
That night, they ate, drank, and laughed until dawn.
When everyone finally parted, the streets of Konoha were silent under moonlight.
Shigeo didn't return to the guest manor outside the village.
Instead, he went to the Hokage Rock, sitting atop the First Hokage's stone head.
Below him, Konoha's lights shimmered like stars.
He sighed softly.
If Shimura Danzō hadn't forced his hand back then, perhaps he would still have been part of this village.
Now, he was only an outsider.
A wry smile crossed his lips. He took another swig from his flask.
Then—
A flicker of motion.
Someone appeared beside him.
Shigeo's eyes sharpened; his hand flicked a kunai like lightning.
The intruder dodged and fell to one knee.
"My lord, please forgive the intrusion! This lowly one, Kabuto, comes unannounced—my deepest apologies!"
Kneeling in the moonlight, Yakushi Kabuto lowered his head respectfully.
"What is it?"
Shigeo didn't stop drinking. His tone was cold.
"My master sent me to warn you. There is danger in Konoha. Please, you and the Moenin ninjas—be careful."
The "master" he spoke of was, of course, Orochimaru.
"I see."
A chilling pressure filled the air.
Even from several meters away, Kabuto felt suffocated by it.
He bowed lower, trembling, and retreated as fast as he could.
That was the First Moe-kage—Hyūga Shigeo, the youngest super-Kage in shinobi history.
Even Orochimaru called him "Master."
And yet, after years of servitude, Orochimaru still wasn't accepted as his disciple.
That was how high Shigeo's standards were.
When Kabuto finally fled to safety, cold sweat drenched his back.
Shigeo eventually returned to the manor and fell asleep.
That night, he dreamed.
In his dream, he stood among ruins—broken walls and fallen stones.
A weathered emblem of the Uzumaki Clan told him where he was: the ruins of Uzugakure, the Village Hidden by Whirlpools.
For the next two nights, the same dream repeated.
Nothing changed except the place—it was always there.
By the third night, he couldn't ignore it anymore.
At dawn on the fourth day, the Joint Chūnin Exams began.
Konoha and the allied nations opened the grand ceremony, with banners fluttering across the village.
After a long welcome speech, the matches commenced.
Sunagakure had sent thirty shinobi.
Each smaller nation sent six.
Konoha itself fielded eighty-seven, including the Twelve Rookie Genin and Kabuto.
The other major villages sent twenty each.
And Moenin Village? Only nine genin.
From numbers alone, they looked weaker than even some small villages.
Whispers spread across the stands.
"See that? Sixth Great Ninja Village, huh? Can't even field a proper team."
"They look more like a local school trip than an army."
On the Kage's platform, the Fourth Raikage laughed loudly.
"Hyūga Shigeo! Your village's turnout is pathetic!"
The Iwagakure elder sneered beside him.
"The next generation defines a village's strength. Looks like Moenin is nothing but a passing dream.
Give it ten years—you'll be extinct! Hahaha!"
Shigeo's expression stayed calm, but his voice cut through the air, cold and sharp.
"They're all children. Numbers mean nothing.
You could send ten thousand, and if none of them can win—doesn't that make you the embarrassment?"
Silence fell.
The word ten thousand struck like thunder.
Every Kage on the platform froze.
They remembered the war—how their ten-thousand-strong alliance had been crushed.
In front of him, they all knew: none of them had ever won.
(End of Chapter)
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