Days passed peacefully. Life in the village went on as usual, the occasional minor scuffle not worth mentioning.
Then, one day, the emergency sirens rang through the village—Level 3 alert.
That morning, at the mouth of the village near the Lianhai River, a concealed boat was found docked at the bank. Onboard lay four coffins. The ninja of the village grew tense immediately. They had seen those coffins before—during the great assault on Nanmo Country by the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu)!
Although those resurrected shinobi had once fought for Nanmo, now, seeing such coffins appear again here, who could guarantee the same would happen this time?
During the Konoha Crush Plan, if it hadn't been for the First Hokage Senju Hashirama and the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama being summoned, would the Third have perished?
"Lord, look."
At the village gate, Jinshi arrived with Shigeo and pointed toward the river. The area was already sealed off. Over ten Jōnin and Anbu stood at the ready, eyes fixed on the boat that carried the coffins.
Shigeo stepped forward. From his memory, only one person still alive could use Edo Tensei—Orochimaru.
But his hands had been destroyed. He was currently planning to abduct Uchiha Sasuke. Could he really have had time to cause more trouble here?
As that thought passed, the boat began to shake. The four coffins suddenly stood upright. Their lids opened with a creak, revealing four figures.
The Second Tsuchikage, Mū.
The Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu.
The Third Raikage, A.
And the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
The four stepped ashore. The boat rocked again, and from the cabin emerged a pale figure—Kimimaro. His skin was white as snow, red shadows marked beneath his eyes, green pupils glinting coldly. Two small red dots marked his brow. He fixed his sharp gaze on Shigeo and said coldly:
"Long time no see."
He wore a loose white robe and black pants. His calm, restrained aura carried both elegance and danger.
Across from him, Shigeo's long dark hair flowed lightly in the breeze. His deep blue eyes carried a faint smile, and the dark-blue ink-ninja uniform made his tall figure even more striking. Over a decade had passed—he had become a refined and handsome man.
The two stood opposed. Behind Kimimaro stood four Kage-level reanimations, filling the entire riverbank with killing intent.
"Indeed. It's been a long time," Shigeo said lightly, lips curved into a thin smile. "Yakushi Kabuto—come out."
At once, from within the boat, Kabuto stiffened. Slowly, he stepped onto the deck.
"I was sure I'd hidden my chakra completely," he said tensely, "yet you still found me?"
Shigeo's expression remained calm. "Orochimaru's hands are ruined. How could he form seals or perform Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu)? Since these coffins appeared here, if he's not the one controlling them, then it must be you. You're here now—why hide? Tell me, what do you want?"
Kabuto hesitated, but Kimimaro answered coldly, "It's simple. Either we kill our way into the Ink Ninja Village—or you come with us."
Though Kabuto feared Shigeo and didn't dare speak, Kimimaro felt no such hesitation. Having grown up together, he refused to believe Shigeo's power surpassed his own. Rumors exaggerated his fame, he thought. If the world knew my true ability, they'd see I'm his natural counter.
"Let me guess," Shigeo said quietly. "You're here because of Orochimaru's hands, aren't you?"
By now, Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage. That meant Orochimaru had already sought her help—and been refused. Desperate, he must have turned to Shigeo.
But Shigeo had no interest in him. Even when Orochimaru had been forced to kneel before him, submitting after Shigeo pierced his heart with a black rod, he had never acknowledged Orochimaru as a subordinate. So now, Orochimaru used Kabuto's Edo Tensei to force a meeting.
"Lord Shigeo, please… help us…" Kabuto fell to his knees, pleading sincerely.
Kimimaro's face hardened with fury. "What are you doing? Why kneel before him? If he refuses, we can simply fight our way through! There's no need to humiliate yourself."
He had once failed to understand why Orochimaru had bowed before Shigeo. Seeing Kabuto do the same only deepened his anger.
Turning back, he stared coldly at Shigeo. He couldn't understand—Orochimaru, a man so powerful, had humbled himself before this person, yet Shigeo remained indifferent. Was this really the same man from back then?
But yes—Shigeo had never changed. The one who had changed was Kimimaro.
Perhaps from the start, Kimimaro had lost his direction. When Orochimaru saved him, cured his illness, and gave him "purpose," Kimimaro mistook that dependency for truth. His gratitude turned into blind devotion. His loyalty, pure but twisted, had blinded him to the cruelty of Orochimaru's actions.
He believed Orochimaru's human experiments were "for the sake of his dream."
But for those used as test subjects, that dream was endless torment.
His heart had long been warped by the delusion of immortality. And Shigeo—once one of those experimental survivors—could never see Orochimaru through the same lens. Their positions were irreconcilable.
Only those who have suffered can understand suffering. Kimimaro could not understand Shigeo's calm resolve, and so he mistook it for apathy. But in truth, Shigeo's clarity was what made him truly human.
"Leave," Shigeo said coldly. "I won't help him. The fact that I haven't killed him yet is already mercy. Asking me to save him is impossible."
Kimimaro's eyes flared. "Then don't blame us for being rude!"
"Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse): Dance of the Camellia!"
Bone blades burst from his hands, gleaming like ivory scythes, as he lunged toward Shigeo.
"Doton (Earth Release): Doryūheki (Earth Flow Wall)!" Jinshi shouted, slamming his palms into the ground. A massive earth wall erupted before Shigeo, blocking the attack.
From among the defending ninjas, Mimako dashed forward, twin long kunai drawn. She leapt toward Kimimaro with fierce precision.
"Lord Shigeo, since I joined the village, I haven't had a chance to prove myself! Today, please allow me to show you my skill!"
The clash at the village gate began—light against shadow, conviction against obsession.
(End of Chapter)
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