Shinji smiled slightly, not answering directly but shifting the topic. "I have encountered many people who lost everything—family, friends, lovers... everything that could be lost. They are similar to you yet different. What is similar is that your cowardice makes you lose the courage to face the future. What is different is that your..."
Tsunade, who had been frowning and contemplating Shinji's words, suddenly snapped back to reality at the last part, her face turning red with anger as she clenched her fist and swung at Shinji.
"I'm going to kill you, you brat!"
Smack!
"Calm down. I didn't lie."
Seeing Shinji casually block her punch, Tsunade was surprised. Although she hadn't used her full strength, he had easily intercepted her punch, which she had used about sixty percent of her power on!
Taking advantage of Tsunade's stunned state, Shinji, adhering to the principle of seizing any opportunity, tried to pull her into his embrace.
But who was Tsunade? Even with her weaknesses, she was still one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha!
Realizing Shinji's intent, Tsunade, her face flushed with anger, spat on the ground and instantly freed herself, leaping high into the air and bringing her leg down fiercely towards Shinji's head!
Boom!!!
"Tch! Missed again?"
Not feeling the impact of her kick, Tsunade spat on the ground again, quickly scanning the hall for the mysteriously disappearing Shinji.
"Do you have a death wish?" Shinji, now sitting on the ceiling beam above Tsunade, touched his chin thoughtfully. "Because no human can defeat me, let alone kill me. The outcome of fighting me is only death."
"No, maybe that's true, but..." Tsunade, with her face slightly red, glared up at Shinji, who was still acting shamelessly. "Now, I'm not facing the evil of humanity as a human, but punishing a disrespectful man as a woman!!"
...
Outside the inn, Tsunade, panting heavily, wished she could tear Shinji apart. He was infuriating!
She hadn't landed a single hit and had been groped a lot in the process!
Looking at the ground, littered with pits and craters, Shinji felt fortunate. If he had taken one of those hits, it wouldn't have killed him, but it would have hurt for a long time.
"That's why I prefer one-time encounters with women. Spending too much time with them leads to endless entanglements."
"Pervert! Scumbag! Bastard!" Tsunade cursed, her face red. Then she remembered something, crossing her arms and glaring at Shinji. "You... what did you do last night..."
"I did what I should have done," Shinji admitted with a smile, raising a finger. "After all, being alone with a woman I like, and I'm not a man who restrains his desires."
Tsunade was dumbfounded. He... he had taken advantage of her while she was unaware...
Feeling Tsunade's intense killing intent, Shinji's expression remained unchanged, but he mentally prepared himself to use the invisibility cloak tied to his arm at the slightest move from her.
Boom!!!
Tsunade, using all her strength, charged at Shinji without holding back. This punch was meant to send the man who had possibly taken advantage of her to his grave!
Dan... I'm sorry...
Tears streamed down Tsunade's face as she swung, her punch connecting solidly, giving her a moment of release from her guilt.
But then she noticed something was wrong. The feeling, the warm, sticky liquid on her face...
As the smoke cleared, Tsunade saw Shinji, his chest pierced by her punch, blood everywhere—on her, on her face, her clothes.
"Ugh..."
Shinji coughed up blood but showed no signs of pain. Instead, he seemed relieved.
Seeing Tsunade's wide eyes and trembling body, Shinji smiled gently, raising his hand to touch her face softly.
"Silly woman, but I'll forgive you this time."
Tsunade's eyes widened further as she watched Shinji's body slowly dissolve into light particles before her eyes. The only thing she could focus on was his gentle expression and gaze, so much like Dan's.
"No... it's not like this, it's not supposed to be like this!"
Tsunade shook her head, falling into a state of hysteria. When she came to her senses, the man had completely vanished, leaving only his warm blood on her hands and clothes.
Thud...
Tsunade sank to her knees, clutching her chest, feeling a strange sense of loss instead of trembling.
All she could think about was the man's gentle expression, so much like Dan's.
Maybe this man just wanted her to give him peace. Maybe, as if fated, he sought her out because only she could bring him release.
"Damn it!!"
"So, are you feeling heartbroken because you lost me?"
Hearing Shinji's voice behind her, Tsunade turned slowly, disbelievingly. There he stood, unharmed, looking at her with a candid gaze.
Realizing she had been tricked, Tsunade's anger flared up again. She wanted to punch him but stopped herself.
"That's right..." Tsunade sighed, a hint of melancholy in her voice. "The evil of this world can't die. I'm such a fool."
"Indeed, a fool bound by the past, losing the courage to move forward."
"That's not for you to say! You perverted stray dog!"
Shinji shrugged, crossing his arms casually. "I'm the one who understands humans best in this world. There are countless people who have lost as much as you, but not many who are as completely bound by the past and stagnant as you."
What do you know?
Tsunade clenched her fists, turning away, but didn't refute Shinji's words.
Shinji was right. She wasn't the only one who had lost everything in the war, but there weren't many who avoided and despised Konoha and the ninja life as much as she did.
"In your fate, a small boy will bring you redemption and give you the courage to take a new step. But before that, many tragedies will happen, and many people will lose everything they can lose but don't want to lose."
"What do you mean? What do you want me to do? Save those who will face tragedy? Sorry, I'm not interested."
Seeing Tsunade's disdainful expression, Shinji smiled slightly. "No, I don't mean that. I'm just telling you part of the future I see. Whether you want to change it is up to you. Besides, from the moment I appeared, humanity's fate was sealed. One day, when I tire of playing, I will kill everyone in this world."
Hearing this, Tsunade's expression changed, staring blankly at Shinji as he spoke so casually.
Even though he said it so casually, Tsunade could tell he wasn't lying! He really would do it, and he really could!
"Well, I'm not a man who likes to linger with women for too long. Our time together is over. Goodbye."
Waving his hand, Shinji turned to leave but then remembered something. He turned back and said, "Oh, that place is called Konoha, right? You hate it, don't you? As a small token of gratitude for last night, I'll make it my next stop."
Watching Shinji slowly walk away, Tsunade didn't know what to say. But in her mind, the image of Konoha being ravaged by him played out vividly.
"No... that can't happen!"
Hearing her response, Shinji didn't stop, continuing leisurely towards the nearby fishing village.
Using the invisibility cloak tied to his arm, he had switched places with a spiritual body in an instant, making Tsunade believe he couldn't be killed as the evil of this world.
That's enough to make her believe.
...
Arriving late at the fishing village, Tsunade was met with a hellish scene—burning streets, dismembered bodies everywhere, and no signs of life!
And there stood the man, arms crossed, calmly admiring the hellscape, his eyes devoid of any pity, filled only with indifference!
A demon... he is a true demon!
Seeing Tsunade closing her eyes tightly, trying to contain her trembling, Shinji felt grateful to the ninjas from yesterday for setting up his character so well!
"Hmph..." With a light hum, Shinji disappeared once more before Tsunade's eyes.
"Wait!"
Tsunade tried to stop him but to no avail. She looked at the burning village, unsure of what to do. She couldn't stop him; she could do nothing.
His hatred for humanity, fermented over thousands of years, filled his entire being. He was an existence that could never coexist peacefully with humans!
"Angra... Mainyu..."
Biting her lower lip, Tsunade muttered. For that man, this hellish scene would one day be replicated worldwide, it was just a matter of time.
"Konoha..."
Muttering to herself, Tsunade felt conflicted. Part of her told her not to care about Konoha's fate, but deep down, a small, buried voice told her she couldn't ignore it.
After a few minutes of hesitation, Tsunade finally stood up, looking towards the Land of Fire with a complex expression.
"I should go back..."
For Tsunade, it wasn't about protecting Konoha, but she wanted to check on Dan's niece or nephew, who was likely a Chunin by now.
Yes, just that. She didn't care if Konoha was destroyed!
Convincing herself, Tsunade didn't notice her fear of blood had lessened. She focused on her current state.
From what that damned demon said, he had taken advantage of her last night. But why didn't she feel anything wrong?
Was it because his body was still young?
"Bastard! One day, I'll kill you!"