"I am Shuichi Hoshita!"
Shuichi introduced himself calmly.
The woman's pupils shrank sharply.
Shuichi Hoshita, the new God of Shinobi!
Fear gripped her heart—after all, the Third Mizukage had fallen at the hands of this very man standing before her.
Clutching her son tightly, the woman from the Yuki clan suddenly found a glimmer of hope. She pushed her son forward toward Shuichi.
"Lord, please take my son with you. He has awakened the Kekkei Genkai and can become an Ice Release ninja."
Once an enemy of Kirigakure, Shuichi now seemed like her son's savior.
She knew that Sunagakure's Pakura, the wielder of Scorch Release, had been taken in by Konoha—rescued by this man. If Konoha could accept Pakura, perhaps her son could find refuge there too.
Her son?
Shuichi glanced at the child in her arms. At first glance, he had thought it was a girl.
But raising a child?
That would take years and effort.
Of course, Shuichi assured himself, his intentions were pure and not influenced by the beauty of the young mother before him.
After a brief pause, Shuichi said indifferently, "Stand up."
"I've saved you. From now on, you are mine."
The woman's face turned pale as Shuichi's gaze fell on her.
Biting her lip, she said, "I must see to my late husband's remains. Please, take Haku with you!"
The young boy immediately clung to his mother's arm. "Mom, don't leave!"
Shuichi sighed inwardly. Did she really think he was some kind of predator?
Am I really that kind of person?
Stepping forward, Shuichi placed a hand on her shoulder, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "Madam, you wouldn't want your son to..."
The woman froze, looking down at her trembling son in her arms, then at her husband's lifeless body. Tears of humiliation rolled down her cheeks as she choked out, "Thank you... Thank you, Your Lord, for saving us."
In the next moment, the corpse on the ground was absorbed into the earth, and Shuichi disappeared with the mother and son.
---
Land of Fire, Daimyo's Estate - Experimental Base
After handing over the mother and child to Pakura for arrangement, Shuichi immersed himself in his work in the laboratory, carefully organizing the corpses he had retrieved.
Meanwhile, Pakura led the Yuki mother, Mizu and son to a stone chamber.
"This will be your residence from now on."
"The dining hall is straight ahead to the left and then a right turn."
"Meal times are 6–9 AM, 12 noon, and 6–8 PM in the evening. You can also cook for yourself if you prefer."
Pakura glanced at the boy clinging tightly to his mother's leg. "We don't have clothes prepared for children here. I'll arrange for some to be delivered later."
The mother quickly bowed. "Thank you, Lady Pakura!"
Pakura corrected her immediately. "Just call me Pakura. There is only one person here you should address as 'Lord,' and that's Lord Shuichi."
The woman nodded hastily. "Understood!"
Pakura gave a slight nod before leaving to find Shuichi, who was still busy in the lab.
"Lord Shuichi, did you bring that Yuki woman back because of her Ice Release?"
Shuichi turned back with a smile. "Why, do you think I was captivated by her beauty?"
Pakura's face flushed slightly. "I think she misunderstood. She seems terrified of you."
Shuichi waved it off. "Rescuing people is always troublesome. They'll understand in time."
After completing the arrangements for the corpses, Shuichi said, "I'll leave this to you. I need to head to the Land of Water."
With that, he disappeared.
---
Pakura closed the stone door behind her and created a clone to explore the Daimyo's estate, buying a few sets of children's clothing to bring back.
By the time she returned, the young boy, Haku, was already asleep in exhaustion. His mother had fashioned a makeshift outfit for him from her own clothing.
"Thank you!"
The woman accepted the new clothes with a deep bow of gratitude. After a moment of hesitation, she added, "Um… Lady Pa—Pakura, Haku is actually a boy."
Pakura blinked in surprise, glancing at the boy curled up on the bed, his tear-streaked face still visible.
"I see. I'll bring boys' clothes next time."
The woman quickly said, "There's no need to trouble yourself. These can be adjusted to fit."
Pakura nodded. "You're an Ice Release ninja, so from now on, you'll be responsible for preserving the corpses in the base."
The woman was stunned.
Pakura explained, "Lord Shuichi doesn't keep idle people around. You'll need to contribute in whatever way you can."
"When the time is right, your son can attend school to learn as well."
"Lord Shuichi also saved another child recently. You may need to help care for them too."
Overwhelmed with surprise and gratitude, the woman nodded vigorously. "I understand!"
…
Mist Village, Nightfall
Terumi returned home exhausted after a long day.
The moment she closed the door, her body froze. Slowly turning around, she found a pair of bright eyes staring at her from the darkness.
"It's this guy again…"
She gritted her teeth, silently fuming with anger.
Shuichi smiled. "You did well today."
Terumi was startled. "You were nearby watching the fight?"
Shuichi nodded. "In the current Mist Village, aside from the Fourth Mizukage, your strength is likely unmatched."
Terumi replied coldly, "I've already told you—I will not betray my village."
Shuichi chuckled lightly. "The Hozuki clan and the Yuki clan have already opened Pandora's box. I expect a series of assassination attempts on the Fourth Mizukage will follow."
"You, as a Kekkei Genkai user and the strongest ninja under the Fourth, will inevitably be caught in the crossfire."
"If you don't want to get caught up in the internal power struggle, I suggest finding an excuse to leave Mist Village temporarily—take on some external missions."
Truth be told, Shuichi was worried Terumi might be killed by Obito and his group.
She was beautiful and highly capable, an ideal future ally. Losing her would be a waste.
Terumi Mei frowned. Though she found Shuichi irritating, his words weren't without merit.
Click!
Shuichi turned on the lights and walked to the dining table. "Hungry? Let's eat together."
Only then did Terumi Mei notice the table was filled with delicious food. Her stomach immediately grumbled.
Exhausted from a long day, she had planned to take a bath before eating. Now, the enticing aroma of the food made her pause.
Seeing her hesitation, Shuichi smirked and began eating with gusto, paying her no mind.
Terumi Mei watched him savor the food, swallowed hard, and gritted her teeth in frustration.
"This bastard… This is clearly my house!"
"Hmph!"
Thud, thud, thud!
Terumi Mei stomped over and sat across from him, childishly snatching food in competition.
Shuichi's eyes glinted with amusement.
Good. A promising start.
Before long, the two of them had swept the table clean.
Stretching lazily, Shuichi stood up. "I'm leaving now. Take care, and don't die. Otherwise, I might use your corpse for experiments."
"By the way, you wouldn't want me repeatedly slicing and stitching up your body, would you?"
The satisfaction from a full stomach vanished instantly. Terumi glared at him venomously.
If she could beat him, she'd melt that smug face right off!
Ignoring her death glare, Shuichi waved and disappeared.
"That damn bastard…"
Grinding her teeth, Terumi's anger only deepened when she saw the pile of dirty dishes on the table.
He didn't even help clean up before leaving!
Dragging her weary body, Terumi cleaned the table before finally sinking into a warm bath.
She closed her eyes to relax, but her brow remained furrowed.
The situation in the village was becoming increasingly precarious.
After much thought, Terumi Mei opened her eyes, resolving to take Shuichi's advice and accept a long-term mission outside the village starting tomorrow.
---
Back in Konoha
After returning to the village, Shuichi shared a meal with Nonō Yakushi and her team before heading to the experimental base at the Daimyo's estate.
Pakura, having just finished dinner, was now looking after Haku and Suigetsu. Meanwhile, Shuichi brought the Yuki woman, Mizu to the resting area.
She wore a loose gray-and-white robe, but it couldn't hide her graceful figure. Facing the "God of Shinobi," she was visibly nervous.
"Sit."
Shuichi sat cross-legged on a carpet and gestured to the spot across from him.
Mizu hesitated, her body trembling, before biting her lip and sitting down as instructed.
"Place your hand here."
Shuichi extended his palm.
Lowering her head, she tentatively placed her slender, soft hand on his. The warmth made her shiver slightly.
"Control your chakra and connect it with mine," Shuichi instructed.
"Huh?"
She looked up at him, confused, only to see his teasing smile.
"Yes, Lord Shuichi!"
Blushing furiously, she nodded quickly and began controlling her chakra.
Their chakras connected, and a spiritual link was formed. Thus began their synchronized training.
…
Year 50 of the Hidden Leaf Village
For Shuichi Hoshita, the year passed quickly and busily.
In addition to his training and research, he frequently traveled between Konoha, the Fire Daimyo's estate, the Mist Village, and the Rain Village.
Following the first internal strife in the Mist Village, where the Hozuki and Yuki clans attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, another assassination attempt occurred just a month later.
This time, the culprit was an old acquaintance of Shuichi—Zabuza Momochi!
Unlike the previous attempt, Zabuza acted alone. He launched a nighttime assault on the Fourth Mizukage Yagura's residence. Much like Kakuzu's failed attempt on Hashirama Senju years ago, Zabuza retreated after his initial strike failed.
With this, Zabuza, who was about the same age as Shuichi, became a rogue ninja.
---
August, Year 50
In the Hokage's office, Minato Namikaze studied a report buried among many documents with a solemn expression.
"Is this Obito's doing?"
The report detailed Orochimaru's human experiments, revealing critical information about atrocities committed during Danzo's leadership of the Root division, including experiments conducted on villagers around Konoha.
Minato had long suspected the origins of individuals like Yamato.
In that experiment, Yamato was the sole survivor among the children subjected to it; all the others had perished.
While this matter had been buried during Hiruzen Sarutobi's time as Hokage following Danzo's death, its resurfacing was troubling.
The report also included information about the Sharingan.
Its sudden appearance in the Hokage's office raised alarms for Minato, as he knew it could also surface elsewhere—in the homes of Konoha's many ninja, or among the Uchiha clan.
Just as Minato thought Obito might have spared them from a more catastrophic leak, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, Shikaku Nara, and Fugaku Uchiha arrived together.
The secret about Orochimaru was out!
"So I wasn't the only one who received this report…"
Minato smiled bitterly to himself.
The Sharingan-related content had been a closely guarded secret between Hiruzen and Fugaku, unknown to most of the Uchiha clan.
Now, with the information leaked, Fugaku had no choice but to address the pressure from his clan.
"This matter should be handled by me," Hiruzen volunteered.
After all, it was a lingering issue from his tenure as Hokage.
But Minato had already made plans and shook his head.
"Master and student… Third Hokage, it's better left to Jiraiya-sensei."
This had been prearranged with Shuichi.
Homura Mitokado asked, "Fourth Hokage, how do you plan to deal with Orochimaru?"
Minato avoided a direct answer, replying, "Once Jiraiya-sensei captures Orochimaru, I will convene a Jonin council to decide."
Deal with him?
How could they?
First, Danzo had already taken the fall for this matter during Hiruzen's tenure. Orochimaru's experiments had been officially conducted under Danzo's directive.
Second, Orochimaru hadn't targeted anyone within Konoha.
Though the children who died in the experiments were tragic victims, Minato couldn't simply execute Orochimaru—a highly skilled ninja who had greatly contributed to the village.
Not to mention, this situation tied into other plans.
The meeting ended swiftly.
Minato personally sought out Jiraiya, who was on the roof of a hot spring inn, and brought him back to the Hokage's office.
---
"So, it's finally time, huh?"
After hearing the details, Jiraiya put away his playful demeanor and sighed. "Leave it to me."
"Also, bring Tsunade along," Minato added.
Jiraiya nodded. "I'll take Kakashi to lead us to Orochimaru's experimental base."
Afterwards, Jiraiya left to prepare.
---
When Jiraiya approached Tsunade, she frowned and shook her head.
"You go on your own. I'm busy and don't have time to play along with your theatrics."
"That snake isn't the same as before."
Left with no choice, Jiraiya headed to the experimental base with only Kakashi as a guide.
"Stay here, Kakashi," Jiraiya instructed.
The masked ninja nodded silently.
Breaking through the traps at the base's entrance, Jiraiya ventured inside alone.
Though the base was littered with traps, they posed no challenge for the versatile Jiraiya.
Before long, he reached the depths of the base and appeared behind Orochimaru.
"Didn't expect it to be just you, Jiraiya," Orochimaru said, calmly tidying up the equipment he had just used.
Jiraiya smiled. "Sorry to disappoint you. Tsunade is busy."
Orochimaru turned to face him. "No, I thought the old man would come himself."
Jiraiya shook his head. "He's already carried this burden once, and Minato refused to let him come."
"But are you sure you want to join the Akatsuki?"
Orochimaru smirked. "I'm very interested in the Rinnegan."
"The secrets it holds, especially those connected to the Sage of Six Paths, are irresistible."
Jiraiya warned, "Be careful. Nagato isn't the same child he once was."
Orochimaru, confident as ever, replied, "Don't worry. I have my trump cards."
He raised a hand. "It's been a while since we last fought, hasn't it?"
Jiraiya nodded, a wave of nostalgia washing over him. "It has."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed. "Let's see how much this fool has improved over the years."
(End of Chapter)
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