"Why did you save me?"
Kakuzu sat quietly in front of Emiya Shigen, his voice calm but carrying a hint of confusion.
"Because you're injured," Shigen replied, his palm glowing with a soft, emerald-green chakra as he mended Kakuzu's broken bones. "And I happen to be a medical ninja."
"If he goes back, he'll just get himself killed," Uchiha Madara cut in, his tone dripping with disdain. Casually, he revealed a harsh truth: "The fools from the Hidden Waterfall Village don't see him as a comrade. This guy might be strong by their low standards, but…"
Madara let his words trail off, but his meaning was clear.
To him, Kakuzu was a mere shadow of power, not even worthy of comparison. Yet as he spoke, a flicker of something passed through Madara's mind—memories of his own betrayal. With a cold sneer, he added, "The shinobi world is filled with small-minded fools who can't stand the thought of someone stronger than them."
For instance...
Tobirama Senju.
That scheming, despicable, underhanded Tobirama.
Madara's thoughts lingered bitterly on his old rival.
Shigen, while silently treating Kakuzu's injuries, felt as though he had been metaphorically stabbed in the back. He could sense Madara's thoughts clearly.
Although Shigen wasn't someone who killed indiscriminately, he understood that in a world ruled by power, no one wanted to be the innocent victim of someone else's recklessness.
"So they want me dead," Kakuzu muttered. He understood Madara's implications instantly, his voice heavy with resignation. "In a world like this, what can shinobi like me do besides follow orders?"
"Simple. Kill them first," Madara retorted sharply, his eyes flashing with mockery as he glanced at Kakuzu. "Fools like you, bowing and scraping to the weak, are the ones trampling on their own lives."
"…"
Kakuzu fell into thought.
A man of few words and a keen thinker, Kakuzu was no stranger to challenging authority in his mind. He knew Madara's logic wasn't wrong: if someone sought his life, why shouldn't he claim theirs in return?
What nonsense—those leaders, those commanders, those so-called village heads. If they wanted him dead, then he had every right to kill them.
But then...
Why had this medical ninja saved him?
Was it really just because he was a medical ninja? In this world of lies and bloodshed, Kakuzu, accustomed to suspicion and betrayal, found it difficult to understand Shigen's actions.
"Try to survive," Shigen said, finishing his work and patting Kakuzu lightly on the shoulder. "Don't waste the chakra I used to save you."
"Hmph," Madara scoffed. "Saving him was a waste of my time—and Lord Emiya's as well."
Madara's scornful tone betrayed his complete disregard for Kakuzu, and he didn't even bother to glance directly at him while he spoke.
"Thank you…" Kakuzu said quietly, acknowledging the reality of Madara's overwhelming strength. He turned to Shigen, his voice steadier now. "May I ask your name, my lord?"
"Leave now!" Madara barked, clearly losing patience. His scarlet Sharingan flared as he snarled, "If you don't even know the name of such a renowned figure, don't think for a second you deserve a second meeting with him."
"I am Emiya Shigen," Shigen said calmly, his tone gentle and approachable despite Madara's harshness. He looked at Kakuzu as if addressing a patient, without a hint of condescension.
"!!!"
Kakuzu's pupils dilated in shock.
That name…
It couldn't be.
It was a name spoken of in legend.
As a shinobi, Kakuzu had grown up hearing tales of Emiya Shigen's deeds. For a moment, he could hardly believe that the man sitting before him was the same figure of myth, the savior of the Hidden Waterfall Village.
According to the stories passed down in the Land of Waterfalls, the village had once been on the brink of extinction due to a strange curse that contaminated the land. Food and water had become poisoned, and villagers were succumbing to a mysterious illness. Their population dwindled rapidly, and it seemed the entire settlement would soon perish.
Then, Emiya Shigen had appeared. The legendary medical ninja had lifted the curse from the land, cured the afflicted villagers, and saved the village from total annihilation. It was only thanks to his intervention that the village grew and eventually became the Hidden Waterfall Village.
This tale, along with many other stories of Shigen's heroics, had spread throughout the shinobi world.
"Are you truly the Emiya Shigen?"
For someone like Kakuzu, who prided himself on remaining calm, his voice betrayed his disbelief.
But Madara's presence was proof enough. A man of Madara's stature wouldn't associate with anyone who wasn't extraordinary. Moreover, Madara's respectful—if begrudging—demeanor toward Shigen only confirmed Kakuzu's suspicions.
"Who else could possess such grace and magnanimity?"
Madara sneered, glancing at Kakuzu. Though he had his own motives for staying close to Shigen, he didn't mind throwing a few compliments the man's way—especially when it came to reinforcing Shigen's mystique.
"Go back," Shigen said, waving Kakuzu off gently.
"…"
Kakuzu hesitated, lingering where he stood.
There were too many questions swirling in his mind.
Why was Emiya Shigen here in this era? How had he survived being stabbed through the heart? And why did his body seem so strange, like an assembly of lifeless dust particles?
"What's the matter?"
Madara's brow furrowed as he glared at Kakuzu. "Is sparing your life not enough?"
"Perhaps he's just lost his way," Shigen said, smiling faintly. He mistook Kakuzu's hesitation for existential uncertainty and offered a suggestion. "If your village has cast you out and you're searching for a purpose, perhaps you should dedicate yourself to something meaningful."
"Something meaningful?" Kakuzu echoed, shaking his head. He couldn't think of anything.
"Why not try helping those in pain?" Shigen suggested casually, ignoring Madara's simmering irritation.
"…"
Kakuzu stood silent for a long moment before finally turning and walking away, his expression unreadable.
In his heart, however, he had made a decision.
He would return to the village and confirm Madara's claims. If his leaders truly wanted him dead, then he would eliminate them instead. And after that? Perhaps Shigen's words held some truth.
Although Kakuzu lacked the medical skills to emulate Shigen, he might find his own way to help others—or at least, to reshape his life.
However, as a shinobi from a small village, Kakuzu couldn't help but feel a pang of inadequacy. He doubted someone like him was worthy of following in Shigen's footsteps.
Still, one thought lingered in his mind: if life as a shinobi wasn't enough, perhaps there was another way to live.
"How dull," Madara muttered as Kakuzu's figure disappeared into the distance. He turned to Shigen and asked, almost lazily, "Was it really worth wasting your time on someone like that?"
"For me, yes," Shigen replied softly.
His fingers twitched ever so slightly as he discreetly stashed away a strand of black tendril-like material—a reward he had earned for completing his mission.
[S-Rank Request Completed: Demonstrate your immortality in front of Kakuzu.]
Reward: Earth Grudge Fear (a unique chakra construct that allows the user to steal the hearts of others to gain immortality, control elemental chakra natures, and split into autonomous combat units, with a maximum of five elemental affinities).
How ironic.
If Shigen had obtained Earth Grudge Fear during the ancient era, he might have achieved immortality and avoided having to set so many plans in motion.
Still, it wasn't too late.
If luck didn't favor him in the future, this newfound power might become his last resort.
"Now then," Shigen said, his voice distant as he turned his attention to Madara. "By the way… I'm not great at lying. So, if I've misspoken, I ask for your forgiveness."