In Daimei City, within the Konoha Embassy.
Today, Sōgen didn't spar with anyone, as he was seeing off Ekino, the Traveler, and the others. After sending them off, he spent his morning training and then enjoyed a well-prepared lunch from the embassy chef. Afterward, he took a much-needed nap.
Then—
He was awakened by hurried footsteps outside his door, bringing him some unpleasant news.
Ekino, the old man, had passed away.
Hearing this, any drowsiness he had left vanished completely. He knew this outcome was inevitable—Ekino had always been frail. Even someone like Tsunade wouldn't have been able to save him for long; he'd be joining the Six Paths Sage before too long. Still, Sōgen hadn't expected it to happen so soon. They'd only said their goodbyes in the morning, and by the afternoon, the bad news had arrived.
"Kazuma and his group attacked Elder Tsuchigumo... was it for the Tsuchigumo clan's forbidden jutsu?"
After a moment of somberness, he composed himself and instinctively analyzed the situation behind this news. It didn't take much to come to a conclusion—not that Sōgen possessed the mental sharpness of the Nara clan's brainy strategists; it was simply a straightforward deduction.
Not to mention, Ekino had realized as much himself when he was attacked.
"The Tsuchigumo clan's forbidden jutsu... a bit of trouble, huh," Sōgen murmured, stroking his chin. But that was all he considered it—a slight trouble. To think that a forbidden technique alone could destroy Konoha was a ridiculous notion, a boast even Orochimaru wouldn't dare make.
No, this wasn't that serious.
Seated before him in the embassy's meeting room were Dairiku, Tunbei, Hotaru of the Tsuchigumo, Mangetsu Hozuki, and Byakumo Yashiyama, filling all the available seats. Luckily, Ameyuri Ringo had grown impatient and gone off to the training grounds; otherwise, they'd probably have had to bring in another chair.
The current Konoha envoy, having served tea, silently vowed to purchase a larger sofa tomorrow. The old one would be replaced, though the guests seemed unconcerned with the furniture as they held their breath, awaiting the Hokage Advisor's response.
"Well... I understand the situation," Sōgen said.
He shifted his posture, crossing one leg over the other and resting his clasped hands atop it. He appeared entirely relaxed; these people weren't strangers to him. Even Byakumo Yashiyama had fought under his command against the Cloud, and he'd personally awarded him afterward. As a top-tier shinobi, he was at least worthy of remembering by name and appearance.
Since they were all familiar, there was no need to put on a too-formal act.
"Nice job, Mangetsu," Sōgen began. "Though your unit isn't officially formed, consider this your first official achievement. Rest assured, you'll be rewarded accordingly." Sōgen didn't initially mention Ekino's death, though it might've seemed heartless.
But that's reality—harsh and cold.
Indeed, during Ekino's stay at the embassy, he and Sōgen had gotten along well. They'd shared tea and exchanged training insights daily, almost like friends despite their age difference. But it was a short-lived connection, too brief to deepen. So when Sōgen heard the news, he felt irritation more than grief.
"I'm looking forward to the reward," said Mangetsu with a toothy, almost menacing smile. Sōgen understood his smile all too well. Mangetsu had the same sharp teeth as Ameyuri Ringo, giving both a constant air of deadly intent.
One had to wonder how the Mist shinobi grew such sharp teeth.
For the Hozuki clan, it might've been genetic, but what about Kisame and Ameyuri Ringo? Perhaps it was an effect of the Water Country's environment? Environment did influence some shinobi traits, after all.
Most notably, chakra nature.
Sand shinobi tend to use wind jutsu, likely due to the constant wind in the Land of Wind's desert climate. They also produce more earth jutsu users after wind. The Rock have a majority of earth-style users, as the Land of Earth is mountainous, with unique "rock rain" weather. Cloud shinobi, dwelling atop mountains with endless thunder, naturally use lightning-style jutsu, hence the name "Land of Lightning." And with Mist shinobi surrounded by water, they have an abundance of water jutsu specialists.
Only Konoha, situated on fertile lands with a temperate climate, doesn't experience such extremes. Its shinobi are generally balanced in chakra nature.
"Don't worry, you and Ameyuri won't be disappointed," Sōgen replied, refocusing after his momentary distraction. He moved his gaze from Mangetsu's face to Byakumo Yashiyama. "Yashiyama, right? You handled the situation well, adapting and making sound decisions. Don't worry about Mangetsu's involvement—I'll handle that."
"Yes, Advisor-sama," Yashiyama answered, his response rigid and formal. Unlike the bold Mangetsu, Yashiyama was straightforward and obedient—a trait any leader would appreciate. Mangetsu's type, bold and talented, were best limited in number; too many would cause headaches.
After speaking with Yashiyama, Sōgen turned to Dairiku with a slight smile. "So, Dairiku, can you tell me what's going on with this 'disciple' business?" He emphasized the word "disciple," as Yashiyama and Mangetsu had both mentioned he'd suddenly gained one.
Mangetsu rolled his eyes.
So he'd been lying, after all!
But it didn't matter; he hadn't gone unpaid. Getting Sōgen's praise and a promised reward was more than worth it. If this was the outcome of every lie, he wouldn't mind being lied to ten more times.
"Well, I…" Dairiku started, looking a bit embarrassed, though he didn't regret his lie.
If not for that lie, he'd probably be dead by now instead of sitting here talking.
But just as he was about to admit his lie—
"Sōgen-nii, will you teach me ninjutsu?" Hotaru of the Tsuchigumo interrupted, her red eyes pleading as she clutched her arms and looked at Sōgen expectantly.
The young girl had realized that her grandfather was never coming back.
Orphaned at a young age, Hotaru had only ever known Ekino as family.
Although there were other relatives in the Tsuchigumo clan, Ekino had distanced himself from most of them, moving back to the abandoned old clan grounds with Hotaru and a few followers. To Hotaru, those other relatives were no more than strangers she saw during festivals. She felt closer to Tunbei than her clan.
There was no need to guide her emotions. After listening to the others speak, she'd come to understand that her grandfather had been killed. The seed of vengeance had been planted.
The once naive girl had matured overnight, now comprehending things she'd never understood before. She now had an inkling of why her grandfather kept those skulls by her parents' graves.
But at the same time, she also recognized her own weakness.
To avenge her grandfather's killers... was beyond her current power. Could she do it in the future? It was a difficult question, but her grandfather had always told her that "Sōgen-nii" was very powerful, even stronger than himself.
So now, here she was.
"Well!"
"Whoa!"
Sōgen let out a soft chuckle. Trying this move, huh?
Seeing the shocked expressions on Dilu and Tonbei's faces, it was clear this wasn't pre-planned by them. That meant this must be the little girl's own idea? Glancing at the girl, who was about the same age as Fujiwara, his mind quickly calculated, and he asked,
"Hiyori, why do you want to learn ninjutsu from me?"
"Because my grandpa said you're really strong, Brother Sōgen. He said even he can't beat you."
"Is that so?"
Sōgen nodded lightly, lowered his gaze, and stared into the girl's beautiful, emerald-like eyes.
"Hiyori, learning ninjutsu from me is tough work. Are you really sure you want to? Think carefully! If you follow my training and don't finish your tasks, you'll end up not only going hungry but also getting punished!"
"Mm-hmm!"
Hiyori the Tsuchigumo nodded firmly. "I'm not afraid of hard work. As long as I can get stronger, I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Please, Brother Sōgen, teach me ninjutsu!"
Seeing the serious expression on her face,
Sōgen stopped smiling and corrected her title, "You can't call me 'Brother' anymore. You need to call me 'Master' from now on." He had accepted this disciple. To be honest, Hiyori the Tsuchigumo's natural talent couldn't quite compare with Yakumo's.
Though the girl wasn't exactly untalented either.
With proper training,
there was no reason she couldn't shine brightly.
And, with Yakumo as his only disciple, his student roster was a bit thin. If he could train a few more outstanding students… it could feel rewarding. And, honestly, it seemed like it'd be fun. All things considered, he decided to take Hiyori as his student.
"Yes, Master!"
The girl leapt up excitedly.
"All right, Hiyori, no more fussing around here. Here's your first task: go to the practice grounds and throw a kunai one thousand times." Sōgen's 'big brotherly warmth' was gone, replaced by the powerful presence of a 'strict master.'
"One—one thousand times?"
Hiyori's eyes widened, her turquoise-green eyes showing a hint of fear.
She'd practiced throwing shuriken before, but never more than three hundred times in one session. Last time, her arm was so sore she couldn't lift it. One thousand times... her arm would probably fall off, wouldn't it? Just thinking about never seeing her grandpa's gentle smile again, though, stirred up courage within her.
She clenched her fists.
"I-I'll do it, Master!"
"Then go ahead."
Sōgen spoke calmly.
He also instructed, "Hayate, bring all the equipment she'll need to the training ground."
"Yes, sir."
Moonlight Hayate, who was standing nearby, responded. Instead of walking with Hiyori, he disappeared with a body flicker technique.
The girl walked out of the reception room alone. Tonbei, sitting on the sofa, looked nervous as if he were sitting on nails, but he didn't dare to make any sudden moves in front of Sōgen, especially now that Miss Hiyori had officially become an assistant to the Hokage. How a master taught his apprentice was entirely up to him.
Even he,
had no right to intervene.
Once Hiyori left, closing the meeting room door behind her, Sōgen turned to Dilu. "Dilu, I owe you thanks. If it weren't for you, I might not have known until Houma was knocking on the gates of the Leaf Village that he'd stolen the Tsuchigumo clan's forbidden technique. Even if it doesn't prove useful, it's always good to be prepared."
"You're too kind. I was merely carrying out a request from the Tsuchigumo elder, and had no choice but to pass Hiyori off as your student. I apologize for the deception." Dilu offered a sincere apology to both Ghost Lantern Moon and White Cloud Leaf Mountain.
Ghost Lantern Moon just waved it off with a smile.
White Cloud Leaf Mountain flinched slightly but said nothing.
"In comparison to the information you brought us, that minor issue is trivial. And besides, the lie has become reality, so there's no point dwelling on it." Sōgen didn't want to spend time on the matter, especially now that what had started as a lie had turned true. Rehashing it seemed pointless.
"As for Houma, once I'm back in the village, I'll have people search for their whereabouts. Dilu, if you're interested, you're welcome to join in. Or, if you prefer to return to the Fire Temple, that's also a wise choice. The decision is yours. In recognition of the information you brought, you're free to choose."
"I... plan to visit the Fire Temple for now. My teacher hasn't been well recently. But if he recovers, I hope I may rejoin you in the future, Lord Sōgen."
"No problem."
Sōgen was willing to give Dilu that small concession. "As long as Houma remains at large, you're free to join in at any time."
At this point,
there wasn't much else to discuss. The death of the Act Walker… honestly, it wasn't a big deal and wasn't likely to cause any significant disturbance. Of course, Sōgen still had to inform the village, as the Leaf Village and the Tsuchigumo clan were allies and had signed that kind of pact.
Now that the Act Walker was dead, the Tsuchigumo clan might face some trouble. Under the terms of the alliance, if the Tsuchigumo clan encountered danger, the Leaf Village would be obligated to extend a helping hand. But that was no longer Sōgen's responsibility.
Whoever the Hokage decided to send to Tsuchigumo's territory on Mount Katsuragi to provide support was up to them.