"Damn it!" Shigeo cursed in his heart. He rushed to block Wu Mang. "Hey, big brother Wu, this is unreasonable! You're forcing me. I really don't like traveling with a huge crowd… You're making things difficult for me!"
He tried to talk sense. But the three thousand soldiers kept their blades at their throats, ready to die. Some even pressed down harder, blood dripping down their necks.
"Fine, fine!" Shigeo sighed. "I'll accept. Get up."
Only then did they lower their blades.
"Since you're my men now, follow orders. Protect Wuwang Castle. Don't slack. Stay here."
"Yes, master. By the way, I named our army. Will you approve?" Wu Mang pulled out a flag. On the red cloth three black ink characters read: Nikka Army ("Shigeo Army").
"Shut it!" Shigeo facepalmed, seized the banner, and burned it with Katon (Fire Release). "We don't need a name. Understand? You can't even manage your own name, and you want to give me one?"
He turned to leave. But Wu Qianling rushed forward again, hugging him tightly. "Shigeo-oniisan, what if I miss you later? We haven't even held a feast for you. You can't go!"
"Master, please take me with you!" Wu Mang knelt again.
Behind him, the townsfolk gazed at Shigeo, eyes full of hope.
A commotion broke out. Guards carried the gravely injured real Wuyouhua on a stretcher, pushing through the crowd.
Shigeo saw he would be trapped if he lingered. He slipped a summoning talisman into Wu Qianling's hand. "Burn this if you ever need me. I'll come. Tell your mother I thank her, but her health matters most."
He leapt to the wall. Wu Mang chased. Shigeo's Mokuton clone placed Wuwang Castle back on its old foundation and vanished.
Shigeo moved north. He intended to return to Konoha—until Tsunade summoned him.
With a space-time shift, he appeared in a Wind Country inn. Tsunade paced nervously. She rushed to him, checked the hall, then closed the door.
"The mission failed, didn't it? That Wuyouhua was a fake."
"Yes." Shigeo nodded. "Seems the news spreads fast. You already know."
"I do. But tell me the truth… those rumors, are they real? Do you really carry several bijū inside you?"
He did not deny it. He nodded.
"But that makes no sense. There can't be two Kyūbi. Minato sealed it in Naruto. The other bijū are still sealed in their hosts. So how do you have them?"
"I don't know. They're just there. Seven of them."
Tsunade inhaled sharply. Her head buzzed. She rubbed her fingers nervously, worry clear on her face.
"Do you feel anything wrong? If the bijū backlash, it will be dangerous. And… they say you use Mokuton?"
She realized how little she knew her disciple.
"Yes, sensei. Jiraiya taught me Mokuton training and Uzumaki sealing arts. Since the bijū appeared inside me, I've had no backlash, no loss of control. Don't worry."
She nodded slowly, unsettled. After tea, she faced him, gripped his shoulders, and locked eyes. "Listen carefully, Shigeo. Remember every word. If Konoha summons you back, do not return. No matter what. And unless it's life or death, never use bijū power again. From now on, stop using the name Hyūga Shigeo. Call yourself Xiang Mo."
Her words were deadly serious.
Shigeo's nose burned. His eyes stung. He had thought Tsunade would side with Konoha. Instead, she thought only of his safety.
He hugged her. "Thank you, sensei."
"Foolish child. Just promise me you'll live. If the bijū ever turn on you, tell me. I'll save you, no matter what."
"Mm." Shigeo nodded hard.
That night Tsunade left the town, heading to Shikkotsu Forest to consult Katsuyu about Shigeo's condition.
Left idle, Shigeo studied Wind Country maps. But after three days, Wu Qianling's talisman burned.
He appeared again at Wuwang Castle—and was stunned.
The city lay in ruins. Corpses filled the streets. Wu Qianling was missing. Guards and soldiers were dead or maimed.
A dying soldier dragged himself to Shigeo. "It was six men… in black cloaks with red clouds. They came for you. Monsters…"
Before he finished, an explosion shattered the cliff fortress into rubble.
Shigeo warped to the cliffs. Six figures encircled him.
"I thought you wouldn't dare show up."
The masked leader's eye spun with Mangekyō Sharingan.
It was Uchiha Obito.
(End of Chapter)
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