Shigeo used the open-air bath, which was mixed-gender, so there were all kinds of people in the pool.
At that moment, a woman in a swimsuit suddenly hugged Shigeo tightly, her face covered with tears, muttering:
"It's you… it's really you… Hi… Hi…"
"Hi what? This young man, sorry, but what's your name?"
A familiar voice came from behind the woman. Tsunade. Shizune quickly released Shigeo, nodding hard:
"Right, right! What's your name?"
Shigeo laughed, straightened his posture, and gave Tsunade a deep bow:
"Sensei, I am Matsuya (Amoku). You can also call me Amo. It's been a long time."
Tsunade's eyes grew red. She held back for a long time but couldn't resist—tears fell in streams as she turned her head:
"The steam from the hot spring… it stings my eyes…"
Shigeo smiled and stepped forward, hugging her.
Later, inside a small-town restaurant, the four of them sat together. Tsunade cleared her throat softly:
"This past year and more… have you been well?"
"I've been very well."
Shigeo rose to pour drinks for them. When he turned to Wu Mang, the man panicked, quickly stood, and grabbed the flask from his hands:
"Allow me to serve myself!"
Shizune relaxed when she saw that:
"You don't know how worried we've been. Your news was everywhere this past year, but none of it was true. No matter how we searched, we couldn't find you. Even when I burned the summoning talisman you gave me, you didn't appear. Sensei and I thought you…"
Her eyes reddened again. Shigeo quickly reassured her:
"It's fine. I've been well overseas. You two can rest easy."
Both women smiled in relief.
"Good. Your eyes though—are those Byakugan?" Tsunade and Shizune both noticed. Shigeo's once-clouded eyes now shone with deep blue, faint white halos glowing beneath the irises if one looked closely.
"I don't have Byakugan. But I can see now. All thanks to you, Sensei. If you hadn't taught me medical ninjutsu, I'd never have healed my own eyes. Now, they're completely fine."
They both looked at him warmly.
"That's wonderful. Even I couldn't cure them, but you did." Tsunade said.
"That's because your teaching was good."
"Hah, no, it's because you learned well."
The four of them laughed, drinking and eating together, the restaurant bustling with people.
At a nearby corner table, two patrons argued heatedly.
"Shigeo is a good man. He has his principles, he saved a whole city regardless of sides. Not even an elite jōnin of the Five Great Villages could do that."
"He's a villain! Didn't he send challenge letters to all five villages and nations? Everyone knows his ambition and infamy!"
"Those challenge letters were a plot. They know he has tailed beasts inside him, so they wanted him dead, so they framed him. But in the Sky Ninja war, he saved all five villages. Without him stopping Shinnō and that demon woman, the villages would've suffered devastating losses!"
"He used them. Who can prove he wasn't in league with Shinnō and that witch?"
Their voices rose, the quarrel drawing attention.
At their table, Shigeo choked on a piece of beef, face red, until Shizune hurriedly patted his back and gave him water. He glanced toward the corner, lifted a hand as if to intervene, but then sighed and said nothing.
Tsunade chuckled:
"Even after a year, the heat hasn't cooled down."
"I haven't even done much, but still…" Shigeo shook his head and kept eating.
"Maybe you think you've done little. But think again—Sky Ninja attacking all five villages, you single-handedly stopping the Zero-Tails and their scheme. How big is that? And after that… heh." Tsunade laughed knowingly.
Shigeo finally understood why, even after a year, the world still buzzed with his name. Without realizing it, he had indeed done earth-shaking deeds.
After the meal, Shigeo parted ways with Tsunade and Shizune. This time, he was crossing through the Land of Rivers, bound for the Land of Wind. He had private matters to attend.
Wu Mang traveled with him, tasked by Wuyouhua to collect the quarter's commercial profits from outposts. Shigeo accompanied because of his system.
Now, the seven tailed beasts in his mirrored system had matured, but the One-Tail Shukaku and Eight-Tails Gyūki had yet to be copied. Though he already stood unrivaled in ninjutsu and carried seven tailed beasts, compared to the Ōtsutsuki Kaguya of the Fourth Great War, he was still lacking.
And he wasn't alone anymore. His goal wasn't just to live but to safeguard his nation and people through the coming war.
So, before time ran out, he had to clone all nine tailed beasts.
In the vast desert, sandstorm winds howled.
"Lord, we must take shelter, or it'll be dangerous." Wu Mang said, shielding his mouth with his sleeve.
"Alright." Shigeo used Doton (Earth Release) to raise stone from ten meters below, forming a cave for shelter.
The storm raged outside, the howls like wolves. Inside the cavern, they rested.
"Wu Mang, outside you mustn't call me 'Lord.' People will misunderstand."
"Yes, Lord!"
"Wu Mang…" Shigeo's gaze warned sharply.
Wu Mang bowed quickly:
"Yes, yes, slip of the tongue—Matsuya… Amo… Right, Amo-dono, why did you choose such a strange name for yourself?"
"You don't get it. 'Matsuya' refers to ink made from pine soot. It takes thousands of grindings and soakings to form a usable stick of ink. The name signifies…" He paused, smiling with mysterious eyes.
Wu Mang's eyes widened, waiting. When Shigeo didn't continue, he blurted:
"It means, like ink, enduring trials to become wise?"
Shigeo's eyes lit up:
"Not bad. You're getting cultured."
Wu Mang grinned proudly:
"All thanks to your influence, Lord."
(End of Chapter)
[50 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews = 5 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]