You Regret, I Shadow

Shortly after Uchiha Sōgetsu left, another person stepped into the Hokage's Office.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A wooden staff struck the floor, producing a dull sound.

Hearing the noise, the Third Hokage didn't even lift his head, continuing to process the mountain of paperwork as if he'd long known who was coming, his tone carrying a hint of impatience: "Danzo, what are you doing here? If it's about the Uchiha matter, I should have already given you my answer."

"Hiruzen, you're too careless."

The newcomer was indeed Danzo, his expression gloomy, his voice hoarse and low: "What happened last night at the Uchiha Compound is absolutely not that simple!"

The brush on the documents paused. The Third Hokage slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with indifference: "So what?"

"Hand that Uchiha brat over to me!" Danzo's face was icy, his tone chilling: "I guarantee I'll pry everything out of him!"

"No."

The Third Hokage snorted in anger, directly rejecting his proposal: "You're trying to stir up civil war in Konoha. I will never allow this, Danzo!"

"Hiruzen, you're too naive!" Danzo growled furiously: "The Uchiha have always been an unstable bomb. The teacher thought so too back then. It's because of your weakness that they've grown so arrogant. That Uchiha brat's genjutsu must hide some secret!"

"I'll say this one last time, Danzo!"

With the atmosphere strained to this point, the Third Hokage tore away all pretense, no longer caring about their bond: "Don't you interfere in this matter. I have my own plans for Uchiha Sōgetsu!"

Danzo ground his teeth, but in the end, he had no choice but to spit out bitterly: "You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"

"Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

The Third Hokage shot back coldly.

"Hmph, fine!"

Danzo was choked speechless, forced to swallow his anger and storm out, slamming the door behind him.

Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch.

Uchiha Sōgetsu arrived at Konoha's main gate, but after looking around for a while, he didn't see the person the Hokage had mentioned.

"Could he have forgotten?" He scratched his head in confusion, but then thought it unlikely—who in Konoha would dare ignore the Hokage's orders?

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly caught sight of a beautiful scene.

"Yo, kid!"

Uchiha Sōgetsu's head was suddenly grabbed and shoved straight into a soft swell.

Though the touch was gentle, accompanied by a fragrant scent and the allure of maturity that stirred his heart—

He was about to suffocate.

Uchiha Sōgetsu struggled, escaping from the 'swell' and gasping for fresh air: "That was close, I almost got smothered to death!"

"Hahaha, kid, you're way too cute." A familiar female voice, tinged with a hint of coquettishness.

"Lady Tsunade, please mind your behavior. Don't do that again, alright?" Uchiha Sōgetsu put on an indifferent expression, stepping back half a step to avoid being 'smothered' again, then added: "Also, you shouldn't call me by my name. My current identity is Anbu; you should use my code name."

Though Anbu identities were highly confidential, that only applied to ordinary ninja.

For someone like the Sannin, who were directly under the Hokage, knowing his Anbu identity wasn't surprising at all.

"Sorry, sorry, it's a habit." Tsunade slapped her chest generously, causing another jiggle: "I'll be careful next time."

Though she was a woman, her boldness was no less than a man's. No wonder she's the queen of doujinshi, Uchiha Sōgetsu silently praised, then changed the subject: "Lady Tsunade, at this hour, you should be at Konoha Hospital. What brings you here?"

"Hmm, guess?"

Tsunade's beautiful eyes flickered, her slender, jade-like finger lightly tapping her red lips, tilting her head with a playful smile.

Damn, even as a spectator, Uchiha Sōgetsu had to admit—a woman exuding mature charm, with a voluptuous figure, especially one so beautiful, making such a gesture was incredibly alluring, practically overflowing with pheromones.

Calm down!

Cutting off the restless thoughts stirred up, Uchiha Sōgetsu's face remained expressionless: "Lady Tsunade, I'm on a mission."

"Tch, what a boring kid." Tsunade pouted, rolling her eyes: "Fine, I'll stop teasing you. The old man sent me. Get it now?"

"..."

Uchiha Sōgetsu had never been so speechless.

Had Hiruzen Sarutobi gotten his head stuck with the Monkey King's staff, sending Tsunade to assist him on his mission?

Was this assistance, or was he supposed to babysit her?

Just thinking about how Tsunade was even less reliable than Jiraiya, and had hemophobia on top of that, already gave him a headache.

"What? You got a problem with that?"

Seeing the boy silent for so long, Tsunade flushed with anger and punched him on the head: "I'm a Sannin! Do you even know what that means? I, Princess Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, deign to assist your mission—you should be honored, kid!"

The punch was very light. Uchiha Sōgetsu, who'd been hit, twitched the corner of his mouth: "What an 'honor' it is to go on a mission with you, Lady Tsunade."

"Hmph, that's more like it." Tsunade crossed her arms in satisfaction, apparently not catching the emphasis he'd deliberately placed on the word.

Uchiha Sōgetsu said nothing. He was feeling a bit downcast now.

If it were anyone else, he could find a way to shake them off on the road, but not Tsunade. If she got caught alone by an enemy ninja, with her hemophobia, she'd be as good as helpless prey.

Not only did he have to complete the mission, but he also had to split his focus to protect Tsunade—wasn't this difficulty practically SS-Rank?

"Don't think the old man told you to look after me just because." After the playfulness subsided, Tsunade returned to normal, guessing his thoughts, and said meaningfully: "The dangerous figures recorded in that scroll were mostly sealed away by the Uchiha and Senju clans."

"There's one more thing the old man didn't tell you."

With that, she deliberately paused, waiting until the boy showed a hint of curiosity before continuing with satisfaction: "A small portion of those sealed away are actually Uchiha and Senju clan members."

"Sealed Uchiha and Senju?"

This news genuinely shocked Uchiha Sōgetsu—this scroll actually held such a huge secret.

"So, get it now, you little Uchiha brat?"

Tsunabe chuckled lightly, reached out and flicked the boy on the forehead, then pressed her sexy red lips together and said: "And here's some good news—thanks to your treatment, my illness has improved a lot."

Oh?

That was an unexpected pleasant surprise. Uchiha Sōgetsu showed a look of delight.

"So, don't worry about me."

Tsunade revealed her former pride, patting her chest as she guaranteed: "This mission, your big sister has your back!"

Deep in the unknown cave depths.

The aged and decrepit Uchiha Madara clung to life barely through the apparatus, his breathing almost inaudibly faint.

His back was riddled with Medical IV Tubes. The once-great hero who could single-handedly challenge the ninja world had now become a frail old man, his body nothing but skin and bones.

Suddenly, he slowly opened his eyes, a trace of barely perceptible fatigue flickering through them: "Black Zetsu, you're back."

A pitch-black figure crawled in from outside the cave, but its appearance was utterly miserable—only a small half of its body remained. It lifted its face full of grievance and wailed in a tearful voice: "Lord Madara... it's me, I'm back."

Looking at Black Zetsu's wretched state, Madara's eye twitched. After a long silence, he finally asked: "What exactly happened to you?"

Hadn't he sent Black Zetsu to Konoha to find his Heirs for him?

Such a simple task, no combat required—how did this useless Black Zetsu end up in this state?

"Lord Madara, it was like this."

Black Zetsu recounted the whole incident, not forgetting to embellish it.

"..."

After hearing it all, even the well-traveled Uchiha Madara didn't know what to say for a moment.

To be unlucky to this degree, Black Zetsu was truly a talent!

December 9th, clear skies.

So few recommendations, so little investment—you gentlemen are as cold as the northern weather. Let me think how I can pry those votes out of your hands...