After saying goodbye to Kaoru Kusa and leaving the hospital, Shinji secretly checked on Neji and Kimimaro again.
During their battle in the Chunin Ninja Exams, Neji and Kimimaro had both used the Tenseigan, but only for a short time. They had also avoided detection by the Giant Tenseigan on the moon, so nothing had gone wrong.
In the days since the battle, the two of them had kept a very low profile.
Neji hardly ever left home, staying in the Hyuga Clan Grounds to train in Taijutsu.
Kimimaro had barely gone out either. His only contact with an outsider had been when Kabuto Yakushi secretly sought him out and asked him to help rescue Orochimaru.
Of course,
they hadn't found a suitable opportunity yet, so Kabuto's rescue plan had been put on hold for the time being.
That was only natural. Orochimaru was an S-rank rogue ninja, and during the battle he had even used the Forbidden Jutsu Impure World Reincarnation to summon the deceased First Hokage and Second Hokage from the underworld. Both the crimes he had committed and the threat he posed to the village had reached unprecedented heights, so the village was keeping him under extremely tight guard.
Not even Kabuto Yakushi could get him out—not even Danzo, the Elder and advisor who had regained some of his authority.
After contacting Kimimaro, Kabuto Yakushi hurriedly left Konoha, apparently to look for another way to rescue Orochimaru.
That evening, after eating a bowl of ramen on the street, Shinji returned to his apartment.
After a quick wash, he sat down at his desk. Resting his head on one hand, he gazed out at Konoha's nightscape and thought about what to do next.
Several months had passed, and he still didn't know whether the Demon Slayer World was