Watched from the Darkness

Several days later, a convoy of carriages waited far from the clan grounds. The ninjas stood quietly by, until a young man approached.

"Lord Shugo!"

The ninjas from the three subordinate clans that had served on the Eastern Battlefield dropped to one knee when they saw Shugo.

Over the past three years, Shugo hadn't made any particular effort to win them over. He had simply treated the Senju and the subordinate-clan ninjas as equally as he could. That equality was precisely why they respected him from the bottom of their hearts.

For these subordinate clans, too much respect would make them uneasy, while too much familiarity would breed resentment. Treating them as equals was the best approach.

Shugo nodded.

"Rise. We're not in a hurry, but if we arrive late, some old fogies will start nagging."

"Yes, sir."

Shugo climbed into a carriage. Suddenly, he caught a delicious "aroma." He paused, his gaze turning toward a nearby spot.

A Senju ninja traveling with them immediately went to check.

"My lord, there's nothing there."

Shugo frowned. "I must have imagined it. It's nothing. Let's go."

"Yes, sir."

Once the carriages had left, a mass of black liquid oozed through a crack in the earth, letting out a sinister chuckle.

"Interesting..."

As Otsutsuki Kaguya's third son, Black Zetsu was determined to save his mother. But it lacked much power of its own, so it needed to use the reincarnations of Indra and Asura to achieve its goal.

Unfortunately, things hadn't gone smoothly. The reincarnations of those two had always ended up dying together.

Black Zetsu had high hopes for this generation's reincarnations of Indra and Asura. They had awakened their powers at a young age, making them more likely to succeed.

While observing the two reincarnations not long ago, it had noticed Senju Shugo.

There was something strange about him. For some reason, the boy gave off a familiar feeling, as well as a sense of danger. It was faint, yet unmistakable.

"I'll keep an eye on him. He might make a good backup pawn."

Inside the carriage, Shugo mulled things over. He didn't think his instincts had been wrong. Just like on the battlefield, sometimes a fleeting feeling could save a life.

"Black Zetsu?"

A cold glint flashed in Shugo's eyes. People jokingly called the thing Kaguya's "black menstrual blood," but there was no denying it was a master schemer. It was the mastermind behind the Naruto World, the source of all its tragedies.

Something that had lived for so long had to know plenty of tricks. And given that it was Kaguya's third son, ordinary ninjutsu probably wouldn't work. By Shugo's reckoning, he would need either Senjutsu infused with Natural Energy or Yin-Yang Release...

But he knew neither of those abilities. He could only settle the score once he'd grown stronger.

"My lord, it's time to eat."

Mizukumo Renai knocked on the carriage door and took a ration from her robes.

Shugo took the still-warm ration and began to eat.

The woman was talented and good at handling the affairs of her clan. She was certainly convenient to have around; otherwise, Shugo would have killed her when he caught her secretly learning ninjutsu.

But since then, she'd only grown closer to him instead of keeping her distance. She'd taken on tasks like doing his laundry and bringing him meals.

"Revenge..."

Shugo understood what the girl was after. She wanted to gain power so she could take revenge on the Uchiha. But there was no way the Mizukumo Clan could accomplish that on its own. She needed the Senju's strength.

Unfortunately for her, she was bound to fail. The Senju wouldn't destroy the Uchiha. Instead, the two clans would work together to build a village.

Five days later, they arrived at the Western Battlefield. The journey had taken almost as long as the trip to the Eastern Battlefield.

With the Uzumaki watching over the Senju lands to the south, the clan leader, the First Elder, and the Second Elder each managed one of the remaining fronts to the north, east, and west. Strictly speaking, the Western Battlefield was Senju Genma's territory.

The Senju ninjas greeted Shugo like a treasure, all eager to make themselves known to him.

One young man, however, watched from the side with an impassive expression.

"Who's that?" Shugo asked the clan members around him.

They glanced at one another. In the end, the young man answered for himself.

"I'm Lord Genma's adopted son, Senju Genichi. I'm also in charge of managing the Western Battlefield."

"Senju Genichi..."

Shugo had never heard his father mention anyone by that name. Strictly speaking, did that make this guy his "older brother"?

"Your room is the one Tobirama used to stay in. It's clean. If you have no problems with it, get some rest. I'll show you around tomorrow."

After sizing Shugo up, Senju Genichi vanished without another word.

"Tch. A bit cold, but that Body Flicker Technique was something else."

Shugo didn't think much of it. His father had left Genichi in charge of the Western Battlefield, which meant he clearly trusted him. Given Tobirama's personality, Genichi was probably just as tsundere. They could get to know each other better later.

"My lord, would you like me to help clean up?" Mizukumo Renai asked softly.

Shugo shook his head. Given Tobirama's temperament, there had to be something special about his room. Protecting his brother's intellectual property was his duty.

In a tree not far away, Senju Genichi secretly watched them. Beside him, Senju Shinji teased him.

"What's the matter? You didn't even say a word before hiding away?"

"Shut up. It's my first time meeting my younger brother. I'm nervous."

"Oh? You weren't nervous about killing a Hyuga, but you're nervous about meeting your younger brother?"

Senju Genichi gave a soft snort.

"I want to make a good first impression. He's my only younger brother, and that woman from a subordinate clan is trying to 'seduce' him just because she's pretty. I'll go deal with her in a bit."

A Senju clan member soon led Shugo to Tobirama's room. A neatly arranged pile of scrolls and books took up two-thirds of the space.

"...Where's the bed?"

"Tobirama thought the room was too small, so he replaced the bed with bookshelves. He usually just lies down on the desk to sleep. If you want to change things, you can."

"No need."

Shugo declined. He was an "architect" himself, so this was no problem at all.

These books had been left behind by Tobirama, and they were quite valuable. Compared to them, all Shugo had at the Eastern Battlefield was a cold treasury fitted with Sealing Jutsu.

Mizukumo Renai followed a Senju clan member to her quarters and began unpacking.

A voice came from in front of her.

"What's your relationship with Shugo?"

"I'm his subordinate," Mizukumo Renai replied calmly, meeting Senju Genichi's gaze.

Senju Genichi grabbed Mizukumo Renai by the throat. As he watched the pain cross the young woman's face, there wasn't a trace of pity in his eyes.

"His subordinate? I can tell you have other intentions. I'll only say this once."

"Shugo's still young. I don't care what happens later, but for now, don't harbor any other thoughts about him. Otherwise, I'll kill you..."

"Yes," Mizukumo Renai managed to say.

In an instant, Senju Genichi vanished, as if he'd never been there.

Senju Genichi stood in the tree, quietly watching Shugo's room.

"He's so cute. I can't believe he's grown this big. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting old..."

When Senju Genichi was young, his parents had already died. Senju Genma had taken him in and raised him, treating him like his own son and teaching him almost every ninjutsu he knew. Genichi had lived up to his expectations, eventually earning the position of second-in-command on the Western Battlefield through his own strength.

When he heard that Shugo had been born, he'd felt dejected for a while. But then Genma had returned to the clan grounds and put him in charge of the Western Battlefield, and his sadness had disappeared.

He'd had nothing to begin with. He'd been lucky enough to have a "father" who did everything he could to help him become strong and trusted him so completely. What right did he have to feel dissatisfied? Even if he was only paving the way for Genma's son in the end, so what?