After the Matter Was Settled

Shien moved so quickly that no one could follow his actions.

In reality, it had only taken a few seconds.

Yagura clutched the wound on his shoulder, breathing heavily. His eyes were filled with gratitude and lingering fear as he looked at Shien.

"Thank you, Shien. You saved me again."

Shien set aside his thoughts about Obito, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"If that's the case, then I'm going to ask for a favor in return."

Yagura froze for a moment, not expecting Shien to be such an interesting fellow.

He burst out laughing. "Fine. As long as it's something you want, I can give it to you."

But Shien raised a hand and pointed at Kimimaro beside Karatachi Yagura.

"That's a good prospect. I want him."

Yagura's smile froze on his face. He had just fought Kimimaro.

In that brief exchange, he had already seen Kimimaro's extraordinary talent. With a little polishing, Hidden Mist would gain a peerless expert within a few years.

How could he possibly be willing to let him go now?

"Pick another condition. I'll definitely agree to it!"

Karatachi Yagura immediately went back on his word.

Even Akabane beside him became anxious. "Hey, you're a Mizukage, aren't you? How can you go back on your word?"

The Kaguya Clan had heard it as well. This powerful man wanted Kimimaro.

They exchanged looks. Though they didn't know who he was, judging from his clothes, he should be from the Uchiha Clan.

Wasn't the Uchiha Clan full of talented people? Why were they competing for Kimimaro?

Shien frowned as he thought it over and over. He wasn't considering asking for something else, but how to make Karatachi Yagura give up.

After all, their previous negotiations had gone rather well. If things fell apart, it would disrupt many future plans.

"How about this? I'll tell you the weakness of that man's space-time ninjutsu."

"From then on, your Hidden Mist will be completely safe."

To be honest, Karatachi Yagura didn't fully understand the principle behind the masked man's intangibility.

Shien was here this time, so the masked man had been driven off. But what about next time?

What if he came to ambush him again?

One was a hope for the future, while the other was a threat in the present. Karatachi Yagura was caught in a dilemma.

Yet Yagura clearly favored Kimimaro more. When he looked at him, it was as though he were looking at an uncut piece of jade.

At this point, Shien had no choice but to raise the stakes again. "How about this? We'll help you recover the Kubikiribōchō."

Karatachi Yagura's eyes lit up. Juzo Biwa had defected, and no one even knew where he had gone.

For Hidden Mist to find him alone would be like searching for a needle in the ocean.

With the Uchiha Clan involved, their chances would obviously be much greater.

At that moment, the Kaguya Clan's patriarch, Kaguya Ranto, saw both sides competing for Kimimaro.

He stepped up before Karatachi Yagura.

"Lord Mizukage." He gave Karatachi Yagura several meaningful looks.

Karatachi Yagura could tell that Ranto had something to say. At such a critical moment, he also wanted to know what Ranto intended.

So the two of them moved a little farther away, and Ranto whispered a few words to Karatachi Yagura.

When they returned, Yagura suddenly agreed to Shien's condition. "Fine. You can take Kimimaro."

"Just find the Kubikiribōchō for me within two years."

Shien noticed that when Yagura's gaze swept over Kimimaro, immense regret and pity flashed through his eyes.

[Pity...?]

Shien's eyes flickered as a vague guess formed in his mind.

But his goal had been achieved, so Shien didn't dwell on it.

"The principle behind that masked man's space-time ninjutsu."

"His intangibility has two stages: activated and deactivated."

"When activated, any part of his body that is attacked is automatically transferred to another space."

"But it can only remain activated continuously for five minutes."

"When he attacks or enters and exits that space, it is deactivated. In other words, he becomes tangible."

Karatachi Yagura finally understood. He had previously been trapped in the Kamui Dimension.

It was simply that he had not seen the body Obito had transferred in to replace himself.

Now that he understood how the enemy's intangibility worked, if the other man came again, he could send him straight to his grave.

"However..."

Shien changed the subject. "He has another secret technique, one related to our Uchiha secrets, so I can't tell you the details."

"I can only tell you that after you think you've killed him, he may revive."

"May revive?" Karatachi Yagura looked shocked. This information was extremely important.

After all, if he ever had a chance to fight that man and killed him before going to inspect the body, he might be counter-killed.

"I understand."

Shien walked over to Kimimaro and looked down at him. "Come with me."

Kimimaro turned his numb, sluggish gaze toward Kaguya Ranto.

"No need to look at him. You belong to me now."

"I... don't have to go back to the dungeon?" Kimimaro's expression softened slightly.

Over the years, aside from fighting, he had been imprisoned in the dungeon. Other than combat, he understood nothing.

Kimimaro didn't even know what it meant to live.

"Where are you taking me?"

Kimimaro stood there blankly, utterly unlike the swift, wind-like figure he had been in battle.

Shien sighed. How many tragedies had this ninja world created?

"I'm taking you to find the meaning of life."

Kimimaro was moved. "The meaning... of life?"

Shien placed a hand on Kimimaro's head. "The meaning of life lies in saving others—saving people like you, who can't find their direction."

"Saving... people who can't find their direction?"

His words began to melt away the numbness on Kimimaro's face.

Shien beckoned to Haku.

Haku walked up to Kimimaro and looked into his eyes.

They were eyes just like Haku's own had once been—eyes that could not find a direction.

"I'm Haku. From now on, we're companions."

Haku smiled and took Kimimaro's hand.

Kimimaro trembled, a faint blush spreading across his face.

"I... I'm Kimimaro."

[ Ding! Detected a major alteration to the fate of plot character "Kimimaro." World feedback has reached the second stage! ]

[ Reward issued: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets x1, Dance of the Seedling Fern x1, (Kimimaro's state before death) ]

Seeing the two children getting along so well, Shien was in an excellent mood.

Though the reward had only reached the second stage, it wasn't a problem for Shien.

He could slowly find a way to resolve it.

"My goal has already been achieved. It's time to leave."

Shien had come to the Land of Water mainly for these two children. As for getting so many Hidden Mist skills for free along the way, he could only say this trip had been incredibly profitable.

Seeing that Shien was about to leave, Yagura also looked somewhat emotional.

He had never expected that two people so far apart would form a connection because of that masked man.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Keep a closer eye on Kimimaro."

Shien looked at Yagura with a smile, then nodded. He picked up Haku and left with Kimimaro and Akabane.

Watching his retreating figure, Yagura asked Ranto beside him with a sigh.

"Can Kimimaro's body really not last another three years?"

Ranto answered firmly, "According to the clan records, no one with the Shikotsumyaku has ever lived past twenty-three."

"The stronger the Shikotsumyaku, the more severe the bloodline disease and the earlier the death."

"With Kimimaro's talent, the disease will strike within two years."

Yagura sighed. "What a pity."