At this moment, Shiki stood there like the only king under heaven.
"Huh? What… what is this…?"
Even if Shiki's Conqueror's Haki was only at an intermediate stage, it was still far beyond anything someone like Kato Dan could withstand.
A moment ago, he'd been lecturing Shiki.
Now—he could barely breathe.
The pressure rolling off Shiki wasn't violent or shouty, it was simply overwhelming.
A presence so heavy and absolute that Kato Dan felt his legs weaken on instinct...as if his body wanted to kneel on its own.
His eyes trembled in disbelief, unable to comprehend how someone so young could radiate this much dominance.
"Scram.
If you bother me again… you won't get another chance."
The quiet chill behind his words was unmistakable...calm, controlled, and dangerous enough that no one could mistake it for a joke.
If they weren't standing in the middle of Konoha…
if this were an actual battlefield...
Shiki wouldn't have bothered speaking at all.
Kato Dan would've died before he even realized what happened.
Kato Dan didn't argue nor did he defend himself.
He simply lowered his head, a faint blush of shame coloring his face.
Without saying a single word in protest, he turned around and walked away—his shoulders slightly drooping with every step.
Kato Dan felt a heavy wave of shame wash over him.
He'd been crushed like that… right in front of Tsunade.
How was he ever supposed to lift his head again?
The thought stung more than he wanted to admit.
Deep down, he regretted his attitude—just a little.
Why had he acted like that?
Was it pride? Ego?
Or the simple fact that he couldn't stand seeing that kid speak so casually in front of Tsunade… and brush him off like he didn't matter?
Because that's exactly what it made him feel like—
that to Tsunade… he wasn't anything at all.
--
If Shiki could hear Kato Dan's inner thoughts, he would've simply shaken his head.
Kato Dan didn't matter to him at all.
His personality had a bit of that One Piece Shiki edge...and if he were truly the real Shiki, Kato Dan would've been skewered on the spot without ceremony.
But Shiki wasn't the type to act without cause.
If Kato Dan hadn't made the first move, there would've been no reason to acknowledge him at all.
He didn't invent excuses...he preferred real ones.
Shiki exhaled softly, his fingers slipping away from the sword hilt at his side.
Then he turned to Tsunade.
"So, Tsunade-senpai.
What did you need?"
"Go inside. We'll talk there."
After witnessing Shiki's Conqueror's Haki firsthand, Tsunade no longer saw him as some rebellious kid.
"Please."
Shiki shrugged and led her back toward the courtyard.
"Want some wine?"
People from the pirate world drank like it was water.
And since Shiki inherited the Golden Lion template, his alcohol tolerance was probably enough to rival half the ninja world combined.
Tsunade hesitated for half a second—alcohol was one of the Three Great Ninja Taboos.
But then she felt that familiar ache in her chest…
"…Forget it. Give me some."
"Good."
Shiki handed her a jug.
She sat down heavily, completely unguarded.
"Tsunade-sen—"
"Just call me Tsunade."
She cut him off before he could finish.
Their strength and age weren't that far apart—formal honorifics only made things feel stiff.
Shiki didn't mind.
He wasn't the polite type anyway.
"Then, Tsunade…
You came to find me because of Senju Nawaki, right?"
"Just as I thought!
You do know something!"
The moment she heard his words, Tsunade set the wine jug down with a thud, eyes burning with intensity as she stared him down.
Shiki didn't care at all.
He calmly picked up the jug she'd put down…
…and took a long drink.
"Hey—! That's—"
Tsunade froze for a moment.
That was the jug she had been drinking from.
But before she could finish speaking—
Shiki had already lifted it and taken a long drink.
"What?"
Shiki tilted his head casually, wine jug in hand, as if nothing was strange.
Tsunade stared at him for a few seconds…
then waved her hand in defeat.
"…Forget it. Nothing."
To her own surprise, something about that small gesture stirred her heart a little.
Shiki didn't notice — or pretended not to.
Instead, he answered her earlier question with a low, knowing smile.
"You're asking because deep down, you already guessed it."
"...Then it's true?
Teacher… really did this?"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi might not have done it personally," Shiki said, setting the jug down,
"but without his approval, how could the Senju clan end up with only you?"
After all—
There was Shimura Danzo to take the blame for the dirty work.
All the darkness?
Danzo executed it.
Hiruzen only needed to nod.
"They were Grandpa Tobirama's students…"
Tsunade's voice trembled with rage.
Her eyes burned with questions, pain, and betrayal.
"Why… why target the Senju like this…?"
Shiki couldn't help but laugh.
"Why? Because they were weak."
"Weak…?"
Tsunade's breath shook.
She had power.
But politically?
She was still young and naive.
Shiki drank again, speaking calmly.
"During the First Hokage's time, no one touched your clan.
During the Second Hokage's time, he hated the Uchiha clan—but even then, all he did was push them to the margins. He weakened them, but didn't wipe them out."
He took another swig.
"Because Tobirama was strong enough to suppress everything."
Hashirama and Tobirama were absolute forces of nature.
Their power kept every faction in line.
But their apprentices?
They didn't inherit even a fraction of that dominance.
"Those students of the Senju… they inherited none of Tobirama's strength.
So instead of deterring others, they started scheming against others."
Shiki's eyes sharpened.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't have enough power to control Konoha.
So he targeted any genius who threatened his Hokage position."
Tsunade clenched her fists.
"The Senju clan produced two Hokage in a row," Shiki continued.
"Their prestige was too high.
If Hiruzen wanted to rule peacefully…
destroying the Senju was necessary."
The words were cruel.
But true.
Shiki reached for the jug again—
—but Tsunade suddenly snatched it out of his hand.
"Hm?"
He blinked.
She didn't answer.
She just drank.
Her cheeks showed a faint blush.
Whether from alcohol or fury, even she didn't know.
After emptying the jug, Tsunade tossed it aside and turned to him, eyes serious.
"Can you help me?"
"Don't joke. I'm just a nobody Jōnin~."
Shiki shrugged lazily.
Until the Golden Lion template was complete, he had no intention of exposing everything.
"Don't lie.
Your swordsmanship—and that pressure earlier…
No mere jōnin can do that."
In Tsunade's eyes, Shiki was already beyond jōnin.
At the very least—
Kage-level.
Shiki didn't bother confirming or denying it.
He rested his chin on one hand and smiled at her.
"Let's make a bet."
"A bet?"
Tsunade instantly perked up.
Of course—
mention gambling, and she lights up.
"I bet," Shiki said slowly,
"that Konoha's White Fang… is going to die."
"How could that—!?
White Fang is a powerful shinobi!
How could he—"
Tsunade began to protest—
but Shiki's unwavering expression shut her up.
She knew the darkness within Konoha.
She had just seen it personally.
Her face darkened.
"Those bastards…
They're going to target Sakumo?"
If they dared target the Senju clan…
of course they would go after White Fang.
"By doing this," Tsunade slammed her fist into the floor,
"they'll only make Konoha weaker and weaker!"
She was right.
Konoha devoured its geniuses.
Its heroes.
White Fang wasn't just a ninja.
He was a symbol.
One of Konoha's pillars.
Removing him…
was like tearing down the village's spine.
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