"When the war begins, you'll understand."
Shiki didn't bother explaining further. He simply smiled.
They didn't understand why he valued Might Duy so highly—only because they had never truly seen Duy's taijutsu with their own eyes.
Shiki was confident of one thing: once this war ended, no one would question it again.
"…Alright."
Since Shiki had said so, there was nothing more to argue. Everyone could only nod.
After giving a few final instructions, the group dispersed.
On the way back, Uchiha Fugaku still couldn't figure it out.
"Shisui, did you think of anything?" he asked.
Stopping beside him, Fugaku glanced at the young Uchiha. Although Shisui was still young, whether in planning or strength, he was already outstanding.
"I don't really understand either," Shisui admitted honestly. "But one thing's obvious—Might Duy's strength must be extraordinary."
Even if he couldn't see through it yet, Shisui didn't dwell on it.
"Once the war starts," he added calmly, "everything will become clear."
"…Mm."
Fugaku nodded. He felt the same way.
Whatever was special about Might Duy—once the fighting began, everyone would see it for themselves.
"Dad… you're serious. You're a jōnin now."
Inside a camp tent, Might Guy stared at his father in disbelief.
Now that he'd been promoted, Might Duy had his own tent. But to Guy, it still felt unreal.
His father—who had endured ridicule and obscurity his entire life—had actually become a jōnin.
If Guy didn't know his father so well, he might've thought this was a joke.
"Of course!" Might Duy said loudly. "Lord Shiki is truly a good man! My youth has finally been acknowledged!"
As he spoke, tears streamed down his face.
After so many years of being overlooked, after so much silent endurance, the grievances in his heart finally burst free.
He had made it through.
"This… is youth!"
"Dad!"
"Guy!"
"Dad!"
For reasons no one else could quite understand, the two of them suddenly broke down crying together.
Thankfully, they were inside the camp.
If this had happened out in the open, it would've been downright embarrassing.
"Guy," Might Duy said earnestly, gripping his son's shoulders, "Lord Shiki is a good man. No matter what happens in the future, we must always respect him."
"Yes, Dad!"
Might Guy nodded with absolute seriousness.
For the man who had recognized his father's youth, Guy's respect for Shiki was unquestionable.
Clearly...
Shiki's plan had succeeded
--
"So… the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are all gone?"
Inside the Kirigakure conference room, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, sat at the head of the table, his youthful face dark with anger.
Before him stood a battered and exhausted Suikazan Fuguki.
Yagura could hardly believe it.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen—Kirigakure's greatest trump card—had been reduced to this.
Only Fuguki had returned.
It had to be said...Yagura's life was truly pitiful.
From beginning to end, he had lived under Uchiha Obito's genjutsu, his will quietly overwritten without him ever realizing it.
What made it even crueler was that no one noticed anything was wrong… not until much, much later.
"M-Mizukage-sama…"
Yagura felt anger welling up in his chest as he faced Fuguki.
Bang!
Yagura slammed his hand onto the table and stood up, shouting furiously.
"Then why did you come back?! Why didn't you die with them?!"
"I—!"
That man…
Just thinking about Shiki made Fuguki's heart tighten with fear.
That monster wasn't someone he could oppose.
Inside the conference room, the heads of Kirigakure's various kekkei genkai clans watched coldly.
Some even looked pleased.
Stand up for Fuguki?
Impossible.
When the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were still alive, they had trampled over everyone else—these clans included.
Back then, they could only swallow their anger.
Now that the swordsmen had been crushed, they were more than happy to watch Fuguki suffer.
"Shiki…"
Yagura muttered the name under his breath.
He already knew that Konoha's battlefield commander had been replaced by Shiki.
But the moment he arrived, he delivered Kirigakure such a massive blow.
Yagura would never forget this name.
In the following days, he racked his brain for a way to deal with Konoha's Shiki.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen had fallen.
This grudge would not fade.
But before he could come up with a plan—
Konoha made its move.
Under Shiki's command, they directly declared war on Kirigakure.
"What?! What did you just say?!"
"Konoha has mobilized their forces and is advancing toward us!"
"They're less than one kilometer away from our camp!"
"…!"
Yagura froze.
What the hell?!
I haven't even attacked yet and you're already here?!
The other ninja who heard the report were equally stunned.
"This Shiki…" Yagura said coldly. "So defeating the Seven Ninja Swordsmen wasn't enough. He really thinks he can underestimate Kirigakure."
To Yagura, this felt like pure contempt.
The clan heads immediately voiced their support.
"Mizukage-sama, since they dared to come, let's wipe them out right here!"
"It's just one Shiki—what is there to fear?!"
"Attack, Mizukage-sama!"
Bang!
Yagura slammed the table again.
"Fine!"
His blood boiled.
"Then let me see just how great this Shiki really is!"
At his command, Kirigakure's forces mobilized rapidly, surging out to meet Shiki head-on.
--
"Nervous?"
From Konoha's side, Shiki could already see the outlines of the Mist camp.
He glanced at the visibly sweating Might Duy and asked with a smile.
Might Duy didn't try to hide it. He nodded honestly.
"Yes."
He had always fought as a lower-ranked shinobi.
Suddenly stepping onto a jōnin battlefield—panic was only natural.
"Hahaha! You'll get used to it."
Shiki said nothing more. He simply smiled and patted Duy on the shoulder.
At that moment, Kirigakure's forces—led by Yagura—finished assembling.
They stopped roughly a hundred meters away.
"Shiki!"
Yagura pushed through the crowd, standing directly in front of him, hatred written clearly across his face.
Shiki didn't care in the slightest.
He tilted his head, looked Yagura up and down for a moment, then spoke casually:
"This battlefield isn't a place for children."
"Little brat—go home and call your Daddy out."
"You—!"
Yagura's face flushed red, his eyes widening as he momentarily lost all words.
"Hahahaha!"
The instant Shiki finished speaking, laughter erupted from the Konoha side.
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