The sky was overcast, a fine drizzle falling continuously.
Everyone in Konoha was dressed in black, gathered to mourn the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and all the heroes who had fallen in the Nine-Tails attack.
Yue stood dazed among the crowd.
Jiraiya and Tsunade both came to comfort him, but seeing Yue remain silent, they could only sigh and leave quietly.
Shisui walked over and patted Yue on the shoulder.
"Yue, I heard you got hurt. Come on, I'll treat you to some barbecue—good for recovery."
Yue looked at him and pulled him into a hug.
Shisui was his only true friend in this world.
After the hug, the two exchanged a smile—a moment so warm it could be mistaken for something else—and then went to eat barbecue together.
He knew he had to pull himself together.
Losing once didn't mean losing forever.
There were still people who needed protecting—Shisui, for one.
The next major crisis would revolve around Shisui's life and death.
His rapid growth over the past years in Konoha was inseparable from Shisui's guidance and training.
A few days later, Jiraiya and Tsunade came to say their farewells.
They were heading out on their honeymoon—mainly to escape.
The Fourth had just died, and many villagers urged Jiraiya to become the Fifth Hokage.
But how could he agree?
He had just gotten together with Tsunade—barely time for sweetness—and they wanted to drag him off to be Hokage?
Impossible.
So he and Tsunade both insisted that the Third Hokage was still strong and capable, and should resume leadership.
They also firmly recommended a candidate for the Fifth: Yue, the young man who had fought with grievous injuries to suppress the Nine-Tails alone during the battle.
Of course, no one else in the village knew Yue existed.
They only believed Yamato and his Wood Release had suppressed the Nine-Tails alone.
Yamato's prestige instantly soared past Sharingan Kakashi's—reaching new heights.
Thus, the Third Hokage once again took command of Konoha.
Tsunade's unwilling little attendant, Shizune, was pushed into Yue's care—along with the adorable Tonton.
A gentle breeze blew as Yue and Shisui sat side by side on the grassy cliff, watching the perfectly round full moon.
Yue finally said softly, "Shisui… I came to say goodbye."
Shisui froze for a moment. "Where are you going?"
"To Mount Myōboku. For Sage training. I've hit a bottleneck—if I don't learn senjutsu, I won't be able to advance at all."
After reflecting deeply on the recent battle, Yue had made a decision:
He would stay on Mount Myōboku until he fully mastered Sage Mode.
No more reckless attempts to change fate.
He called himself "cautious," yet he kept trying to influence major events.
Not anymore.
Not until he truly knew what he was doing.
He thought he could protect Shisui, but with his current weak strength, he'd only drag him down.
Shisui nodded lightly.
"Mm."
His way of showing full support.
"Shisui, promise me something," Yue continued.
"No matter what happens, wait for me to come back and discuss it with you before you make any decisions. Don't act impulsively. And be especially careful of that man—Danzo."
"…And you need to leave me a piece of your flesh and blood."
Yue had prepared for the worst.
If he returned to find Shisui had died—who could bear such a blow?
If he learned senjutsu, he could come back early and change everything.
If he couldn't, returning would just mean dying pointlessly.
With a sample of Shisui's flesh, even if the worst happened, he could at least use Edo Tensei to see him one last time.
Shisui was touched by Yue's concern.
He didn't understand why Yue wanted his flesh, but he still agreed—completely unaware of Yue's "unique hobby."
After Shisui agreed, Yue took out a small vial and—right then and there—cut a piece of Shisui's flesh, collected the blood, sealed it with a scroll, and stored it carefully.
When Yue returned home, he saw Shizune sitting under the eaves with Tonton in her arms, spacing out.
He decided to tease her—sneaking up from behind, tapping her shoulder, and shouting:
"Hey, little beauty!"
Shizune nearly jumped out of her skin.
She called Yue childish, set Tonton aside, and unleashed a barrage of pink fists on him.
"So late and you're not asleep—were you waiting for me?"
Shizune's face turned red.
"W–Who was waiting for you? Don't flatter yourself!"
Yue stopped teasing and grew serious.
"I'm here to tell you goodbye. I'm going far away for training. While I'm gone, this house will depend on you."
Shizune exploded instantly.
"You jerk! Lady Tsunade just entrusted me to you, and now you're abandoning me?! Do you hate me that much?!"
Yue blinked, stunned.
She made him sound like a scumbag running away from responsibility.
He smiled bitterly.
"I'm going to Mount Myōboku for training. There's nothing there—only toads. Do you really want to go with me?"
Seeing her cheeks puffed up and red with anger, Yue found her even cuter.
Almost cuter than Tonton.
How did he never notice Shizune was so adorable before?
"Of course I'm going!" she declared.
"Lady Tsunade told me to take care of you. Wherever you go, I go. Besides—I've learned medical ninjutsu. If you get hurt, I can treat you."
Yue thought for a moment.
He didn't know how long training would take.
A year? Two? Three?
Five? Ten?
Too uncertain.
And he had to master Sage Mode before returning, or he'd just be cannon fodder again—watching tragedies unfold unable to change anything.
Bringing Shizune might actually be a good idea.
She could take care of him, keep him company.
Better than being alone surrounded only by toads—just thinking about that felt creepy.
So he agreed to take her with him.
Shizune squealed with joy, grabbed Tonton, and dashed off like the wind—afraid Yue would change his mind.
Yamato stepped out from the shadows.
Yue looked at his ultimate tool-man.
"Looks like my house depends on you now. Tell the Third Hokage I'm going to Mount Myōboku. I won't be saying goodbye myself."
"Oh—and deliver this letter to Miroku, the Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons."
Yue still thought about that goddess-like miko.
The letter explained he was going into seclusion for training and wouldn't be able to contact her.
She shouldn't worry—his secret technique would take time.
When he succeeded, she'd be the first he contacted.
Yamato nodded with a complicated expression.
"Yes, Lord Yue. Don't worry."
He knew he couldn't compare.
Yue was heading to train in senjutsu—while he was just a man who happened to have Hashirama's cells.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up.
The next morning, Shizune had already packed everything and waited in the yard, carrying a huge backpack—clearly afraid Yue would ditch her and "slip away."
After all, Yue's catchphrase to her was always "I'm slipping—slip, slip, slippity-slap!"
Yue taught her the hand seals for Reverse Summoning and couldn't resist teasing her again.
"Why are you so dumb? I learned it in one try! You've done it like five times and still can't get it. Keep messing up and I'll slip away without you!"
Shizune panicked, sweating nervously and fumbling the seals.
She actually learned quickly—better than Yue in terms of hand seals—but he just couldn't resist teasing her.
Finally, he cut his thumb with a kunai, smeared a bit of blood on her palm, and wedged Tonton into her pack.
"Ladies first," he said, sending her ahead with Reverse Summoning.
He didn't want to end up at Mount Myōboku alone while Shizune got left behind—she'd kill him when she arrived.
Shizune disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
Yue followed, forming the seals and performing the technique himself.
A wave of dizziness hit him, and he landed on the ground unsteadily.
Beside him, Shizune sat in the same dizzy posture.
He glanced at her and smiled.
They had arrived at Mount Myōboku.
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