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"After all, I'm not Hiruzen Sarutobi; I don't need a group of people around to approve or disapprove of my actions."
Hatake Kuroshi pursed his lips, making a face at Shisui.
He was deliberately slighting Hiruzen Sarutobi for his tacit approval of Danzo's actions regarding his father and Shisui.
Immediately after, the two looked towards the devastated Kaguya clan grounds before them.
After that chaotic battle, Hatake Kuroshi had directly blasted two deep pits, seven or eight meters deep, inside.
Just filling these two pits would probably take longer than the time until the Kaguya clan was arranged to leave.
Not many Kaguya clan members remained. Some were repairing houses, others filling the pits.
However, because everyone was busy, they didn't notice Hatake Kuroshi and Shisui had already slipped in.
Shisui and Hatake Kuroshi walked deeper into the clan grounds, looking around strangely.
"...With so few people, he should be easy to find."
Shisui looked around; all he saw were adult strongmen. Not even a single person below one and a half meters tall was visible.
The Kaguya clan is so depleted now, shouldn't Kimimaro come out and help?
"Used weapons are just put back where they belong. He's definitely not outside, but still in the prison cell."
"Wanna bet? Loser buys dinner."
Hatake Kuroshi grinned at Shisui beside him, confidently extending his palm towards him.
"Who would bet with you? Saying that, you've definitely already found the place."
Shisui chuckled, slapped Hatake Kuroshi's outstretched hand, and pushed him aside.
"Eh—You saw through me? But I did indeed find it."
Behind the Kaguya clan head's house, near the mountains... Hatake Kuroshi and Shisui, each holding one half, worked together to open a hidden door almost fused with the turf.
A thick, damp smell wafted up from below; a strange, pungent odor lingered around their noses.
The two jumped directly down through the hidden door. Two spare candles rested on either side of the underground passage.
Looking further inside, a half-burnt candle hung on the side stone wall, its flame flickering.
Hatake Kuroshi and Shisui exchanged a look, then walked straight in without taking the candles.
The closer they got to the candlelight on the stone wall, the clearer they heard the sound of a sharp object cutting into the wall.
Its owner carved the wall with considerable force; the clink clank sounds echoed throughout the sealed, empty underground space... almost drowning out Hatake Kuroshi and Shisui's footsteps.
"It's clearly not my fault. Why was I locked up again?"
"Wasn't I already allowed out?"
A child's tender murmurs sounded in the dungeon, filled with complaint, even a hint of grievance.
Honestly, in this dim environment, coupled with this voice, it sounded like an effect from some horror movie.
When Hatake Kuroshi and Shisui stood before the cage, the carving and whispering sounds stopped.
The entire basement suddenly fell into dead silence.
Although many sealing talismans were stuck haphazardly onto the cage... a large lock hung clearly visible on the door.
For a moment, Hatake Kuroshi wasn't sure if this thing could actually seal Kimimaro or just simply lock him here.
Shisui picked up the messily stuck sealing talismans, looked them over, then flipped through several surrounding paper talismans.
"This place was indeed sealed before, but it's ineffective now."
"Probably lost its effect the last time he was let out."
Just as Shisui was about to pull out a wire to pick the lock... a pair of pale green eyes suddenly lunged out from the darkness, staring fixedly at the two of them.
"Who are you?!"
"Uwah!!!"
Shisui was focused on picking the lock when a pale face suddenly appeared from the darkness.
Not only were the green pupils wide, but there was also red eyeshadow under the eyelids, plus two round red dots between the eyebrows.
From a bottom-up angle, plus the dim yellow light... he looked exactly like a lonely ghost who died here hundreds of years ago, unable to find peace.
Shisui couldn't help but cry out, taking half a step back.
Kimimaro clearly hadn't expected such a strong reaction and flinched back, startled by Shisui's cry.
Hatake Kuroshi only found the scene somewhat creepy at the time, but was almost sent away by Shisui's shout.
"..."
"..."
Only after calming down did Shisui clearly see Kimimaro's face. He looked like a standard Kaguya clan member... even somewhat more refined than the misfits he had seen before.
But indeed quite young, looking at most like a five or six-year-old child.
"You two coordinate so well. If anyone else stood here, you two could directly scare them into a heart attack."
Hatake Kuroshi shook his head, flicking Shisui's forehead.
Shisui looked awkwardly between the two, then rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand, huddling aside with the wire to pick the lock.
Hatake Kuroshi crouched down, looking at Kimimaro sitting inside.
"Oh, we're teachers from the school. The new Mizukage asked us to come out and eliminate illiteracy."
"You can't read, right? So you need to come out and attend classes."
Hatake Kuroshi wore a smile, looking quite like an amiable teacher.
Besides the slightly suspicious eye patch, there didn't seem to be any problem.
Kimimaro hesitated. He had stayed here since he was young, never went to school, barely seen the outside world.
He finally got out once, fought, and then someone coaxed him back into confinement here.
Hatake Kuroshi knew full well his bullshit was full of holes; which ninja cared about education? Being able to kill was enough.
However, if Kimimaro stayed in this place all along, he probably wouldn't have much ability to distinguish truth from lies.
As long as he could temporarily coax Kimimaro out of this place, keeping him at the school wouldn't be a problem at all.
School, classes—these were things Kimimaro had little contact with.
Curiosity about the unknown was just like that.
"...Then, if I go to class, do I still have to come back here~?"
Kimimaro looked uncertainly at Hatake Kuroshi.
"Hm—No, you don't have to come back to this place anymore~"
"Not only that, but many people will be staying with you."
"Click."
Just as Hatake Kuroshi finished speaking, Shisui beside them dangled the iron lock, pulling open the large door.
If the sealing talismans were effective, it might have taken more time. But if it was just chains like this, it was effortless for him.
"Yosh—Come outside. You are free."
Hatake Kuroshi stood up, taking two steps back.
Kimimaro looked up at the two. He felt leaving here might be a bad idea... but the longing for the outside world, the craving for friends, had already surpassed his sense of belonging to the clan.
He craved being needed, but the clan's need was too brief.
Most of the time, he had to stay here alone. Compared to endless slaughter and war, he hoped more for other ways to manifest his value.
Kimimaro ducked and crawled out of the dungeon.
The candle casting three long shadows flickered violently, then its wick slowly emitted a wisp of green smoke. The underground prison plunged into darkness.
...
That afternoon, the news of Kimimaro's disappearance caused an uproar within the Kaguya clan.
Good grief! Clan members suffered heavy casualties, everyone busy cleaning up the mess... and due to a moment of negligence, the human weapon hidden in the underground prison disappeared.
Although they didn't trust the new Mizukage, Mangetsu Hozuki, this matter was extremely serious. Once Kimimaro lost control, blood would surely flow like rivers.
The Kaguya clan had no choice but to urgently report to Genji, asking him to subtly prod the new Mizukage into sending people to help find Kimimaro.
"Lord Mizukage! The priority now isn't screening these missions, but sending people to find the missing Kimimaro!"
Genji paced anxiously beside Mangetsu Hozuki like his butt was on fire. Mangetsu Hozuki, however, remained unhurried, head buried in sorting through missions.
Genji was anxious; how could he not be? Kimimaro was a major weapon. Cultivated slowly within the Kaguya clan... once that kid was strong enough, he could definitely count as a fierce general under his command.
Result: the person vanished? What the hell is going on?
Moreover, the most terrifying possibility now is that Kimimaro is in Hatake Kuroshi's hands.
But Kimimaro was always hidden underground. Hatake Kuroshi hasn't been in Kirigakure for long; he shouldn't have figured out the Kaguya clan's specific location yet.
".~So noisy, old man. Don't bother me. Things have to be done one by one!"
"Kimimaro isn't so urgent that it can't wait a moment."
Mangetsu Hozuki waved his hand, burying his head back into organizing the mission files without looking up.
The only person he listened to obediently was Hatake Kuroshi.
This old man's power was already hollowed out, and he was bluffed silly by Hatake Kuroshi. Mangetsu Hozuki naturally wouldn't be too convinced by him.
Besides, regarding Kimimaro... child, human weapon... Mangetsu Hozuki remembered Hatake Kuroshi being interested in a Kaguya clan child. Perhaps it was this person?
Can taking a child be called kidnapping when a teacher does it? That's the light of humanity, saving a human weapon from a tragic life of imprisonment.
Mangetsu Hozuki pondered this and immediately nodded.
That's right. He can't look for him.
"You simply don't understand how serious this matter is! Although you are Mizukage now!"
"But don't forget, it's only your first day in office!"
"I served alongside the previous Lord Mizukage! You should consult my opinion on such matters!"
Genji, seeing Mangetsu Hozuki's nonchalant attitude, was so angry his face turned red.
The ANBU had now been reorganized; all command authority rested with the Mizukage.
If he didn't help now, the Kaguya clan would surely not help him if something happened later.
Genji's few loyalists had already gone to help, but what could his few men achieve?
Mangetsu Hozuki counted the stack of white documents in his hand; various missions were assigned on them.
He looked up at Genji's old face, which looked ready to eat him, and showed an innocent smile.
"I know, I know. Let's call the Kaguya clan members over first!"
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