Chapter 56: The Schemer's Endless Tricks
Stelle finally understood. She at last grasped why Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura had visited her only to declare they would be leaving her with fewer documents. This was the reason.
She had been thoroughly incensed by their words at the time, and they had scurried away after offering only a few cryptic sentences. But why hadn't they taken her with them to the Land of Lightning? She was, after all, considered one of Konoha's premier combatants, with a proven record of single-handedly taking on four powerful opponents.
If they left her behind, how was she supposed to cause any trouble?
The Anbu member simply glanced at the bandages still wrapped around her torso. He didn't need to speak; the meaning was perfectly clear. Why would an injured person be sent on a mission?
"Then why didn't you come find me the day before yesterday?" Stelle asked, her voice flat with exasperation.
"I did go to the hospital to look for you," the Anbu explained. "But I ran into the hospital director on the way. After he learned why I was there, he chased me out."
Stelle was rendered momentarily speechless.
"Fine. Don't bother moving the documents," she sighed, resigning herself to her fate. "I'll go to the office. Also, go buy me something to eat; I haven't had breakfast yet."
She walked listlessly toward the Hokage Building, her feet dragging with every step. It wasn't until she was standing in the shadow of the great tower that a sudden, chilling realization struck her.
Wait a minute. Senju Tobirama and the six-person escort squad were headed to Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning to sign a treaty. This wasn't part of the original story. While the plot had already veered significantly off course, most of the changes had been localized to Konoha's internal development. The other great villages had remained largely unaffected.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku were still alive. She had seen them with her own eyes during the last great battle in the Land of Lightning, standing at the forefront of their ranks as elite combatants. Those two had not only consumed the flesh of the Nine-Tails, but they also possessed the treasured tools of the Sage of Six Paths—the very same tools they had once used to capture the Eight-Tails.
What if they had another sudden, violent lapse in judgment? What if they decided to ambush Senju Tobirama?
Although Tobirama's strength had grown beyond what it was in the canon timeline, a deep sense of unease coiled in her gut. She had to go check on him.
Without a second thought, Stelle spun on her heel, leaped onto the nearest rooftop, and began to sprint toward the village outskirts.
At the main gate of Konoha, two shinobi on guard duty were chatting idly when a streak of violet light flashed past them. It moved with such blinding speed that by the time their eyes registered the blur, it had already vanished into the distance.
"Did... did someone just run out of here?" one of the guards asked his partner, his voice laced with uncertainty.
"I think so," the other replied. "It was purple. Isn't that Jonin Stelle's ability? We should report this to the Hokage Building right away."
"Report what?" the first guard countered. "Lord Tobirama took the contingent to sign the Five Great Nations Ceasefire Agreement. He must have left Jonin Stelle in charge of everything here in Konoha. Does the person in charge need to report her own movements? And to whom?"
"You're right," his partner conceded. "Let's just continue our watch."
The two shinobi straightened their postures and resumed their diligent guard duty at the main gate.
…
On the border of the Land of Fire, Senju Tobirama leaned heavily against the trunk of a massive tree, his breathing a faint, ragged whisper. He no longer had the strength to take another step. His injuries were catastrophic, his chakra reserves utterly depleted. Even with the legendary vitality of the Senju clan, he couldn't hold on any longer.
Had he finally reached his limit?
Black spots swam in his vision. He felt that if he allowed himself to close his eyes again, he would never wake up. Still, a grim satisfaction settled in his chest. By covering their retreat, he had ensured that Hiruzen and the others had withdrawn safely.
Tobirama's mind grew hazy, drifting through fragmented thoughts as the end drew near. It was said that people always reflected on random things before death. Konoha's new generation was excellent, more than capable of shouldering the village's future. And he, a remnant of a bygone era, could finally step down.
He thought of Uchiha Izuna, who had so resolutely fought to the death to save Kagami and his squad.
He thought of the final moments of his elder brother and Madara.
Was it finally his turn?
Konoha's new sprouts had grown strong. In the future, they too would make the same sacrifices he had, all to protect the newer, younger shoots that followed. Even if he died here, his will—his ideology—would be passed on to everyone in the village he had built.
At that very moment, Stelle was a phantom hurtling through the jungle. The violet flame cloaking her body flickered and intensified, pushing her speed to its absolute zenith. From a distance, she looked like a purple meteor streaking through the dense woods. The injuries she had been suppressing had already healed during the frantic sprint.
It was a pity. Back when she was operating as 'Senju Stelle', she'd never had the chance to place a Flying Thunder God marker on Tobirama. If she had, she would have found him long ago instead of searching like a headless chicken.
Her sensory abilities expanded outward, sweeping across the landscape as she checked every location, desperately hoping to find his position.
Finally, deep within a thick patch of forest, she detected it: a faint, familiar presence, like a candle flame flickering in the wind, on the verge of being extinguished.
Found him.
Stelle vaulted over trees and burst through layers of dense foliage, her eyes finally landing on the figure of Senju Tobirama slumped against a great tree.
"Lord Tobirama!"
She rushed forward, her own breathing catching in her throat at the sight of his terrible state. She had never seen him look so wretched, so utterly broken.
But just as she was about to reach him, her senses screamed. A pool of black, viscous substance was writhing in the shadows beneath the tree beside Tobirama, looking as if it were trying to crawl onto his body.
Stelle's expression darkened instantly. For Black Zetsu to appear at a time like this… he was unquestionably involved in Tobirama's current condition.
She knew it. Given Tobirama's strength and cunning, how could he possibly fall victim to a simple plot-mandated death? It turned out this ancient schemer was pulling the strings. The last time they'd met, Black Zetsu had gained nothing from her, had instead been farmed for a wave of emotional energy, and had lost his pawn, Uchiha Setsuna. The old bastard was probably so furious he wished he could kill her himself.
She vanished from her spot, reappearing beside Tobirama in the space of a heartbeat. Her hands flew through a seal, and a powerful sealing technique shot from her palm toward Black Zetsu.
True to his reputation, Black Zetsu proved to be the master of escape. The moment Stelle spotted him, he abandoned his prize and attempted to melt away. But he had come with a specific goal this time and didn't retreat completely. He was grazed by her sealing jutsu, which scraped off a layer of his malleable body, but he endured the pain.
He reappeared on the other side of Tobirama. The black, tar-like substance slithered up the Hokage's body and immediately locked around his neck.
Tobirama, whose breathing was already faint to the point of nonexistence, had no ability to fight back. He was instantly taken hostage.
"Don't move," Black Zetsu's voice rasped, "or I will kill Senju Tobirama immediately."
Stelle's eyes narrowed, her gaze turning more dangerous than ever before. She was always the one who wrote the script; she had never been manipulated by a character within her own plot. Was Black Zetsu trying to speedrun his own demise?
Though he was a prime source of mood value, she wouldn't mind beating him until he was clinging to a single thread of life, forcing him to scurry and hide like a stray dog.
Her tone was chilling. "Black Zetsu. You had better not touch him."
Black Zetsu, who had been so certain of his victory, began to tremble uncontrollably. She… she had actually called out his name.
He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Who else in this world knew he was called Black Zetsu, aside from the deceased Mie and Uchiha Setsuna?
Why did this Senju Stelle know?!
Where did she get this information?!
If he hadn't been absolutely certain that Tobirama was incapacitated, Black Zetsu would have already bolted. He forced himself to calm his spiraling thoughts and tightened his hold on his hostage. "Senju Stelle, give me Uchiha Madara's eyes, or I will snap Senju Tobirama's neck."
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