Chapter 75: The Trembling Little Girl Who Was Afraid
Konoha's central district.
The battle was nearing its end.
Houses were leaning at odd angles, badly damaged.
Along the roads where the fighting had ended, the wounded supported one another as they made their way toward the medical division.
For Konoha, this level of destruction was already the worst it had been since the Night of the Nine-Tails.
After returning to the center of Konoha, Shiromo looked at the surrounding scene and couldn't help but sigh. In the original story, Pain's single, godlike Shinra Tensei really did help Naruto all the way to the end.
Thinking about the future Kazekage who was currently lying somewhere behind them,
How restrained had he been when facing Deidara's invasion?
Not only did he have to protect the villagers, he also had to keep his emotions in check to prevent Shukaku from going berserk and taking over.
If Naruto had arrived in a Konoha that hadn't been completely cleared out by a super Shinra Tensei, and then unleashed the Nine-Tails' chakra in an environment like this, the level of destruction was easy to imagine.
By then, even if he became the hero who saved Konoha, he would most likely still face countless villagers questioning him,
Take a good look. What exactly did you protect?
"Oww!"
Bang.
A small blonde girl with a high ponytail came rushing out from around a street corner in a panic. Without paying attention, she tripped over Gaara on the ground and fell hard.
"Mm!"
Kankurō's eyes widened. He wanted to shout something, but with his mouth sealed, not a single sound came out.
Shiromo grabbed Temari's arm from behind and pulled her sharply to the side. The next instant, a volley of senbon needles shot through the spot where they had been standing.
"Thanks. Looks like when that little girl fell, she accidentally triggered the mechanism on the crow (Karasu) that's acting as Gaara's stretcher."
After thanking Shiromo, Temari looked toward where the disturbance came from.
The little girl was clutching her reddened cheek and shakily standing up.
Then she lost her balance again and took a step backward.
The crow's mechanism was triggered once more.
Gaara's body twitched a few times while lying on top of it, then he passed out on the spot.
"Oh no, the crow's attacks are poisonous! Hurry and untie Kankurō so he can detoxify Gaara!"
Temari was frantic.
Shiromo walked over and untied Kankurō, then turned his emotionless gaze toward the little girl who had caused the trouble.
"Gaara!!"
Kankurō rushed forward anxiously and rolled Gaara onto his side.
Gaara's backside was covered in senbon like a hedgehog, swollen and badly inflamed.
Kankurō quickly pulled the needles out one by one, then took out an antidote from his clothes and applied it to Gaara.
"Big brother, I didn't mean to do it~"
Seeing Shiromo staring at her like that, the little girl put on a wronged, teary-eyed expression, as if she were about to cry.
"Hey, what are you doing? First you bullied me, then you wanted Granny Chiyo's swimsuit photos, and now you're staring at a little girl like that, are you really not letting anyone off, from eight years old all the way to eighty?"
Temari frowned and tried to stop Shiromo. But with her hands tied, all she could do was lightly bump into him with her body.
When Temari mentioned "Granny Chiyo's swimsuit photos," a flicker of shock flashed through the little girl's eyes.
"It's nothing. I was just wondering whether this kid is from Konoha."
"If she is, we should take her along and bring her to see the Third Hokage, just in case she keeps running around and gets into danger again…"
"I-I'm not from Konoha! I'm from Amegakure!"
"Huh?"
The little girl's words were shocking enough that Temari turned to look at Shiromo in surprise.
Shiromo, however, didn't seem surprised at all.
He wasn't wearing an Ame Village forehead protector or any distinctive Amegakure clothing, so naturally the girl wouldn't know where he was from.
Seeing him escorting three Suna Village ninja, she probably assumed he was from Konoha.
As for her identity, Shiromo had already figured it out.
That's right, this blonde, high-ponytail little girl was Tsunade using a Transformation Jutsu.
Tsunade had used transformation techniques for years, turning into versions of herself at different ages to dodge gambling debts. For her, it was second nature.
This time, returning to Konoha, she was both worried about its safety and unwilling to be discovered and forced to stay.
So, as usual, she transformed into the appearance of a little girl.
If Konoha really reached a life-or-death crisis, it wouldn't be too late for her to step in then.
Now, it seemed there was no need.
Moreover, she had just secretly gone to the location of the Four Violet Flames Formation and overheard Sarutobi Hiruzen saying he planned to pass the Hokage position to either her or Jiraiya.
That made her even more relieved she hadn't exposed herself.
Just as she was about to recall Shizune, whom she had sent to help out in the medical division, and leave Konoha, she spotted Shiromo escorting three Sunagakure Village prisoners back.
Toward Sunagakure, which had invaded Konoha, Tsunade felt some irritation.
She decided to pull a little "prank" before leaving and punish the Sunagakure Village invaders.
During the Second Shinobi World War, she had fought against Sunagakure Village puppet masters and knew a fair bit about puppets. Medical ninjutsu and monstrous strength were natural counters to puppets.
And so, the scene earlier happened.
Tsunade deliberately triggered the mechanisms on the puppet twice.
The first attack targeted Temari, but Shiromo pulled her away in time.
The second attack went straight for Gaara above, hitting him completely.
Then, when she heard Shiromo ask whether she was from Konoha, and say he'd take her to see Hiruzen if she was, Tsunade panicked immediately.
Others might not recognize her childhood appearance, but Hiruzen definitely would!
At that point, there'd be no escaping.
So she hurriedly denied it and used Amegakure, the village where she'd risen to fame as one of the Sannin, as her cover identity.
"Amegakure? Fine, then come with us. We'll take you somewhere safe, and you can go find your village people yourself. We still need to see the Third Hokage."
"Oh, okay~"
"..."
Seeing that Shiromo didn't expose the girl, Temari felt a little curious, but didn't think too much about it.
After waiting a bit for Kankurō to finish detoxifying Gaara, they continued on their way.
"By the way, if you want Granny Chiyo's swimsuit photos, why don't you ask the Hokage for Princess Tsunade's swimsuit photos instead?"
With her mouth no longer sealed, Temari casually chatted with Shiromo as they walked.
"Not asking the Hokage for them"?
Little Tsunade, following behind, instantly frowned.
The way she said that, did it mean this guy wasn't a Konoha ninja?
But before she could think further, Shiromo's reply nearly made her explode.
"I already said it's not for me. What would I want photos of two menopausal old women for? To ward off evil at the door, or to put by the bed as contraception?"
Crack!
"Oh crap, an earthquake!!"
Seeing the ground beneath his feet suddenly split open, Kankurō hurriedly dragged the crow carrying Gaara and bolted forward in panic.
Shiromo grabbed Temari with his left hand. His right hand hesitated for a moment before grabbing the "little girl" by the collar and leaping away from the cracking ground.
"That was close."
Kankurō looked back at the massive pit torn open in the ground. Nearby houses had been dragged down with it and collapsed. He patted his chest in lingering fear.
He was fine, but if Gaara got injured again, he'd probably be done for.
"Little sister, don't be scared. It's okay."
Seeing the "little girl" hugging Shiromo's leg and trembling all over, Temari gently comforted her.
Scared?
Shiromo currently had Epitaph running at all times, watching future outcomes.
He was terrified that this "frightened" trembling little girl might suddenly grab back and crush his demon core in one move.
"Yo, kid, so you're here. The old man told you all to head to the Hokage Building."
Hearing the commotion, Jiraiya jumped down from above and greeted Shiromo.
"Alright. By the way, where's Orochimaru? Did he leave?"
Shiromo nodded.
"Yeah. He slipped away while we weren't paying attention, dismantled the Four Violet Flames Formation, and left. He'll probably go find you guys, right?"
Jiraiya sighed lightly, then looked at the little girl hiding behind Shiromo and clutching his leg in confusion.
"And this is…?"
(End of this chapter)