Through Hidden Leaf Village's Root and its series of secret and forbidden techniques, it was clear that what he had seen and experienced during the Third Great Ninja War was far from everything this world had to offer. There were surely other things he didn't yet know about—things that might pique his interest.
"Guess I'll just go with the flow."
Akashō put away the map, planted the oiled paper umbrella in his hand on the ground, then let go and allowed it to fall.
"Alright, this direction it is."
He picked it up again and set off in the direction it had fallen.
Only after his figure had shrunk to the size of an ant on the road did another figure appear where he had been standing.
In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes stared fixedly at Akashō in the distance.
...
Time passed. Because Akashō wasn't in any hurry, it took him five full days of wandering before he finally left the borders of the Land of Fire and arrived at a town in a small neighboring country.
Just the day before, Danzo had sent word via messenger hawk that the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire had fully completed their peace talks, marking the official end of the Third Great Ninja War.
"Hm?"
Through the sparse crowd, Akashō spotted a man with a head full of white hair, dressed in simple cloth, sitting by the roadside holding a large stick covered in candied hawthorn skewers.
Candied hawthorn?
Akashō raised an eyebrow slightly. Although the major ninja villages had mostly stopped fighting more than half a year ago—and the impact on smaller countries likely ended even earlier—the nearly empty streets made it obvious that this country's economy hadn't fully recovered. So why would a non-essential business like this pop up now?
Could he be undercover… no, a spy?
Then again, even if he is, what does it have to do with me?
Akashō shook his head and walked over.
"Boss, one skewer of candied hawthorn."
He waved, and when the man lifted his head, Akashō realized he was blind. A scar ran across both eyes from left to right. As the man blinked, damaged white eyeballs were revealed, making for a rather terrifying sight.
Those eyes… cut by a blade. Ninja? Samurai? Earned in battle, or caught in the crossfire?
As Akashō lowered his gaze, he noticed a protrusion beneath the man's robe at his waist—something like a stick, but more like a short blade.
Definitely not an ordinary person.
Akashō subconsciously began to think it through, only snapping out of it when the man handed him a skewer.
Tch. Spending too much time around Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo—now he couldn't help analyzing even a random passerby.
He took the skewer and thanked the man, then pulled out his wallet. Without asking the price, he casually took out a bill and placed it in the man's hand.
Strangely, the man didn't ask how much he'd been given, nor did he feel the money to check. He simply tucked it into his clothes and resumed sitting there, closing his eyes as if he'd fallen asleep.
Running a business without caring about profit or loss, barely speaking at all… definitely undercover.
Akashō popped the candied hawthorn into his mouth. Sigh… even though he told himself not to think about it, he couldn't help it. Was he really turning into one of those calculating old schemers? He was supposed to be traveling.
He pulled the skewer out, smacked his lips, then licked them and muttered, "A bit too sweet."
He continued down the street, planning to find an inn for the night, when he suddenly overheard a conversation between two vegetable vendors nearby.
"Hey, did you hear? That legendary Kokushibo has appeared here!!"
"Huh!? You mean that giant monster that can swallow over a dozen people in one bite and eats hundreds in a single meal—Kokushibo!?"
Hearing the familiar name, Akashō stopped in his tracks.
A giant that swallows dozens in one bite? Isn't that the Colossal Titan? How did that get mixed up with Kokushibo? He had deliberately had those gang thugs spread fear, but this was getting ridiculous.
They've completely mashed everything together. Those idiots are useless—slacking off on the job. When he had time, he'd have to go knock some sense into them.
But more importantly, what was this about Kokushibo appearing here? He hadn't transformed even once since leaving Hidden Leaf Village.
"Yeah, that's him! I heard he showed up about twenty kilometers east of town last night and devoured dozens of households in a village. Terrifying!"
The first vendor continued, speaking as if he'd witnessed it himself.
Akashō narrowed his eyes. So someone was using his name to commit crimes. Not surprising—he'd seen this kind of thing before. There were always fools blinded by greed.
In the past, he wouldn't have cared. He had neither the interest nor the time.
But today…
Akashō licked the candied hawthorn and revealed a sinister grin.
Time to watch the real deal meet the impostor.