read my new story:
HXH : Highschool of the Dead
Under the pale moonlight, in a pool of scarlet blood.
Shikage coldly scanned his surroundings.
More than forty shadows knelt respectfully before him.
Like soldiers awaiting inspection.
And that was exactly what they were.
He sorted the twenty highest-attribute shadow soldiers and sent them back into the legion space.
The rest could only be dismissed with regret.
As the power of their lord faded, the weaker shadow soldiers melted into puddles of black liquid and sank into the cold earth without a trace.
Shikage touched the gruesome wound on his chest and decided there was no need to heal it.
With a silent thought, the shadow clone dissolved into chakra and scattered on the wind.
...
Meanwhile.
Shikage, who had been hurrying through the night, suddenly paused.
Zerin thought he had spotted danger and asked nervously,
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
Shikage waved it off and continued escorting the two Takigakure shinobi.
Only his eyes had grown deeper.
—My shadow clone took damage.
—Muwei actually has some skill.
—Looks like I still can't underestimate the top shinobi of this world.
—At least it added to my combat experience.
After mentally reviewing every detail of the shadow clone's fight, Shikage finally checked his gains from the trip.
The level-up stats weren't much—nowhere near a qualitative breakthrough.
The Shadow Legion had grown stronger overall, mostly thanks to the new usable fighters.
The only real pleasant surprise was the treasure Muwei had dropped.
[Item: Key to the Box of Ultimate Bliss]
[Type: One-time Consumable]
[Description: As you wish, so it shall be]
—Didn't expect something like this to drop.
Shikage thought for a moment, then stored the key in his system inventory.
He had no plans to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss right now.
Setting aside the fact that Kusagakure guarded that thing like it was their life, just stealing the box itself would be a huge pain.
Not to mention that opening it wouldn't give him any god-tier weapon or item—just a ridiculously strong "Enlightened One."
Until he figured out a way to actually use that thing, he wasn't stepping into that mess.
Still, the word "key" reminded him of something.
From his previous-life memories, the [Daily Quest] had hidden rewards.
Any training that exceeded the daily requirement didn't vanish—it was recorded.
Once the accumulated excess reached a certain threshold, it would trigger the hidden reward: a key to a secret dungeon.
He had tried it after getting the system, but it clearly required far more than double or triple the normal amount.
Back then he hadn't had the time, and clearing a hidden dungeon required real strength anyway, so he had put it on hold.
Maybe now was the time to give it a shot.
That was exactly what Shikage was thinking.
...
After dealing with the Kusagakure ambush midway, the rest of the escort mission went unusually smoothly.
They encountered almost no further obstacles the entire way, and Zerin and Shibuki safely returned to their village.
At a lakeside waterfall, Zerin turned to Shikage, looking a little awkward.
"Thank you for your help."
"You've escorted us far enough. We can handle the rest ourselves."
Shikage felt no resentment at the polite "dismissal."
He understood perfectly why Takigakure had survived this long—not because of powerful shinobi or strong alliances, but because of its winding, complex terrain.
If the route into the village ever leaked, it would be a catastrophe for them.
So he simply nodded and passed on Hiruzen's message:
"Lord Zerin, if Takigakure ever runs into trouble, you can seek assistance from Konoha."
"Understood."
Zerin nodded heavily.
Wasn't that promise exactly why he had cooperated with Hiruzen to set that trap for Danzo?
Because he was wary of Shikage's Anbu status, the two didn't chat any further.
After expressing his gratitude once more, Zerin led Shibuki away.
They passed through the waterfall, swam into the underground lake, and followed the passage until they finally stepped into the hidden village.
The moment his feet touched home soil, the weight that had been crushing Zerin's heart finally lifted.
Thinking of Water Smoke, his expression turned gloomy.
Even now he still didn't understand why Water Smoke had betrayed them.
As one of Takigakure's pillars, his betrayal wasn't just a personal stab in the back—it was a devastating blow to the village's security.
Still, he was the village leader. Zerin quickly composed himself.
Back in the leader's residence, he summoned their most precious asset—the Seven-Tails jinchuriki, Fu.
"Fu, how has your training been lately?"
The lively girl with long dark-green hair and tanned skin danced her hands excitedly.
"Lord Leader, I can already control Butterfly Flight!"
Hearing that, a rare flash of relief finally appeared in Zerin's eyes.
Hero's Water was dead. Fu was alive.
Relying on Hero's Water, Takigakure would eventually walk the path to destruction.
Fu was the village's true future!
"You've worked hard."
Praised by the leader, Fu laughed brightly and innocently.
"Lord Leader, what about Shibuki? Didn't Lord Water Smoke come back?"
The two questions instantly doused the small spark of joy in Zerin's heart. He leaned back in his chair, exhausted, and changed the subject instead of answering.
"Has Tao still not returned?"
Tao was currently one of Takigakure's three strongest shinobi. The other two were naturally Zerin and Water Smoke.
Water Smoke was Shibuki's teacher, while Tao was Fu's.
Before leaving, Zerin had sent Tao to the Land of Rain on an investigation mission.
Now that he was back but Tao was nowhere to be seen, Zerin felt a faint sense of worry.
The impression the Amegakure shinobi had left during the Chunin Exams hadn't been good.
"No."
Fu shook her head. Her cheerful smile dimmed a little.
Zerin frowned.
Water Smoke had already betrayed them. If something happened to Tao as well, Takigakure would lose eighty percent of its ability to handle crises!
This was the tragedy of a weak hidden village.
Even a single jonin was an existence they could not afford to lose.
...
Outside Takigakure.
After completing the escort mission, Shikage didn't head straight back.
Instead, he split off two shadow clones and transformed them into perfect copies of Zerin and Shibuki.
That's right—he was setting bait to fish too!
Only he wasn't using real bait. He was using fakes.
Takigakure had survived this long thanks to its unique geography, which kept other forces from invading.
But that didn't mean no one was secretly eyeing them like hungry wolves.
The Land of Waterfalls was surrounded by four countries. Countless hidden villages, bandit groups, and armed factions wanted a bite.
As long as word spread that Zerin was outside, Shikage refused to believe no one would come knocking.
His whole reason for joining Anbu was to farm monsters and level up, wasn't it?
He wasn't about to let a golden farming opportunity slip away.
And while he was at it, he decided he might as well complete the hidden condition for the [Daily Quest] too.