Knock, knock, knock
A knock came from the door. Kazuo Soga's voice sounded, "Come in."
As the sliding door opened, the maidservant in the kimono looked at Kazuo Soga, bowed, and asked, "Lord Kazuo, the meal is ready."
"Mm, I know." Kazuo Soga nodded. "You may leave first. There's nothing needed here." He naturally understood that the maidservant had likely come over because she heard the commotion earlier.
"Yes," the maidservant replied, then closed the sliding door again.
Inside the room, Sakura Haruno sat up, her expression impassive. "What do you want?"
"Freedom!" Kazuo Soga said without hesitation. "That curse binds me like shackles. If I cannot obtain freedom, I would rather die. So..." Kazuo Soga paused. "Death is also a form of release. If I could obtain freedom, that would be even better."
"Forcing me is useless. What I feel I can tell you, I naturally will," Kazuo Soga added.
Sakura took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Facing someone who was indifferent to living or dying was like dealing with a hedgehog; there was no easy way to approach it. She wondered if interrogation under torture would make him talk.
Kazuo Soga seemed to see through Sakura's thoughts and spoke again, "There's one more thing. Like 'it,' I am also a collective consciousness of 'Shāi.' Having experienced endless ages, interrogation by torture will only be a waste of your time."
Watching Kazuo Soga's seemingly confident demeanor, Sakura's mind raced. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck, and the agitation in her heart gradually calmed.
She carefully recalled their first meeting. Kazuo Soga had been filled with fear, not at all like his current indifferent attitude towards life and death. At that time, he seemed to believe she had already undergone the Tsu Transformation...
"Actually, you have another option. Wait until I complete the Tsu Transformation..." Sakura said, word by word, observing Kazuo Soga's expression.
Sure enough, the composure on the old fox's face gradually stiffened. Then, the muscles on his face twitched, revealing a hint of anxiety, which he quickly masked with a smile.
"Let's be frank. If you complete the Tsu Transformation, the worst outcome for me is returning to my previous state. But you will inevitably suffer more than I. Consider the gains and losses. Why insist on knowing the purpose of 'Shāi'? Since you've already mastered Seijutsu, standing at the top of the food chain is only a matter of time."
"And I only wish for you to lift my curse so I can freely choose my own burial place." Kazuo Soga said in a highly tempting tone, "And you, will become the undisputed god of this world..."
Sakura coldly watched Kazuo Soga's incessant speech, her heart unmoved. This old fox certainly had a talent for sales pitches. If it weren't for Junko's intelligence, she might have actually been fooled.
Kazuo Soga rambled on for a long time, only to find the kunoichi opposite him merely staring at him coldly. His voice gradually trailed off.
"Finished?" Sakura asked.
Kazuo Soga nodded, somewhat embarrassed. "I got carried away, got carried away..."
Although she was furious enough to want to slap this old fox who had deceived her time and again, she managed to draw a few conclusions from his mix of truths and falsehoods.
This old fox had lived for a very, very long time. He was a remnant of that era and held a certain status back then. But he was definitely not, as he claimed, a collective consciousness of "Shāi." Junko, however, truly was the collective consciousness he described.
Although his speech just now was padded with nonsense, it at least indicated he knew many things. Compared to Junko's partial understanding, he seemed more like a living "person."
Secondly, he needed her help now, not after her Tsu Transformation. He had a bone-deep fear of the Tsu God after the transformation, just like Junko. Therefore, he hoped the one to help him would be someone who had mastered Seijutsu but had not yet undergone the Tsu Transformation.
If she connected all the previous events, it was likely that this whole thing was a setup by Kazuo Soga, and she had fallen deep into his scheme.
The so-called monster invasion of Red Shoal Island was all this old bastard's trap. His real intention was probably to attract ninja here for missions, then bide his time to find someone who could learn Seijutsu and help him lift the curse.
However, this didn't quite add up. How could he be sure that the person who learned Seijutsu would help him lift the curse, and also ensure that person wouldn't fail due to the Tsu Transformation?
Since she couldn't figure it out, she might as well ask directly. Sakura organized her thoughts, glanced at Kazuo Soga, and said, "That Red Shoal Island monster invasion mission you posted was your trap, wasn't it?"
Kazuo Soga, who still looked somewhat embarrassed, heard Sakura's words, and his expression instantly changed.
"Actually, I've pretty much figured it out. I said I came this time to solve problems. If you keep beating around the bush with me like this... then I'm sorry, I will never help you lift the curse..." Sakura thought for a moment. This old fellow wasn't afraid of death; this seemed to be the only thing that could threaten him.
Kazuo Soga's lips moved a few times, his expression constantly changing. Finally, with a long sigh, he said, "Yes, I orchestrated all of this..."
"As I thought..." Sakura said. "I learned some information about that era from Junko. What I don't understand is, how were you sure your plan would succeed?"
"I couldn't be sure." Kazuo Soga seemed like a different person now, devoid of his previous cunning and flamboyant demeanor. He spoke in a calm tone, "I was gambling."
"Gambling?" Sakura murmured to herself.
"That's right. Ever since I awoke a thousand years ago, I've been planning this..." Kazuo Soga said.
"Wait... wait a minute... A thousand years ago?" Sakura said in shock.
"Yes..." Kazuo Soga shook his head. "My era has left no trace on this land. Only 'Shāi' bears witness to my past. But due to the curse, I cannot leave the range of its influence. So, for a thousand years, I have lived here, never leaving..."
Sakura couldn't imagine what it would be like for a person to live in a small area for a thousand years, seeing the same scenery for a thousand years. It was no different from a prison. If it were her, she would probably go mad.
"Hold on. If leaving means death, and you're prepared to die, why don't you just die?" Sakura asked, frowning.
Kazuo Soga didn't answer immediately this time. His eyes dimmed, as if lost in memories. After a long while, he said, "Because I still have unfulfilled wishes."
"Then why have you made up your mind now?" Sakura asked again.
This time, Kazuo Soga answered quite quickly. "Because if you don't help me, I don't have the patience to wait any longer."
Sakura remained noncommittal. Who knew if he was telling the truth? He had endured a thousand years; why couldn't he endure a little longer now? But these were minor issues. She then asked, "Then how did you choose me? Weren't there any suitable people in a thousand years?"
"Do you think just anyone can learn Seijutsu?" Kazuo Soga shook his head. "Even in my era, only a handful of people could learn Seijutsu and successfully complete the Tsu Transformation."
"Furthermore, even if someone could learn it, they also had to be willing to help me. This island is far from the mainland. It wasn't until over a hundred years ago that people started coming and going, bringing with them a power system, chakra. But there was still no suitable candidate, until you appeared."
"Me?" Sakura asked curiously. "Am I special in some way?"
"You were able to discover the special nature of 'Shāi.' That is your key to Seijutsu." Kazuo Soga's voice suddenly sounded somewhat desolate. "But some accidents happened. 'It' was born."
"Who? Junko?" Sakura asked quickly.
"Yes." Kazuo Soga nodded and continued, "Originally, in my plan, after a few years, I would post another mission, and then I would teach you Seijutsu. But I didn't expect that not only would 'it' be born, but you would also bring back the crystal of natural energy."
"With the crystal, you could be devoured by natural energy at any time. Out of desperation, I had to teach you Seijutsu ahead of schedule. But I didn't expect that... the Tsu Transformation... still happened..." Kazuo Soga's expression was somewhat conflicted. "And 'it' actually stopped your Tsu Transformation, but it also allowed you to learn about that era."
"Is that so." Sakura said thoughtfully. "So, you originally just planned for me to muddle through and help you lift the curse, but unexpectedly, because of Junko, I learned about these things."
"Yes. 'Its' ability to stop your Tsu Transformation prevented my plan from completely failing. But by letting you know about that era, I'm afraid... that era is about to awaken." Kazuo Soga shook his head helplessly. "If possible, I only hope you can help me lift the curse, let me fulfill my unfulfilled wishes. After that, you can do whatever you want with the world."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Sakura asked.
"Because..." Kazuo Soga hesitated, then finally steeled himself. "Because the use of this power comes at a price. The secret lies in 'Shāi'!"
Sakura fell silent. Although Kazuo Soga still hadn't specifically explained what "Shāi" was, judging by his current attitude, the price of using "Shāi" was probably enormous.
"If I didn't know these things, what would I have become after learning Seijutsu?" After a moment of silence, Sakura ultimately didn't ask what "Shāi" was. She was afraid the price and temptation Kazuo Soga spoke of would be too great for her to bear.
Hearing the kunoichi's question, Kazuo Soga looked surprised. He had originally thought she would ask about "Shāi," but unexpectedly, she didn't. At that moment, his opinion of her changed slightly.
"Nothing much would happen. What's truly terrifying is the Tsu Transformation. You would just be able to use natural energy, that's all," Kazuo Soga said with a shrug.
"But I've already undergone the Tsu Transformation before, though Junko stopped it," Sakura thought for a moment and asked.
"...." Kazuo Soga's face looked awkward, as if he hadn't quite figured out how to explain this issue.
"Deception has been written into your very being." Sakura leaned back, lying on the tatami mat. "It doesn't matter anymore. I came this time for 'Shāi'..."
The kunoichi no longer wanted to question this old liar. No matter what she asked him, his words would contain falsehoods. What she needed to do now was to slowly sift through his words for the truth.
His lack of intention to awaken that bygone era was the result she wanted... It could be considered avoiding a slaughter...
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