Shigure—glanced at Tsunade, then shifted his gaze to the pillars lining his side of the hall.
"Is this how Konoha welcomes its guests?" he asked lightly. "So grand?"
A faint smile curved his lips.
Yet the Konoha shinobi present looked pale. Shigure hadn't made a single move—but the pressure in the air alone had stunned several of them into near unconsciousness.
Just his killing intent… and they couldn't even remain fully awake.
How monstrously strong had he become?
The thought alone made more than one shinobi swallow nervously.
Might Guy stepped closer to Kakashi and muttered, "That kid… he's getting scarier by the day."
Kakashi gave a slow nod. "Every time we meet him, he's different. Stronger."
This time was no exception.
Tsunade stepped forward.
"Shigure," she said evenly, "what brings the Mizukage to Konoha? There must be a reason."
Shigure stood atop the rapidly flowing water cutting through the training ground. Despite the violent current beneath his feet, his body remained perfectly steady.
He glanced down.
The water shifted.
In an instant, the torrent curved away from him, parting as though obeying an unseen will. Without a single hand seal, the water condensed—solidifying into the shapes of a table and two chairs.
Pure chakra control.
No visible nature transformation.
No seals.
Just dominance.
Shigure sat casually on the chair formed from flowing water and gestured for Tsunade to sit opposite him.
Nara Shikaku and the others exchanged uneasy looks.
Such mastery over Water Release… to reshape unfixed water into stable structures through sheer control alone—
It was terrifying.
Tsunade approached and sat across from him.
Shigure smiled faintly.
"It's been a while. Are you used to being Hokage?"
Tsunade studied him carefully. His tone had softened, almost conversational.
"It's manageable," she replied. "If you can handle the responsibilities of Mizukage, I can handle being Hokage."
Shigure nodded.
"Good."
A brief silence followed before he continued.
"I didn't come here for anything complicated. I just wanted to see a few people."
His gaze drifted past Tsunade—toward Yamanaka Ino standing in the rear.
Tsunade immediately noticed.
"You brat," she said sharply, "taking Hyūga Hinata wasn't enough? Now you've set your sights on another of Konoha's kunoichi?"
Shigure chuckled.
"Is there really that much difference between staying in Konoha and living in Kirigakure?"
"Of course there is," Tsunade shot back. Her eyes narrowed. "Are you here to take someone? Or is there another reason?"
"I told you," he said calmly. "Nothing special. Just… meeting people before things change."
"Before?" Tsunade frowned. "What do you mean?"
Shigure's voice turned colder.
"Kirigakure now possesses eight tailed beasts."
The statement landed heavily.
Tsunade already knew—but hearing it spoken so plainly made the reality sharper.
"And?" she asked.
"And the shinobi world won't remain quiet much longer."
He didn't need to elaborate.
Iwagakure. Kumogakure. Sunagakure.
Every one of them had lost their tailed beasts to Kirigakure.
They were watching.
Waiting.
If negotiations between Konoha and Kirigakure broke down today, the other great villages would surely seize the opportunity to act. They couldn't simply ignore the fact that nearly all the tailed beasts were now under one banner.
Tsunade's expression grew solemn.
"Have you truly thought this through?"
Shigure nodded without hesitation.
"Does something like this require long consideration?" he said lightly. "A single second is enough to decide."
"And if war breaks out?" Tsunade pressed.
He met her gaze directly.
"Even without the tailed beasts, Kirigakure is already the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
There was no arrogance in his tone—only certainty.
"You could declare us the strongest today," he continued. "It wouldn't change anything. The others won't risk provoking us lightly."
Tsunade understood what he was implying.
If he returned the tailed beasts, the other villages would regain hope. With hope came patience. They would endure, wait, and bide their time.
After all—
Shigure was human.
He would age.
One day, he would die.
And when that day came, the balance of power would shift again.
But as long as he stood at the peak…
No one dared to move.
All they had to do… was endure for a while.
That was the rational choice.
But Shigure did not believe in patience bought through submission.
The Akatsuki had already begun seizing the tailed beasts. The Four-Tails' jinchūriki had long since left Iwagakure, abandoned by his own village. If Iwa no longer claimed him, then Shigure had every right to take the beast.
As for the Six-Tails—it originally belonged to Kirigakure. Its jinchūriki had already defected and later returned under Shigure's authority. Reclaiming it was only natural.
Why should Kirigakure retreat now?
Shigure shook his head lightly and smiled.
"No," he said calmly. "I will not compromise. If they want to test us… let them try."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Uzumaki Naruto standing in the distance.
Naruto felt it immediately—the moment their eyes met, the air seemed to tighten.
Tsunade's expression darkened.
"You're not planning to target the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, are you?"
"No."
Shigure answered without hesitation.
"I have no interest in the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto."
The Nine-Tails' chakra was immense, yes—but Naruto was someone he acknowledged. He had no intention of robbing a friend of his power.
Besides… the other half of the Nine-Tails' chakra was already sealed within the Fourth Hokage. That was more than enough for his purposes.
Tsunade's tense expression eased slightly.
Shigure didn't elaborate further. Some things did not need explaining.
"Sister Tsunade," he said quietly, "when the time comes… I hope you won't stand on the opposite side of Kirigakure."
Tsunade looked up sharply.
"What exactly are you implying?"
Shigure only smiled and offered no answer. Instead, his gaze drifted toward the sky.
If his calculations were correct—
Sasuke should already be making his move.
Inside Konoha – The Hokage Building
A Konoha shinobi stood motionless in the corridor, drool running from the corner of his mouth, eyes unfocused.
Genjutsu.
Five more shinobi behind him were in the same state—completely incapacitated without realizing it.
Uchiha Sasuke stepped past them silently and entered the archive chamber where the Scroll of Seals was kept.
"There it is…"
He quickly produced another storage scroll, intending to seal the Scroll of Seals within it.
But the moment he attempted the transfer, the surface of the scroll emitted a faint flash of chakra.
Blocked.
The Scroll of Seals had been layered with a protective fūinjutsu. It couldn't be stored inside another scroll.
Sasuke's expression darkened.
"Tch. They even prepared for that."
Then—
An alarm blared through the Hokage Building.
"Intruder! The Scroll of Seals is being targeted!"
"All available units, move immediately! Don't let him escape!"
Footsteps thundered through the corridors.
Without hesitation, Sasuke slung the massive Scroll of Seals across his back and leapt through the window.
He landed smoothly outside—
Only to find himself instantly surrounded.
Konoha shinobi encircled him from every direction, weapons drawn.
Sasuke slowly raised his head, his Sharingan spinning lazily in his eyes.
"…Their reaction speed isn't bad."
But it wasn't enough.
(End of Chapter)
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