Shigure departed with the shinobi of Kirigakure.
Tsunade and the others remained where they stood, their expressions complicated.
Was this the authority of the strongest village in the shinobi world?
To take what they wanted from Konoha—and leave openly, without concealment.
Tsunade herself was not truly angered by Shigure's actions. She understood the political balance at play.
But the rest of Konoha would not see it that way.
Shigure, however, had no intention of considering their feelings.
Almost simultaneously with his departure, Sasuke withdrew from Konoha as well. Carrying the Scroll of Seals, he headed toward the agreed rendezvous point.
Shigure arrived first.
When Sasuke finally appeared, he was drenched in blood.
Shigure frowned slightly.
The stench of iron clung heavily to him. That kind of smell did not come from a single skirmish.
He had killed many.
At least dozens.
"Did you get it?" Shigure asked calmly.
Sasuke raised his hand and tossed the large scroll toward him. He caught it with ease and opened it without hesitation.
Around them, the Mist shinobi instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at the scroll in his hands.
Seizing the Scroll of Seals from Konoha was no small matter. Even Hisaji and the others felt uneasy.
"Shigure-sama," Hisaji asked carefully, "will Konoha declare war because we took the Scroll of Seals?"
Shigure glanced at him.
"Are you afraid?"
He stiffened immediately.
"No!"
After a brief pause, he added, "If they do intend to go to war… perhaps we should strike first. Take the initiative and attack Konoha before they mobilize."
It wasn't an unreasonable concern.
Konoha had Tsunade. And if necessary, they still possessed powerful assets like Naruto, the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
A direct conflict would not be easy for either side.
Shigure smiled faintly.
"There's no need. They won't break relations with us over the Scroll of Seals alone."
He closed the scroll.
"If we had taken the Nine-Tails from them, then perhaps they would truly lose control."
With that, he began walking forward.
"Let's go. We're returning to the village."
Sasuke walked beside him in silence for a while before speaking.
"Can you master that technique?"
Shigure nodded.
"Of course."
The Great Sage had already completed the initial recording. The analysis of Edo Tensei was underway.
Even so, it would take about a day to fully comprehend and reproduce it.
The Impure World Reincarnation was not a simple ninjutsu. It was a forbidden technique that tampered with life and death itself—originally created by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
Shigure let out a quiet breath.
Back in Kirigakure, the news spread quickly.
Konoha's Scroll of Seals had been taken.
The shockwaves moved through the shinobi world.
—
Kumogakure.
The Fourth Raikage read the intelligence report in his hand, a slow grin forming on his face.
"Raikage-sama," Mabui asked from beside him, "what's so amusing?"
He handed her the report.
"Excellent. Kirigakure has completely offended Konoha. They forcibly took the Scroll of Seals—the scroll containing Konoha's forbidden techniques, many of them developed by the Second Hokage."
He leaned back.
"Konoha won't tolerate that forever."
Ever since learning that Kirigakure had taken control of multiple tailed beasts—including the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails once affiliated with Kumogakure—the Raikage had been searching for a solution.
The tailed beasts were military deterrents.
Without them, Kumogakure's strategic weight diminished drastically.
He had even considered negotiation—paying a heavy price if necessary—to retrieve the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails.
As long as they were returned, there would still be hope.
But if Kirigakure monopolized the tailed beasts…
Then the balance of the Five Great Nations would collapse.
Aside from the Nine-Tails in Konoha, nearly every other tailed beast had fallen under Kirigakure's influence.
That meant one thing.
With sufficient control over those beasts, Kirigakure could devastate an entire nation through sheer destructive power alone.
The Raikage's smile faded slightly.
"This changes the board," he muttered.
And across the shinobi world, the pieces were beginning to move.
This was no longer a simple political provocation.
It was an overwhelming military threat.
With Kirigakure now controlling multiple tailed beasts, no village could afford to ignore it—least of all Kumogakure.
Kumogakure
The Fourth Raikage slammed his hand onto the table.
"The old man has decided!"
Mabui, standing behind him, looked up in surprise.
The Raikage's eyes were sharp.
"We will convene a Five Kage Summit."
Mabui froze slightly.
"Even Konoha has now clashed with Kirigakure. If the other four great villages unite and apply pressure together, I refuse to believe the Mizukage will ignore us."
His voice grew heavier.
"Kirigakure took the Scroll of Seals in front of Konoha. They've taken tailed beasts that once belonged to Kumogakure. Do they truly believe they can stand against the entire shinobi world?"
Mabui hesitated.
The intelligence reports were clear—Kirigakure had acted openly and without hesitation in Konoha itself.
Would such a village fear a Five Kage Summit?
The current Kirigakure was no longer the isolated Bloody Mist of the past. Under Shigure's rule, its military strength had expanded drastically. With control over multiple tailed beasts, it surpassed any single great nation.
And Shigure himself—
As the Sixth Mizukage, he possessed both the power and the status to ignore threats.
If the Five Kage Summit were convened… there was no guarantee Kirigakure would yield.
But the Raikage had already made his decision.
Orders were dispatched.
Iwagakure
Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, read the report with a sneer.
"A bold Kirigakure. A bold Sixth Mizukage."
"To steal the Scroll of Seals in front of Konoha's strongest—and walk away unchallenged."
He scoffed.
"And Konoha claims the legacy of the First Hokage? Even with Senju Hashirama resurrected, they did nothing?"
Ōnoki shook his head.
"Shameful."
No matter how powerful Shigure was, he was still young in his eyes.
For Konoha to allow such humiliation without retaliation—it made them look weak.
An Iwa shinobi rushed in.
"Tsuchikage-sama! Urgent intelligence from Kumogakure. The Fourth Raikage intends to convene a Five Kage Summit."
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed.
"The Raikage has chosen his timing well."
Kirigakure had just strained relations with Konoha. Politically, this was the moment when the Mist stood the most isolated.
No matter how powerful the Sixth Mizukage might be, could he truly oppose the combined will of the Five Great Nations?
After a moment, Ōnoki nodded.
"Very well. Iwagakure will attend."
Sunagakure
Gaara stood silently, reading the intelligence scroll in his hand.
"This is confirmed?" he asked calmly.
"Yes, Kazekage-sama. It is verified."
A faint smile appeared on Gaara's face.
"A Five Kage Summit… how interesting."
The shinobi beside him looked uneasy.
"Kazekage-sama, this could lead to war."
Gaara's expression did not change.
"It is precisely because war may come."
Sunagakure had long struggled with limited resources and declining influence. In times of peace, they stagnated. In times of upheaval, there was opportunity.
"If Sunagakure continues as it is," Gaara said quietly, "we will never escape our current limitations."
He folded the scroll.
"No matter what form this conflict takes… it cannot leave us worse off than we are now."
Outside, the desert winds howled.
Across the shinobi world, shadows were gathering.
The Five Kage Summit was no longer a possibility.
It was inevitable.
(End of Chapter)
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