Shigure arrived at a secret chamber beneath the Mizukage's building.
This place was not merely a hidden room—it was Shigure's personal training ground.
Traveling to the offshore islands every time he needed to train was far too troublesome, so an enormous underground space had been constructed directly beneath the Mizukage's residence. That way, whether it was training or an emergency summons, Shigure could be reached immediately without leaving Kirigakure.
The underground chamber was vast—easily comparable to a professional football field.
As Shigure stepped inside, his gaze fell upon the three hundred people gathered there.
These individuals had been carefully selected by Haku over the past period. In the original Hidden Mist Village, every one of them had been utterly unremarkable. Through deliberate arrangements, they had either been officially recorded as dead or had completely vanished from public records.
Their presence here meant one thing:
their former identities had been erased.
From this moment onward, Shigure would give them new identities.
They would become shinobi of newly established Bloodline Limit clans.
The bloodlines to be inherited this time were Lava Release, Scorch Release, and Storm Release.
Naturally, these three Kekkei Genkai did not require all three hundred people.
Half of them would be reassigned to the clans Shigure had already established earlier:
Kozuki
Botao
Kaguya
Onimujou
The remaining one hundred and fifty were the true candidates for the three new bloodlines.
Fifty people per clan—perfectly balanced.
"Then… let's begin."
As Shigure spoke, dense mist surged from beneath his feet. In an instant, darkness swallowed the entire underground chamber. Not a single ray of light remained.
Gluttony—activate.
A strange black substance spread rapidly, enveloping the space like a living shadow. One after another, all three hundred people were drawn into the food chain, their bodies and chakra being completely reconstructed.
Then, just as suddenly, they were released.
To those who experienced it, the entire process felt no different from being caught in a powerful genjutsu. Aside from that sensation, there was no pain—no awareness of what had occurred.
The transformation was complete in a little over ten minutes.
The greater the number of individuals within the food chain, the more power Shigure could draw upon.
Once the shinobi assigned to the four existing clans were dismissed, they would soon be "rediscovered" by their respective clans through various channels and officially recalled. The details of those arrangements were left to Mei Terumī and Ao.
Even the elders of Kirigakure seemed to be aware that something was happening.
However, this matter was classified as the highest level of secrecy.
Shigure was sparing no effort to strengthen the Hidden Mist Village.
The elders raised no objections. Whether it was transforming ordinary shinobi into Kekkei Genkai users—or even conducting human experiments—none of it posed a problem as long as it increased Kirigakure's strength.
As for the remaining one hundred and fifty people…
They required new surnames.
Shigure's gaze shifted to the first group.
"From this moment on," he said calmly,
"you will take Akasan as your surname."
A Lava Release Bloodline Limit clan bearing the name Akasan—it was an almost perfect match.
Then came the second group.
"The Scorch Release Bloodline Limit Clan will take Honggu as their surname."
The words echoed through the underground chamber, marking the birth of entirely new clans within the Hidden Mist Village.
As for the final Storm Release Bloodline Limit Clan—
Shigure turned his gaze toward them. Their Storm Release chakra was exceptionally powerful, and when it came to a surname associated with lightning, a single name immediately came to mind.
"Chidori. From now on, you will take Chidori as your surname."
The one hundred and fifty shinobi silently felt the changes within their bodies, sensing the surge of newly awakened power. When they heard the surnames personally bestowed upon them by Shigure, excitement surged through their hearts.
Yet on the surface, they maintained composure.
"Yes, Lord Mizukage!"
Watching them, Shigure waved his hand, signaling for them to withdraw. The remaining arrangements no longer required his direct involvement—Mei Terumī and Ao would naturally oversee the gradual integration of these clans into Kirigakure.
However, a few individuals remained behind.
One of them was Haku.
Another was the shinobi who had just inherited Lava Release and stood out as the most exceptional among all its recipients—
Akasan Hiro.
There was also Namikaze Yumeko, a kunoichi from the Namikaze clan with an astonishingly large chakra reserve and a remarkably strong physique—something Shigure had not expected.
The chosen successor of the Six-Tails had turned out to be a woman.
Although the Namikaze clan bore its own name, its bloodline actually carried the legacy of the Senju Clan.
Meanwhile, the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki was Kozuki Kageichi of the Kozuki Clan, a shinobi with an extraordinary talent in Invisibility Release.
Once activated, even Shigure himself would be unable to detect Kageichi's presence without extreme focus.
"I brought you here," Shigure said calmly, "to turn you into Jinchūriki."
Haku froze for a moment.
"Lord Shigure… you mean for us to become Jinchūriki?"
"Exactly."
Haku frowned slightly, confused.
"But why? If the Tailed Beasts remain within you, wouldn't you become even stronger? Why give them to us?"
Shigure smiled faintly.
"Because I no longer need them."
"I no longer require the Tailed Beasts' power to strengthen myself."
"Giving that power to you will instead create more powerful shinobi for the Village."
Those words instantly changed the expressions of the people present. The unease and fear in their hearts melted away, replaced by awe.
So this was the Mizukage's perspective.
Strength was not hoarded for oneself—it was used to elevate the entire Village.
"Don't worry," Shigure continued.
"All of the Tailed Beasts have already been subdued by me. They will not resist you, and they will absolutely not go berserk."
Relief washed over them—followed by uncontrollable excitement.
"Haku," Shigure said, "you will inherit the Three-Tails."
"Akasan Hiro, you will inherit the Four-Tails."
"Namikaze Yumeko, you will inherit the Six-Tails."
"Kozuki Kageichi, you will inherit the Seven-Tails."
With those words, the four Tailed Beasts sealed within Shigure were distributed.
Haku hesitated before asking, "Lord Shigure… when did the Four-Tails appear again? Wasn't it originally from Iwagakure?"
Shigure glanced at him calmly.
"You don't need to concern yourself with that. Prepare yourselves. Accept the power of the Tailed Beasts."
The sealing process proceeded flawlessly.
Even after the Tailed Beasts were extracted, Shigure's body still retained residual Tailed Beast chakra. There was no risk to his life whatsoever.
And with the birth of four new Jinchūriki, Kirigakure gained four terrifyingly powerful shinobi.
Once they fully mastered their Tailed Beast powers, their strength would undoubtedly approach the Kage level.
Watching them gradually adapt, Shigure felt deeply satisfied.
Under his guidance, the Hidden Mist Village was growing stronger by the day.
Even if a Great Ninja War were to break out, Kirigakure would have nothing to fear.
With the matters of the Bloodline Limit clans and the Tailed Beasts resolved, Shigure turned his thoughts elsewhere.
To grow further, he would need even more Tailed Beast power.
The Two-Tails or the Five-Tails…
Which should he pursue first?
Meanwhile—Konoha Village
Jiraiya, who had been away from the Village for a long time, gazed at the familiar yet unchanged scenery of Konoha.
Behind him stood Naruto, now dressed in new clothes, his expression unreadable as he looked around.
"Well?" Jiraiya asked with a grin.
"How does it feel to be back in Konoha?"
Naruto didn't answer immediately.
After a moment, he muttered softly,
"I wonder how Shigure and Sasuke are doing…"
(End of Chapter)
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