Hearing Naruto's words, Jiraiya let out a helpless sigh.
It seemed Naruto still hadn't given up.
Bringing Sasuke and Shigure back to the Village had always been Naruto's goal.
But in Jiraiya's view, no matter who it was, Naruto simply couldn't bring either of them back to Konoha.
"Shigure has already become the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village," Jiraiya said seriously.
"Naruto, you can't bring him back anymore."
Naruto froze.
He stood there silently, staring at the ground.
After a long moment, he finally raised his head.
"I don't care what Kage he is," Naruto said firmly.
"I only know he's a member of Team 7, and I will bring him back to Konoha."
Then Naruto looked straight at Jiraiya.
"And Sasuke defected to Orochimaru. Orochimaru was your companion, right?"
"He used to be," Jiraiya replied.
"I don't care whether he was or not," Naruto snapped.
"I don't care what kind of 'maru' he is, whether he's one of the Three Sannin or anything else!"
"I'll beat them all up! And even if I have to tie him up, I'll bring Sasuke back!"
Looking at Naruto's stubborn expression, Jiraiya could only sigh inwardly.
There was no changing his mind.
Soon after, the two arrived at the Hokage's office.
Tsunade looked at Naruto, who had just completed his training.
"How did it go?"
Jiraiya glanced at Naruto before answering,
"The Sage Mode training went fairly smoothly. But controlling the Nine-Tails' chakra… that part was difficult."
At the mention of controlling Tailed Beast chakra, Tsunade looked at Naruto and said calmly,
"I asked Shigure about it. His method for controlling Tailed Beast chakra is very simple."
"You just need to be stronger than the Tailed Beast."
Naruto was stunned.
"Hokage-sama… you've met Shigure?"
"Yes," Tsunade nodded. "Not long ago."
Naruto clenched his fists slightly.
"Is Shigure very strong now?"
That question made Tsunade smile helplessly.
"Strong?" she repeated.
"He's frighteningly strong."
"Even without using any Tailed Beast power, Shigure could easily defeat me now."
Naruto's expression immediately became solemn.
"Really?" Jiraiya asked, equally shocked.
After all, while Shigure had been powerful before, he hadn't been this powerful.
"It's true," Tsunade said.
"Shigure's talent is terrifying. I even suspect that his decision to become a Jinchūriki wasn't for power itself."
"He used the Tailed Beast's power to study it."
"His real goal wasn't to rely on Tailed Beast chakra—but to understand it completely, so he could develop even more terrifying ninjutsu."
As she spoke, Tsunade stood up.
"And the facts prove it. Shigure has already developed a jutsu that's extremely frightening."
Even now, Tsunade still couldn't understand how Shigure's strange ability truly worked.
Meanwhile—The Land of Earth
In a desolate stone forest.
A shinobi whose body was shrouded in roaring steam—the Steam Ninja, Han, the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki—stared solemnly at the figure before him.
He had never seen this person before.
Yet the sheer pressure emanating from him made Han's breathing feel heavy.
Han's full-powered punch had been blocked casually.
Even after activating the Five-Tails' chakra and combining it with his Steam Armor, unleashing terrifying strength—
The other party had stopped it with ease.
Unbelievable.
Cold sweat slid down Han's face.
"Who are you?" Han demanded.
"Why ask so many questions?" the man replied impatiently.
"Hurry up and activate your Tailed Beast's power."
"I'm in a hurry."
The other party clearly knew he was a Jinchūriki.
"…Alright!"
Han roared.
In an instant, massive amounts of Tailed Beast chakra erupted from his body.
His aura surged explosively.
The steam surrounding him became even more violent, roaring outward like a raging furnace as Han charged straight toward Shigure.
Shigure didn't dodge.
Instead, he threw a simple punch.
Bang!
A deafening roar erupted instantly.
The terrifying shockwave echoed throughout the stone forest as dust and shattered rock exploded outward. Han was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing violently into a distant cliff face.
Shigure slowly lowered his arm.
Black matter covered his hand, writhing like a living substance.
Gluttony: Devour successful.
Five-Tails Chakra absorbed: 2%.
With nothing more than brief contact, Shigure had devoured two percent of the Five-Tails' chakra.
Even Shigure was slightly surprised.
After Gluttony's evolution, its devouring speed had clearly increased.
If that was the case—
There was no reason to hold back.
"Gluttony… devour everything."
In an instant, vast amounts of black matter erupted from Shigure's body.
Like countless living tentacles, it swept toward Han at terrifying speed.
Han's screams echoed through the stone forest as Gluttony continuously devoured him.
Even Han himself was swallowed whole.
At the same time, his existence was directly incorporated into Shigure's food chain.
When everything finally settled, Shigure could clearly feel the surging Five-Tails chakra flowing within his body.
His Six Paths power had grown stronger.
Just as he expected—by continuously replenishing Tailed Beast chakra, the Six Paths power could be steadily enhanced.
Great Sage: Gluttony Skill
Current Restoration: 70%
After devouring the Five-Tails' power, Gluttony had recovered to seventy percent.
If he devoured the remaining Two-Tails and combined that with additional chakra from the Nine-Tails, fully restoring Gluttony would no longer be an issue.
Shigure turned his gaze forward.
Han slowly stood up, staring at Shigure in sheer terror.
"What… what did you just do to me?"
At this moment, Han felt as if Shigure could crush him with nothing more than a thought.
"Relax," Shigure said calmly. "It won't harm you."
"Now, try activating Boil Release again."
Han hesitated briefly—then activated it.
Boom!
Boil Release chakra erupted violently, far more powerful than before. The steam surrounding his body surged, its intensity several times greater than anything he had previously achieved.
"Join the Hidden Mist Village, Han," Shigure said.
"The Hidden Mist has a clan called the Yumujō Clan. Every member specializes in Boil Release, just like you."
Han frowned.
"I'm a shinobi of Iwagakure. How could I possibly join the Hidden Mist Village?"
Shigure smiled faintly.
"You don't want to? That's fine."
"Then I'll simply strip you of the Five-Tails… and take back the power I gave you."
If Han were removed from the food chain, he wouldn't just lose Shigure's enhancements—he would lose nearly all of his original strength as well.
Han fell silent.
"You're not going back to Iwagakure anyway," Shigure continued.
"Joining the Hidden Mist changes nothing."
"And as a Jinchūriki, you're a target for certain people. The Hidden Mist can protect you far better."
Shigure looked straight at him.
"And to be blunt—do you really think you still have a choice?"
Han's pupils shrank.
After a long pause, he finally clenched his teeth.
"…Alright."
Otogakure
Orochimaru looked at Sasuke.
"Are you really going?"
"Yes," Sasuke replied coldly.
"I've nearly mastered my power. Killing Itachi is no longer impossible."
"I'm going to the Hidden Mist Village to find Shigure. With his help, I'll definitely be able to track Itachi down."
Orochimaru smiled.
"Go," he said softly. "I wish you success, Sasuke."
Sasuke glanced back at him once, then turned and walked out of the Otogakure base.
Jūgo. Suigetsu. Karin.
The four figures departed together.
Team Taka was reassembled.
Sasuke had gained enough power.
And now—
He no longer intended to wait to take his revenge.
(End of Chapter)
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