"Sasuke, where are we going?"
Suigetsu glanced sideways at Sasuke as they moved forward.
Without turning his head, Sasuke replied calmly,
"The Hidden Mist Village."
The moment those words left his mouth, Suigetsu's expression darkened.
"The Hidden Mist Village?" he snapped. "I don't want to go back to that place."
Sasuke finally looked at him.
Suigetsu Hōzuki—member of the Hōzuki Clan, born and raised in Kirigakure.
A Mist ninja who refused to return home.
It didn't take much imagination to guess that there was a deep scar buried there.
"You still don't know, do you?" Sasuke said.
"The Hidden Mist Village isn't what it used to be. The new Mizukage has changed everything."
Suigetsu scoffed. "And what does that have to do with me?"
"The bloodline clans of Kirigakure have returned one after another," Sasuke continued evenly.
"Even the Hōzuki Clan. They've regrouped and rebuilt."
Suigetsu froze.
"…What?"
But the next instant, he shook his head hard.
"No way. That's impossible!"
Back then, too many Hōzuki clan members had fled. They scattered across the ninja world, erased their identities, vanished completely.
Finding them again was nearly impossible.
Even if Kirigakure wanted to bring them back—
Under those circumstances, it simply couldn't be done.
"Our clan will never return to the Hidden Mist," Suigetsu said firmly.
Sasuke smiled faintly.
"Then why don't you see it for yourself?"
"Have I ever lied to you, Suigetsu?"
Suigetsu fell silent.
…No. Sasuke never lied.
"Are you coming or not?" Karin snapped from the side, clearly irritated.
"If not, turn around and leave!"
This was supposed to be a trip for her and Sasuke.
Instead, she was stuck with two unnecessary tagalongs—Suigetsu and Jūgo.
Her patience had long since worn thin.
"Tch. Fine," Suigetsu muttered.
"I'll go and see just how different Kirigakure is now."
The reason Shigure had managed to reunite the lost bloodline clans was simple.
The cloud pigeons.
Although their primary mission was to locate Jinchūriki, whenever a cloud pigeon discovered traces of a former Kirigakure ninja, it immediately sent out a signal.
The information would be delivered directly to Shigure.
ANBU from the Hidden Mist would then investigate.
If the individual truly was a former Mist ninja, they wouldn't be forced back—
They would be persuaded.
Some chose to return willingly.
And once a few returned, things became much easier.
Those who came back would personally approach the ones still hesitating.
After all, once discovered, continuing to live in hiding was no longer peaceful.
Under steady persuasion, more and more people returned.
At the same time, Shigure's reputation grew.
Hope—something Kirigakure had lacked for far too long—was rekindled.
And so, the lost ninja returned to the village one after another.
Within the Hidden Mist Village.
Shigure handed Han over to the Boil Release clan.
"His name is Han," Shigure said calmly.
"From this day forward, he will be a member of your clan."
"He is also the Five-Tails' Jinchūriki. Protect him well."
The Yumujō Clan ninja bowed deeply.
"Yes, Lord Mizukage!"
A Boil Release user—
And a Jinchūriki.
The clan erupted internally with excitement.
This meant that future Five-Tails Jinchūriki would likely come from the Yumujō Clan.
An advantage no other bloodline clan could ignore.
After settling Han's arrangements, Shigure turned his attention to his next target.
The Two-Tails Jinchūriki—Yugito Nii.
She was currently within the Hidden Cloud Village.
Extracting the Two-Tails there would inevitably alert Kumogakure.
…Unless it was done at night.
Shigure decided to wait.
At that moment, a cloud pigeon sent an unexpected signal.
Uchiha Sasuke was heading toward Otogakure.
Meanwhile, in Konoha.
Naruto stood before Tsunade, his fists clenched.
"No matter what, I have to go to the Hidden Mist Village!"
"Shigure is the Mizukage now," Naruto said stubbornly.
"There's no way he can refuse to see me!"
Tsunade looked at him silently.
Persuasion was pointless.
Still, she didn't believe Naruto would succeed.
But his determination was genuine.
"…Fine," she sighed.
"If you insist, then go."
"But remember this—Shigure isn't the same person he was before."
"You are not allowed to attack him."
Naruto stiffened.
No matter why he went, to Kirigakure, Naruto was still a Konoha ninja.
If a Konoha ninja attacked the Mizukage—
Even if Shigure himself didn't retaliate, Kirigakure absolutely would.
That kind of incident could sour relations between the villages for years.
"Do you understand?" Tsunade said firmly.
"One reckless move could change the relationship between Konoha and the Hidden Mist forever."
Naruto nodded slowly.
"I understand."
"Kakashi," Tsunade called out.
"Yes?" Kakashi stepped forward.
"You're going with Naruto."
"Let him see what Shigure is like now. Trying to 'bring him back' isn't going to work."
At the same time, Shigure received another report.
Naruto Uzumaki.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Both were heading toward the Hidden Mist Village.
Perfect.
Shigure had yet to obtain the Nine-Tails' chakra.
While absorbing Kurama wasn't absolutely necessary—
Obtaining its chakra was.
And more importantly—
Naruto and Sasuke carried the chakra of Asura and Indra.
Shigure's gaze darkened slightly.
'Great Sage…'
'Is this chakra truly different from the power of the Six Paths?'
[Great Sage: Analysis complete.]
[Ashura and Indra are the result of a fusion between human lineage and Ōtsutsuki lineage. Their power underwent a unique mutation, causing their chakra to continuously reincarnate rather than dissipate.]
Shigure narrowed his eyes slightly.
'So their chakra doesn't disappear… it just keeps returning.'
'Then… is it possible for me to absorb it?'
[Great Sage: Current data is insufficient. A definitive conclusion can only be reached through direct experimentation.]
Shigure fell silent for a moment.
'Forget it. No point dwelling on Ashura and Indra's chakra for now.'
His attention shifted.
'More importantly—how are the ability calculations progressing?'
With the Five-Tails now under his control, and combined with the cumulative influence of the many Tailed Beast chakras within his body…
Along with the amplification provided by the passive skill slot—
Shigure had achieved one hundred percent synchronization with the Five-Tails' chakra.
At present, the chakra he possessed included:
One-Tail
Three-Tails
Four-Tails
Five-Tails
Six-Tails
Seven-Tails
Eight-Tails
Seven Tailed Beasts in total.
Only two remained.
Once he obtained the Two-Tails and the Nine-Tails, all nine Tailed Beasts would be gathered within him.
At that point—
The complete power of the Tailed Beasts would finally belong to him.
(End of Chapter)
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