This time, it involved Naruto.
And if Naruto was in danger, Shigure would never stand by and do nothing.
At that moment, Mei Terumī walked in.
"You brought Uchiha Sasuke back?" she asked casually. "Are you planning to let him join the Hidden Mist Village?"
She hadn't expected an answer—yet in the very next second, Shigure nodded.
"If Sasuke wants to join the Hidden Mist Village," he said calmly, "I'll agree."
"Huh?"
Mei Terumī froze.
Was he serious?
Absorbing an Uchiha into the Hidden Mist Village wasn't a small matter. It wasn't just about adding one powerful shinobi.
It was about possibility.
If Sasuke truly took root in Kirigakure, then the village could one day inherit the Sharingan bloodline.
Even if Sasuke alone couldn't immediately spread the Uchiha Bloodline Limit—
It still meant the Hidden Mist Village would gain another kekkei genkai.
A power capable of supporting the village for hundreds of years.
Just as Mei Terumī was beginning to feel excited by the implications, she suddenly noticed Shigure standing up.
He was already heading for the door.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
Shigure glanced back at her.
"Going to Konoha."
Then he added casually, "Oh—and help me deal with the pile of paperwork on my desk."
Before Mei Terumī could respond, his figure vanished.
She stared at the empty room, veins bulging.
"Bastard!" she shouted. "You're the Mizukage now! Why am I the one handling all this again?!"
Above the Hidden Mist Village, Shigure stood atop a roaring water dragon, soaring through the clouds.
Flames erupted around him as he pushed his speed to a terrifying extreme, instantly accelerating.
His destination—Konoha.
Even at Shigure's current speed, it would still take around twenty minutes to arrive.
He didn't know if Naruto could last that long.
So he pushed harder.
Konoha Village.
Civilians cried out in despair as buildings collapsed around them.
Even seasoned shinobi were trembling.
Before them, the rampaging Nine-Tails tore through the village, destruction following every step.
Nagato had drawn Tsunade away to another area, leaving behind the uncontrollable Naruto.
And with no enemy to focus on, Naruto lashed out blindly.
"Another attack is coming!"
"Earth Release—block it!"
At Nara Shikaku's command, a squad of Konoha shinobi rushed forward, slamming their hands onto the ground.
Earthen walls rose instantly.
But in the very next second—
They were shattered.
The impact sent blood spraying through the air as several shinobi were torn apart, their bodies ripped to pieces.
Naruto was completely engulfed in crimson chakra.
White skeletal structures had formed over his arms, sharp claws extending from his hands.
With a single swipe, he shredded every defense in his path.
These shinobi stood no chance.
"Kakashi!"
A figure leapt out from the crowd.
Hatake Kakashi, lightning screaming in his palm, charged forward with Raikiri, heading straight for Naruto.
"Sorry, Naruto… I can't let you continue any longer!"
But Kakashi's Raikiri never reached its target.
A massive, chakra-forged Nine-Tails tail shot out, coiling around him mid-charge and stopping him cold.
"Kakashi!!!!"
Might Guy, leaning heavily on someone for support in the distance, roared helplessly.
If the earlier blast hadn't shattered his leg, he'd already be in the fight.
Instead, all he could do was watch as his rival was held in the grip of the rampaging beast.
Crack! … BOOM!
Kakashi's body was flung like a ragdoll, smashing into a pile of rubble.
His chakra signature dimmed—dangerously weak.
Before the horrified crowd, the berserk Nine-Tails cloak Naruto rose on all fours, then stood upright, stalking toward them with murderous intent.
Even the remaining shinobi had lost the will to resist.
"It's too strong! The Nine-Tails' rampage… we can't stop this!"
"Hokage-sama is being overwhelmed too! That masked man dragged her away—Konoha… is the village really going to be destroyed!?"
Hope was slipping away.
If the Nine-Tails continued like this, Konoha's fall would be today.
The Konoha 12 desperately wanted to step in… but the oppressive force of the Nine-Tails' malevolent chakra pressed down so hard that their bodies refused to move.
This was instinctive.
Primal.
An ancient fear carved into the human body.
No willpower could overcome it.
For the first time in his life, Shikamaru found that his intellect was useless.
No plan, no strategy mattered in the face of absolute power.
To stop this Naruto, one needed strength far beyond what Konoha had left.
Beside him, Ino whispered, trembling:
"If Shigure-kun were here… he'd be able to stop Naruto. He definitely could…"
Shigure.
A name that had become taboo in Konoha.
Once a Konoha shinobi—now the Mizukage of Kirigakure.
And with the strained relationship between the villages, expecting his help was impossible.
"It's all Danzo's fault…" someone muttered. "He practically sent Konoha's strongest rising star straight to the Mist…"
Shikamaru exhaled sharply.
"Complaining won't save anyone. We need a way to stall Naruto—even a little—so the civilians can escape."
But before they could act—
"Ah—!"
A scream tore through the air.
Naruto lifted a Konoha shinobi by the neck and snapped it effortlessly.
Corpses already littered the ground around him.
The Genin turned pale.
To attack was suicide.
"Even Kakashi-sensei…" Kiba's voice shook. "If a Jōnin can't do anything… what can we do…?"
"You all—retreat!"
"Leave this place to us!"
A group of Konoha Jōnin appeared—Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, Anko Mitarashi, and others.
"Hurry!" Kurenai shouted.
The Konoha 12 retreated, step by unwilling step.
But before they could get far—
Naruto roared.
A surge of savage chakra exploded outward.
Blood sprayed.
A howling storm of chakra swept across the battlefield.
Shikamaru froze as severed limbs hit the ground before him.
When he finally tore his gaze away from the carnage and looked back—
Kurenai stood right in front of Naruto.
A massive claw was descending toward her forehead.
"Yuhi-sensei!"
Kiba screamed—then squeezed his eyes shut, unable to watch the inevitable.
"This is… too tragic… Konoha…"
A voice echoed across the battlefield.
Instantly, the suffocating Tailed Beast chakra thinned—vanished even.
CRACK! BOOM!!
The Nine-Tails' claw smashed into the earth, missing its target entirely.
Debris shot into the air.
Kurenai's eyes shot open.
Hovering before her was a familiar face.
Shigure.
"You… you…"
She thought she was trapped in a genjutsu.
Shigure held her gently as the shimmering ROOM around them dissipated.
He descended slowly, the flame cloud beneath his feet fading away.
Then he turned to face the rampaging Naruto.
His voice was soft—but carried through the battlefield like thunder.
"Naruto… look at what you've done."
"Is this the path of someone who wants to become Hokage?"