Madara stared intently.
As the first person after the Six Paths Sage to awaken the Rinnegan, he was extremely sensitive to the chakra of the Ten-Tails.
After all, the power contained within the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—the remaining chakra of the Ten-Tails—was precisely what had allowed him to survive as an old monster for so many years.
And now…
He could clearly sense the same power from Shigure's body.
Although this Ten-Tails chakra felt incomplete, there was no doubt about its nature.
It was the Ten-Tails.
But how was that possible?
Shigure had gathered eight Tailed Beasts, but he had never obtained the Nine-Tails. Moreover, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was still in Madara's possession.
Without a vessel… how could Shigure possess the chakra of the Ten-Tails?
Madara's expression darkened.
He simply could not understand how Shigure had accomplished such a thing.
If Shigure truly possessed the chakra of the Ten-Tails, then even after Madara's resurrection, defeating him would not be an easy task.
"That brat… could he be the obstacle fate prepared for me?"
Madara's mood grew increasingly grim.
Especially now that Obito had already found a suitable Sharingan and successfully evolved it into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But that alone was not enough.
Logically speaking, Obito possessed Hashirama's cells, which meant he should also have access to Senju chakra.
With the power of the Uchiha clan combined with that of the Senju clan, the next step should naturally be the awakening of the Rinnegan after obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō.
Yet Obito showed no signs of achieving it.
Wasn't the Rinnegan supposed to awaken through the fusion of Uchiha and Senju power?
Madara felt increasingly puzzled.
At that moment, Shigure suddenly turned his head and looked in Madara's direction.
Madara immediately concealed his presence.
Shigure frowned slightly.
He had a strange feeling that someone had been watching him from that direction.
With Shigure's current strength, his senses were extremely sharp. Even in a crowded place, he could detect when someone merely glanced at him.
However, he chose not to investigate further.
Instead, he quickly left with Fugaku and Hinata.
He wasn't worried about being followed.
Because he had just received a message.
Through his communication channel, Jūgo had reported that he had successfully located what Shigure had been searching for.
The Dead Demon Consuming Seal could be undone.
Once the technique was released, the souls sealed by it—such as the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze—would return.
Then Shigure could perform Impure World Reincarnation (Edo Tensei).
By summoning Minato Namikaze, the last piece of the puzzle—the Nine-Tails—would also fall into his hands.
Thinking of this, Shigure could hardly wait to return to Kirigakure.
Once Jūgo and the others returned…
It would be time to gather the power of all Nine Tailed Beasts.
And then—
Summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
As for Obito and the others, even though their whereabouts were still unknown, they were no longer a serious threat.
If things unfolded as they had in the original history—forming an army of Impure World Reincarnation shinobi—then Shigure would show them what true cruelty looked like.
After all, he could revive those resurrected through Edo Tensei and restore them to true life.
And once resurrected, would those shinobi still obey Orochimaru's commands?
Obviously not.
Shinobi bound by Edo Tensei could not truly die—they could only be sealed.
But once revived as living people, they could die again.
A life that had been regained would not be wasted lightly.
So Shigure believed that if that moment ever came, those resurrected shinobi would make the correct choice.
"Too slow."
"Let's travel faster."
Shigure raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
A torrent of water suddenly surged upward beneath their feet.
The raging current quickly took shape, transforming into a massive Water Dragon that carried the three of them into the sky.
In an instant, they shot toward Kirigakure at incredible speed.
After Shigure and the others disappeared from sight—
Gaara, Ōnoki, and the Fourth Raikage exchanged glances.
Silence.
None of them knew what to say.
Konoha had already withdrawn, leaving the three villages in an extremely awkward situation.
At that moment, the leader of the Land of Iron, Mifune, approached from behind with a large group of samurai.
"Lord Kazekage, Lord Raikage, Lord Tsuchikage."
"I have a proposal."
"I wonder if the three of you would be willing to consider it."
Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage looked at Mifune.
"You have an idea?" he asked. "What is it?"
Mifune smiled slightly.
"It's actually quite simple. The reason you want the Tailed Beasts returned is to protect your villages and increase your deterrence against other nations."
"But now the Tailed Beasts are in the hands of Kirigakure, and we've all witnessed the strength of the Mizukage."
"Even if you somehow manage to seriously injure him, he can recover almost instantly."
Mifune let out a quiet sigh.
"In other words… he may be impossible to kill. With the power of eight Tailed Beasts supporting him, his chakra is practically limitless. There's no realistic way to exhaust him."
There was something Mifune didn't say aloud.
The difference in strength was simply too great.
Against Shigure, they had virtually no ability to fight back. If even the Kage struggled against him, one could only imagine how ordinary shinobi would fare.
"Since that's the case," Mifune continued, "it would be better to sign a new treaty with Kirigakure."
"A treaty?"
The Raikage frowned.
"Yes," Mifune said. "Exchange recognition of the Tailed Beasts remaining in Kirigakure for peaceful coexistence between the villages."
The Raikage's expression darkened.
Treaties between shinobi villages could be broken at any time.
But Mifune still proposed it because, in truth, there was no better option.
Forcefully seizing the Tailed Beasts was clearly impossible.
And instead of being dragged helplessly into war, it would be wiser to find a way to end the conflict.
If the Fourth Great Ninja War truly broke out, many people would die.
But Mifune was certain of one thing.
Shigure would survive.
No one present believed anyone could actually kill him.
The Fourth Raikage opened his mouth, ready to criticize Mifune's proposal.
But suddenly, he realized something.
He truly had no way of dealing with Shigure.
If war broke out now, Kumogakure might have to fight until it was on the verge of collapse before the other villages even considered joining the battle.
And that assumed Kumogakure could inflict enough damage on Kirigakure in the first place.
Otherwise, Kumogakure might be destroyed before the others even made a move.
The Raikage's expression grew even uglier.
He had never imagined that one day Kumogakure would be humiliated to this extent in front of Kirigakure—unable even to raise its head.
"That idea… isn't bad."
Suddenly, Ōnoki spoke.
He looked at the other two Kage.
"Since that man is so overwhelmingly powerful, this may be the only choice we have."
"And if we truly start the Fourth Great Ninja War… it would only benefit Konoha, wouldn't it?"
The Raikage froze.
He immediately understood what Ōnoki meant.
Even if the three villages joined forces against Kirigakure, Konoha would simply stay out of the conflict.
When the war ended—no matter the outcome—the title of the strongest shinobi village would once again fall to Konoha.
Kirigakure might decline…
But Konoha would rise again.
Gaara sighed quietly.
"It seems… the situation in Sunagakure won't change anytime soon."
(End of Chapter)
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