"New allies…"
Homura and Koharu muttered to themselves, then their eyes lit up as they arrived at the same thought.
"You mean… Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village?" Homura asked.
The logic was clear. It couldn't be Iwagakure—too powerful and too independent to need allies. Nor could it be Kumogakure, which had long been at odds with Konoha and remained a constant threat.
An alliance with the Cloud? That would be a miracle in itself if it didn't result in open war.
That left only the Hidden Mist. Once formidable, Kirigakure had been greatly weakened by years of the "Blood Mist" era. In its current state, the Mist was not much stronger than Sunagakure.
Which made them the best candidate to replace the Sand as Konoha's partner.
Danzo watched their expressions, his voice low and deliberate.
"Hiruzen is gravely injured. That news will spread sooner or later. One month is the most we can afford to wait, regardless of whether Jiraiya finds Tsunade or not. Even if she returns, Konoha still needs a new ally. Otherwise, we'll risk triggering another Shinobi World War."
A Hokage transition was always a dangerous time. If the successor lacked the authority or strength of their predecessor, other villages would seize the opportunity.
Homura frowned. "It doesn't seem likely that war would break out so soon."
Danzo's single eye narrowed. "Don't be naïve, Homura. It's not just Konoha in crisis—the Sand is as well. The Fourth Kazekage's death has left Sunagakure unstable and vulnerable. The Five Great Nations are meant to keep each other in check. With both Konoha and the Sand weakened, that balance is already fractured. Do you really think the other villages will sit idly by?"
His words carried a chilling weight, and Homura's face grew grave.
Even if the other nations didn't target Konoha directly, the fall of Sunagakure could destabilize the entire shinobi world. Replacing the Sand in the balance of power would not be simple.
Koharu finally spoke. "But why would the Mist agree to ally with us? If Konoha bows its head, it would be unthinkable. If the Mist bows, they'll never accept it—especially now, when we're the ones in turmoil."
The alliance with the Sand had worked because it had been a relationship of clear hierarchy—Sunagakure recognizing Konoha's superiority.
But Kirigakure was different. In these circumstances, no matter how weakened they were, they would never willingly show submission. And Konoha, the strongest of the Five, could not possibly stoop to beg.
Danzo's tone turned sharper. "Not an alliance. A coalition."
There was a difference. An alliance meant equals, but a coalition could be framed as temporary cooperation for mutual benefit. That, at least, was possible.
Homura shook his head. "Even so, why would Kirigakure lend us aid? What's in it for them?"
Koharu narrowed her eyes. "Without a price, this is impossible."
Danzo smirked, a faint curl tugging at his lips.
"The price… is nothing to Konoha. Insignificant."
That piqued their curiosity. Both advisors leaned forward.
"What price?"
Danzo let out a low laugh. "It requires only one person."
At that exact moment—
Shigure, having just returned home, rubbed his nose and sneezed.
"Someone talking about me?" he muttered, puzzled.
But he didn't dwell on it. Dropping onto his bed, he finally allowed his exhaustion to catch up with him.
The day's battle had drained much of his strength, but more than rest, he needed time to organize his gains.
Originally, Shigure had hoped to acquire several of the First Hokage's Wood Release techniques directly. Unfortunately, he hadn't succeeded in that.
Still, he had come away with valuable secrets.
And most satisfying of all—Gaara's Sand techniques.
He had also obtained 5% of Shukaku's chakra, discovered chakra with unique properties, and mastered the changes in Yin Release.
In fact, Shigure had also mastered other ninjutsu. For example, the Shadow Imitation Technique used by Shikamaru—naturally analyzed and broken down by the Great Sage. Shino's insect techniques and Chōji's Multi-Size Technique had also been analyzed.
However, these ninjutsu were of little use to Shigure himself.
Their only purpose was to enrich the Great Sage's database.
"Tailed Beast Chakra…"
Shigure looked at the red chakra flickering in his palm. The amount wasn't much—certainly not enough to perform large-scale ninjutsu.
But the raw power of this chakra was undeniably stronger than his own.
"Even if I can't use this chakra for large-scale ninjutsu, I can still coat my body with it to increase both offense and defense. It should also be enough to strengthen small-scale ninjutsu!"
For instance, his Boil Release: Heat Breath Blade could be vastly enhanced when fueled by tailed beast chakra.
Of course, the most important application was transforming the tailed beast chakra into a protective chakra cloak, greatly boosting both attack and defense.
And Shukaku's chakra, with its unique defensive properties, was particularly well-suited for this.
Overall, the gains weren't immense.
"But thankfully, Yuntun's performance has exceeded my expectations. It seems Yuntun has more potential than I thought!"
"In that case, I'll need to increase the power of Cloud Release!"
Both hardness and toughness would need to be strengthened. If its density could surpass steel, its offensive power would grow tremendously. And if the transformation speed between cloud and mist could be accelerated, Cloud Release would gain entirely new applications in combat.
"It seems my passive skill slots need some rearranging."
Passive Skills 1–3: Chakra Refining, Konoha-ryū Fluid Technique, and Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana. These steadily enhanced his chakra, body, and spirit.
Passive Skills 4–5: Cloud Release: Solidification. By placing Cloud Release in the passive slots, its strength, toughness, and transformation speed could be continuously enhanced.
As for the last two slots, Shigure had initially planned to leave them open.
But suddenly, a thought struck him—one worth testing.
"Can Shukaku's chakra itself be slotted in?"
Passive Skills 6–7: Shukaku's Chakra.
It worked.
"If Shukaku's chakra can be placed in the passive skill bar, then it too will undergo continuous amplification. Does that mean its amount and potency can be endlessly increased?"
[Great Sage: Analytical Calculation]
[Great Sage: The host's hypothesis is correct.]
If that was true, then even with only 5% of Shukaku's chakra, Shigure could potentially use the passive bar to recreate an entirely new Shukaku.
And if that was possible… a new idea was born.
What if he gathered the chakra of all nine tailed beasts, placed them in the passive skill slots, and recreated each one from scratch?
...
TN:
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