"You've been doing nothing this whole time, just waiting for your people to show up?"
Shigure wanted to explain that Bai wasn't one of his people.
But forget it—just a misunderstanding.
"Yes, I'm waiting for him," he replied instead.
Hearing this, Mei Terumi nodded thoughtfully.
"It's true that forming a squad is necessary before taking action. But if your target is the Six-Tails' jinchūriki, it won't be so simple…"
"I already know the Six-Tails's location. Catching it won't be a problem," Shigure said calmly.
Terumi blinked in surprise.
"You know where the Six-Tails is?"
At that moment, Chōjūrō looked embarrassed but spoke up.
"Lady Mizukage… Shigure-senpai asked me to investigate. I went to Master Ao to confirm the pursuit squad's intel, and that's how we learned where the Six-Tails is hiding."
Chōjūrō's shy but proud expression made Terumi feel a headache coming on.
In such a short time, her promising young swordsman had been completely won over.
Hey, hey, hey! You're his senior! Why are you hanging on Shigure's every word?
I'm the Mizukage here!
"Even if you know its location, I still—"
Shigure cut her off.
"It's just a Six-Tails. Do you think Konoha's First Hokage would have any trouble with something like that?"
"Don't worry. Are you concerned about the beast… or about me?"
Mei knew Shigure's strength, but tailed beasts weren't a joke. Suppressing one in its berserk state was no easy task. And yet… he wasn't wrong. The one she should be more worried about wasn't the Six-Tails—it was Shigure himself.
After all the effort it took to bring a genius like him into the village, if he simply walked out… if he defected, Mei might as well cry.
"Relax," Shigure said lightly. "If I wanted to leave, I would've left long ago. You couldn't have stopped me."
Mei clenched her fists, biting back her irritation. His words weren't wrong, but to say it so bluntly… as a Kage, was she supposed to just swallow her pride?
"You little brat! Fine, if you're that confident, then go!"
She exhaled and asked, "So, where exactly is the Six-Tails?"
Shigure's gaze shifted north.
"To the north."
"The north?" Mei frowned, then her expression sharpened. "Could it be…?"
Shigure nodded.
"Yes. Near the Land of Lightning."
The Land of Lightning…
Mei's face grew serious. The Hidden Cloud was the most powerful of the Five Great Villages at present. United, disciplined, with the Fourth Raikage in his prime and unmatched in strength.
And of all places, the Six-Tails' host had chosen to flee there.
"For a jinchūriki on the run," Shigure said, "the Land of Lightning is probably the safest place right now."
"That's true," Mei admitted.
For Kirigakure, the Land of Lightning was not an enemy to provoke lightly. A single misstep against the Cloud could plunge them into war.
"Since you understand the situation," Mei said sternly, "then you should also understand—Kirigakure cannot afford to stir trouble with the Cloud. If you recklessly try to capture the Six-Tails and alert them—"
Shigure interrupted again, smiling faintly.
"A team of Genin—three brats—wouldn't draw the Cloud's attention. Even the Pursuit Squad won't act in a case like this. That's why it's better for a small team like ours to make the move."
His logic left Mei at a loss for words. Indeed, what was a mere Genin team compared to the might of a great village? Hardly worth the Cloud's notice.
And seeing how carefully Shigure had thought this through, Mei finally felt the tightness in her chest ease a little.
If he didn't intend to stay in Kirigakure, he wouldn't be thinking this far ahead at all.
Just find any excuse to leave the village.
Terumi Mei thought for a moment, then bit down lightly and nodded.
"Fine! Go ahead!"
"But tell me—how long will it take for you to return after this mission?"
Shigure wasn't completely sure, but after thinking it over, he estimated,
"No more than a month."
That wasn't too long. And with Chōjūrō by their side, things shouldn't spiral out of control.
"It doesn't matter if you fail to capture the Six-Tails' jinchūriki," Mei added with a final reminder.
"As long as you come back safely."
Shigure waved a hand casually.
"Got it!"
With that, he turned and led Chōjūrō and Haku toward the port.
Just as they were about to leave, Mei Terumi called out.
"Wait! This is for you!"
Shigure turned and caught the object she tossed.
"A Kirigakure forehead protector?"
Mei smiled.
"Originally, I had planned for you to officially become a Mist Genin today. But since you clearly don't have time for the formal ceremony… I'll give you the headband in advance."
Shigure chuckled and tied the forehead protector onto his head without hesitation.
After the trio departed, Ao stepped forward from the shadows.
"Lady Mizukage, are you truly willing to let Shigure leave the village? The elders may object."
Mei let out a quiet sigh.
"As long as he chose to return with us in the first place, he won't walk away so easily."
"I'll go explain things to the elders," she added, then turned and headed back into the Mizukage's office. There were still countless matters waiting for her attention.
At the port of Kirigakure, Chōjūrō spoke up.
"Lord Shigure, I'll go arrange for a ship."
Shigure waved his hand dismissively.
"No need. We won't be using one. Let's just leave."
"Huh?"
Chōjūrō blinked in confusion. Just run across the sea? This wasn't a river they could cross in minutes—it was the open ocean. A ship journey from the Land of Water to the Land of Lightning took several days.
Yes, shinobi could run across water using chakra, but for hours at a time, let alone days? Even Chōjūrō, skilled as he was, couldn't endure that.
Shigure stepped to the shoreline, crouched down, and dipped his hand into the water.
He raised his gaze toward the horizon—then released his chakra.
Ice Release: Ice Path!
In an instant, a gleaming road of ice, two meters wide, spread outward across the sea for hundreds of meters.
Shigure leapt onto the frozen path.
"Let's go! Running this way is faster than taking a boat."
Chōjūrō's eyes went wide. He hadn't expected such a solution.
Lord Shigure's control over Ice Release… to create a stable road over the ocean with such ease—was this even possible?
The Mist-nin stationed at the port were stunned as well.
"What are those three kids doing?"
"Ice Release? Could that boy be the one Lady Mizukage brought back recently?"
Before their eyes, the three figures sprinted effortlessly across the ice, their steps as steady as if they were running on solid ground.
...
TN:
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