If the timeline remained consistent, then Hoshigaki Kisame might soon appear alongside Itachi in Konoha.
In the original story, the two had entered the village under the pretense of hunting the Nine-Tails—but in truth, their real purpose had been to warn Konoha's leadership not to harm Sasuke.
Itachi had long understood the corruption festering among Konoha's higher-ups. That warning had been both necessary and inevitable.
However, in this timeline, the Third Hokage still lived. That fact alone disrupted the established course of events—Itachi might not go to Konoha at all.
And since Sasuke had already defected to Orochimaru, it was just as likely that Itachi would seek him out in the Hidden Sound Village instead.
So, where should he begin?
Shigure frowned in thought.
Whether it was Konoha or Otogakure, both could be kept under surveillance. Once any trace of Akatsuki appeared, he would move immediately.
After all, he had the Flying Nimbus. With it, even traveling from the Land of Water to the Land of Fire—or to Orochimaru's territory—would only take a few hours at most.
Returning home, Shigure stepped to the window and looked up at the starry night sky. He extended his hand.
A surge of chakra swirled around his palm as white clouds gathered, twisting and folding in on themselves until they formed flocks of snow-white pigeons.
One after another, they spread their wings and soared into the sky, vanishing into the moonlit horizon.
Ten thousand white pigeons in total.
Had he released them in daylight, every Hidden Mist shinobi in the village would've noticed. But beneath the cover of darkness, they slipped away unseen.
Seven thousand were assigned to monitor Konoha.
The remaining three thousand would keep watch over the path leading to Otogakure.
Whether Itachi went to find Sasuke or simply passed through the area, Shigure's eyes would be upon him.
The summoned pigeons could maintain their existence for seven days.
If no trace of Akatsuki surfaced within that time, Shigure would employ a more direct approach—he'd release every pigeon he could summon and comb the entire shinobi world for them himself.
Or, if that failed, there was always another route: finding Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin had his own ways of tracking the Akatsuki.
Shigure wasn't interested in capturing or confronting most of them right now.
But Hoshigaki Kisame…
He was different.
Shigure's gaze hardened, reflecting the moonlight.
The great sword Samehada belonged in the Mist—and so did its wielder.
After completing his surveillance plans, Shigure finally rested early.
When he woke the next morning, the village was quiet.
There was nothing pressing for him to handle—no missions, no reports, no emergencies. The duties of the Mizukage's aides rarely reached him now, leaving his schedule free.
So, as usual, Shigure went to the small island he often used for training.
Today, he had two objectives. The first: to develop a new technique—one with overwhelming destructive power.
A true killing move.
After witnessing Might Guy's Hirudora, Shigure had realized his own flaw. His current arsenal lacked a single, decisive technique—something that could end a fight in one blow.
He could think of countless powerful ninjutsu, but what he wanted wasn't complexity—it was efficiency.
Simple. Fast. Deadly.
Last night, an idea had taken shape in his mind.
Something like the Rasengan—a technique formed by concentrating chakra into a compact form and releasing it explosively. No hand seals, no theatrics. Just raw, controlled force.
That concept suited him perfectly.
And then, a name surfaced in his mind.
"Getsuga Tenshō."
Since his ninja blade was called Zangetsu, wouldn't it be fitting to create his own version of Getsuga Tenshō?
Of course, Zangetsu wasn't a Zanpakutō, but with the combined power of Gluttony and the Great Sage, Shigure could still modify the sword to possess a unique ability—just like the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, each of which had their own distinct traits.
After going through several ideas, he decided against anything too elaborate. What he needed was practicality.
Finally, he settled on a modification concept:
The blade would absorb a portion of the wielder's chakra each day, gradually increasing its own hardness. The longer it was used, the tougher and more indestructible it would become.
[Great Sage: Analysis complete. Feasibility—55%.]
"Only fifty-five percent?" Shigure muttered.
Then let's add conditions. "It must absorb a fixed amount of chakra daily, and the rate of increase in hardness will also have a cap."
[Great Sage: Reanalyzing... Feasibility—80%.]
"Much better." Shigure nodded. "Let's begin."
He raised his hand, activating Gluttony. The technique devoured Zangetsu, drawing the blade into the void. Inside Gluttony's space, Great Sage began modifying it according to Shigure's design.
The process didn't take long. While waiting, Shigure refined his chakra and meditated.
When Zangetsu reformed in his hand, it looked nearly identical to before—save for one subtle difference.
The azure pattern along the blade had changed. Beneath the surface shimmered a faint, secondary layer of markings, like overlapping fish scales.
As the sword continued to strengthen, those blade patterns would multiply. The number of layered markings would represent Zangetsu's hardness—its very evolution made visible.
Shigure smiled faintly. "Perfect."
With the modification complete, it was time for phase two—creating Getsuga Tenshō.
[Great Sage: Beginning analysis and construction. Estimated completion time—ten minutes.]
"Only ten minutes?" Shigure asked, surprised.
[Great Sage: The skill's mechanism is simple—it's a condensed chakra slash. Power depends on the chakra volume and compression time before release. Theoretical modeling is not difficult.]
"So it's somewhat like a Tailed Beast Ball, then?"
[Great Sage: Correct. As proficiency increases, release speed will accelerate accordingly.]
"That's exactly what I need."
[Great Sage: Congratulations, Host. You have acquired a new skill—Getsuga Tenshō.]
Shigure opened his eyes. He gripped Zangetsu tightly and slowly stood, the sea breeze whipping across the training island.
The development was complete. Now came the test.
"Draw."
Chakra surged through his body and flooded the blade. With a single swing—
A brilliant blue wave erupted.
The slash blazed across the air like a crescent of living flame, tearing through the forest ahead. Trees split apart in an instant as the energy kept going, racing toward the sea.
A heartbeat later—silence.
Then, a single scar appeared across the ocean's surface, stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
Shigure narrowed his eyes. If he had poured in any more chakra, that cut might have cleaved the sea itself in two.
But the cost was steep. The attack had drained nearly half of his chakra in one strike.
The radiant blue arc still shimmered faintly across the waves.
If he were to charge the attack fully, it could empty his reserves in seconds. Fortunately, Shigure had more than his own chakra to rely on—there was the power of the Tailed Beast sealed within him, and Sage Chakra as well.
He smirked faintly. "Power's not the issue. It's control."
The experiment had been a success. Getsuga Tenshō was now his.
"Next…" Shigure muttered, raising his hand once more as storm clouds began to gather above the sea.
"Let's move on to Storm Release."
...
TN:
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