In an instant, a transparent space expanded outward.
Although see-through, it shimmered faintly—tinged with a pale blue glow along the spatial boundary.
A massive, translucent blue sphere took shape around Shigure.
Behind him, Kuji and Kisame were stunned.
The next second—
"Transfer."
Their positions swapped instantly.
Both men froze, eyes wide with shock.
"What… what was that just now…?"
Kuji could no longer maintain his usual calm. His voice trembled.
"Lord Shigure… is that your ninjutsu?"
"A spatial-type technique?"
Even Kisame's tone carried genuine fear.
Shigure found their reactions satisfying.
If they could remain calm after experiencing such an ability, that would have been abnormal.
"Correct. It's a spatial-type ninjutsu."
Kuji stared at him in disbelief.
"Lord Shigure… did you create this technique?"
"Ah! Why develop a space-type ninjutsu all of a sudden?" Kisame asked, still rattled.
Shigure replied casually, "After seeing that other guy use a space-manipulation ability, I thought… maybe I should develop something similar."
His gaze shifted toward the shimmering spherical field before him—about fifteen meters in diameter.
"This is the space-time ninjutsu I created."
"Inside this ROOM, I can freely manipulate the position of anything within its range."
Kuji's eyes lit up with excitement.
"As expected of Lord Shigure! You can even create space-time ninjutsu so casually!"
Kisame, however, looked at Shigure with clear wariness.
Just by witnessing Obito's space-time ability once, Shigure managed to develop a space-time technique of his own.
His talent was simply monstrous.
Of course, space-time ninjutsu wasn't unheard of—Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage of Konoha, had forged the Flying Thunder God and earned the title God of Speed.
But Shigure's jutsu… it leaned entirely toward combat.
Inside this space, anything within range could be controlled by Shigure.
Did that mean even enemies could be repositioned at will?
The idea sent a cold chill down Kisame's spine.
ROOM's current diameter was around fifteen meters, but for Shigure, that was far too small.
He needed to expand it further.
Passive Skill Slot 1: Sage Mode (fixed)
Passive Skill Slot 2: Fiery Red Eyes
Passive Skill Slot 3: Shikotsumyaku
Passive Skill Slot 4: Light Release
Passive Skill Slot 5: Yin Release
Passive Skill Slot 6: Yang Release
Passive Skill Slot 7: ROOM – Transfer
Arranging his abilities this way allowed Shigure to strengthen himself at the fastest possible pace.
Only when ROOM's diameter exceeded one hundred meters would he consider pausing its development.
How are the other abilities progressing?
Shigure asked inwardly.
[Great Sage: Regarding the host's envisioned Op-Op Fruit system, basic abilities can be developed with the current amount of Six Paths Power.
More advanced techniques cannot be completed due to insufficient Six Paths Power.]
[For example: basic skills like ROOM – Slice, Takt, Scan, Scalpel, Cardiac Shock, Gamma Knife, etc., can be developed.]
[However, advanced skills such as Death Slicer, Anti-Bacterial Armament, and post-awakening abilities cannot be developed.]
Shigure nodded.
Even if only the basic techniques could be created for now, that was still extraordinarily powerful.
Combined with his ninjutsu, these moves would produce terrifying combat strength.
The advanced ones could wait until he gathered more Six Paths Power.
[Great Sage: Reminder.
Using the ROOM-type abilities consumes Six Paths Power formed from Tailed
Beast Chakra.
This power cannot be restored or enhanced through passive slots.
Please use it carefully.]
A drawback, but not an unexpected one.
As long as battles didn't drag on, it shouldn't be a major issue.
Once depleted, Six Paths Power would only recover slowly through the natural interaction of fused Tailed Beast Chakra.
Recovery wouldn't be fast… maybe enough for about ten minutes of combat.
Ten minutes meant only one thing:
Any battle that required ROOM must be finished quickly.
Shigure smiled faintly.
In truth, most enemies weren't worthy of him using such an ability.
ROOM was mainly for dealing with threats like Obito… or Nagato.
Ten minutes would be enough.
If he couldn't finish the fight in ten minutes—he probably couldn't win anyway.
After returning to the Hidden Mist Village, Shigure immediately dispatched a team to the Hidden Sand.
He couldn't bring back what he had promised on his own.
Providing gold dust to the Hidden Sand wasn't something that could be done casually; both villages needed to negotiate details and sign a formal agreement including:
Supply routes
Transport security
Receiving and distribution
Long-term terms of exchange
This required an official negotiation team.
"Lord Shigure, Konoha will likely find out soon," Ao said.
Shigure nodded. "Let them."
What was done, was done. There was no regret in it.
"Konoha will definitely respond," Ao said.
"If they don't, other villages might think they're weak."
Meanwhile, in Konoha
The moment Tsunade received the intelligence, she felt a splitting headache.
That brat Shigure had actually poached an entire allied village from under Konoha.
This wasn't just a diplomatic issue—
it was a slap to Konoha's face.
As the strongest shinobi village and the leader among the Five Great Nations, having a subordinate ally taken away meant a complete break in relations.
"What is that kid thinking? Does he really intend to go to war with Konoha…?"
Probably not.
But it wasn't something Konoha could ignore.
Just as Tsunade was stewing, Nara Shikaku entered the office.
"Hokage-sama, my apologies for intruding. I heard about the situation between the Hidden Mist and the Hidden Sand and came immediately."
Tsunade waved him forward.
"Good. Then tell me—what should Konoha do?"
Shikaku let out a helpless sigh.
"There's only one option left for Konoha…"
He paused.
"…and that is to retaliate."
...
(End of Chapter)
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