"Tomorrow they'll finalize the arrangements. The day after that, you will officially become the Sixth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist."
"Prepare well."
With those words, the Elder departed.
Shigure walked to the window, gazing down at the ever-expanding Mist Village—buildings rising, streets forming, life returning.
Becoming Mizukage… he owed that opportunity, strangely enough, to Danzo.
It was Danzo who forced him to understand: even with overwhelming power, he still needed a home—a place where he could stand openly.
Konoha could have been that place.
But Konoha never needed Shigure.
And now, becoming Mizukage… didn't feel inferior to anything Konoha could have offered.
Once he officially took the mantle, however, arrangements had to be made.
Conflicts with Konoha were almost guaranteed. Even the negotiation team Kirigakure sent out might not reach their destination without incident. Problems would arise during this transition—it all depended on how quickly Konoha reacted.
Still, Shigure wasn't too worried.
There would be friction between the Leaf and the Mist—but friction was good. The Mist needed a controlled conflict to warm up its forces and sharpen its edge.
After all, the Akatsuki also had their eyes on Kirigakure.
They wouldn't launch an all-out assault immediately; they'd prioritize capturing Tailed Beasts. But unexpected situations could occur—especially if Obito decided to attack recklessly again.
The first time he invaded, it had caught Shigure off guard.
He would not allow that to happen again.
Absolute surveillance over the Hidden Mist was mandatory.
Shigure walked out onto the roof of the Mizukage Building and exhaled slowly. Mist gathered in the air and shifted—compressing, folding, forming into the shapes of white doves.
Over twenty thousand mist-formed doves burst outward, scattering toward every corner of the ninja world.
Simultaneously, thirty-six Cloud Eyes were deployed across the Hidden Mist, creating a surveillance web with no blind spots.
He needed time.
And to make use of that time, he had to accelerate development.
"The abilities of the Op-Op Fruit need to be pushed further… faster," Shigure murmured.
The Great Sage could calculate abilities for him—but if he only relied on it, he wouldn't grow.
This time, he wouldn't surrender control of his body.
Instead, he would handle the operations himself while coordinating with the Great Sage's calculations.
It would be training—real training.
He needed at least two or three new Op-Op techniques developed before the Mizukage ceremony.
"Kuji!"
The subordinate appeared instantly.
"Bring Mei Terumī. She'll be handling village affairs for now—I have to focus on developing new Ninjutsu."
Kuji's eyes widened. "Lord Shigure… is it the Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
Shigure nodded. "Yes."
Kuji grew visibly excited.
"I hope everything proceeds smoothly, Lord Shigure!"
"You're coming too. I may need your assistance."
Kuji bowed deeply, eyes shining. "It is my honor to be needed by Lord Shigure!"
They arrived at the isolated training island.
Shigure sealed off the perimeter, activating the Mist Cage barrier. No one outside would sense anything—not sound, not chakra, nothing.
Training began.
Meanwhile—outside.
Sunagakure
Gaara stood with his arms raised, sand swirling protectively around him. Across from him stood Sasori, now using a newly reconstructed puppet body—crafted entirely from the corpse of the Third Kazekage.
Sasori had regained complete control of the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release and manipulated the iron sand with precision.
"You killed the Third Kazekage?" Gaara asked quietly.
Sasori shrugged. "Strictly speaking… he died because of his own flaws."
"His flaws?"
"Of course," Sasori said, smiling. "This is the Third Kazekage—considered the strongest in Sunagakure's history. Do you think someone like him would die easily in my hands?"
How Sasori managed it remained unclear. But now, iron sand clashed against Gaara's sand, black and gold spiraling violently in the air.
The iron sand was powerful, but ultimately, Sasori was not a natural wielder of a Kekkei Genkai.
He could only manipulate the Third Kazekage's body through puppet techniques—creating limitations and clumsy gaps.
And for Gaara, this battle was a way to test and refine his own use of Magnet Release.
"You intend to enhance puppet techniques by controlling shinobi with Kekkei Genkai?" Gaara asked.
"Exactly." Sasori glanced at Kankurō and smirked. "We puppet users can control anything. In our eyes, everything should be a puppet."
Kankurō's eyes flickered uneasily.
"It shouldn't be just puppets. Puppet Jutsu is Ninjutsu of control," Sasori continued. "If one can manipulate living shinobi at will—use their bloodline powers as weapons—puppetry becomes terrifying."
The idea was dangerous… but not impossible.
"Gaara," Sasori said suddenly, "what do you think Sunagakure's relationship with Kirigakure should be?"
Gaara paused before answering.
"I believe Sunagakure currently requires protection—and Kirigakure can provide it."
"So you've decided," Sasori said with a faint smile. "You wish to rely on the Mist to help the Sand through this crisis."
"Exactly."
"But the price is steep," Gaara murmured.
The gold dust Sunagakure had surrendered this time had severely weakened the village.
Worse—it wasn't a one-time payment.
From now on, Sunagakure would owe Kirigakure a fixed yearly tribute of gold dust.
"We can set a time limit," Gaara continued. "The Hidden Mist negotiation team will arrive soon."
Beside him, Kankurō's expression tightened.
"Konoha might make a move."
"Not might," Sasori corrected calmly. "They should have already taken action."
Konoha
Under Tsunade's orders, Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy, and Yūhi Kurenai—along with Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten—departed Konoha and rushed toward the coastal border of the Land of Wind.
Their mission:
Intercept the Hidden Mist Village's negotiation team.
Then deliver Konoha's demands to Sunagakure.
A show of strength.
A reminder that the Sand could not simply seek help from anyone they pleased.
Akatsuki Base
Nagato sat in silence, listening as Konan finished analyzing Shigure's abilities.
His pale face tightened.
"If everything you've said is accurate… his mastery of Ninjutsu is terrifying—unprecedented."
He exhaled slowly. "And as someone with a Bloodline Limit, facing him in the Land of Water puts the advantage entirely on his side."
Obito leaned back with a weary sigh.
"…We should have paid attention to that kid much earlier."
Nagato nodded. "We stay on course. The priority remains capturing the Tailed Beasts."
"The Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Two-Tails, and Eight-Tails are still free," Obito said. "As for the Nine-Tails—Konoha's Jinchūriki is with Jiraiya. That makes him the hardest to approach."
Nagato's expression didn't soften.
Shigure had become a problem—one they couldn't afford to ignore for much longer.
(End of Chapter)
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