Meeting the Hokage was no simple matter.
Although this was not a Five Kage Summit, a meeting between two Kage was still enough to shake the entire ninja world. Kuji could already imagine what would happen once news of this meeting spread.
The ninja world would erupt.
At such a critical moment, a private meeting between the Mizukage and the Hokage all but signaled the possibility of a new Great Ninja War.
If the Hidden Mist Village and Konoha came into conflict, the other great villages would never remain on the sidelines.
They would inevitably be dragged in.
"Lord Shigure," Kuji asked after a moment of hesitation, "where will the meeting take place?"
Shigure paused briefly before replying, "This time, let it be in the Hidden Mist Village."
Kuji frowned immediately.
Although Kirigakure was developing rapidly, development still required time. Inviting Konoha to the Hidden Mist Village at such a sensitive moment might simply be refused.
"Lord Shigure," Kuji said carefully, "if the meeting is held in the Hidden Mist Village, Konoha might not agree—"
Kuji's concern was reasonable.
And truthfully, even if Konoha did agree, Shigure himself had no desire to go there.
If he entered Konoha and the Hyūga Clan decided to provoke him, should he respond or not?
Either choice would be troublesome.
As this thought crossed his mind, a spark of inspiration appeared in Shigure's eyes.
"Since they won't be willing to meet me in the Hidden Mist Village," Shigure said slowly, "then we'll meet on the sea."
A faint, mysterious smile appeared on his face.
Kuji froze.
On the sea?
These were the Mizukage and the Hokage—two figures whose decisions could determine the fate of the entire ninja world.
And they were going to… stand on the sea and talk?
That was far too casual.
Almost absurd.
"Coincidentally," Shigure continued, his tone calm and steady, "I'm not entirely satisfied with the distribution of the islands around the Hidden Mist Village."
"Let's take this opportunity to resolve it all at once."
Resolve it?
Kuji was completely lost as to what Shigure meant.
Shigure stood up and walked toward the window, gazing outside.
For more than a day now, he had been continuously refining his abilities with the assistance of the Great Sage.
By using Six Paths power as a foundation, he was reconstructing abilities similar to those of the Op-Op Fruit within this world.
This was no easy task. However, once the Great Sage successfully completed the calculations for the first technique—ROOM: Slaughterhouse—the development of the remaining abilities became far smoother.
In just over a single day, several techniques had already been completed.
ROOM: Conductor.
Within the designated space, Shigure could freely manipulate objects—regardless of their mass, volume, or number. As long as his chakra supply was sufficient, he could control everything within that space.
Thanks to passive enhancements and continuous optimization over the past few days, the range of ROOM: Slaughterhouse had expanded to cover the entirety of the Hidden Mist Village.
However, such an overwhelming range came at a cost.
To maintain it, Shigure needed to activate Sage Mode and Tailed Beast Mode simultaneously. By combining the two and relying on Sage Chakra as a stabilizing core, he was able to sustain such a terrifying jutsu.
Beyond Conductor, Shigure had developed several additional abilities.
In total—four.
ROOM: Scalpel.
A technique that allowed him to directly extract an enemy's heart from a distance.
ROOM: Injection Shot.
By releasing a focused shockwave from his blade, Shigure could lock onto a specific point on the enemy's body and trigger it instantly, delivering a devastating internal impact.
ROOM: Cardiac Shock.
A paralysis-inducing attack that targeted the enemy's heart. Although it manifested with lightning-like properties, the Great Sage explained that this was not true lightning, but rather a specialized transformation of Six Paths power.
These three techniques, together with ROOM—Conductor, were all abilities Shigure had completed within a single day.
He did not have the time to personally assist the Great Sage with further development, but once the basic framework was established, leaving the calculations to the Great Sage alone was sufficient. The remaining work no longer required his constant involvement.
"ROOM!"
Shigure suddenly raised his hand.
As his voice echoed, an invisible spherical space expanded outward in an instant, reaching a radius of roughly seventy meters.
This was the maximum range Shigure could achieve in his normal state.
Then—
Shigure's eyes narrowed slightly.
Sage Mode—activate.
Natural Energy surged into his body, merging seamlessly with his chakra. In an instant, his perfect Sage Mode took form.
Immediately afterward, a far more violent power followed.
Tailed Beast Mode—activate.
The chakra of the One-Tail, Three-Tails, Six-Tails, Seven-Tails, and Eight-Tails erupted simultaneously.
These were not chakra forcibly extracted from the Tailed Beasts themselves, but chakra Shigure had already assimilated and made his own.
As the power of five Tailed Beasts burst forth at once, terrifying chakra fluctuations swept through the Mizukage's office.
A golden radiance enveloped Shigure's body—eerily reminiscent of a certain legendary ninja.
"Transfer."
In the next instant, Shigure and Kuji vanished.
They reappeared atop the tallest building in the Hidden Mist Village.
Even though Kuji had experienced spatial displacement before, the sheer distance of this transfer left him momentarily disoriented.
"Lord Shigure… you—!"
Shigure merely smiled.
"Watch closely."
As he spoke, the transparent ROOM expanded once more—this time spreading outward without restraint, completely engulfing the entire Hidden Mist Village.
In an instant, countless jōnin found themselves enveloped within it.
They froze.
"What was that just now?"
"I couldn't see clearly—something flashed past!"
Several sharp-eyed jōnin immediately rushed outside, scanning their surroundings, only to realize that something invisible had enclosed them.
And it was still expanding.
Not only did it cover the entire Hidden Mist Village, but it also swallowed up the small islands scattered throughout the surrounding sea.
Shigure looked down at the chaotic arrangement of those islands.
"Conductor."
The island closest to the village suddenly trembled.
It was uninhabited.
Under Kuji's horrified gaze, Shigure raised a finger toward it.
Then—
The island began to rise.
An entire island slowly lifted from the surface of the sea, defying all reason.
Kuji stood frozen, his mind completely blank.
"Lord Shigure… this too is your—"
"Since we're welcoming guests," Shigure said calmly, "it's only natural to make some adjustments. That island's placement isn't appropriate."
He shifted his gaze toward another location.
That island was nearly the same size. Positioned correctly, the two could serve as a natural gateway before the Hidden Mist Village.
"The island… it's flying!"
"What kind of power can lift an island?!"
Some Kirigakure ninja finally noticed Shigure's position and hurried over.
"Lord Mizukage! The village's island is suddenly—"
"Don't worry," Shigure said casually. "I'm controlling it."
The ninja froze.
Controlling it?
This phenomenon—this impossible act—
Was Lord Mizukage… doing all of this?
(End of Chapter)
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