A massive island slowly rose into the sky.
It drifted over the Hidden Mist Village, passing above the rooftops before moving to the opposite side of the village.
For a moment, the entire village fell into stunned silence.
No one could comprehend what they were seeing.
However, when the anxious villagers learned that this phenomenon was Shigure's doing, the fear in their eyes vanished—replaced by excitement and awe.
Even among shinobi, such a sight was beyond imagination.
Ao was no exception.
"Is this… something a human can achieve?"
"It's utterly terrifying."
His gaze remained fixed on the top of the tallest building in the village, where Shigure stood calmly, his hands moving with effortless precision.
Then—
Crash!
With a thunderous roar, the island plunged downward and slammed into the sea.
At the same time, Shigure raised both hands and rapidly formed hand seals.
The seabed shifted violently.
Rock, sand, and earth moved as if alive, carving out a perfectly shaped groove that matched the island's form exactly.
When the island settled, it fit seamlessly into place—stable and unmoving, as though it had always been part of the terrain.
Immediately afterward, Shigure guided another island into position beside it.
By then, Ao had already rushed up to the rooftop.
"Lord Mizukage, you—!"
Shigure glanced at him calmly.
"I'm reorganizing the land structure of the Hidden Mist Village."
The Hidden Mist Village was not small.
Yet because it was divided among scattered islands, it gave the illusion of being the smallest of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
In reality, once the surrounding islands were included, Kirigakure's true territorial area exceeded that of most other villages.
"Changing the terrain?" Ao asked, confused. "Why?"
Even with Shigure's power, such actions required purpose.
Moving entire islands without reason made no sense.
"Two reasons," Shigure replied.
Crash!
Another island descended into the sea.
Ao instinctively swallowed.
If such a thing were used in battle, no enemy would stand a chance. Who could possibly defend against an island falling from the sky?
"First," Shigure continued, "this is for the upcoming meeting with Konoha's Hokage. Holding the meeting inside the Hidden Mist Village would put him on edge."
"So the meeting will be held at sea," Ao said slowly.
Shigure nodded. "Exactly."
But Ao was still puzzled. "Does meeting the Hokage really require this much preparation?"
Shigure smiled faintly.
"Of course not. Since I'm doing this anyway, I might as well incorporate Kirigakure's future development into it."
He turned toward Ao.
"Listen carefully. In the future, bridges will be constructed between these islands, connecting them all."
Ao's eyes widened.
"Once connected, the usable land area of the Hidden Mist Village will increase significantly. And if our finances allow it, we'll build facilities between the islands as well."
"With time, Kirigakure's territory will expand even further."
Ao immediately grasped the implications.
If bridges connected the islands, the land could finally be used properly. The village's population could grow, resources could be distributed, and Kirigakure would no longer be constrained by geography.
Previously, these islands had been left undeveloped due to their scattered nature. Developing them separately would have wasted manpower and funds.
But now—
Looking at the newly arranged island layout, a complete blueprint of Kirigakure's future began forming in Ao's mind.
His breathing grew heavier.
"This is… brilliant."
He could hardly wait to see it realized.
"Kuji," Shigure said, turning away. "Go to Konoha. Invite the Hokage."
Kuji nodded immediately.
After witnessing everything that had happened, it was clear his task could no longer be delayed.
He would reach Konoha as quickly as possible.
Once Kuji departed, Ao finally snapped back to reality.
"Why meet the Hokage of Konoha now?" he asked sharply.
Shigure casually tossed a scroll toward him.
"Read it yourself."
Ao caught the scroll and unfurled it.
As his eyes scanned the intelligence within, his expression changed completely.
"Damn Konoha! They actually sent ninja to intercept our negotiation team!"
If the negotiation team failed to reach Sunagakure, no agreement could be finalized.
And Sunagakure still hadn't delivered what they had promised Shigure.
The gold dust produced by Sunagakure was an extremely rare and valuable resource. To the Hidden Mist Village, it represented a massive source of wealth—one that could not simply be abandoned.
Konoha's actions were no different from cutting off Kirigakure's financial lifeline.
Who could possibly tolerate that?
Ao looked toward Shigure, his expression grim.
"Lord Mizukage, no matter what, our agreement with Sunagakure must be completed. Even if Konoha interferes, we absolutely cannot give ground."
Shigure glanced at him calmly.
"Relax. Zabuza and the others can handle it."
Border of the Land of Wind
Zabuza stared at Kakashi Hatake.
Blood seeped from Kakashi's hand, chest, and leg—wounds inflicted by Zabuza's blade. Zabuza himself was injured as well, but his condition was slightly better.
"As expected of Konoha's Copy Ninja," Zabuza said with a sharp grin.
"With strength like this, you'd be qualified to serve as Hokage."
Zabuza had gained the upper hand more than once, yet he still couldn't finish Kakashi.
Each time, Kakashi managed to recover and counterattack. His combat instincts were frighteningly sharp.
Not far away, Kisame had completely suppressed Kurenai Yūhi. However, with Neji's support and the assistance of the three genin, she was barely managing to hold her ground.
Meanwhile, the battle between Might Guy and Akira had reached a fever pitch.
Guy had already opened the Sixth Gate. If he went any further, he would truly become the feared Blue Beast of Konoha.
Although Akira was temporarily at a disadvantage, the fact that he could fight head-on against Might Guy was already proof of his terrifying strength.
More importantly—
Akira still hadn't used his trump card.
The Heat Haze Blade.
A ninja sword infused with the corrosive properties of Boil Release. If struck by it, the damage would go far beyond ordinary wounds.
The battle raged on.
Just as both sides began gathering chakra, preparing to unleash decisive attacks—
A sudden roar echoed across the battlefield.
Heavy footsteps approached from the distance.
Zabuza and Kakashi halted at the same time, turning toward the source.
Moments later, a Sunagakure ninja squad emerged from the surrounding brush, quickly encircling the battlefield.
Zabuza's expression darkened.
"We are the Hidden Mist Village's negotiation team," he said coldly.
"We were ordered by Lord Mizukage to finalize a treaty. Is Sunagakure planning to go back on its word?"
The surrounding Sunagakure ninja exchanged uneasy glances.
A treaty?
What treaty?
Most of them had clearly not been informed.
Then, a figure stepped forward from the crowd.
Kankurō.
"Our Kazekage has a different proposal regarding this matter," he said evenly.
"A three-way meeting."
"Hokage. Mizukage. Kazekage."
Hidden Sand Village
Gaara stood atop a high structure, looking down at his impoverished village.
"Hidden Mist Village… is going to keep us from recovering for decades."
His fists clenched tightly.
This agreement had already been made. Without their assistance, he might not have survived at all.
Yet even so—
As the Kazekage of Sunagakure, Gaara could not accept his village paying tribute to another village year after year.
Sunagakure was one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
How could it submit so easily?
(End of Chapter)
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