"Lord Shigure, are you preparing to leave already?" Katsuyu asked.
"Yes… I've been studying senjutsu for a while now… I should hurry back," Uchiha Shigure said, a little anxious, completely unaware of what had happened in Konoha.
"Alright, don't worry, Konoha is fine," Katsuyu reassured him, then added, "I'll have my clones in Konoha use the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to summon you back."
"But… you don't have hands… how can you use Reverse Summoning?" Shigure retorted.
Unexpectedly, Katsuyu directly merged a clone onto her body in the shape of a hand and said, "I can manifest hands, and so can my clones."
Shigure: "…" "Never mind, I don't care about that, just get me back quickly." Then Katsuyu told him to get ready, and with a sudden bang, Shigure vanished from Shikkotsu Forest.
When Shigure returned to Konoha, he found the surroundings still saturated with an air of grief.
"How long have I been gone?" Shigure asked Katsuyu, now perched on his shoulder.
"About a month…" Katsuyu replied.
"That's not right… Hatake Sakumo's memorial service was long over, whose is it this time?!" Shigure immediately rushed to the Konoha Memorial Stone, where a dense crowd of people dressed in black had gathered—even the Third Hokage was present.
Among the crowd, Shigure spotted Minato and Kushina.
"This is…" Shigure then realized that the deceased was none other than Uzumaki Mito, Hashirama's wife. However, what struck him as odd was the incomplete Nine-Tails' chakra inside Kushina.
"Shigure… big brother, Grandma is dead…" Minato's expression was deeply distraught. Shigure didn't know how to comfort him; the last time he had faced death was his first real experience losing someone close, and he hadn't expected Mito to die so soon afterward.
"Something's fishy…" Shigure immediately activated his Observation Eye and discovered in an instant that Mito's body was not in her coffin.
"I triggered Mito's potential before, so her lifespan should have been extended significantly; she shouldn't be dead… From the looks of it, did Mito seal half of the Nine-Tails' power into Kushina? But why would she do that?"
Shigure felt confused. He was certain Mito was not dead, but for now, he couldn't find her anywhere.
Therefore, he could only feign sadness and attend Mito's memorial service with everyone else.
As soon as the ceremony ended, Shigure was summoned to the Hokage's office by the Third Hokage.
"Shigure? Did you find anything?" the Third Hokage asked.
"I did. Lady Mito should not be dead," Shigure replied truthfully.
"Hmm… Your sensory abilities are excellent, just like my teacher, Lord Tobirama…" The Third Hokage saw much of the Second Hokage's qualities in Shigure.
"Why? I don't understand," Shigure admitted.
"You predicted a Shinobi World War, didn't you? I never thought… your prophecy might actually come true," the Third Hokage said gravely.
"Has the war already begun?… I feel like Konoha's defenses have grown weaker instead," Shigure noted.
The Third Hokage drew from his pipe, set it on the table, and said, "The Sand, Stone, and Cloud Villages are restless—their intentions unclear. I've already dispatched many ninja to guard against them. The deaths of Hatake Sakumo and Mito could very well make our enemies think it's the perfect chance to strike."
"I see… so we're preparing in advance? That way, if the enemy ambushes us, we can turn the tables. So that's the purpose of faking Lady Mito's death…" Shigure understood immediately.
"That's right… We've received intelligence that the Sand Village has been unusually active. Given their desert terrain, it's obvious they plan a large-scale military expansion. I predict a localized war between Konoha and the Sand Village will occur first," the Third Hokage explained.
"So, is this my mission?" Shigure confirmed.
"Yes! First, head to the Land of Rivers. Our forces have already gathered there. Avoid fighting on our home ground if possible. I hope you can crush the Sand's ambitions in one strike. This time, you'll be the commander—you'll be active on the real battlefield," the Third Hokage said with deep trust in him.
"Hmm… I can do it, but I'm too young, and I fear I might not command respect. I'd like you to issue me a commander's token," Shigure requested casually. He hadn't expected such a thing to exist.
"With your strength, is there really anyone who wouldn't respect you?… Very well, here," the Third Hokage said, handing him the token.
"You will be responsible for the southwest front. Orochimaru will hold the northwest to counter the Stone Village, and Minato the northeast to guard against the vigilant Cloud Village. I believe in all of you," the Hokage said.
"Oh, and I want a few people," Shigure added.
"Hmm… It might be difficult to assign jōnin right now, but there are more chūnin and genin available," the Third Hokage replied.
"That's enough. I need Hatake Kusuo, Hyūga Akane, and Hyūga Hizashi," Shigure said. "That's our original Team Seven."
"Understood!" The Third Hokage nodded—pulling these individuals from duty would not be a problem.
"I'll notify them. Assemble and prepare to depart in an hour!" the Hokage ordered.
"Yes!" Shigure then vanished in a Body Flicker Jutsu.
Next, Shigure went to the Konoha Bank and discovered that three large deposits had been made into his account recently.
"What's going on?" Shigure asked.
"According to our records, three investors joined: one is from the Amemiya family of the Land of Fire, one from the Kage family of the Land of Water, and one from an individual named Shingen."
"The Amemiya family… must be repaying me and looking to cooperate… The Kage family must be that blue-haired girl I saved… Shingen… isn't that the subordinate I picked up in Tanzaku Gai? Did that guy return the money?"
"He really is an interesting person," Shigure thought, smiling.
"Recently, stop opening new branches of the Konoha Bank, and suspend new loans. Resume once things calm down. Oh—and where's Kakuzu?" Shigure asked.
"Boss… you called me?" Kakuzu had already adopted a new identity in Konoha, arranged by Shigure.
"I have a special mission, a business trip, and there'll be travel expenses. Come to the battlefield with me! You in?" Shigure asked with a grin.
"More money is always good! But mostly, my hands have been itching for action. Consider it a trip!" Kakuzu agreed readily.
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