A surge of black substance burst forth from Shigure's hand.
In an instant, it wrapped around Kimimaro, and the Gluttony skill began its grisly work—devouring his body piece by piece.
Kimimaro's form seemed to erode under the onslaught, as if countless invisible ants were gnawing away at his flesh.
Bit by bit, he vanished before Shigure's eyes.
Ten minutes later, not even a trace of Kimimaro remained.
Shigure exhaled slowly.
This devouring speed… it's too slow.
Great Sage: "Predation complete. Gluttony is now in the absorption phase. Estimated absorption time: three hours."
"Absorption phase?" Shigure frowned. "Wasn't the devouring already done?"
Great Sage: "Devouring only consumes the biological matter. Absorption refines and assimilates it. Only after absorption is complete can the host analyze and reproduce its abilities."
Shigure nodded thoughtfully. "Then what about the time it devoured the First Hokage's cells before?"
Great Sage: "That was only a small portion of tissue. The absorption was rapid. This time, it involves a complete Kekkei Genkai user."
Right.
Last time had only been a sliver of Hashirama's cells—but this time, it was an entire person.
The realization made Shigure's expression stiffen.
The thought that he had just absorbed a living person was... unsettling.
Even though it was Gluttony doing the work, it still felt disturbingly close to cannibalism.
He shook the thought away. "Forget it. No point overthinking."
Turning his gaze to the pale forest of bones left behind by Kimimaro's techniques, Shigure sighed.
It was truly a pity.
A shinobi like Kimimaro—so loyal, so powerful—wasted away in service to Orochimaru instead of returning to the Hidden Mist.
What's Orochimaru even plotting right now?
His hands weren't sealed by the Third Hokage anymore, so why hadn't he come to retrieve Sasuke himself? Why send Kimimaro instead?
The thought made Shigure pause mid-step.
Could it be… Orochimaru was preoccupied with something else?
Sasuke was supposed to be vital to his ambitions. If Orochimaru had the time, he would've personally ensured Sasuke's transfer. The fact that he hadn't appeared meant that something significant was holding him back—something urgent enough to delay even Sasuke's retrieval.
But what could that be?
Could he have gone to find Tsunade?
That didn't make sense. His hands were fine—there'd be no reason to seek her out.
Unless… it wasn't about healing.
Maybe Orochimaru wasn't trying to stop Jiraiya from bringing Tsunade back to Konoha—maybe something else had forced his hand entirely.
A realization flashed in Shigure's mind.
Wait—Sasuke!
He spun around, his eyes narrowing toward the distant direction where Sasuke had escaped.
Now it all made sense.
No wonder the pursuit team this time was weaker than in the original timeline. Without his interference, Shikamaru's group wouldn't have even gotten close to Sasuke—let alone brought him back.
This was no coincidence.
Someone had wanted Sasuke to escape — and that person could only be Danzō Shimura.
Let Sasuke go to Orochimaru in exchange for Orochimaru stopping Jiraiya from bringing Tsunade back…
And then Danzō becomes the sole candidate for Hokage.
Shigure's eyes narrowed as the pieces fell into place.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane may not like Danzō, but they still acknowledge his strength. With the right opportunity, they'd back him.
He let out a cold, amused laugh.
"So… Danzō wants to be Hokage, huh?"
Good.
If that was the case, then Shigure welcomed it.
He wanted to see what kind of expression Danzō would wear when the time came — when the so-called Hokage stood before him again, face-to-face with the man who had once been discarded.
A faint smile curved Shigure's lips at the thought.
He soon reached the clearing where Haku was tending to Chōjūrō's wounds. By the time Shigure arrived, Haku had nearly finished.
As expected, Haku's treatment was meticulous.
There was no need to reopen the wound. Even without medical ninjutsu, a shinobi's natural vitality would handle the rest.
"Lord Shigure, is the battle over?" Haku asked, glancing up.
Shigure nodded. "It's over. Let's head back."
"Back?" Haku blinked, noticing Sasuke's absence.
"The Uchiha…"
"I let him go," Shigure said simply.
Haku froze for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Lord Shigure, are you sure that won't cause problems?"
"What problems could there be?" Shigure replied casually. "No one else knows what happened here. Just say the enemy was too strong, and we were forced to retreat."
Haku sighed softly. The excuse was far too transparent — anyone with half a brain would see through it. But then again, who would dare to question him?
Even the Mizukage wouldn't blame Shigure.
Still, on the way back, it wouldn't hurt to help out the others dealing with the Sound Four.
"Haku," Shigure said, pointing toward a nearby ridge, "go assist the Leaf's squad. Once you're done, head toward the Hidden Mist."
"I'll take Chōjūrō to that hill and wait for you there."
"Understood, Lord Shigure."
Haku bowed and departed swiftly.
He could guess the reason Shigure wasn't going himself — partings were troublesome, especially when words carried too much weight.
Shigure took Chōjūrō and descended the mountain on the Flying Nimbus.
Finding a quiet spot, he set Chōjūrō down and sat cross-legged beneath a tree.
By his estimate, three hours would be enough for Haku to finish assisting Shikamaru's team with the Sound Ninja.
At the same time, Shigure could already sense Kakashi's chakra approaching from afar. That was why he had avoided the main road — he had no desire to face Kakashi right now.
If they met, Kakashi would definitely try to persuade him to return to Konoha.
And Shigure wasn't ready for that conversation.
Time passed quietly.
After three hours, a familiar voice echoed within his mind.
Gluttony: "Absorption complete. Successfully devoured and assimilated first target."
"Host has obtained Kekkei Genkai: Shikotsumyaku."
"Gluttony recovery progress: 30%."
Shigure raised an eyebrow. "Its ability increased?"
Just one Kimimaro was enough to enhance Gluttony's power?
Great Sage: "Affirmative. The more Gluttony devours, the faster its restoration and evolution."
So it worked just like the Great Sage itself — the more it consumed, the faster it grew.
"Has Gluttony gained any new abilities?"
Great Sage: "Predation speed increased. Absorption speed increased. Mimicry ability enhanced."
Shigure nodded. "No new powers, but these upgrades are already impressive."
Great Sage: "Would the host like to integrate the Kekkei Genkai — Shikotsumyaku?"
"Shikotsumyaku?" Shigure frowned. "Wait, after integration… I won't develop Kimimaro's illness, will I?"
Great Sage: "Bloodline illness has been filtered and excluded."
"Then it's fine. Begin integration."
Great Sage: "Recommendation: perform segmented integration. After assimilation, host's external appearance and physique will undergo significant changes."
Shigure's gaze flickered. "Significant changes, huh…?"
He exhaled slowly, eyes sharpening with anticipation.
"Then let's see what this new body can do."
...
TN:
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