Originally, the matter of four Bloodline Limit clans relocating to the Hidden Mist Village should have caused at least some ripples among the other Great Villages.
But at this moment,
a far bigger storm demanded everyone's attention—Konoha.
On Konoha's side, the Third Hokage ultimately could not be saved. At the same time, Jiraiya was being hunted by Anbu because…
When Jiraiya encountered Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, he discovered that both elders had already been killed.
And the fatal wounds on their bodies all appeared to have been inflicted by Rasengan.
In all of Konoha, besides Jiraiya, who else could use the Rasengan? Naruto… and that boy who had been sent away.
But that boy—the one now living in Hidden Mist Village—had no reason to travel thousands of kilometers just to assassinate Konoha's two Advisors.
That left only Naruto and Jiraiya.
However, Naruto, as the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, was constantly monitored by Anbu. There was no possibility for him to carry out such an assassination unnoticed.
Which meant that the only remaining suspect… was Jiraiya. And Jiraiya had even been found at the scene.
Thus Anbu attempted to arrest him. And naturally, Jiraiya refused—he immediately saw through Danzō's scheme.
But resisting arrest threw the entire village into chaos.
Combined with the sudden death of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage faction believed that Jiraiya needed to be detained and interrogated.
If Konoha's two esteemed Advisors were murdered without accountability, how would the village maintain its dignity?
If Tsunade hadn't arrived in time and urged Jiraiya to flee, a civil war would likely have already erupted within Konoha.
Yet temporarily letting Jiraiya escape gave Danzō a perfect justification to attack Tsunade instead.
In the upcoming struggle for the Hokage seat, Tsunade received the support of many Konoha clans.
But Danzō's manipulation—killing the Advisors and framing Jiraiya—caused many civilian ninja, originally backing Tsunade, to switch sides.
With Anbu and Root under his control, Danzō could easily block Tsunade's ascension.
And without Tsunade's recognition, even Danzō's claim to the position would be a joke.
At this point, some external force was needed to break the deadlock.
Hidden Mist Village
Shigure watched as multiple clans entered the village with great fanfare, receiving clan lands granted by Kirigakure.
This marked the first major result of the plan.
In the coming days, the number of ninja within each clan would steadily increase—these "new members" would be explained as clan members returning from various places.
As the number of Bloodline Limit ninja grew, the overall strength of Hidden Mist Village would rise dramatically.
At the same time, Shigure pondered whether he should release the Tailed Beasts within his body again to create new Jinchūriki.
That would significantly boost Kirigakure's combat power.
However, Jinchūriki are not so easy to find. One cannot simply grab candidates off the street.
Though there was no need to rush, trying was still possible. Shigure had already completed Chakra replication of the Seven-Tails, Three-Tails, and Six-Tails.
Besides possessing the remaining Chakra shell of One-Tail Shukaku, Shigure now housed the Three-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails within himself.
Out of the nine Tailed Beasts, he already had four.
If he could obtain the Chakra of the remaining five, Shigure might even be able to construct a pseudo Ten-Tails within his body—and become its Jinchūriki.
Courtyard
Two Kaguya Clan ninja stood guard beside Shigure.
Shigure stood in the courtyard, wielding his blade—Zangetsu. Golden light flowed across the sword's edge, tracing its contours.
It was as though he were holding a blade forged entirely of light.
This was a newly developed technique calculated through the Great Sage:
Light Release: Gathering Cloud Sword.
By concentrating light and enveloping the blade, its cutting power far surpassed techniques such as the Heat Haze Blade or the Flowing Water Blade.
Suddenly, a Kirigakure ninja rushed into the courtyard.
But before he could even speak, a nearby Kaguya guard struck him down instantly.
A sharp bone spike emerged from the guard's palm, pressing firmly against the intruder's throat.
"Who are you?"
"How dare you approach Lord Shigure without permission?"
The Kirigakure ninja swallowed hard.
The bone spike was pressed so close to his throat that the slightest twitch might pierce straight through.
"I– I… I was sent by Lord Mizukage to deliver something to Lord Shigure!"
"Give it here."
The frightened ninja quickly handed over the scroll.
"Alright. Kuji, let him go."
Kaguya Kuji nodded. "Yes, Lord Shigure."
He glared sharply at the trembling courier. "Next time you bring anything for Lord Shigure, hand it to me directly."
"O–of course! I understand!"
Kuji carefully inspected the scroll. Once he confirmed there were no issues, he offered it to Shigure.
Shigure lifted his hand. Fine Chakra threads unfurled from his fingertips, pulling open the scroll without him taking a single step.
"Hmm. So it begins."
A faint smile touched his lips.
Inside the scroll was a message from Danzō—a request that Hidden Mist Village support him in becoming the next Hokage.
Similar messages were sent to Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure.
For Kirigakure, Danzō chose threats.
For the other villages, he likely offered concessions or payment.
A shrewd move.
"Since Danzō has made his move, then…"
Shigure's eyes sharpened. "Kazuo, release that Takigakure girl. Send her back to Takigakure."
A figure slowly materialized in front of him—Kozuki Kazuo, a master of Invisibility Release.
Clad in full assassin gear, he knelt silently. "Yes, Lord Shigure."
And then he vanished again.
Kuji's expression tightened, clear hostility in his gaze.
As one who inherited Shikotsumyaku, he especially disliked ninja who concealed themselves.
Stealthy types were… distasteful to him.
Danzō wanted the Mist to support his rise to Hokage, but Shigure had also received a message—from Tsunade's side, or more accurately, from Jiraiya.
Jiraiya already understood that Danzō's continued influence would cripple Tsunade's authority once she assumed the Hokage position.
Even if she officially became Hokage, as long as Danzō lived, he would be a constant threat to her rule.
Thus, Jiraiya wanted Shigure to kill Danzō.
Danzō was a Konoha ninja; it would look terrible for Jiraiya to assassinate him directly.
But a foreign village's action?
That was another story.
And among all the Great Villages, Shigure was the only one with both the strength and the willingness to do the job.
Yes, Kirigakure and Konoha would become enemies publicly—but privately, they would remain allies.
Initially, Jiraiya believed Tsunade could take the position smoothly. Once her authority was stable, they could deal with Danzō.
But the current crisis no longer allowed patience.
They needed to cut the knot cleanly—and quickly.
The previous agreement with Shigure, that someone would be killed after he officially became Mizukage, could no longer wait.
Jiraiya gave Shigure a promise:
He could name any condition—anything—and Jiraiya would make sure Tsunade fulfilled it.
This was what Shigure had been waiting for.
But before he acted, he needed confirmation from Tsunade herself.
If she truly agreed to his request, then Shigure would be willing to make his move.
...
TN:
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