After a full day of missions and traveling across the sea, Shigure's body remained resilient—but his spirit felt utterly drained.
The moment he hit the bed, he slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
A few hours later, just as dawn began to break, there was an urgent knock on his door.
"Lord Shigure! Something's happened!"
Haku's voice carried clear anxiety.
Shigure immediately sat up. "What is it?"
"Lady Mizukage has summoned you—she says it's urgent!"
A summons from Mei Terumī at this hour? That could only mean something serious.
He quickly threw on his coat and followed Haku outside.
At the door, Chōjūrō was already waiting, fully armed and looking tense.
Whatever it was, it wasn't trivial.
When Shigure entered the Mizukage's office, Mei Terumī was standing by her desk, a sealed scroll in hand. Her expression was unusually grim.
"This came from Konoha," she said, passing the document to him.
"Their fastest messenger hawk arrived overnight."
Shigure unfolded the scroll and scanned its contents. His expression stiffened.
"Sasuke's… defection?"
His eyes narrowed. "And the one behind it—Orochimaru."
So it's happening already? he thought. That's sooner than I expected.
He looked up.
"What's Konoha's situation? Has the new Hokage taken office?"
Mei shook her head.
"No. The Third Hokage is still in a coma. Konoha is without leadership. Kakashi and several senior ninja have gone to Sunagakure to help stabilize things there after the Fourth Kazekage's death."
"Sunagakure too…" Shigure murmured.
The Sand's situation was chaotic after their leader's death, and with Konoha helping them, their forces were stretched dangerously thin.
No wonder they're asking for outside help.
"To think Konoha would request aid from Kirigakure," Mei said softly, her tone unreadable.
She turned to face Shigure fully.
"I called you here to hear your thoughts."
There was a trace of hesitation in her eyes.
In truth, Mei wasn't comfortable sending Shigure back to Konoha. The village that had once cast him aside didn't deserve his loyalty. But she also knew hiding this from him would only plant resentment later.
If anything, this was an opportunity—to show that the Hidden Mist trusted him completely.
Besides, the name written in the report—Uchiha Sasuke—made her decision more complex.
The Uchiha were infamous, but Sasuke was once Shigure's teammate. That connection couldn't be ignored.
Even if there was only a slim chance…
If Sasuke could be persuaded to come to the Hidden Mist through Shigure, Mei Terumī would welcome him with open arms.
She met Shigure's gaze.
"I won't order you to go. But if you wish to, I'll authorize a diplomatic escort team to accompany you."
Shigure was silent for a long moment, his eyes fixed on the scroll.
Then he slowly exhaled.
"Sasuke, huh…? It seems some bonds never really fade."
Even if it caused some backlash, Mei Terumī didn't see it as a problem worth worrying over.
"Let me go."
Shigure slowly set down the documents in his hand, his gaze meeting Mei Terumī's calm, unreadable eyes.
He frowned. "It seems you really do want me to go."
"You're hoping I'll bring Sasuke back to the Hidden Mist, aren't you?"
He let out a faint, humorless laugh.
"Don't dream too big. Even if you agreed, neither Konoha nor the Hidden Mist's elders would ever allow it."
He wasn't wrong. The senior advisors of Kirigakure had no desire to provoke Konoha, no matter how strained things were between them.
Though Mei Terumī knew well how terrifying Uchiha Sasuke's potential was—his growth had already reached near-Jōnin level despite being a mere Genin—those old men on the council would never see it that way.
"You're right," she admitted, rubbing her temples.
"That was too wishful of me."
Her expression softened slightly as she looked back at him.
"If you go, will it cause any problems?"
Shigure rolled his eyes.
"I'm the Six-Tails' Jinchūriki now. If something happens to me, the entire Mist could erupt in chaos. Do you think Konoha would really risk provoking a rampaging Jinchūriki from the Hidden Mist?"
That was true enough. Even if Konoha was the strongest of the Five Great Villages, none of them could afford to underestimate the Hidden Mist—especially now.
"Alright," Mei sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"I won't waste more time trying to stop you. Go, then."
Shigure nodded slightly. He had already made up his mind.
He had to go.
Partly because of Sasuke. From Shigure's perspective, Sasuke had no real need to seek Orochimaru's power anymore. If he just trained patiently, his strength would catch up naturally within a few years. Why throw his life away to serve that snake?
And partly because something didn't add up.
The timeline had shifted—Konoha didn't even have a Hokage yet. Tsunade hadn't returned. So why had Sasuke's defection already begun? What was driving it?
"Are you taking Haku and Chōjūrō with you?" Mei asked, glancing toward the two waiting quietly by the door.
"Of course," Shigure replied without hesitation.
"What, you expect them to sit around in the village like decorations all their lives?"
He smiled faintly.
"Ninja grow through battle and experience. If they're never tested, they'll never improve."
Mei Terumī couldn't argue with that. She gave a small nod.
"Very well. Go—and be careful."
"It's too late to take a ship now," she added.
"How do you plan to travel?"
The corners of Shigure's mouth lifted slightly. "Don't worry. I'll get there faster than you think."
Once outside the Mizukage's building, the night wind blew gently through the quiet streets. Several Kirigakure shinobi were on patrol, watching curiously as Shigure, Haku, and Chōjūrō made their way to the open shore.
Without hesitation, Shigure raised his hand and formed a quick hand seal.
"Cloud Release — Kinto'un!"
In an instant, a glowing, misty cloud materialized before them, shimmering faintly under the moonlight.
The nearby shinobi stared, eyes wide.
Before they could even react, Shigure and the other two leapt onto the cloud, which shot into the sky like a streak of light, vanishing into the night horizon.
A stunned patrol ninja immediately rushed back to Mei Terumī's office.
"Report, Lady Mizukage!" he said breathlessly.
"Lord Shigure used some kind of secret Ninjutsu—he summoned a cloud-like object, and the three of them… flew away on it!"
"Flew?" Mei repeated, momentarily speechless.
Then she smiled faintly, shaking her head. "So he can carry others with it now, too…"
With such a technique, it wouldn't take them long to reach Konoha.
"I wonder," she murmured, "what the Konoha shinobi will think when they see him again."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"Danzo… you're truly a fool. You cast out a genius for the sake of your own ambition. I wonder if you'll regret it now."
Meanwhile, high above the waves, the cold night wind howled as the cloud sliced through the air.
Haku looked around in awe.
"Lord Shigure, where are we heading?"
"Konoha," he replied simply.
Chōjūrō nearly stumbled. "Konoha?! Are we… attacking them?"
Shigure chuckled.
"No. Konoha sent a request for aid. They've asked the Hidden Mist to dispatch several capable ninja to help with a special mission."
The mist rolled beneath them as the cloud soared onward toward the distant Land of Fire—toward Konoha, where old bonds and new tensions waited to collide once more.
...
TN:
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