Nine tails!
Three belonging to the Three-Tails, and six to the Six-Tails — together they fanned out behind Shigure like immense, flickering petals of chakra.
The combined power radiated from him, wrapping his body in a dense, glowing cloak of Tailed Beast Chakra.
Shigure flexed his fist lightly, and the very air around him seemed to ripple and tremble. The surge of strength coursing through him was astonishing — even greater than when he'd unlocked new ability slots in his system.
He couldn't help but imagine it — what if he gathered all the Tailed Beasts? What if every last one of them was sealed within him? The thought alone sent a thrill through his veins.
Dispelling the Mist Cage Technique, Shigure appeared before Mei Terumī and Zabuza Momochi.
When Mei saw the nine tails streaming behind him, her eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, she thought she was seeing the Nine-Tails itself.
Then realization struck — this was no illusion. Shigure had merged the chakra of two Tailed Beasts.
"You… sealed the Three-Tails inside yourself too?" Mei asked, astonished.
Zabuza froze. Too?
Did that mean Shigure had already sealed another Tailed Beast before this?
The Six-Tails…?
Could it be that before even arriving here, he had already completed the sealing of the Six-Tails Saiken?
"That's right!" Shigure confirmed with a grin, patting his chest. Behind him, the Three-Tails' chakra tails swayed in unison. "It's already sealed."
Mei Terumī was speechless. Sealing two Tailed Beasts into a single host — was that even possible?
And yet Shigure showed no sign of instability. No pain, no rejection. He wielded their combined chakra effortlessly, as if the Tailed Beasts had long accepted him.
Even the most gifted shinobi needed time — often years — to adapt to a single bijū. But Shigure? He'd done it instantly.
"Alright," Shigure said at last, turning toward Zabuza.
"Let's return to Kirigakure. Your status as a Missing-nin will be revoked."
Zabuza's breath caught. He tried to keep his expression steady, but his eyes betrayed his relief. To return home, to see Haku again — that was something he had almost given up on.
"Haku…"
"He's at the Kirigakure Hospital," Shigure replied.
Zabuza stiffened. "Was he hurt?"
Shigure shook his head.
"No. He's just looking after another member of my team."
Only then did Zabuza exhale in relief. As long as Haku was safe, that was enough.
"Come on," Shigure said. "I'll take you to him."
With a hand seal, Shigure summoned the Flying Nimbus. The golden cloud materialized beneath them, and the three climbed aboard — Mei in front, Shigure in the middle, and Zabuza at the rear.
The cloud shot forward in a blur. Mei, caught off balance, instinctively leaned back. Shigure steadied her by the shoulders.
Mei's cheeks flushed. That brat said it wasn't on purpose earlier…
Zabuza stared, dumbfounded. The way Mei Terumī allowed Shigure to touch her — it wasn't something ordinary.
It wasn't that Kirigakure had captured Shigure… it was the other way around.
He had captured the entire Hidden Mist Village — starting with its Mizukage.
For someone like Mei — proud, temperamental, and powerful — to show such familiarity with him, it was unthinkable.
Zabuza couldn't help but feel a touch of respect for the boy. Shigure's strength, confidence, and fearlessness — all of it was far beyond his years.
When they landed back in Kirigakure, Zabuza donned his mask and followed silently behind Shigure and Mei. His reinstatement couldn't be made official just yet — proper arrangements needed to be made.
At the same time, Shigure's status as the sole Jinchūriki of both the Three-Tails and Six-Tails would soon be formally announced.
That announcement alone would shake the entire village to its core.
And once the commotion began, it would be the perfect moment to quietly restore Zabuza's name and lift his Missing-nin status.
"Go to the hospital," Shigure said as they reached the Mizukage's office.
"See Haku first. It'll put both your minds at ease."
Zabuza nodded silently, gratitude flickering in his eyes. For the first time in years, he felt the faint warmth of home again.
Mei Terumī and Shigure stepped into the Mizukage's office.
"I still can't believe it actually happened," Mei said, her gaze fixed on him.
Two Tailed Beasts sealed within one Jinchūriki—such a thing had never occurred in the history of any shinobi village.
Once this news spread, not only Kirigakure but every other village in the world would be shaken.
"What do you plan to do next?" Mei asked suddenly.
Shigure blinked in surprise. "Aren't you the Mizukage? Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Mei chuckled softly and took a seat beside him.
"I've realized being Mizukage isn't as exciting as it sounds. It's just endless responsibilities and paperwork. Why not let you handle all that? You did say you'd become Mizukage within a year."
Her eyes gleamed playfully.
"In my opinion, it could happen even sooner."
"Right now, I may be Mizukage in name," she continued, "but in truth… I could follow your orders instead."
"Orders?" Shigure repeated, slightly taken aback.
That didn't sound bad at all.
"Any kind of order is fine," Mei whispered.
Her finger traced a slow line along his neck. Shigure caught her hand mid-motion, his expression steady but unreadable.
"…Since the Tailed Beasts have been retrieved," he said evenly, "this news must be formally announced—to the entire Hidden Mist and the Land of Water itself."
"Anyone who doubts it can witness the power of the Tailed Beasts firsthand. That'll also be the perfect time to resolve Zabuza's issue."
Mei nodded thoughtfully. "And after that? You've become the Mist's sole Jinchūriki. How do you plan to make the people revere you? Fear and awe aren't the same as respect."
"That," Shigure said, a faint smile forming, "will require something else entirely."
"Something else?"
"The symbol of the Hidden Mist."
"The symbol…?" Mei echoed, confused.
Shigure's smile deepened. "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
Mei froze for a moment. Since the fall of the original generation, the famed Seven Swordsmen of the Mist had long ceased to exist.
"You want to re-establish them?" she asked at last.
"That's right."
Mei sighed.
"It won't be easy. Some of the legendary blades are still missing. And as for candidates… there are hardly any shinobi in the village worthy of wielding them."
"Not even one?" Shigure pressed.
Mei fell silent for a moment before replying softly, "…There is one. But that child probably won't last much longer."
Shigure frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Gravely ill," Mei said, her tone tinged with sadness. "She's already on the brink of death."
...
TN:
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