Shigure's blunt, domineering words made the Tsuchikage's face tighten instantly.
A moment ago, Ōnoki had still been smiling warmly.
Now, that smile had frozen stiff.
He had planned to use age as a tool—
to make Shigure acknowledge him as an elder.
If Shigure lowered his head even once, the talks would proceed far more smoothly.
That was the same intention the Raikage held:
Force Shigure to show weakness first.
But Shigure refused to bow.
His head remained lifted, his posture unshaken.
The atmosphere froze, tension stretching thin.
Mifune quickly stepped in.
"Everyone… honored Kage, perhaps we should hear each other out calmly."
As the host and as the representative of a neutral country, he had no choice but to smooth the edges.
"You're all here now. Please speak properly and negotiate. No matter the topic, resolve it peacefully."
Turning toward Shigure, he urged quietly,
"Lord Mizukage, why not hear what the other Kage wish to say first?"
Shigure leaned back in his chair, expression calm—unmoved, unthreatened.
The Raikage finally broke.
"Since Lord Mizukage dislikes idle chatter, I'll be direct."
"It just so happens—I also hate pointless nonsense."
He glanced toward the other three Kage, then fixed his sharp gaze on Shigure.
"Lord Mizukage, what are your intentions regarding the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails?"
A clean, blunt question.
And by mentioning only the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, the Raikage deliberately positioned it as:
A chance for Shigure to take a step back.
A chance to win immediate support from the Hidden Cloud.
If Shigure agreed to return them, Yunyin would support him.
If Shigure refused, the Raikage could justify joining the others against him.
Despite his size and blunt personality, the Raikage's move was unexpectedly strategic.
Ōnoki immediately glared at him.
Using the topic of tailed beasts to provoke Shigure into choosing a side—this was dangerous.
The Raikage waited, anticipation written plainly on his face.
If Shigure softened even slightly, he would earn the friendship of the Land of Lightning on the spot.
And in exchange for returning the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, he could keep the rest of the tailed beasts under Mist's control.
With Yunyin supporting him, none of the other villages could easily move against the Hidden Mist.
Ōnoki now regretted his earlier cautious approach.
He always preferred observing the situation before acting—but this time, that hesitation put him at a disadvantage.
Perhaps waiting was not the right move.
Shigure slowly narrowed his eyes and looked at the Fourth Raikage.
"So that's how you see it, Lord Raikage."
"The two tailed beasts—I seized them from the Akatsuki's hands. I never once set foot in your Hidden Cloud."
"Tell me, Lord Raikage—what exactly do you think I should do with them?"
Refusal.
Ōnoki blinked in surprise.
He hadn't expected Shigure to reject the Raikage's offer outright.
If he refused this openly, then no other village's attempts to win him over would ever succeed.
Ōnoki's mind raced before he suddenly struck back, a spark of anger in his tone.
"Then what about the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails of my Iwagakure?"
"Did Lord Mizukage also 'seize' those from the Akatsuki?"
Shigure turned his head, his gaze falling coldly on the Tsuchikage.
"What your Iwagakure doesn't want, I happen to come across. Is it forbidden for others to pick up what you discard?"
Ōnoki's forehead twitched.
"When did Iwagakure ever say we didn't want our tailed beasts?"
Shigure smiled lightly.
"You didn't say it. But you didn't care either."
"So if Iwagakure doesn't care, then the Hidden Mist will take responsibility instead."
Ōnoki froze.
He hadn't expected the Mizukage to be this audacious.
This unapologetically arrogant.
Shigure didn't place Iwagakure in his eyes at all.
Tsunade saw the talks spiraling downward.
With both the Tsuchikage Ōnoki and the Raikage A (Fourth Raikage) at a loss for how to continue, one wrong sentence could trigger a war.
So she stepped in quickly.
"Shigure… Lord Mizukage. No matter how many tailed beasts you hold, they shouldn't matter much to someone of your power anymore."
At Shigure's current level, relying on tailed beasts alone meant nothing.
Shigure glanced at her calmly.
"Even so, the tailed beasts are still of great use to the Hidden Mist."
"Taming so many tailed beasts can become a danger to the village itself. If they were to riot at the same time, the Mist would suffer a devastating blow."
Shigure waved a hand dismissively.
"You don't need to concern yourselves with that. They're just beasts. Riot? They won't ever have that chance again."
Tsunade opened her mouth, but no words followed.
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed.
"Hokage-sama, shouldn't you ask about the Scroll of Seals? Lord Mizukage openly took the Hidden Leaf's scroll. That is… quite improper."
Being reminded so bluntly made Tsunade's expression harden.
She looked at Shigure.
"The Scroll of Seals—Lord Mizukage, I must ask you to return it."
Judging by her tone, it was clear she was under heavy pressure from within the Hidden Leaf.
Although several forbidden techniques were still being analyzed by Mist's scholars, he could return the original.
Shigure nodded lightly.
"Hokage-sama, you may come to the Hidden Mist anytime to retrieve it."
Tsunade let out a subtle breath of relief.
Not the perfect outcome, but far better than being forced into a hostile stance.
Ōnoki, however, wasn't finished.
"Lord Mizukage is truly remarkable. I'm sure every forbidden technique in that scroll has been copied already."
His voice dripped with yin–yang sarcasm.
Shigure remained unfazed.
Tsunade, however, paled.
Even Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy stiffened.
Returning the Scroll of Seals could have ended the issue peacefully, but Ōnoki's statement had intentionally planted a thorn in Konoha's heart.
From now on, whenever Konoha shinobi thought of the Scroll of Seals, they would remember this humiliation.
In the future, any time a Leaf ninja met a Mist ninja, there would be unspoken hostility.
Friction between the two villages would only continue.
Tsunade shot Ōnoki a cold, venomous glare.
And then—
A calm voice cut through the tension.
"One-Tail. Sunagakure no longer needs it."
The room fell silent.
Everyone stared at Gaara in disbelief.
Was he insane?
Abandoning their own tailed beast?
Gaara looked directly at Shigure.
"Sunagakure can follow the directives of the Hidden Mist… but in return, the previous supply of gold dust ends here."
The realization clicked across the room.
Gaara intended to trade the One-Tail for the economic security of his village—
selling its ownership to the Hidden Mist in all but name.
The offer was bold… but would Shigure accept?
"I refuse."
Another rejection.
Blunt. Immediate. Absolute.
And once again, the entire summit felt the force of Shigure's refusal.
(End of Chapter)
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