Gaara's proposal sounded, to the others, like something no sane person would refuse.
It was essentially the same as buying a tailed beast with someone else's money—specifically, using the funds of Sunagakure to purchase a tailed beast that originally belonged to Sunagakure.
Shigure looked calmly at Gaara.
"I took it from the Akatsuki. Why," he asked, "would you think I'd return it to you for free?"
"Exactly," he continued. "Why would I hand a tailed beast back to you just like that?"
Shigure exchanged glances with the Four Guardians at his side. One by one, they all silently agreed.
"You lost it yourselves. What I recovered belongs to me now."
"Who do you think I am?"
"Do you think I'm the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama?"
"I'm not foolish enough to scatter the tailed beasts around the world the way the Hashirama of old did."
That was the final spark. The Raikage could no longer endure it.
Bang!
His palm slammed against the table as he stood, fury blazing.
"Mizukage! A tailed beast belongs to its village! Your Kirigakure wants to monopolize it under one man—don't you think that's going too far?"
"Even if you snatched the tailed beast back from the Akatsuki, the most we can do is offer compensation!"
"But there is no world where we allow Kirigakure to walk away with it without discussion!"
As soon as the Raikage spoke, the Tsuchikage immediately backed him.
The situation had become clear: persuading Kirigakure to return the tailed beast through diplomacy was no longer possible.
There was only one remaining option—the allied pressure of Kumogakure and the other villages.
Even war was now on the table.
And with four villages united against one… what reason did they have to fear?
Gaara lifted his gaze to Shigure.
"I know you're not afraid of war," Gaara said quietly. "But neither am I."
"The state of Sunagakure today is already fragile. If you refuse to give our village even the smallest room to survive, then nothing else matters."
His eyes met Shigure's without wavering—calm, absolute, and unwaveringly firm.
Shigure understood immediately.
Gaara was staking the fate of Sunagakure on this moment—forcing Shigure to choose.
But even so… what of it?
What did the survival of Sunagakure have to do with him?
Had the village not already broken its word in the first place?
If not for Kirigakure's aid, Sunagakure's condition would be far worse.
And even in the original timeline, Sunagakure eventually fell under the influence of Konoha.
Its situation would not be much different from what it was now.
Shigure was just about to respond when Tsunade suddenly rose to her feet.
"Shigure! What use is a tailed beast to you? Return it, and you can name any conditions you want!"
"As long as negotiation is possible, we can avoid the worst-case scenario!"
One after another, the Four Kage voiced their positions.
Shigure looked at Tsunade with a complicated expression.
It seemed her final decision was to stand with the others.
Konoha, unlike Kirigakure, was not a village where the Hokage's word alone was absolute.
Tsunade had to consider the opinions of her ninja and her clans.
Shigure exhaled… and began to rise to his feet.
But before he could speak, Mifune hurriedly stood.
"Lord Shigure!"
He addressed him not as Mizukage, but directly by name—clearly an attempt to draw closer or de-escalate.
Shigure paused, turning his eyes toward him with mild confusion.
Cold sweat ran down Mifune's forehead.
Never before had he presided over a meeting with such crushing tension.
One wrong word—one wrong breath—and the Fourth Great Ninja War could erupt.
And this war…
This war would be fiercer than any before it, a conflict vast enough to eclipse even the ancient era.
"Lord Shigure," Mifune said, voice trembling but resolute, "Your decision today will determine the fate of countless lives across the entire Shinobi World."
"I beg you—please, think carefully."
Hearing this, Shigure smiled.
Shigure slowly turned his head to look at the others.
"Since all of you insist on this… then if Kirigakure fails to respond appropriately, wouldn't that be far too disappointing for you?"
His gaze swept over the Five Kage.
"So… let's begin."
"The Fourth Great Ninja War."
Boom.
It was as if a thunderous explosion erupted in everyone's mind.
None of them had expected it.
Shigure actually dared—truly dared—to openly declare war on the Four Great Nations without even a heartbeat of hesitation.
How could this be possible?
Was he not afraid at all?
Did he really intend to challenge four major villages simultaneously?
This man…
This Mizukage…
He was utterly insane—reckless to the point of madness.
"Shigure!" the Raikage roared. "Have you truly thought this through?"
Shigure stared back at him with a calm, almost mocking stillness.
"What about you? Are you and your Kumogakure prepared?"
Bang!
The Raikage's fist smashed straight through the table, splintering it into fragments.
The moment the shards scattered through the air, multiple figures burst from behind the curtain, taking their positions to protect the Kage.
Hatake Kakashi.
Might Guy.
Kurotsuchi.
Deidara.
Darui.
C.
Kankurō.
Sasori.
A formidable lineup—every one of them among the strongest their villages could offer.
It was clear: all sides had come prepared for a battle.
But the two individuals standing behind Shigure made the entire room fall silent.
The first was a woman dressed like a maid—blindfolded, her posture composed, her hearing razor-sharp.
She resembled a sensory-type blind warrior more than a traditional kunoichi.
This alone was strange.
Why would the Mizukage bring a blindfolded "maid" as his personal guard?
But the second figure…
That was what froze everyone in shock.
The man wore the unmistakable crest of the Uchiha Clan.
An Uchiha ninja?
How could that be?
Hadn't the entire clan been annihilated?
Yet here he stood—calm, composed, unmistakable.
Tsunade's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Fugaku…?"
"Uchiha Fugaku? How are you—"
Fugaku gave a respectful nod.
"Hokage-sama. It is an honor to meet again."
Tsunade's mind went blank.
On the night of the Uchiha massacre…
The entire clan had been slaughtered.
Only Sasuke had survived.
So how… how was Fugaku standing here?
"You… didn't you die?"
Shigure smiled faintly at her shock.
"Is it really so surprising? The First Hokage died long ago too—yet he was brought back once, wasn't he?"
Tsunade immediately understood.
Edo Tensei—the Reanimation Jutsu.
And Shigure's own resurrection techniques.
He had revived Uchiha Fugaku.
It made perfect sense.
Sasuke was now in Kirigakure.
This must have been done for Sasuke…
Or perhaps Sasuke had asked Shigure directly.
If that was the case, then it was possible that more than one Uchiha had been revived in Kirigakure.
Perhaps even an entire contingent of Sharingan-wielders…
No—that couldn't be entirely true.
Sasuke's mother, Mikoto, was noticeably absent.
She had never awakened the Sharingan.
Her eyes had never been preserved by Danzo during the root dissections.
Without a viable body or preserved dōjutsu, even Edo Tensei could not be performed.
Thus, Shigure had limitations—he could only resurrect Uchiha clan members who had awakened their eyes.
Which meant…
Every revived Uchiha in Kirigakure was an elite.
Each one a fully awakened Sharingan user.
The implications shook the council to its core.
…
(End of Chapter)
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