"Outside."
Shigure stood on the mound, his silhouette outlined against the fading sky.
He glanced upward.
"So… it's already this time of day?"
The sun sank slowly toward the horizon, its last sliver slipping away.
Night approached.
And with it came the sense that the Shinobi World's final light was dimming as well.
Shigure exhaled softly, almost nostalgic.
These people…
Even if their goal was the tailed beast, was this really what it had come to?
Chasing power capable of destruction—there was little difference between them and Shigure himself.
The only distinction was that they were simply too slow.
He had already surpassed the Four Kage by far.
Swish!
Figures began appearing one after another as the group caught up.
Shigure remained with his back facing them, while Hinata and Fugaku stepped forward, ready for battle.
Gaara, riding atop a wave of sand, was the first to arrive.
He called out, "Rain… won't you reconsider?"
Shigure let out a soft laugh without turning around.
"Gaara, don't be naïve."
Gaara was acting for his village.
There was nothing wrong with that.
But what he wanted Shigure to surrender was the well-being of the Hidden Mist.
If everything was for one's own village…
Then why should Sunagakure's interests be considered more important than Kirigakure's?
"Enough talking."
Shigure turned.
In the next breath—
Ice crystals flashed into existence around him.
They condensed instantly into sharpened spikes and shot directly toward Gaara.
A sand wall surged up, but—
Shhhk—!
The ice spear pierced straight through the sand and grazed Gaara's cheek.
A thin slash of blood appeared on his face.
Fugaku's eyes widened.
What terrifying speed.
What overwhelming power.
And Shigure hadn't even formed a single hand seal—how?
His ninjutsu control was already so refined that he could cast techniques without seals?
"ROOM."
Shigure's figure flickered.
He appeared right before Gaara and seized him by the throat.
In one clean movement, Shigure pivoted and executed a brutal over-the-shoulder throw, slamming Gaara into the ground.
BOOM—!
A massive crater exploded outward from the impact.
Shigure looked down coldly.
"You're standing too high. I don't like looking up at people."
He vanished again, reappearing beside Fugaku and Hinata.
This time, Fugaku managed to see it clearly.
Instantaneous spatial movement.
A space-time ninjutsu with no hesitation—combined with Shigure's monstrous strength.
No wonder Sasuke had once said Shigure was the real monster.
Now it made perfect sense.
This boy was truly terrifying.
A being who might even surpass Hashirama Senju himself.
The other Kage finally processed what had happened.
Ōnoki felt cold sweat sliding down his back.
So this is the Mizukage's power…
Teleportation.
That overwhelming chakra.
If Shigure struck him at close range—even once—his old body would shatter instantly.
Ōnoki no longer dared think of Shigure as merely a dangerous opponent.
He was a genuine monster.
A monster beyond anything the shinobi world had seen.
"You two, fall back," Shigure said.
Hinata and Fugaku obeyed immediately, retreating without argument.
Shigure exhaled—and tapped his foot lightly against the ground.
In an instant, the entire field froze.
A massive expanse—over a hundred meters—was swallowed by thick ice crystals.
The Raikage and others barely evaded being encased.
Any technique Shigure used now carried overwhelming force.
And then—
With just a gentle wave of his hand—
Ice Dragon Technique.
Chakra surged.
A colossal dragon of ice coiled around him, towering upward, steam hissing from its breath.
Its head lifted, eyes locking coldly onto the Kage.
The aura pouring from Shigure…
This time, he was completely serious.
The Raikage clenched his jaw, lightning crackling viciously around him.
"There's no turning back now! Show everything you've got!"
Beside him, Tsunade exhaled slowly.
She didn't want to raise her hand against Shigure—but as a Hokage, she had her place.
Her fingers moved toward her forehead, ready to release the Yin Seal.
Shigure closed his eyes.
A faint, almost bored smile tugged at his lips.
"Pointless resistance."
"What comes next… is despair."
He lifted his hand lazily.
The ice dragon surrounding him roared and lunged forward, its massive jaws tearing through the air toward the Raikage and the others.
Kakashi flashed in front of the group, weaving signs instantly.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Against fire, Fire Release was the natural counter—at least in theory.
But Shigure's Ice Dragon wasn't just ice.
Its power carried a violent force—something like a spiritual pressure—that shattered the flames on contact.
The dragon opened its maw.
Kakashi's fireball vanished like smoke.
The next instant, the ice dragon crashed downward.
BOOOOM—!
The ground erupted, the dragon exploding into a storm of glittering ice crystals.
Shigure raised his hand—
With a single twist of his wrist, the scattered crystals spun, reshaping into hundreds of razor-sharp ice shuriken.
His arms crossed lightly.
The shuriken shot out in every direction.
It was an indiscriminate barrage—yet the blades that flew toward Shigure halted inches from his skin before pivoting and launching toward the Kage instead.
The Raikage, Kakashi, Gaara, Ōnoki, and Tsunade all drew kunai, striking down the barrage midair.
Shigure only chuckled.
"No coordination at all."
He touched the ground with one hand.
Chakra surged.
The air thickened.
None of them could guess what he was preparing—until the overwhelming chakra of the Ten-Tails burst forth.
The Great Sage activated.
Shigure was finally going all out.
He wanted to know it himself:
How terrifying was his current power—with the Ten-Tails and the Great Sage combined?
[Great Sage: Calculation complete. Execution commencing.]
Shigure's eyes snapped open—
His scarlet Reincarnation Eye of Fire ignited with power.
A violent pulse of pupil force erupted outward, slamming into everyone's minds.
The Kage froze for a fraction of a second.
Lightning fell from the sky.
A bolt of pure chakra crashed into the entire group.
And before the thunder faded—
Water surged from Shigure's side, twisting like serpents.
It coiled around the Kage, trapping them in a fluid prison.
Then—
"ROOM."
The Great Sage began its true display.
Behind Shigure, five elemental energies materialized as distinct halos:
Fire. Wind. Lightning. Water. Earth.
Each one stabilized at the same time.
The ground erupted—stone spires locking onto their feet.
Water ropes tightened around their wrists.
Lightning coursed along the water, paralyzing their muscles.
Wind blades sliced forward, carving bloody arcs across their chests.
And then—
A massive firestorm descended from above.
A ring of fire erupted around them—
and then collapsed inward with explosive force.
Flames engulfed the battlefield.
Fugaku and Hinata stood frozen, stunned speechless.
This was…
Their Mizukage.
A man who fought as if delivering divine punishment—
attacks layered, sequenced, calculated, and unavoidable.
Not a single person alive could respond to such overwhelming control.
Not even the Kage.
(End of Chapter)
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