Feathers drifted down through the air.
Shigure froze for a moment.
It's starting?!
Orochimaru had still chosen to launch his plan. Shigure's eyes immediately darted to the position of the Third Hokage.
There—Orochimaru had taken Hiruzen Sarutobi hostage.
At the same time, Gaara was once again enveloped within a massive sphere of sand. Several Sand shinobi leapt from the stands, escorting Gaara away.
The signs were obvious. They were preparing to unleash the One-Tail to devastate Konoha.
"Genjutsu! Release!"
Shigure dispelled the illusion immediately.
The Konoha Crush had begun.
He had to reach the Third Hokage as soon as possible—he needed to witness the First and Second Hokage who Orochimaru would inevitably summon.
But just as he was about to move, a hand seized his arm.
Mei Terumi.
She tried to knock him unconscious, but Shigure quickly blocked the strike, eyes widening in surprise.
Was Terumi Mei… cooperating with Orochimaru?
Impossible! That made no sense. The Mizukage would never ally with him!
"Boy," Mei declared coldly, "today I will take you back to the Hidden Mist no matter what!"
She moved to bind him with ninjutsu.
Kakashi intercepted, dropping down in front of her. "Mizukage-sama, what are you doing? What do you intend against Konoha?"
But Ao stepped forward to block him, his single eye glinting.
"Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi… I've wanted to test myself against you for a long time!"
Ao engaged Kakashi directly, while Chōjūrō rushed to Mei's side.
Sasuke arrived as well, though Naruto was still trapped by the illusion.
Kakashi's expression hardened. "Kirigakure… do you intend to declare war on Konoha?"
Even as he spoke, Sand shinobi erupted from the stands, clashing with the Leaf forces.
Ao chuckled. "It seems the ones declaring war are Sunagakure, not us." He tilted his chin upward, toward the rooftop where Orochimaru held Hiruzen. "Shouldn't you be more concerned with your Hokage, Kakashi-san?"
Kakashi followed his gaze.
His eyes widened. "That's… Orochimaru?"
The Fourth Kazekage had vanished, his guise replaced by the Sannin himself.
"Kakashi-sensei, go!" Shigure called. "Leave this to us!"
Kakashi hesitated, then nodded sharply. Hokage-sama came first. He could only trust Shigure and Team 7 to hold the line here.
"Shigure, Sasuke—be careful! This is an S-rank mission now!" With that, Kakashi disappeared, racing toward the Third Hokage.
Gekkō Hayate—watched the confrontation, stunned.
Shigure was standing against the Mizukage herself. That was one of the Five Kage! And Shigure was only a Genin!
"Brother Hayate, go help the others!" Shigure ordered. "Team 7 can handle this!"
Naruto suddenly appeared beside him, having broken free of the genjutsu through sheer will and the Nine-Tails' power.
"Sorry I'm late!" Naruto said, sheepishly scratching his head. "That illusion took me a minute."
Shigure exhaled softly. "I'll take the Mizukage. You two handle her men."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, locking onto Ao. He could feel the weight of another ocular power watching him.
Naruto grinned, pointing at Chōjūrō's oversized blade. "Heh… I wanna see what that weird sword of yours can do!"
"Chōjūrō, Ao!" Mei snapped. "Don't let those two brats interfere!"
The two Mist shinobi attacked at once, driving Naruto and Sasuke back and forcing them away from Shigure.
Now Shigure was left facing Mei Terumi alone.
"You're working with Orochimaru to bring down Konoha?" he demanded.
Mei smirked. "Of course not. Why would the Mizukage ever cooperate with the likes of him?"
"Then why attack me now?"
Her smile only deepened. "Because I intend to return you, child of the Wuyue clan, to the Hidden Mist."
"I've told you already—I'm not part of the Wuyue clan!"
"You don't get to decide that."
Shigure's lips curled. "So anyone you name is Mist by default? That's a ridiculous claim."
"Not ridiculous," Mei said smoothly. "I have information about your true heritage… and it all points back to Kirigakure."
"You are from the Hidden Mist Village," Mei Terumi declared firmly.
"A child of the Yuki Clan who once escaped from Kirigakure. Your parents found you and brought you to Konoha to raise you."
Shigure froze.
What…? Could there really be some hidden truth behind my life?
Mei's eyes narrowed.
"Your true name is Bai—Yuki Bai."
Clang!
Shigure's mind reeled.
Bai? This woman thinks I'm Bai? What a joke! Bai is probably living peacefully with Zabuza in the Land of Waves right now!
"I'm not Bai!" Shigure snapped back.
"Then who are you?" Mei asked with a faint smile.
"Actually, it doesn't matter whether you're Bai or not," she continued coolly.
"What matters is that you wield Ice Release—the kekkei genkai of my Mist Village. That alone is proof enough."
Her gaze hardened.
"Konoha may not value a shinobi with a bloodline limit from another land, but we in Kirigakure do. So, whether or not you are of the Moonless Clan, I will recognize you as Mist."
Shigure's thoughts spun.
So it wasn't that Mei Terumi had independently suspected him. She had received information—information most likely handed to her by someone in Konoha itself.
The message was clear: Shigure belongs to the Hidden Mist.
And for Mei, the truth didn't even matter. If Konoha labeled him as Mist, and she had no reason to deny it, that alone was enough.
Who cares about the truth, as long as the label sticks?
Shigure lowered his head for a moment, piecing it together. He had a rough idea of who was pulling the strings behind this.
"I won't go to the Hidden Mist Village with you," he said firmly.
Konoha might not be perfect. But at least… here, I've found friends.
"I wasn't asking for your opinion."
Shigure stiffened at her words.
The Mizukage's tone was absolute, her aura suffocating. As expected of one of the Five Kage—the weight of her presence alone was overwhelming.
...
TN:
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