Jiraiya crouched beside Naruto and checked his condition, letting out a long sigh of relief once he confirmed the boy was merely unconscious.
Then his gaze shifted toward Shigure — his expression complex.
One man.
Two Tailed Beasts.
And he had completely mastered both.
Lifting Naruto into his arms, Jiraiya brushed past Shigure and walked toward Shizune.
"Take care of him."
Shizune immediately nodded. "Leave it to me, Jiraiya-sama."
As she spoke, she glanced down at the unconscious Naruto, her brows knitting slightly with worry.
Jiraiya then turned back to Shigure. "You've only just arrived in the Hidden Mist, and already you're a Jinchūriki… of two Tailed Beasts, no less. Seems the Mizukage has placed quite a bit of faith in you."
Shigure smiled faintly. "Indeed. If nothing unexpected happens, the next Mizukage will be me."
Those words froze Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru in place.
For him to say it so casually—That could only mean it was already decided.
And when they thought about it more carefully… it made sense.
He held the power of two Tailed Beasts. Not only that—he had them perfectly under control. In the current Hidden Mist, there was likely no one who could oppose him.
Jiraiya's expression hardened. "Then, Shigure… why are you here?"
He still didn't understand what Shigure's intentions were.
If his goal had anything to do with them—or Konoha—it could spell disaster.
With the might of two Tailed Beasts under his command, Shigure's strength might already surpass his own.
Even with Sage Mode, Jiraiya wasn't confident he could win.
That thought alone made him wary.
Shigure's eyes drifted toward Tsunade.
"For Tsunade," he said simply.
Jiraiya's brows furrowed. "What do you want with Tsunade?"
Shigure gave a calm, almost amused smile. "Nothing harmful. I just want to ask her for a favor."
"What kind of favor?" Jiraiya pressed.
But Shigure didn't answer him. Instead, he turned his full attention toward Tsunade, his gaze sharp and serious.
Perhaps because of the sight of blood, Tsunade's hands still trembled slightly—something that didn't escape anyone's notice.
The sight of Naruto unconscious made Jiraiya exhale a long, shaking breath of relief — the boy wasn't dead, only knocked out.
Then his eyes flicked to Shigure, and his expression tightened.
One man. Two Tailed Beasts. And he had complete control over both.
Jiraiya lifted Naruto and moved past Shigure to where Shizune crouched. "Take care of him."
"Leave it to me, Jiraiya-sama," Shizune said without hesitation, glancing at the boy in her arms with a worry that didn't quite leave her face.
Jiraiya turned back to Shigure.
"You only just appeared in the Hidden Mist and became a Jinchūriki… of two Tailed Beasts. The Mizukage must have very high hopes for you."
Shigure smiled faintly. "Indeed. If nothing unexpected happens, the next Mizukage will be me."
Those words silenced Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. To say it like that — so casual, so certain — meant it was already arranged. When they thought it through, it made a terrible kind of sense: Shigure wielded the combined power of two Bijū and had them under perfect command. In the Mist, there were few who could oppose him.
Jiraiya's face grew guarded. "Then why are you here, Shigure? What's your purpose?"
He could not shake the possibility that Shigure might be a threat to them — or to Konoha. With two Tailed Beasts at his command, Shigure could easily be stronger than Jiraiya himself. Even Sage Mode might not grant victory. Caution tightened his voice.
Shigure's eyes moved to Tsunade. "For Tsunade."
Jiraiya stiffened. "What do you want with Tsunade?"
Shigure's smile was calm. "Nothing cruel. I want to ask a favor."
Jiraiya frowned. "What favor?"
Shigure didn't answer Jiraiya. He looked at Tsunade with a seriousness that made the air stiffer. The sight of blood still trembled beneath Tsunade's composure; her hands quivered, a small thing everyone noted.
The original plan — to let Naruto relieve Tsunade's inner turmoil — had already fallen apart. Ringo waited for Tsunade, and so did the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Only Tsunade could heal them now. But hemophobia crippled the greatest Medical-ninja: the healer who had once been unrivaled could not bring herself to perform surgery.
Shigure felt useless for the first time in a while. He couldn't rely on Naruto. He had to rely on himself.
His immediate thought was simple: take Tsunade back to the Hidden Mist, keep her safe until the root of her fear could be treated, and then let her heal Ringo. If that failed, he would learn from her. With the Great Sage's training, Tsunade's medical ninjutsu should not be impossible for him to master — perhaps it would take half a year.
As Shigure considered plans, someone moved behind Tsunade in a flash.
It wasn't Orochimaru — the serpent-sannin watched from the side — but another figure had appeared. A Chakra scalpel shimmered in the newcomer's hand and slashed toward the base of Tsunade's skull. This was not an attempt to seal her; it was an attempt to cut her head clean off.
Shigure's eyes narrowed. Jiraiya snapped his head around.
"Tsu—"
Before he could finish, the attacker froze in place. Ice crystals crawled over him, encasing him in a sudden stillness.
Shigure used Shunshin no Jutsu and was before the man in an instant, his ninja-sword already drawn. He struck at the attacker's face.
The ice shattered — chakra protects the body, and cold alone could not turn a live shinobi into sculpture. Kabuto dodged, but Shigure's speed was faster. His blade sliced true.
An arm, severed at the shoulder, flew through the air and plopped to the ground, rolling once before coming to rest. Blood spattered everywhere.
Kabuto clutched at the stump with a groan, face ashen, looking up at Shigure in horror.
Shigure looked back at him with a frown. Tsunade, too, turned her head to the intruder. This man was clearly one of Orochimaru's—no other explanation fit.
Shigure directed a cold question at Orochimaru. "Kill Tsunade? Why?"
Orochimaru smiled without warmth. "I can't say. If you're clever, you'll figure it out."
Shigure's mind leapt. This had the feel of Danzo's machinations. Use Sasuke as leverage — promise Orochimaru the right to block Tsunade from returning to Konoha, or even to eliminate her outright — and the path to the Hokage's seat would clear for Danzo. Jiraiya, if pushed, would be the only real rival, and Jiraiya did not seem interested in staying as Hokage forever. Danzo, old and impatient, would not wait for a distant future that might never come.
So Danzo had acted. Someone — or some sentence from the past — had pushed him into motion. If Shigure and his generation became the next line of leaders, Danzo's ambitions would wither. He decided he would not wait.
Across the battlefield, Orochimaru's eyes glittered. "It seems… our target is Tsunade."
Shigure's voice hardened. "I'm taking Tsunade."
Orochimaru drew a kunai. "That won't do. Tsunade must die."
"If you lay a hand on Tsunade, I won't spare you," Jiraiya roared, stepping forward. His anger was a shield; his words carried the weight of a vow. "And I won't let you take her either."
"Then we'll see about that," Shigure said.
He did not need to strike. The Mist he commanded swirled, forming around Tsunade and lifting like a living cloud. In the blink of an eye, she was gone — bent into the fog and carried upward.
Jiraiya yelled after him. "What are you doing with Tsunade?!"
Shigure's voice drifted back, calm and resolute. "Don't worry. I'm only sending her somewhere safe. Once I've dealt with you, I'll bring her back."
"You wish," Jiraiya spat, eyes flashing toward Orochimaru. "If you want to kill Tsunade, you'll need to know where she is. If this child escapes, you'll never find her."
Orochimaru's smile widened, unreadable. He had seen the Mizukage's strength and had no desire to attack the Hidden Mist itself. For now, survival and strategy took precedence.
A strange thing happened then: the two old rivals — Jiraiya and Orochimaru — exchanged looks that were almost fond. Together they might stand a chance against the threat that had just revealed itself. For both of them, that shared resolve felt like wind beneath old wings.
Jiraiya did not voice his thought aloud. But the faint joy in his eyes said what words did not: to fight alongside Orochimaru again, against a world that had shifted beneath their feet… it was, in a way, a dream come true.
...
TN:
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