As the mist in Shigure's palm condensed, cloud pigeons formed one after another and flew into the sky in groups.
The sight left Temari staring blankly.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Ninjutsu."
Of course, Temari knew that much.
What confused her was the purpose.
What was the point of creating so many white pigeons?
Shigure had no intention of explaining. Saying too much would only be counterproductive.
Once people became aware of these pigeons, future reconnaissance would become much more difficult. Their size alone made them easy to spot.
If they were only seen by chance, they could easily be dismissed as ordinary pigeons that had flown in from who knew where.
Shigure slowly closed his eyes.
This time, he released hundreds of pigeons—but only thirty-six of them carried Cloud Eye.
Those thirty-six shared their vision directly with him.
Distance and space were meaningless.
In an instant, thirty-six different images appeared simultaneously in Shigure's mind.
Each felt as clear as if he were seeing it with his own eyes.
Yet despite the flood of information, there was no sense of confusion or discomfort.
The destination of the cloud pigeons was obvious—
Sunagakure.
Searching the entire vast Land of Wind with only a few hundred pigeons was unrealistic.
But there was no need to rush.
Half a day later, they reached the border of the Land of Wind.
The Water Dragon Bullet carried them ashore before exploding midair and dispersing back into the sea.
Temari watched the water flow back, her eyes filled with amazement.
"I never imagined Water Release could be used like this."
She turned toward Shigure.
"If Water Dragon Bullet can be used for transportation… can Fire Dragon Bullet or other Ninjutsu do the same?"
Caught off guard, Shigure paused briefly.
"Probably not," he replied.
"Water has a tangible form. Even though it's difficult to control, it can barely be managed. Fire has no stable form to support something like that."
"What about Earth Dragon Bullet?" Temari pressed.
That question made Shigure's eyes light up.
Earth Dragon Bullet…
That's right.
Perhaps it could work.
Strictly speaking, the Earth Release counterpart wasn't called Earth Dragon Bullet—it was known as the Earth Stone Dragon Technique.
And Shigure happened to know it.
He looked ahead and suddenly reached out, making a sharp grabbing motion toward the ground.
The earth trembled violently.
Large chunks of soil and stone surged upward, rapidly forming into the shape of a massive dragon.
Shigure nodded in satisfaction as he looked at it.
Turning to Temari, he said calmly,
"Fire Dragon Bullet won't work—but the Earth Stone Dragon can."
With that, he leapt directly onto the dragon's head.
Temari, Kuji, and Kisame followed without hesitation.
At this moment, Kisame was completely awestruck.
In the entire shinobi world, there was no second person who could manipulate Ninjutsu with such mastery.
Offensive techniques were notoriously difficult to control—yet Shigure used them casually as a means of transportation.
It was terrifying.
The four rode atop the Earth Stone Dragon as it surged forward toward Sunagakure.
Standing at the forefront, Shigure sensed the information transmitted by Cloud Eye.
At last, he understood why Temari had come to Kirigakure alone.
Sunagakure's current situation…
was far worse than expected.
The Earth Stone Dragon continued its advance, but its speed was clearly lacking.
Compared to the Water Dragon Bullet, there was no contest.
Rather than flying freely through the air, it crawled across the land like a massive serpent.
Though not truly slow, Shigure was dissatisfied.
Its speed was nowhere near that of the Flying Nimbus.
Still, this wasn't the time to show that technique.
As the sun gradually set, they approached Sunagakure—
yet no Hidden Sand ninja stopped them.
There were no patrols.
No sentries.
The village's security was practically nonexistent.
Boom! Boom!
When Shigure directed the Earth Stone Dragon straight into Sunagakure, the deafening impact finally jolted the entire village awake.
"What was that?!"
"Enemy attack?"
"Hurry—check it out!"
Five squads of Hidden Sand ninja rushed in from all directions.
The Earth Stone Dragon collapsed into rubble in the center of the plaza.
Shigure landed calmly, Kuji and Kisame at his sides.
Behind him, Temari's expression was grim.
The arriving Sand ninja quickly surrounded them.
"Who are you?! How dare you trespass into Sunag—"
Mid-sentence, the speaker noticed Kuji turning his head, revealing his Kirigakure forehead protector.
"Hidden Mist?" the ninja exclaimed. "What are you doing in Sunagakure?"
Kirigakure and Sunagakure were both among the Five Great Nations.
Under normal circumstances, their shinobi would never provoke one another.
That was precisely why this situation confused them.
"The Mizukage of Kirigakure came at Sunagakure's request," Kuji replied coldly.
"Don't tell me you don't even know that yourselves?"
As he spoke, doubt crept into his voice.
The Sand ninja exchanged glances.
Kirigakure came to help?
Help with what?
And the Mizukage himself came?
Then… where was he?
Why hadn't they seen him?
"Our Sunagakure does not need assistance from the Hidden Mist Village," the Sand ninja said coldly.
"If you have no other business, please leave at once. The Village does not welcome outsiders during this period."
Shigure cast the man a calm glance, then turned to Temari.
"It seems your Sunagakure really is in trouble."
The Fourth Kazekage was dead.
The Jinchūriki, Gaara, had been captured.
And now, Sunagakure itself had fractured into multiple factions.
As for their goal?
Naturally, each faction wanted to seize the position of Kazekage and gain control over the entire Village.
If nothing unexpected occurred, Sunagakure would likely seal itself off—just as Kirigakure once had—within the next year or two. Internal conflict and constant attrition would be used to eliminate weaker contenders until a so-called "capable" ninja emerged as the new Kazekage.
Only then would the Village stabilize.
But even a single misstep during this process could split Sunagakure apart completely—causing it to plummet from a first-rate Great Ninja Village to a third-rate one overnight.
Temari looked at Shigure, her expression resolute.
"Don't worry. I will keep my promise, Lord Mizukage. Please wait here for a moment."
Just then, a small squad of Hidden Sand ninja appeared in the distance, rushing straight toward them.
Shigure recognized the leading figure immediately.
It was Maki.
During Sunagakure's invasion of Konoha, Maki had effectively commanded the Sand forces on the battlefield.
The moment Maki saw Shigure, he froze.
It's him…
That kid from the Chūnin Exams in Konoha.
He really had become the Mizukage?
Maki smiled bitterly.
The changes within the Hidden Mist Village were far beyond his expectations.
"Sunagakure jōnin Maki greets the Lord Mizukage of Kirigakure."
Shigure replied calmly,
"Not quite. I'm only the acting Mizukage."
His gaze shifted to the surrounding Sand ninja.
"It looks like Sunagakure is already tearing itself apart."
Although they all wore Sand forehead protectors, it was clear that not everyone present fully acknowledged Maki's authority.
Maki straightened his posture.
"No," he said firmly.
"Sunagakure will recover—very soon."
(End of Chapter)
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