Kuji froze for a moment—then blinked in confusion.
"Besides us… who else is here?"
Shigure smiled faintly.
"Didn't you notice the lightning?"
Crack!
The thunderous detonations continued in rapid succession.
Shockwaves blasted outward again and again, tearing apart the old factory walls piece by piece.
"Bastard! Why won't you die, old man?!"
Hearing the furious roar in the distance, Haku spoke first.
"That voice… is that the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village?"
Shigure nodded.
"Correct. The Cloud shinobi came to find me earlier. They wanted the location of the Akatsuki base."
Sasuke frowned.
"You told them?"
"Why wouldn't I? They said they were willing to pay any price."
"…Uh."
Even Sasuke had to admit—that was an offer difficult to refuse.
But for the Hidden Cloud Village to pay any price just to locate the Akatsuki…
It showed how deeply the Cloud hated them.
Sasuke couldn't blame them. He understood that kind of hatred all too well.
"Lord Mizukage, what should we do now?" Mei asked softly.
Shigure looked at the assembled group:
Zabuza, Kisame, Chōjūrō, Ringo, Haku, Kuji, and Mei—the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
A faint smile formed.
"This time… I'll give all of you a chance to shine."
"Go."
"Go and see if you can deal with these revived monsters."
Zabuza licked the corner of his lips, excitement flashing in his eyes.
"Thank you, Lord Mizukage. I haven't hunted in a long time. Always babysitting those brats with no sword talent back in the village—I'm starting to rust."
"Hmph," Kisame snorted. "Your swordsmanship is the only thing barely acceptable. Everything else about you is terrible."
Zabuza fell dead silent.
He dared not talk back—because the two had fought more than once.
And every single time, Kisame crushed him effortlessly.
Even when Zabuza used Water Breathing techniques, the outcome was no different.
Shigure couldn't help but smile at the sight of Zabuza's defeated expression.
"Lord Shigure… what about the Cloud shinobi?" Kuji asked carefully.
Shigure glanced at him, amused.
Kuji was indeed the one who understood his thoughts the best.
Kuji had once been an orphan—another forgotten shinobi buried in the endless bloodshed of the Village of the Bloody Mist.
He climbed his way up to become an elite Chūnin, but in those days, talent meant nothing.
He had no future, no opportunities, and no guidance.
His best years slipped away with nothing to show for it.
He became just another ordinary Kirigakure shinobi…
Until Shigure found him.
After joining Shigure's "food chain," Kuji's dormant potential bloomed to its fullest.
And after gaining the Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai—the deadliest trait of the Kaguya clan—he became unstoppable.
"If they stand in our way, we'll cut them down."
Shigure's calm words made Haku and the others tense.
Did he mean to kill the Cloud shinobi as well?
But Shigure's expression remained relaxed, even slightly amused.
He wasn't declaring an execution… only stating that if the Cloud interfered, he wouldn't hesitate.
If they didn't cause trouble, they could leave alive.
If they did—then death was simply another option.
It all depended on whether Kumogakure got in the way.
"I understand, Lord Shigure," Kuji said.
He looked at the swordsmen.
"Move out!"
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist vanished, splitting into seven afterimages that streaked forward like phantoms.
Their speed was astonishing.
Sasuke's eyes widened.
So these are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen Shigure personally gathered… they're monsters.
Each one radiated the pressure of an elite jōnin.
Even their instantaneous movement surpassed what most shinobi could hope to achieve.
The moment their chakra flared, Nagato sensed it.
"They've arrived."
Nagato turned toward Orochimaru. Orochimaru gave a thin smile.
"I sense them too. Seven signatures… all extremely powerful."
"And one of them is unmistakably familiar—Hoshigaki Kisame."
Obito's expression under the mask darkened.
If Kisame hadn't defected…
If the information about the Akatsuki hadn't reached Shigure…
Then the Akatsuki would never be cornered like this.
Of course, Kisame had said nothing.
But Shigure's terrifying perception made Obito believe otherwise.
"Since he's here…" Obito said coldly, "I won't let him leave alive. I'll handle Kisame myself."
Nagato didn't object.
Neither did Orochimaru.
"Then," Orochimaru said, smiling, "I'll prepare a… suitable welcome for the other six."
Kimimaro, locked in a fierce clash with the Raikage, suddenly stiffened.
He turned sharply.
A shinobi carrying an enormous blade stood a short distance away—staring straight at him.
Kimimaro frowned.
From this man… he sensed something familiar.
Something buried deep in his blood.
His gaze dropped to the figure's forehead protector.
Kirigakure?
A Mist shinobi… with a presence so similar to his own?
Could it be…
"Lord Raikage," Kuji's voice came suddenly, "this one is mine. Leave him to me."
The Raikage glanced sideways.
"So the Mist sent people too. Where's that brat Shigure?"
Kuji's expression darkened immediately.
"Lord Raikage, I advise you to mind your tongue. Lord Mizukage's status is equal to yours. If you continue addressing him in that disrespectful manner… I won't be polite."
The Fourth Raikage's face froze.
Calling Shigure a kid was natural given his age, but politically—he was wrong.
The Mist now surpassed the Cloud in strength, and Shigure was the Mizukage.
Any rebuttal would only make him lose face.
So he remained silent.
Kuji turned away, saying nothing more.
His eyes locked onto Kimimaro—whose body was erupting with bones, looking almost demonic.
Kuji smiled.
"So you are… Kaguya Kimimaro."
Kimimaro blinked.
"You know me?"
Rather than answering, Kuji raised his hand.
Crack—!
Bone spikes protruded from his palm.
Kimimaro's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You… you also have… the Shikotsumyaku? That's impossible…"
The Kaguya clan was extinct.
They should have died out completely.
Kuji only smiled.
"Lord Shigure told me the greatest prodigy of the Kaguya clan was you, Kimimaro. But I've always been unconvinced."
He lowered his stance, pressure rising like a storm.
"I've long wanted to challenge you.
Never thought we'd meet here today."