Feathers drifted down through the air.
Shigure froze for a mont.
It's starting?!
Orochimaru had still chosen to launch his plan. Shigure's eyes imdiately darted to the position of the Third Hokage.
There—Orochimaru had taken Hiruzen Sarutobi hostage.
At the sa ti, 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 imdiately.
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.
i Terumi.
She tried to knock him unconscious, but Shigure quickly blocked the strike, eyes widening in surprise.
Was Terumi i… cooperating with Orochimaru?
Impossible! That made no sense. The Mizukage would never ally with him!
"Boy," i 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 ti!"
Ao engaged Kakashi directly, while Chōjūrō rushed to i'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 ca 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 a minute."
Shigure exhaled softly. "I'll take the Mizukage. You two handle her n."
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!" i 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 i Terumi alone.
"You're working with Orochimaru to bring down Konoha?" he demanded.
i smirked. "Of course not. Why would the Mizukage ever cooperate with the likes of him?"
"Then why attack 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 na is Mist by default? That's a ridiculous claim."
"Not ridiculous," i said smoothly. "I have information about your true heritage… and it all points back to Kirigakure."
"You are from the Hidden Mist Village," i 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 so hidden truth behind my life?
i's eyes narrowed.
"Your true na 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?" i 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 i Terumi had independently suspected him. She had received information—information most likely handed to her by soone in Konoha itself.
The ssage was clear: Shigure belongs to the Hidden Mist.
And for i, 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 mont, 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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