Shigure studied the burly man standing before him.
As the Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village, his strength was indeed extraordinary.
Not only did his chakra reserves surge with raw power, but his physical strength alone radiated a terrifying intensity—enough to make even Shigure take note.
This physique contained truly overwhelming force.
[Great Sage: Analysis complete. The opponent's physical power is immense. Without using chakra, a single punch from one arm exceeds five thousand kilograms of force.]
The familiar voice echoed in Shigure's mind.
Shigure raised an eyebrow.
So this man's pure physical strength even surpassed his own?
Even so, Shigure felt no fear.
He stepped forward and met the Raikage's gaze.
"Kumogakure invited us," he said calmly. "We chose to arrive at the earliest possible moment. Is that not something to appreciate?"
He swept his eyes across the plaza.
"Kumogakure prides itself on its power, yet it failed to detect our arrival? Must we send a notification in advance?"
Shigure smiled faintly.
"If that's the case, then the Fourth Raikage should be grateful his unexpected visitors are friends… and not enemies."
A wave of killing intent silently washed over the plaza.
Many Kumogakure shinobi felt their expressions stiffen.
Because Shigure was right—
If he had been an enemy, that Water Dragon descending from the sky could have slaughtered scores of civilians before anyone reacted.
It was a threat.
A direct, undisguised threat.
The Raikage's expression darkened as he stared at Shigure.
"Are you the new Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village?"
"No," Shigure replied. "Not yet. I am merely the Acting Mizukage."
Acting?
The Raikage's eyes narrowed, hostility flickering.
"Kumogakure sends an official invitation, and Kirigakure responds by sending only an Acting Mizukage? Are you looking down on my Village?"
His voice cracked like thunder.
Chakra surged violently from his body, blasting the air outward in a powerful shockwave.
Wind howled through the plaza.
Shigure's hair whipped backward from the force.
Beside him, Kuji's expression sharpened.
A heartbeat later—he moved.
He burst forward in an instant, closing the distance to the Raikage. His body twisted mid-air, spinning horizontally, and the centrifugal force behind his movement exploded into a devastating punch aimed straight at the Fourth Raikage's chest.
No one in Kumogakure expected such a reckless attack.
This was the Raikage's territory!
Were these Mist shinobi insane? Attacking the Raikage directly—did they have a death wish!?
Clang! Boom!
Two Kumogakure shinobi, already tense from Shigure's earlier words, leapt into action.
Darui intercepted first, raising his sword horizontally. Another Cloud shinobi supported him from the flank.
Kuji's fist smashed into Darui's blade.
A sharp metallic ring echoed through the plaza.
Darui's face instantly drained of color.
What kind of power is this!? This guy doesn't even look especially strong—how can he generate force like this!?
If the supporting shinobi hadn't reinforced him, Darui doubted he could have stopped that punch at all.
Both sides froze in place.
The Raikage's eyes widened momentarily—not from fear, but from surprise—before turning cold.
"A sneak attack? Does the Hidden Mist intend to start a war with Kumogakure!?"
Ringo drew her sword, stepping forward.
"If we are speaking of starting wars—Lord Raikage was the one who suddenly released chakra! Who can say whether you intended to attack first? We merely reacted instinctively."
Shigure said nothing.
He simply watched the Raikage in silence.
Waiting.
Waiting to see whether Kumogakure would choose war…
or continue the negotiations.
The Raikage's jaw tightened before he finally exhaled sharply and waved his hand.
"Darui. Stand down."
Shigure smiled slightly.
"Kuji."
Both sides withdrew at the same time.
Darui looked down and froze.
Kuji's fist was pale white—his skin torn open from the sheer force of his own punch.
However, Kuji's torn skin began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This…
The Raikage's eyes narrowed.
"The Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai of the Hidden Mist…!"
That regenerative capability—combined with that monstrous strength—was unnerving even for him.
Kuji stepped back to Shigure's side.
The Fourth Raikage's gaze swept over him once more, then drifted to the sword strapped across Kuji's back.
"That blade… looks unusual."
He wasn't alone.
Several Kumogakure shinobi had also noticed the strange design of the weapons.
Yuyuri sheathed her Lightning Blade and stepped forward.
"We are both members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
She introduced herself formally:
"Ameyuri Ringo."
Kuji followed:
"Kaguya Kuji."
The moment their names and titles were spoken, the Raikage's eyelids twitched.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—again.
When Kumogakure clashed with Kirigakure over the island in the past, two members of the Seven Swordsmen had appeared.
At the time, the Raikage assumed two new shinobi had simply inherited abandoned swords.
But now…
It wasn't two.
There were more.
Mabui stepped forward, having arrived during the confrontation, and asked with a composed smile:
"So the new generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist has been reformed? Is the lineup now complete?"
Shigure answered calmly:
"The new generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist has been fully restored."
Even the Raikage was caught off guard by that.
The reconstruction of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen meant Kirigakure's military strength had grown drastically.
And if these two were any indication, the rest of the swordsmen were likely just as formidable.
The Raikage suddenly found his emotions complicated.
Hidden Mist Village had changed. Profoundly.
And all of these changes—recovering the Tailed Beast, reorganizing the Seven Swordsmen, stabilizing the Village—had begun only after this man appeared.
Before Shigure arrived, Kirigakure had been stagnant.
After he arrived, the entire Village transformed.
Shigure had reshaped the Hidden Mist.
Mabui stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Lord Shigure, Acting Mizukage, please allow us to escort you to the Raikage Building."
Her tone was polite—intentionally so.
The Raikage, still expressionless, gave no objection.
Around them, Kumogakure shinobi continued to watch the Mist delegation.
The hostility lingered, but something new had joined it:
Respect.
Wariness.
A faint hint of fear.
Shigure smiled inwardly.
Exactly as planned.
Before negotiations began, Kumogakure needed to understand one thing clearly:
The Hidden Mist of today was no longer the weak, chaotic Village of yesterday.
Only then would negotiations proceed smoothly.
Shigure walked forward, following Mabui, neither slowing down nor acknowledging the Raikage beside him.
The Raikage didn't move immediately.
He simply watched Shigure's back as he walked away.
There was no anger on his face now.
Instead, a small smile appeared.
He respected men like Shigure—unyielding, fearless, and powerful.
If Shigure had been weak, the Raikage would have dismissed him outright.
But strength…
Strength deserved admiration.
...
TN:
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