Nagato's expression had turned completely grim.
It was obvious now—Shigure had known the location of his true body from the very beginning. The earlier battle had just been him toying with them.
Realizing this, Nagato felt a cold surge of anger.
But even if he was furious, what could he do? Power decided everything. If he was weaker, then being toyed with was inevitable.
Now Shigure was closing in fast, and what awaited him was—
"Go."
Obito's voice cut through the silence. A heartbeat later, Kamui activated, dragging Nagato and Konan into its vortex.
They vanished instantly.
A booming roar followed as Shigure shattered the disguised barrier Konan had set outside. His figure appeared in an instant, stepping into the hollowed tree trunk—
Only to find empty space.
Nagato and Konan were gone.
They disappeared…? Obito.
Saving them like this—Obito really did understand the situation. The Akatsuki was already down to Nagato and Konan. If they were taken out as well, he would be alone.
Causing chaos would be even harder.
But next time…
Shigure wouldn't give them another chance.
And he wasn't worried. Konan still carried the mark he placed on her. As long as she remained with them, they could be tracked at any time.
Turning away, Shigure shot back toward Konoha.
Naruto's situation wasn't resolved yet.
He was sealed under the ice, but that only suppressed the berserk state. It wasn't fixed.
Landing atop the thick layer of ice, Shigure raised his hand—heat burst outward, and the entire mass began melting instantly. As the ice dissolved, the sealing effect weakened and finally broke.
The surrounding Konoha shinobi exchanged confused looks.
Why had Shigure vanished and then suddenly returned? And now the enemies were gone?
The ice melted into water, then receded—
Revealing Naruto rising from below, still cloaked in bubbling red Tailed Beast Chakra.
He hadn't woken up.
ROAR!
The Nine-Tails let out a feral roar and burst upward as a streak of crimson.
Shigure caught the transformed Naruto with a single hand.
"ROOM."
A transparent hemisphere expanded outward, and Shigure gripped his sword with his free hand.
With a single clean slash, he decapitated the berserk Nine-Tails form—severing its head and limbs in one sweeping motion.
Their figures crossed.
Behind him, Naruto's body split apart in midair, drawing gasps from every Konoha shinobi.
"W–What is he doing?!"
"He's killing our Jinchūriki!"
"Has he lost his mind?!"
"Bastard!"
But then—
The severed Nine-Tails roared again.
Shigure simply flicked his hand. The dismembered limbs floated up, lining themselves neatly in a row.
He looked up at the raging Nine-Tails head.
"Naruto! Are you going to wake up or not?!"
The Nine-Tails opened its mouth, gathering energy for a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Shigure sighed. Naruto clearly couldn't snap out of it alone.
His hands came together in a seal.
A powerful sealing technique activated, directly targeting the Tailed Beast Chakra itself.
As the sealing jutsu tightened, the violent chakra around Naruto finally began to fade.
The Konoha shinobi stared in disbelief.
Naruto had been cut into multiple pieces… yet he was still alive?
And the Nine-Tails looked unharmed despite being sliced apart?
Nothing made sense.
But the Hyūga clan confirmed it with their Byakugan—they were truly seeing this.
Shigure directed Naruto's scattered body parts, reassembling them seamlessly until his body returned to normal.
Even the Hyūga were shocked silent.
"N–No way… What kind of jutsu is that…?"
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, staring up at Shigure.
He wasn't shocked. Instead, he spoke calmly.
"You came back after all?"
Shigure frowned but stayed silent.
"I thought you wouldn't return… but it would've been better if you came earlier."
The comment irritated Shigure slightly. Jiraiya had no relation to him, and his death certainly wasn't Shigure's fault.
Naruto exhaled softly and turned away.
He walked toward Jiraiya's fallen body, pulling it from the rubble. With steady movements, he lifted Jiraiya onto his back and began walking toward the outskirts of the village.
At that moment, Tsunade appeared, followed by a large group of Konoha shinobi.
They weren't here for Naruto—they were looking for Shigure. But upon seeing Naruto safe, their attention wavered again.
He had cut Naruto into pieces… and Naruto was fine.
What kind of power was that?
"Jiraiya's death isn't your fault."
Tsunade said quietly.
Shigure sighed.
"When did I ever say it was?"
Tsunade froze for a moment. She had assumed Shigure would feel guilt or sadness for not being able to save Jiraiya.
"It's good that you don't carry that burden," she finally said.
Then she swept her gaze across the damaged battlefield.
"Also… thank you for saving the Hidden Mist Village. On behalf of Konoha, I offer our gratitude."
Tsunade bowed deeply.
Her movement shocked the nearby Konoha shinobi. Though many were reluctant—some even resentful—they still bowed after seeing the Hokage do so.
At that moment, several members of the Hyūga Clan stepped forward, their Byakugan eyes fixed on Shigure.
"Honored Mizukage," one of them said respectfully, "thank you for saving Konoha. But may we ask… how is Lady Hinata of our Hyūga Clan? Is she well?"
Shigure gave them a calm glance.
"Don't worry. Hinata is perfectly fine."
The Hyūga shinobi exhaled in relief.
"Then… may we ask the Mizukage to release Lady Hinata to return home?"
The request put Shigure in a complicated position. Refusing openly would seem hostile, yet there was no universe in which he would allow Hinata to be taken away.
"Let her go back?" Shigure said. "Impossible."
The Hyūga immediately stiffened, hands subtly drifting toward their stances.
Shigure continued.
"Because I've taken a liking to Hinata. She is my wife."
"W–What?!"
The Hyūga were stunned speechless.
The first half of Shigure's statement nearly made them draw their weapons.
But the second half—wife—left them frozen on the spot.
The Mizukage… likes Lady Hinata?
This situation was beyond anything they imagined. On one hand, Hinata and Shigure indeed looked compatible, and Shigure's status was unmatched. Even the Hyūga couldn't deny this.
But on the other hand—
Hinata was the eldest daughter of the Hyūga Main Family.
To marry into the Hidden Mist?
To have the Byakugan's main-family bloodline appear outside Konoha?
This was almost unthinkable.
Yet who among them dared voice opposition?
Even setting aside the fact that Shigure had just saved the entire village—
With Shigure's current power and political position, there was no scenario in which the Hyūga could force him to do anything.
Still, the idea was extremely hard for them to accept.
Hyūga Hinata… the Mizukage's wife…?
Before they could gather their thoughts, Shigure added:
"If you wish to see Hinata, that's no issue. Send representatives to the Hidden Mist Village anytime. We won't stop you."
He said it casually—then vanished on the spot, disappearing as if he had never been there.
The Hyūga Clan was left standing stiffly, unsure whether to panic, celebrate, or faint.