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This article, Shigure Abura, belongs solely to the Yuheng of Liyue Qixing and cannot be utilized without her permission. You will find yourself cut down if you dare to touch this article without her permission. If you wish to use the contents of this article, make a concise request on her message wall.

This article, Shigure Abura, is a part of an alternate universe.

This article, Shigure Abura, is currently under active construction. The author, User:NejiHyuga2, apologizes for the inconvenience.

editShigure Abura
Shigure (Infobox)
(油 時雨, Abura Shigure)

  • Princess Jade Eye (翠玉眼姫, Suigyokugan-hime)[1]
Debut
Appears in Novel
Voice Actors
Japanese Ayako Kawasumi
Personal
Birthdate Astrological Sign Scorpio November 4
Gender Gender Female Female
Age
  • Part I: 12-13
  • Part II: 15-16
Height
  • Part I: 152 cm1.52 m <br />4.987 ft <br />59.843 in <br />
  • Part II: 158 cm1.58 m <br />5.184 ft <br />62.205 in <br />
Weight
  • Part I: 44 kg97.003 lb <br />
  • Part II: 46 kg101.413 lb <br />
Blood type A
Kekkei Genkai
Classification
Occupation Head of Abura Clan
Affiliation Takigakure (NejiHyuga2)
Team
Rank
Ninja Rank
Academy Grad. Age 8
Chūnin Prom. Age 12
Family
Nature Type
Jutsu
Tools

Shigure Abura (油 時雨, Abura Shigure, Literally meaning: Oiled Late Autumn Shower) is the protagonist of Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, a long-form fanfiction by User:NejiHyuga2.

She is a shinobi of Takigakure and a member of the Abura Clan, descended from the Uchiha Clan. She is a member of Team 17 and is the designated sixth heiress of the Abura Clan as the eldest child of its current head and is known worldwide by the epithet Princess Jade Eye (翠玉眼姫, Suigyokugan-hime), a testament to her royal lineage and her mastery over the emerald eye of her clan. During and after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Shigure became known as one of the most powerful shinobi to ever live alongside living legends like Sasuke Uchiha and Wakame Uzumaki; she also rose to become the head of the Abura Clan as a result of her father being a casualty of war.

Background[]

Birth and Early Life[]

Born in the closing months of autumn to the fifth head of the Abura Clan, she was one of the first of Abura Uchiha's fourth-generation descendants. Her mother gave her the name of 'Shigure,' which carries the definition of 'Autumn Showers,' because she was born while rain softly pattered at her hospital window.[2] As she was born to the clan head, she was automatically designated heiress of the Abura Clan as the eldest (and at that time, only) child of the head. As such, she was raised in an environment most other children would be extremely jealous of. Were it not for her taking up the discipline of the sword, living in this sheltered environment would have undoubtedly destroyed Shigure's personality, something which Shigure attests to herself.[3]

Going against the pleas of her parents, Shigure took up the sword at the young age of five, far earlier than anyone should. She relentlessly went at her training in the family style and from an outsider's view, people saw Shigure as an extremely hard worker as she never failed to finish her regimens three times over even at the cost of repeatedly exhausting herself to no end. She would occasionally collapse from overwork as fully expected of a child who is forcing herself to undergo an extremely rigorous training menu.[3] Her hard work bore fruit in that her excessive training polished her innate talent with the blade, which when complemented with her conscious awakening of her clan's dōjutsu—the Teiōgan—a year earlier than usual at age six, manifested in great combat potential. This enlightenment at such a young age would grant the Abura youth the label of "prodigy" by other members of her clan.[4]

A year later, Shigure proceeded to shock everyone yet again when she was able to make a contract with a family heirloom of priceless value—a sword forged by her ancestor Abura Uchiha herself, the Takemikazuchi Hachishiki. One of the Treasured Tools of Nature's Omniscience, it is a sword forged from Nature Energy and as such, requires its wielder to have some proficiency in senjutsu before being able to use them. However, as a member of the Abura Clan, she has already done the minimum required training in senjutsu to the point that she was able to take the sword which had, ever since the death of Abura, refused to take a master. With the sword in hand, the princess of the Abura clan was one again lauded as a talent never before seen in the clan, with great expectations placed on her by other people who believed that Shigure's talent was enough to be capable of surpassing the clan progenitor herself.[5]

Tenure at the Academy[]

Shigure began attending the ninja academy of Takigakure at the age of eight, however, a few days prior to her enrollment, she encountered Hakaru Tsukumo who was cheerfully playing with some smaller children with his special powers. Asking him why he was doing this, the boy replied that it was fun to play with the small children and when Shigure felt herself be pulled by the children and calling her 'big sister,' she couldn't help but completely agree. She began playing with the children as well until they all had to go home. She herself said farewell to Hakaru as well and realized that she was feeling strange after he had left. Upon returning home, she questioned her parents on her emotions and they simply told her that she had fallen in love. Taking that revelation to heart, she asked herself why she developed those feelings; of course, she was unable to give herself an answer.[6]

While attending the Academy, Shigure met Emiri Uchiha, the daughter of the patriarch of the Uchiha Clan of Takigakure. She and Emiri formed a friendly rivalry with each other, always competing against each other for the top scores in all manner of subjects. However, while extremely intelligent herself, Shigure was always incapable of triumphing over Emiri's scores on paper, only able to win against her no less than four times in their overall career in the Academy. Nevertheless, while Emiri kept triumphing over Shigure in one broad area of study, she herself repeatedly triumphed over Emiri in another area of study—specifically, Shigure's skills in ninjutsu were far greater and more refined than Emiri's skills. Like a sore loser, she lorded over Emiri in this manner, something that was unusually out of character for her, which goes to show how much it shocked Shigure, being consistently beaten in an area that she thought that she was immensely prodigious in.[7]

Upon graduation from the Academy, she was delegated to Team 17 under Jukan Nara, a well-respected and well-liked jōnin of Takigakure who had emigrated to the village and had gained the recognition of the village enough to be assigned as the team leader of a team consisting of three future clan heads. Her fellow team members were her rival, Emiri, and the boy she crushed on, Hakaru.[8] She had also become very close friends with three other students, who were assigned to Team 18, Mizakura Uzumaki, Nonomi Asuka, and Kusanali. Their team leader, Suzuya Shikinami, was an eccentric woman who according to Jukan met with and followed him in his emigration into Takigakure; Suzuya herself cited that she had fallen in love with Jukan and wished to become his wife to which was received by constant rebuffing from Jukan which Shigure took to heart, hoping that Suzuya would be able to mentor her in the ways of love.[9]

Personality[]

As she was raised to be a princess, Shigure has what one would call the 'standard princess personality.' What this means in the context of Shigure is that she is rather haughty but not overly so, prideful in her abilities but not unduly egotistical, and friendly but not egregiously so. Her personality did not rot because of her immense dedication in her military disciplines that she kept up ever since she was a young child. This on top of her family being highly militaristic also contributes to her strong personality. For Shigure, being a princess does not mean she can simply sit around and do nothing; for Shigure, being a princess means that she must fight to pull her own weight and refusing assistance from other people as that can be seen as weak (although Shigure understands this philosophy is generally not a good idea and is willing to accept help when it is required) and Shigure rejects even the most miniscule actions that can bring shame to both her and her family.

It is also due to Shigure's personality that she developed a friendly rivalry with Emiri Uchiha with whom she is able to fight at her greatest against. If she was to describe Emiri rudely, Shigure would call Emiri her punching bag to which Emiri would describe Shigure as the same for her. They are each other's best training partners and they have dueled numerous times, often forcing either their teammate or teacher, to proctor to fairly decide a winner.[7] Shigure is also exceedingly meticulous, a habit she gained from her parents and her tenure as a student in the Academy; it is a trait she shares with Emiri, as both girls would constantly keep track of how many times they have either won or lost against the other in a small durable notebook they both carry around their persons at all times, something that Hakaru always pokes fun at.[10]

While exceedingly rare, Shigure can also be angered to a point of no return as shown when she listened to Mutsuki's story, learning about the gangrape her mother suffered that ended with her death; in a silent fury, Shigure would track down Shippū-dan's headquarters and bisect the entire building with a single stroke of her rage-filled blade.[11] This is again shown during the second round of the Chūnin Exams when her friend Emiri was forcibly branded by a Kāma by Renka Utsugi. As she unfortunately was unable to exact vengeance on the person who caused her friend so much pain, Shigure's anger was directed at the forest itself and for an instant, her heightened emotions advanced her Teiōgan Burst Mode to Teiōgan Chakra Mode, allowing her to bisect a large area of the forest in one anger-driven swing.[12] Her lingering frustrations concerning this did not completely dissipate until she confronted Gaara of the Sand in the preliminary rounds of the Chūnin Exams, was praised by the Third Hokage, and repeatedly comforted by Emiri who thought nothing of her brand.[5]

Due to Shigure being short, she has developed a minor inferiority complex about her height. Emiri, who is taller than average, always lords over Shigure about how much taller she is in a playful manner. Shigure, of course, doesn't take this lying down and their lighthearted banter almost always descends into a lively duel to which both Hakaru and Jukan are both greatly tired of.[7] Shigure often makes use of a temporary measure where she wears high heels in order to make herself seem taller, however, as she is hardly used to wearing such footwear, the gods seem to have a great comedic sense in that Shigure frequently loses her balance, much to her chagrin and deep embarrassment.[13] Should Emiri be present for the fall, her jeers would once again result in the two girls sparring with each other as Shigure tries recovering from her shameful blunder.[7]

In terms of her romantic affections, Shigure first experienced these emotions after her first meeting with Hakaru Tsukumo. She held those feelings close to her heart and carried with her throughout her days in the Academy. She believed that if she grew older she'd better understand what these emotions were.[6] However, during the Chūnin Exams, she had her first encounter with Sasuke Uchiha and unlike Hakaru, who merely swayed her heart, her encounter with him completely stole her heart. She finally understood what her parents were telling her of what the feeling of love is: for it to be truly 'love', it must feel as if someone has forcibly taken out one's heart from one's chest. However, for Shigure, she forced those emotions down as she was in the middle of testing her abilities; while she had at last fully fathomed the emotion of love, it would be unbecoming of her to bring unsatisfactory results due to her being distracted by these newfound emotions.[14]

Over the course of her travels and her occasional encounters with Sasuke, her feelings of love for him only deepened to the point where she can be simply labeled as obsessive. In Shigure's eyes, she would love nothing more than to be the wife of Sasuke just like how her secondary mentor, Suzuya Shikinami, would love to be the wife of her teacher Jukan. However, Shigure would eventually relent in her love of Sasuke in order to make way for her friend, Emiri, who's love for Sasuke is equal to—or pehaps even greater than—Shigure's affections for Sasuke. She settled for her first flame, Hakaru, and allowed her friend to be happy with Sasuke and as she became an adult, Shigure frequently expressed in jokes that she had wished that she had married Sasuke instead much to the chagrin of Emiri and discomfort of Sasuke, who didn't exactly reciprocate Shigure's affections.[citation needed]

Appearance[]

To put it simply, Shigure is short—being a tad shorter than the average girl for her age and she dislikes it to the point of developing an inferiority complex. However, to make up for her height, her beauty is unparalleled. She possesses near-waist-length azure blue hair and sports the emerald green eyes of her clan's dōjutsu. She also has a crescent-shaped birthmark on her right breast that is normally hidden behind clothes.[11][15] In cases where she must hide her identity as an Abura, Shigure uses contact lenses that change her eyes from green to gold while simultaneously sealing away her Teiōgan by virtue of her clan's Sovereign Sealing Method.[16] She is generally seen wearing a traditional formal kimono set in colors of green and white as per her noble blood. While it should really only be worn with her formal kimono, Shigure often elects to tie up her hair with a traditional hair pin which holds her hair up in a single large bun at the base of her crown. At the same time, Shigure regularly disregards wearing the gold tiara that symbols her status as princess of both Takigakure and the Land of Waterfalls as the eldest daughter of the Abura Clan, to the point that she'd rather store it away than wear it.[17]

Her shinobi dress typically consists of the standard military uniform issued by her family and village which consists of a long-sleeved, double-breasted black coat with two rows of gold buttons down the front; the coat sports red details including the shoulder epaulettes, the gores on the lower half of the coat, and stripes on its sleeves. Other decorations include gold aiguillettes and a single white fourragère worn over her right shoulder, attached to a stylized cherry blossom decoration pendant at the center of his collar to symbolize her royal blood. Her left shoulder is embroidered with the number for Team 17 and she wears a pair of white gloves. She wears the standard-issue black skirt which extends down to her knees and wears a golden belt to which she can attach the multiple pouches that store all of her shinobi gear as well as the scabbard of her beloved blade, Takemikazuchi Hachishiki.

Shigure's outfit evolves little as the story progresses, however, she does go through at least four different iterations of her uniform due to them either wearing out or being ruined beyond repair as a direct result of conflict. She also grows taller, having multiple growth spurts that wildly change her measurements making frequent visits to the tailor to fix her uniform a commonplace activity for Shigure. In Part II, Shigure elects to finally wear the gold tiara of her royal family more often as well as a haori over her uniform, the haori carrying flame-like designs emulated with green and white fabrics. This crown would eventually be destroyed during the Fourth Shinobi World War[citation needed] and is replaced with one personally made by Abura Uchiha.[citation needed]

Abilities[]

Shigure is a prodigious talent of the Abura Clan said to be the only shinobi in the clan who would be capable in surpassing the progenitor Abura Uchiha herself. She, as heiress of the Abura Clan, is a shining example of strength in her ability to easily dispatch other genin her age with similar if not better skills. A great portion of her talent is concentrated in her skill with the sword and her talent is so great that Hiruzen Sarutobi said she was the greatest swordswoman ever to grace the history of the Chūnin Exams after watching her defeat Gaara despite his absolute defense.[5] Following the two-year timeskip, Shigure's skills are considered to be among the greatest in all of shinobi history, managing to fight as equals with the likes of Sasuke Uchiha and Wakame Uzumaki during the Fourth Shinobi World War and keeping up in the battles against those lauded as gods of the shinobi world, like Fugaku Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Ultimately, by adulthood, she is considered to be a shinobi of legend alongside Sasuke and Wakame.[citation needed]

Chakra and Physical Prowess[]

As a member of the Abura Clan, Shigure has higher than average chakra reserves than normal shinobi. This is due to the fact that her ancestor was directly related with the reputed strongest Uchiha to ever live (with the exception of Sasuke), Madara Uchiha. Her chakra reserves as an early teenager was noted to be exceptional and greater than the average jōnin by Kakashi Hatake; he also stated that her chakra reserves were nearly three times that of his own.[18] She is able to very easily unleash large attacks that uses massive amounts of chakra three times in relative quick succession before exhausting herself.[citation needed] By the time of the interlude, her chakra reserves had grown immense enough that she is able to fully undergo training for Sage Mode—specifically that of Phoenix Sage Mode—without any drawbacks, as it is a notable fact that Nature Energy is extremely difficult to control. Her control over chakra is also considerably high as she is capable of Medical Ninjutsu which requires an extremely fine ability in controlling chakra, healing herself and her allies when required.[19] This ability in such fine chakra control and the gift granted by her Teiōgan makes it virtually impossible to trap Shigure in even the strongest genjutsu; in fact, Itachi Uchiha, who met her during the Konoha Crush, stated that even he would have difficulty placing Shigure under a genjutsu with Tsukuyomi.[20] In Part II, Itachi further commented that Shisui Uchiha's Kotoamatsukami may not even bind her, an accusation Shisui merely laughed off.[citation needed]

Shigure's skill in taijutsu is quite unparalleled for her age with the fact that Might Guy greatly expressed the desire to have been Shigure's teacher being proof of her talent. While not quite on the level of the one known as the taijutsu genius Rock Lee, she is capable of matching his acutely agile attacks with considerably fast counterattacks of her own, only losing out in speed and agility when the Eight Gates come into the picture.[21] By the time of the Sasuke Recovery Mission, Shigure's skill in taijutsu was polished to the point that she was able to fight toe-to-toe with Kimimaro, whose special abilities made him impossible to engage in hand-to-hand combat with, something Shigure merely bypassed by encasing her fist and enhancing her sword with chakra.[citation needed] In Part II after undergoing roughly two years of training in Aokigahara Rainforest, she is able to fight on equal terms with opponents such as the Fourth Raikage, Fugaku Uchiha, and Madara Uchiha and either force them back or overwhelm them. As an adult, she is among the most skilled taijutsu users in the world, earning acknowledgements from both Might Guy and Rock Lee, two persons that she had looked up to in terms of learning the skills to be a true taijutsu master.

Ninjutsu[]

Even before graduating from the Academy, Shigure was already an extremely talented prodigy in ninjutsu. At the age of seven, the same age one would normally awaken the Teiōgan, she was able to utilize Teiōgan Burst Mode and as such, was considered an adult by the rest of her clan.[4] Like other members of her clan, she is capable of performing the Summoning Technique to summon the phoenixes of Aokigahara Rainforest who had made a pact with Abura Uchiha promising to have them exclusively form contracts with her Abura Clan and the Uchiha Clan. Prior to this, she had a summoning contract with the hawks which she kept valid even after acquiring her phoenix.[citation needed] While not her forte, Shigure is capable of fūinjutsu, having enough general knowledge concerning it to perform the Sovereign Sealing Method, a secret technique of the clan; she is also knowledgeable enough to educate Sasuke concerning the subject which he used to develop the Lightning Flash Blade Creation with direct assistance from Emiri.[citation needed] By contrast, the ability to flow chakra is a skill extremely inherent to her clan and she makes avid use of it via Teiōgan Chakra Mode which she had already achieved by the age of eleven, a feat never before seen in her clan.

Nature Transformations[]

Shigure is among those rare shinobi who possess a natural-born affinity to two nature transformations, Fire Release and Wind Release.[22] Like other members of her clan, Shigure's Fire Release is unique: her fire takes on a green (sometimes aquamarine) color and is stronger than other Fire Release techniques with it only being outclassed by Phoenix Release and Amaterasu, both of which are considered to be the highest level of Fire Release. She was already capable of performing high-level Fire Release techniques, such as Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song Technique, by her first mission as part of Team 17, and achieved the pinnacle of Uchiha Fire Release techniques, during the Konoha Crush roughly ten months later. In terms of ability in the Fire Release, she is more skilled than Emiri Uchiha who also possesses a dual affinity to two nature transformations, something that serves as an source of extreme annoyance for Emiri. She makes expert use of her Wind Release to greatly enhance her Fire Release techniques, often performing cooperation ninjutsu on her lonesome as she can very easily combine and strengthen her fire with gusts of wind.[23]

After being taught the Rasengan by Jiraiya during the Search for Tsunade, she was able to create an originl technique which combined her nature transformation with the Rasengan, a feat that the technique's creator, Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, was unable to achieve.[citation needed] Shigure was also capable of further advancing her original technique, drastically intensifying its power.[citation needed] During her period spent training in Aokigahara Rainforest, Shigure learned how to use the Yin Release to perform varying genjutsu, with her learning four different techniques, the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, Demonic Illusion: Double False Surroundings Technique, Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique, Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, and her clan's secret technique, Demonic Illusion: Cajolery of Glamour. Thanks to achieving Teiōgan Sage Mode, Shigure is also able to use the rest of the five basic nature transformations plus Yang Release and Yin–Yang Release. Shigure is capable of using the latter expertly and like Wakame Uzumaki, is able to make perfect use of it to restore whomever she touches, revitalize their life force, and even regenerate missing organs.[citation needed]

Bukijutsu[]

As is standard among the Abura Clan, Shigure is an all-around master in the use of most, if not all, ninja tools. She is capable of fighting with practically any object resembling a weapon she can get a hold of. For example, when derived of all of her weapons including her prized sword, Shigure grabbed a sturdy-looking wooden stick and after greatly enhancing it, used it as a makeshift spear against the actual weapons wielded by Dotō Kazahana's military force when she was captured;[16] the incident was unknown to Dotō until confronting Team 17 in the climactic battle and seeing Shigure present. However, despite her all-around skill, Shigure is world-renowned for her singular obsession and mastery with the usage of a sword in combat.

Kenjutsu[]

Taught in her family's school of swordsmanship, the Musō Jikiden Ittō-ryū, Shigure was considered an equal in skill to the grandmaster teaching the style who greatly praised Shigure's talents as on par with the abilities of the school's founder.[17] She wields a special katana, Takemikazuchi Hachishiki, one of the Treasured Tools of Nature's Omniscience forged by Abura Uchiha herself. Her skill with the sword is great enough to warrant Hiruzen Sarutobi, a man who was known as a 'God of Shinobi', stating that Shigure was the best swordmaster he has ever seen in his long life which included the many samurai that he had tussled with in his younger days.[5] She was very easily capable of matching Mifune in combat when he offered her the opportunity to spar during the Five Kage Summit; Mifune himself commented that if given a few more years, Shigure would undoubtedly surpass him in swordsmanship. Mifune also commented that Shigure's skill in flowing chakra into her weapon was far more refined than his own.[citation needed]

As a family that specializes in so-called 'Chakra Enhanced Kenjutsu,' Shigure's ability to flow chakra is extremely refined as an acute sense of flowing chakra is required to achieve mastery over Teiōgan Burst Mode. With her Chakra Enhanced Kenjutsu, Shigure was competent enough that she could fell a massive area of forest during the second round after losing herself in her anger following Emiri being marked with the Kāma, initially causing Emiri great pain.[11] By the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Shigure is capable of competently dissecting entire mountains as well as splitting the sea, as shown when she slashed open the ocean and made a pathway for the Ten-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb to harmlessly pass through.[citation needed] As an adult, she was easily able to protect Takigakure by her lonesome when Toneri Ōtsutsuki attempted to destroy the world by dropping the moon, resulting in the natural satellite crumbling apart and raining meteors onto Earth.[citation needed] Later, in the climactic battle against Jigen and following that, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, Shigure awakened her most devastating kenjutsu yet, Absolute Sword — Akashic Skywheel: Sage Art: Fire Release Cherry Blossom Dance which was powerful enough to bisect Isshiki's Disruption Cubes and his Kāma Rift, greatly surprising Isshiki.[citation needed]

Dōjutsu[]

Teiōgan[]

Like all other Abura Clan members, Shigure first manifested her Teiōgan at birth, however, she was unable to make conscious use of it until the age of six, a year earlier than the normal time an Abura would do so. Due to this, Shigure's Teiōgan is considered especially potent even by other clan members; her father stated that Shigure's Teiōgan was already far stronger than his own despite having just newly manifested.[5][17] Shigure's epithet of Princess Jade Eye (翠玉眼姫, Suigyokugan-hime) was given to her primarily because of this proficiency and later on, this same moniker would spread throughout the world, beginning with her performance in the Chūnin Exams.[1] With the Teiōgan, she is able to see chakra and the Chakra Pathway System including most of the tenketsu, accurately mimic any physical movements she sees, and track fast-moving objects. She is also able to accurately predict her opponent's next move to a certain degree with her ability to see movements and anticipate one of the possible next moves.

Shigure is also capable of using Teiōgan Burst Mode having awakened it at the age of seven, a year after her first conscious use of her Teiōgan. Using this ability, she can perform mighty chakra-enhanced attacks; Shigure also heavily combines the use of Teiōgan Burst Mode into her kenjutsu, further strengthening her already powerful sword-based attacks. After mastering Teiōgan Burst Mode, Shigure awakened Teiōgan Chakra Mode which further enhanced her abilities and upon learning senjutsu, she achieved the third and final transformation, Teiōgan Sage Mode, during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Senjutsu[]

During the two-year timeskip between Part I and Part II, Shigure was shown Aokigahara Rainforest, a mystical location kept secret from the outside world and known only to the Abura and Uchiha Clans, to undergo proper senjutsu training. Under the tutelage of the Great Phoenix Sage, Shigure was able to enter a complete Sage Mode, having been able to perfectly balance natural energy with her own chakra. Shigure's unique Sage Mode manifests as parrot-like eyes and winged appendages that grow out of her hair; she also gains feathered wings growing from her back, granting her the ability of flight. Utilizing Sage Mode greatly enhances Shigure's techniques as well as her physical parameters; she also is capable of sensing chakra from a much farther distance than what is normally allowed by her Teiōgan. Unlike traditional Sage Mode, however, Shigure's Sage Mode is self-sustaining by virtue of her summoned animal, having forged a contract with one of the phoenixes of Aokigahara Rainforest. By "fusing" with her phoenix, she could maintain Sage Mode via her summoned animal gathering natural energy for her. With her Sage Mode active, she is powerful enough to face down the likes of a reincarnated Madara Uchiha on her lonesome and actually manage to pressure him enough to give praise to her as one of his direct relatives (as the Abura Clan's progenitor is the youngest sister of Madara).[citation needed] She can also bring her fusion with her partnered phoenix one step further via the Sage Art Forbidden Technique: Divine Phoenix Embodiment, which she used in the battle against Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. In this state, she gains access to all powers of her partnered phoenix and with it, developed the Absolute Sword — Akashic Skywheel: Sage Art: Fire Release Cherry Blossom Dance, a technique combining all of her talents into one life-burning attack.[citation needed]

Teiōgan Sage Mode[]

Near the climax of the Fourth Shinobi World War after noting how Wakame was able to combine her Sage Mode with Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Shigure attempted to combine her own Sage Mode with Teiōgan Chakra Mode and unwittingly achieved the highest transformation available to her as an Abura Clan member, Teiōgan Sage Mode. Achieving this mode granted Shigure access to all five basic nature transformations as well as the Yin–Yang Release and nine Truth-Seeking Balls. She is able to mold the balls into various shapes and sizes, fire them as projectiles and still be able to control them from a distance, or infuse them with chakra to turn them into a golden sword or twisting tornado. Achieving Teiōgan Sage Mode also heightened her perception to the absolute limit which allowed her to even see the tenketsu associated with the Eight Gates and strike them directly; she is also sensitive enough that she's able to vaguely discern the invisible shadows of Limbo, a feat equal to that of Sasuke who can clearly see said shadows thanks to his Rinnegan. Shigure's physical parameters are also all incredibly boosted to the point that she is able to dodge an attack that moved at the speed of light as well as deflect other Truth-Seeking Balls.

Intelligence[]

Shigure is extremely intelligent, having scored among the highest upon graduation from the Academy. She is the type of person to remain relatively on the defensive in combat as she slowly analyzes her opponent's fighting style, including their use of techniques, their body language, and their specific quirks. As a result, in comparison to Emiri's more forceful ways of combat, Shigure calmly plans out a strategy prior to engaging in combat unless it is impossible to do so due to the circumstances. However, Shigure's strategies always have the tendency to use herself as a scapegoat, something that her teacher, Jukan Nara, is greatly irritated by as he repeatedly scolds the youth to treasure her life more. Nevertheless, Shigure's plans are the ones most often used as her team's strategies. Her analytical skills received praise from both Minato Namikaze and Madara Uchiha, both of whom are considered one of the most intelligent shinobi to ever live.[citation needed]

Despite being mainly a sworsdman by trade, if the situation calls for it Shigure can swap to another fighting style to suit the situation and the strategy she devised. She is also capable of creating conditions favorable to her even prior to battling it out with anyone, as shown when she rigged the area that she suspected was highly likely to be the location her Team 17 and Wakame's Team 7 would encounter Team Oboro with explosive tags in an attempt to render their Haze Clone Technique useless after having heard rumors of that ability from a defeated team.[24][25] She also has keen tactical sense for teamwork as she is able to easily convey her intentions without the need for words to her teammates while simultaneously understanding their intentions without a spoken dialogue.

Chronology[]

Part I[]

Troubles of Yukigakure[]

Main article: Troubles of Yukigakure

Team 17 is selected to be the guards for the famous actress, Yukie Fujikaze, who is in actuality Koyuki Kazahana, the princess of the Land of Snow as she was the daughter of the former daimyō Sōsetsu Kazahana; she was scheduled to film a new movie in her home country by her director, Sandayū Asama. En route to their destination, the train tracks were assaulted by a group of shinobi who used the Ice Release and a broadside assault from an armored train that fired thousands of kunai; Shigure was able to react in time, using Amanoukihashi to create a large portal that swallowed all of the kunai before opening another one above the armored train. Team 17 then each engages one of the Three Snowblades; Shigure fought Nadare Rōga but was forced to stop after Dotō Kazahana used Team 17's fight against his soldiers to make off with Koyuki. Shigure elects to chase after Dotō alone, climbing onto his aircraft and infiltrating his castle.

Shigure fails to notice an area that Dotō had specifically prepared to nullify ninjutsu through the technology of the Land of Snow, which was quite far ahead of its time. She was subsequently captured and stripped of her belongings before being thrown into jail, however, Shigure was easily able to break out of the prison by undoing the Sovereign Sealing Method and returning her dōjutsu prowess to her; she quickly destroys the mechanism behind the ninjutsu nullification and fights way out of the prison, grabbing both the captured princess and her belongings before escaping. She reunites with the rest of her team but is separated once again by shinobi of the Yūki clan. Sensing that they weren't fully attacking her with all of their strength, she correctly surmises that they were being forced into action by Dotō, and upon informing her team of the Yūki clan's plight and seeking the advice of Koyuki, they agree to liberate the Land of Snow. However, Shigure and the rest of Team 17 discovers that the Yūki clan themselves were divided—half of them do not have the heart to rise against their owners (as they were literally treated like slaves) while the other half wanted to rebel. Wanting to prevent any infighting, Shigure erects a barrier around the Yūki encampment, taking only the Yūki clan members who were ready and willing to revolt against Dotō's regime. Hakaru volunteers to stay behind to monitor the barrier, a proposal Jukan accepts despite Shigure's protests; Hakaru insists that this would be the best way to prevent the Yūki clan members who were still insisting on following Dotō's regime from breaking out and assisting their master. Seeing the logic, Shigure nodds, leaving Hakaru to guard the Yūki clan members while she, Emiri, and Jukan moved onwards to face Dotō. While en route to the Eternal Snowscape, Team 17 and the Yuki rebels encounter a woman dressed in black, her face hidden from view. While they were prepared for combat, none could react to the woman's immense speed as she ignores Shigure and approaches Emiri, whispering in her ear; this prompts Emiri to slash at the woman who easily avoided the strike—giggling—before vanishing through a portal. Jukan regains his calm first, reassuring everyone that the woman very likely had no connections to Dotō.

Upon arriving in the Eternal Snowscape, Shigure once again squares off against Nadare and succeeds in killing him, her superior combat skill surprising Nadare who passed on after complimenting Shigure's abilities, leaving behind a statement that he will watch over her growth in hell and await her there. Shigure merely brushes aside the latter half of his statement before witnessing her teammate Emiri and her sensei duel Mizore Fuyukama and Fubuki Kakuyoku, respectively, and also succeed in defeating them. In the face of Dotō's superior technology and ninja prowess, Shigure and Emiri were forced to team up, only managing to place him in the way of imminent loss after combining their respective greatest Fire Release techniques. With his Rasengan, Jukan deals the final blow, blasting Dotō into one of the Generator Walls, killing him. This shatters the ice covering the Generator Wall allowing spring to briefly appear in the Land of Snow—ironically fulfilling Sōsetsu's wish.

Following this, Koyuki discusses with Team 17 of her plans to assume the role of daimyō, however, as she still wanted to continue acting, she'd relinquish the main governing duties to someone else. During the celebration party, Koyuki thanked Team 17 for their efforts in fulfilling her father's long-established wish of turning the Land of Snow into the Land of Spring; she also poses a question, inquiring into the relationship between Shigure and Emiri who state that they have been rivals since they could understand each other. With their mission complete, Team 17 returns home and upon arriving at the Hidden Waterfall, Shigure notices something in her pocket. Pulling it out, she shows her team a surprising photograph, apparently taken in secret by Sandayū and autographed by Koyuki; the photograph shows Team 17 cheerfully conversing with a formally dressed Koyuki.

Ishigakure Civil War[]

Main article: Ishigakure Civil War

Upon returning home, Team 17 was given a three-day break which Shigure mostly spent training, as she always would, however, on the second day of the team's holiday, they were approached by her father who brought to them a B-ranked emergency mission. Burning with righteous anger upon reading the details of the mission, Team 17 departed for Ishigakure. They then met up with a Konohagakure team who were also dispatched because of the details of the mission implicating both Taki and Konoha; this Konoha team is Team 7 led by Kakashi Hatake, which raised eyebrows between Shigure and her teammates due to their captain's reaction at the meeting. One of the Konoha genin was Sasuke Uchiha who was rightfully confused at meeting a non-Konoha Uchiha—Emiri was not quite as confounded. The two teams exchanged information, especially concerning the Shippū-dan, the organization behind the human trafficking incidents resulting in the mysterious disappearances of both Taki and Konoha citizens.

Upon arrival in Ishigakure, Team 17 and Team 7 split up with the intention of covering more ground in their investigations, agreeing to reunite at a later time. What Shigure found most unfound about Ishigakure was the state of public order—"disorder" was a massive understatement. Upon beating back the fifth goon who tried reaching up her skirt, Shigure irritatingly decided to step away for a moment, disappearing into a tavern. She eventually bumped into a well-dressed girl with white hair and bleached eyes who fell to the ground; apologizing for knocking her down, Shigure held out her hand to help her up and noticed that she was holding the hand of a seedy aging man. With a pig-like smile, the man reached out to grope Shigure upon harping about her beauty which resulted in Shigure lashing out with her fist, knocking the old man back and instantly killing him. Shigure immediately found herself hounded by the establishment's guards to which she grabbed the well-dressed girl and bolted out of the abode. She then made her way to the predetermined rendezvous point where the well-dressed girl noticed Kakashi and introduced herself as a Hyūga, shocking Kakashi.

Confused, the genin were given a brief summary to the girl's circumstances, that she was the daughter of the Hyūga clan's current patriarch through his deceased first wife and that she had vanished from Konohagakure fifteen years ago. The girl, who introduced herself as Mutsuki, further corroborated the story, confirming that her mother was indeed that same deceased first wife and that she had sadly passed away six years ago protecting her and her twin brother from a group of bandits. Throwing all caution to the wind, Shigure asked for the location of Shippū-dan's headquarters after which she disregarded all warnings from both Jukan and Kakashi and teleported to that location with Mutsuki in tow. Loudly declaring her presence, Shigure drew her sword and cut the building apart in seven different strokes. Out of the building's ruins, a blonde woman with orange eyes fired off a shaft of midnight that ate through Shigure's chakra-enhanced attack and nicked her neck. Shigure quickly backed off, although ensuring that Mutsuki was behind her, and healed her profusely bleeding neck.

Both Team 7 and Team 17 quickly found where Shigure was as the dust cloud thrown up by the collapsing building alerted them of the attack; arriving where they were, the two teams engaged in combat with the blonde woman whose mysterious dark-attributed powers rendered combat using chakra almost impossible as she would either shred it apart or absorb it with the double-diamond seal on her left hand. At Kakashi's suggestion, the group retreats as their fighting had destroyed a great portion of the village in their general vicinity. Outside of the bounds of the village, the group brainstorms their next moves but were confronted by...

TBA

Mount Katsuragi[]

Main article: Mount Katsuragi

Following the conclusion of the Ishigakure incident, Team 17 was approached by a Konoha-nin who after conversing with Jukan, left immediately. Jukan addressed his team, declaring that their destination would change; they were to head to Mount Katsuragi, a mountain on the border of the Land of Earth and Kusagakure's country, to investigate a Kirigakure missing-nin. Upon arriving in the general vicinity, they stumble upon an old man who was in the middle of being attacked; quickly, the team sprang into action with Jukan and Hakaru fighting them off, Shigure healing the old man, and Emiri watching their rear for a separate attack. The old man thanks the team and implores them to go after a man and a girl who were being chased by the same members of the organization that attacked him. Jukan surmised that the man and the girl were the targets for this mission and carrying the old man on his back, directed Shigure to lead the team in the direction pointed by the old man.

Soon, the team caught up with the man and the girl; the man immediately attacked, manipulating explosive bubbles, which Shigure countered. In response, the man rapidly increased the number of bubbles which Shigure also countered with larger flames; before they could exchange more attacks, the girl stopped the man, recognizing the old man Jukan was carrying. After a short conversation, the man, who introduced himself as Utakata, entrusted the protection of the girl—named Hotaru—to Team 17 before leaving. Jukan attempted to give chase but decided against it when Hotaru pleaded against the idea, and instead, instructed the team to escort the girl to Tsuchigumo Village. After dropping her off, Shigure talked with Jukan, insisting that she had a terrible feeling—an inkling corroborated by Emiri—when they were exiting the village. As per Jukan's instructions, Shigure leaves a clone behind with her teammates and infiltrates the village alone.

There, Shigure witnesses an argument between Hotaru and her uncle who also serves as the chief of the village and waits silently, allowing Hotaru's uncle to bring her to a small room. Biding her time, she sees the same four bandits who attacked them earlier retrieve a scroll from Hotaru's purse that explodes; Shigure immediately swoops in to shield Hotaru from the detonation and urges her to escape with her. The two take flight into the forest outside of the village but the relentless pursuit of the bandits forces Shigure to stop and stand her ground. In the middle of the melee, a bubble appears over the heads of the bandits, allowing Shigure to knock them unconscious. Utakata encases the two girls in a bubble and brings them to the rest of Team 17; while en route, Hotaru explains that they are after the forbidden technique of her clan and that she refuses to give up the technique to respect her grandfather and first master's wishes. She then proceeds to undress, which shocks Shigure and greatly embarrassing Utakata, and shows the two her back within which the technique had been implanted. Despite this, Utakata angrily leaves after Hotaru once again called him master.

Before they were able to meet with the rest of the team, they were assaulted by Kirigakure hunter-nin who disabled their ability to use chakra; the hunter-nin entangles both Utakata and Shigure with a rope of water when he gives Utakata the ultimatum of surrendering himself or risk Hotaru being killed. Utakata immediately relents, allowing himself to be restrained twice over with more water ropes by other hunter-nin; Hotaru begs them to let her master go but the hunter-nin ruthlessly inform her that Utakata was a wanted criminal who killed his own master and fled the village. They intended to bring Shigure with them too for the purpose of studying her eyes and unique chakra but were stopped with the arrival of hellfire that destroyed the rain which disabled their ability to use chakra. Shigure immediately engages in combat with the hunter-nin but was stopped when Tsurugi revealed himself, requesting that Team 17 hand over the criminal. Shigure refuses on her team's behalf but was forced to relent when Jukan offered a counter-proposal that stipulated Utakata was to stay unharmed until they ensure Hotaru's safety, a plan Tsurugi accepted.

Sometime after the group retreated back to Mount Katsuragi, Hotaru collapses in pain, resulting in Shigure and Utakata disclosing the kinjutsu implanted into her back; Shigure confronts the old man and demands why Hotaru has to suffer but Hotaru insisted that this was at her own behest, explaining that she wanted to restore her clan as per her grandfather's wishes. The old man moved to remove the seal on Hotaru's back and render the forbidden technique useless but is adamantly refused by Hotaru who receives a slap from Utakata for her defiance; the girl then runs outside to her grandfather's grave where Shigure and Emiri convince Hotaru to have the forbidden technique removed but is blindsided by Hotaru's solution in which she intends to transfer the technique to Shiranami, the son of her grandfather's first pupil. Shigure relents, calling up several clones that scout the surrounding area for someone who might know Shiranami, and after learning of Shiranami's house, pays him a visit with Emiri. Much to the two girl's shock, they did not find Shiranami and instead were immediately bound with a purple barrier by the same four bandits that their team had fought several times; the two girls overload and escape the chakra-absorbing barrier but are soon knocked unconscious by a stronger variant of the barrier. Before they could be killed, Utakata arrives, revealing to the rousing girls that Shiranami was in fact the leader of these bandits. Entering his initial jinchūriki form, Utakata angrily demands to know Hotaru's location, however, the bandits manage to escape.

Shigure, Emiri, and Utakata search for clues of Hotaru's whereabouts and return to Tsuchigumo Village where they discover Shiranami had controlled the entire village's populace; the three struggle to fight the villagers without injuring or killing them but are forced to protect them after the bandits rain explosive tags on the trio. The bandits and villagers are then subdued by Jukan's timely arrival who instructs his student to save Hotaru. With Emiri electing to stay behind, Utakata and Shigure follow multiple trails of chakra to Shiranami's hideout whereupon they discover an undressed Hotaru staring blankly into space; Shiranami declares that he had already invoked the technique to unleash the Tsuchigumo's forbidden technique. He also reveals that he had killed his own father and plans to use Hotaru as the technique's vessel to assist in his goal of world domination. Shigure angrily engages Shiranami but is locked in place by his Character Bind Technique; Utakata, meanwhile, breaks free from the bind using a small bubble that he had earlier created to blow Shiranami off of his feet and ruin his focus, allowing Shigure to escape the binding. Shiranami attempts to bind the two again but is shocked to find he is unable to do so, thanks in part to Utakata's tailed beast chakra and Shigure's massive reserves, however, they are unable to prevent the activation of the forbidden technique.

Being protected by Utakata, Shigure managed to shrug off the worst effects of the explosion. Spying Shiranami escaping, she elected to chase after him after Utakata informed her that he will remain behind to control the runaway absorption Hotaru was experiencing. Successfully apprehending Shiranami, Shigure returns to Tsuchigumo Village to Utakata having succeeded in curtailing Hotaru's forbidden technique; he then reveals that he managed to render the technique useless in the process. The group celebrates with Utakata finally accepting Hotaru as his student; Shigure then accompanies Utakata as he tries to contact the hunter-nin to ask for permission to travel the world with his disciple. They stumble upon a gravely wounded Tsurugi who Shigure immediately heals as best as she could before they were interrupted by Akatsuki member Pain; Shigure summons a shadow clone to call on her teammates while she and Utakata engages the Six Paths of Pain. Entering his jinchūriki transformation again, Shigure watched Utakata defeat two of of the Six Paths and upon her team's arrival, Shigure and Emiri together defeat one while Jukan does in another. In a last-second awakening, Shigure prematurely ends the battle by a remote activation of Amanoukihashi that sends the remaining two enemies to a random far-off location before losing consciousness. When she next awoke, she was surprised to find Utakata sparring with Hotaru; she learned that Tsurugi had survived the attack and had granted Utakata permission to stay with his disciple. Utakata requests if he is allowed to follow Team 17 to Takigakure, a notion Shigure immediately accepts, revealing to Utakata that she is in fact the young lady of the Abura Clan, much to his shock. After packing up their things, Team 17 escorted Utakata and Hotaru back to their home village.

Chūnin Exams[]

Main article: Chūnin Exams

Upon receiving the full report of the mission from Jukan, Shigure's father granted their team an extended leave; it was to the extent that she was forced to stay home for several days to rest, especially when her parents learned that her beautiful emerald eyes bled from the strain of the battle with the Akatsuki. When she was finally allowed out of the house, she learned that her team had been recommended for the Chūnin Exams. With all preparations complete, her team alongside several other teams, including Team 18, set off for Konohagakure, where this year's Chūnin Exams were held. On the way there, the Prajñā Group, an Anbu unit of the Land of Woods, who were there to assassinate Shigure; they were, however, beaten back with the two teams and their jōnin leaders eliminating the group, although several were swift enough to escape. The altercation complete, the group arrived in Konoha where Team 17 reunited with Team 7, much to the surprise of the latter. The Takigakure rookies also met the other rookies of Konoha, a group which Team 7 is also a member in.

Before the time for the first exam, Shigure watched Sasuke approach Rock Lee and request for a match; she volunteered to referee the fight, a duel which Lee won quite easily. Intrigued, Shigure requested for a bout herself and she was surprised to find that she was evenly matched with Lee; this elation was reciprocated by Lee as he was excited to find a worthy opponent. As he prepared a new technique, he was stopped by a turtle who warns Lee of the imminent arrival of his mentor; said mentor appears and to the shock of everyone present, slaps Lee across the face, before running to hug him and breaking down in tears. The genin being utterly confused by this turn of events, Lee's mentor, Might Guy, merely asks Team 7 about how their mentor is doing before bragging about his win streak in his bouts with his eternal rival. With a fake smile, Shigure excused herself, escorting her friends and Team 7 back to the examination hall but before they were out of earshot, Lee gave them a parting shot, declaring that the strongest genin in Konoha was not Lee himself but his teammate—Neji Hyūga—something that greatly intrigues Shigure after they had met his older half-sister several weeks prior.

Before entering the hall, the two teams were stopped by Kakashi who explains that if all of them did not consent to taking the exams, no one will; he then wishes them all luck, believing that they will all pass with flying colors. Shigure, leading Team 17, and Wakame Uzumaki, leading Team 7, swaggered into the examination hall where Team 7 meets with the other Rookie Nine and have a discussion, which was interrupted by Kabuto Yakushi who kindly tells them to keep quiet before going on to explain about the monsters taking this Chūnin Exam and that there are others that might still be lurking. Not discouraged, Wakame loudly declared that she would not be intimidated to which Shigure responded by yanking her back down and apologizing to the other examinees, garnering mixed reactions of shock, annoyance, and sexually-charged intrigue, as Shigure's beauty and emerald eyes were noted by everyone present. Displeased by Kabuto's explanation of Otogakure as a minor village, three Oto-nin attacked Kabuto which he effortlessly dodged, however, he immediately felt nauseated followed by his glasses shattering. Shigure approached him with a healing hand, surprising the three Oto-nin, but before things could escalate, the first exam's proctor Ibiki Morino appeared and announced the beginning of the first exam.

After being handed the exam, Shigure was surprised at the difficulty of the questions, and while she could answer the questions with little issues, she understood the true purpose of the exam—to test one's skill at cheating. Once she realized this, she discreetly contacted her two teammates, informing them of the exam's nature; through the same chakra thread she had contacted them with, Shigure had her teammates copy her movements but Hakaru was somehow sound asleep, having immediately clocked out upon reading the exam sheets. Exasperated, Shigure and Emiri agreed to ace the exam themselves; when it came time for the tenth question to be revealed, Ibiki declared that one could quit now and be allowed to take the Chūnin Exams again at a later date or risk answering the last question wrong and being a perennial genin. Shigure watched some genin stand up and leave after which Wakame loudly declared that she would never quit. After several moments, Ibiki's intense glare softened as he laughed and declared the examination complete and that whoever remained has passed the first phase.

The genin were then corralled to the Forest of Death where the second exam's proctor Anko Mitarashi began the explanation, declaring that this exam was designed to eliminate more than half of the participants and that in order to pass, a team will have to bring both a Heaven and Earth scroll to the tower in the center with each of the teams receiving a different scroll. Shigure noted that the number of teams was perfectly even and ideally, would allow exactly half of teams to pass; of course, she never believed that and kept the notion to herself as her team was escorted to one of the entrances, with a Heaven scroll in hand. Upon entering the forest, Shigure made the decision to meet up with Team 7 first; a few minutes of wandering the forest in the general direction of Wakame's chakra which Shigure had earlier sampled and is sensing down, they encounter a Sunagakure team with an Earth scroll. Praising their luck, Shigure knocks all three of them out but not before giving them a spectacular smile. With that team's Earth scroll in hand, the three continue searching for Team 7 and upon meeting them, Sasuke immediately asks Shigure for the name of the Hyūga girl's mother from the mission they completed together, which Shigure confidently answers before also revealing her right breast's birthmark, as Team 7 had seen it when her clothes were partially destroyed. At that, Sasuke quickly looks away before asking about why they were there, a reaction that Shigure found extremely cute (although she had to rein in her snickers as Emiri was glaring daggers into her back); the two teams then agreed to cooperate although Team 7 was massively jealous at how Team 17 had already gotten their two required scrolls.

Sasuke then elaborates that he had just beaten back an Amegakure genin who disguised as Wakame and the six decided to stick together to prevent switch-ups among their members. As they were about to move as a unit, they were interrupted by a massive gust of wind that broke the group apart; quickly regrouping, they confronted a Kusagakure genin who declared a fight to the death after swallowing their Earth scroll. After realizing that Wakame was missing, Shigure moved to search for her but was immediately paralyzed by a wave of their opponent's killing intent, however, she quickly shook it off and shot off a fireball which was suddenly absorbed. From behind a tree, a black-hooded woman appeared, saying that it has been a while; Shigure glanced back at Emiri, who had already recovered from the burst of killing intent but froze up once again. The black-hooded woman removed her head covering, unveiling herself to be Renka Utsugi; this surprised the Kusagakure genin who revealed himself to be Orochimaru. Shigure watched in confusion as Renka shot her own blast of killing intent at her fellow missing-nin, warning him to stay away from Emiri; Orochimaru merely shrugged it off and complied, as his sole interest was with Sasuke.

Once again hit with a blast of killing intent, Shigure found herself clamming up but forced herself to move by forming a blade of her Teiōgan chakra and piercing her leg; she immediately moved out of the way of the chakra blast Renka sent at her, with Emiri in her arms. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Sasuke escaping with Sakura in tow as well, glad that he also found a way to break out of the paralysis; Hakaru, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen. Shigure yelled at her friend, snapping her out of her reverie as the two prepared to duel Renka; once again, as it was during their first encounter in the Land of Snow, Renka was merely toying with them, absorbing Shigure's chakra-enhanced sword strokes and handily defending against Emiri's martial arts. However, the two manage to land a solid blow after Emiri entangles Renka in special wires followed by Shigure stabbing her in the abdomen; Renka congratulates the two in their rapid growth before transforming into an even more beautiful woman. The woman breaks free from the bindings and hugs the two girls, praising them as Renka did; she then cries, apologizing to Emiri as she holds her hand and kisses her on the forehead. Confounded, Shigure could do nothing but watch as a black diamond-shaped seal appeared on Emiri's chest above her cleavage while the woman, who referred to herself as Kaguya, apologized one last time before she and her tears faded away into the dust. Emiri then collapsed but did not hit the ground as Shigure had caught her before she did.

Upon reuniting with Team 7, she was shocked to find Sasuke unconscious as well; Hakaru explained that after he rescued Wakame from her would-be grave inside a giant snake's stomach, he blocked Orochimaru's attack, allowing Wakame to attack Orochimaru although she was soon put out of commission. After engaging him in a short hand-to-hand bout, Sasuke then bound Orochimaru with special wires before incinerating him. The genin were shocked to see part of Orochimaru's face melted off, revealing another face beneath; applauding Sasuke for the clarity of his Sharingan, he extends his neck and bit Sasuke's, leaving behind a cursed seal after which Sasuke collapsed, writhing in pain, before losing consciousness. Hakaru punched the ground in frustration as he cursed his weakness in preventing the marking, especially since he has knowledge on the cursed seal Sasuke was forcibly branded with; Shigure comforted her teammate, initially shocked at such a strong show of emotion from the usually lethargic Tsukumo. With three of their group out of commission, they agreed to rest for the time being with Shigure and Sakura agreeing to rest in shifts; Hakaru refused to sleep, insisting that he was punishing himself.

Thirty minutes later, Shigure—having elected to take the first shift—shouts at the bushes, demanding whoever was hiding to come out; the same three Oto-nin who had attacked Kabuto in the first exam crawls out, declaring their intention to kill Sasuke. With Sakura resting, Shigure attacks the man with a metal arm and quickly discovers that she cannot engage him in close-quarters combat upon losing her hearing after striking his metal arm and being deflected by its intense vibrations; Hakaru quickly decides that he is the only one capable of fighting Dosu and his metal arm and squares off against him. Leaving him to his duel, Shigure restores her lost hearing and fends off the remaining two genin, a haughty boy and an overly smug girl, quickly putting them both out of commission with several well-placed enhanced sword strokes. Despite Hakaru's best efforts, he fails to stop Dosu from swiftly retreating after retrieving his comrades, however, Dosu quickly finds his path blocked by an awakened Sasuke, his abilities massively strengthened by the dark power of his cursed seal; Shigure then watches in horror as Sasuke separates Dosu from his teammates before inquiring about whether or not they dealt Emiri her wounds. Without even waiting for a response, Sasuke stomps on the haughty boy's arms, breaking both of them; the boy's agony-filled screech woke Emiri who upon noticing Sasuke, immediately got up to hug him and begged for him to stop. This snapped Sasuke out of his trance after which he promptly lost consciousness again, allowing Dosu to finally retreat after leaving behind his Earth scroll—no one stopped him.

Sasuke regained consciousness almost immediately, asking what had happened to him; Shigure explained that they were attacked again but successfully drove them off. With both teams having scrolls, they began moving toward the central tower but after some time, they encountered a Sunagakure team on the verge of killing an Amegakure team; Emiri moved first with Shigure noticing that the black diamond-pointed seal had activated and dark lines were spreading across Emiri's chest and right arm. To her shock, the sand encasing the last surviving Ame genin fell away as a stream of chakra flowed from it to Emiri's hand. Realizing that Emiri had just absorbed the attack, Shigure wonders what exactly was done to her friend. The boy manipulating the sand changed targets but was convinced by the other boy to desist seeing as the surviving genin had given up their team's scroll, completing the Suna team's set. The other boy apologized for his brother's behavior and left; Shigure then snapped Emiri out of her reverie and said that they should get moving too, both Team 7 and Team 17 arriving at the central tower three minutes after the Suna team, setting records for one of the fastest second-round clears in Chūnin Exam history.

Five days later, it was revealed that out of the twenty-six teams that entered the Forest, nine teams made the cut which was far more than expected, as shown when the Third Hokage came forward to congratulate the exceptional genin for their achievements before passing the torch to Hayate Gekkō who begins explaining that as far more genin passed than expected, they were to begin holding preliminary matches to narrow the field with himself acting as proctor. Hayate adds that if any one of the twenty-seven genin wishes to quit now is the time, however, no one steps up; accepting this outcome, Hayate begins the randomized selection, drawing the first match between Sasuke and Yoroi Akado, a teammate of Kabuto. Shigure and Emiri both worry over Sasuke who is still experiencing pain from the cursed seal; he had earlier disregarded the two girls' counsel to drop out, insisting that he would not be a man his older brother would be proud of if he quit now. As Sasuke was about to descend, Shigure watched Kakashi pull the young Uchiha aside and upon seeing him again, is unsettled by his severe expression. Sasuke's match proceeded smoothly although he initially struggled against Yoroi's Chakra Absorption Techniques, defeating Yoroi with the Lion Combo after forcibly repressing the cursed seal and replicating Lee's taijutsu with his Sharingan. Exhausted but victorious, Kakashi departs with Sasuke in tow; when Shigure and Emiri asked Kakashi, he simply replied that he was going to help Sasuke with his "problem."

Deciding that it would be best to leave Sasuke in Kakashi's hands, Shigure focuses on the next matches with the second match being between her teammate and Shino Aburame which Hakaru almost immediately threw—while unamused, she expected nothing less from him and wondered to herself how she could have fallen in love with such a lazy person. The following match was between Kusanali, an acquaintance, and Kankurō, the other boy from the Suna team; it was a close match with Kusanali being victorious after revealing new techniques. After that, Shigure watched Sakura's match with her best friend and rival Ino Yamanaka and despite it ending in a draw as decided by the proctor, Shigure felt the need to applaud, a sentiment agreed on by Emiri. The following two matches were between Temari, the third Sand Sibling, and Mizakura Uzumaki and Dosu's female teammate and Emiri; both were rather quick victories for the Taki genin. Deciding that it was time for a rest, Shigure fell asleep and was only shaken awake for the tenth match, when her name was paired with the last remaining uneliminated Sand Sibling; Gaara quickly materialized on the floor and glared at Emiri, silently telling her to quickly come down. Internally rejoicing, Shigure leaped down to the arena where she introduced herself to Gaara with a proper curtsy. With Hayate's signal to start, Shigure immediately charged at Gaara and slashed at him, only to be surprised to find a Shield of Sand blocking her way.

Unleashing a fireball, Shigure followed up with further slashes but found that Gaara's defense was much too versatile and far too hard. Deciding that unstrengthened slashes aren't enough, she enhanced her sword and renewed her frenzy of cuts, the speed at which she was striking eliciting great praise from the Third Hokage who returned to watch Shigure's match specifically so as to understand her dōjutsu. When even this failed, Shigure decided to layer her strikes, manipulating time with her right eye and succeeding in burning through Gaara's defense before cutting a straight line from his shoulder to his waist, deciding the match, however, Gaara was not finished and struck Shigure—this was stopped by the intervention of the jōnin present. The Sand Siblings were then escorted away with Kankurō and Temari still trying to understand how Shigure managed to pierce through Gaara's invulnerability. The Third, however, fully understood and sought to confirm his observations with Shigure who nervously obliged as she was in the presence of a legendary shinobi; the Third merely laughed heartily and ruffled Shigure's hair, expecting more growth from the young Abura.

Shigure rested while the next matches continued and only returned to reality when her name was once again drawn, pairing her with Kabuto; ever since their initial encounter during the first exam, Shigure had disliked Kabuto, sensing something else within him. This was proven when Kabuto removed his "mask" for the fight which Shigure initially struggled to gain momentum in as she was caught off-guard by Kabuto's Chakra Scalpel; thankfully, Shigure can use Medical Ninjutsu herself, restoring her torn tendons and muscles in the places Kabuto touched her. Summoning ethereal green blades, she turned Kabuto into a pincushion and with her blade poised under his chin, forced him to surrender, and once she withdrew her blades, she walked off, once again rejecting Kabuto's philosophy. With the preliminary matches all complete, Hayate announces that the genin are given a one-month period to either rest or train in preparation for the final rounds. Shigure congratulated her fellow Taki-nin and decided to spend the rest period training; Shigure elected to train on her own but stumbles upon Wakame attempting to walk on water. She approaches Wakame and provides her pointers after which Wakame visibly improves—much to her teacher's surprise—although she still fails to stand on water for longer than several seconds. Shigure apologizes for interrupting and introduces herself as the young lady of the Abura Clan, shocking him, who also introduces himself as Konoha tokubetsu jōnin Ebisu. Shigure then spies a white-haired man peeking into the women's bathhouse and discreetly sends a small stream of fire in his direction, setting his hair ablaze.

Bewildered, the man immediately put out his burning hair and introduced himself as Jiraiya; Wakame recognizes him as the author of Kakashi's favorite novel series while Shigure immediately recognizes him as the legendary shinobi he is. Seeing as her temporary teacher is out of commission, Wakame pleads with Jiraiya to train her which Shigure doubles up on, heaping praise on the man. Jiraiya swiftly agrees as the two girls before him are wonderful eye candy. As Jiraiya tests the two on their basics, Wakame once again struggles with standing atop water and after the fifth time of falling into the water, she frustratingly strips, causing Jiraiya to develop a comical nosebleed, however, he does notice a different seal atop the seal that he is familiar with and beckoning Wakame over, performs the Five Elements Unseal, breaking the seal. Wakame tried again and is excited to discover she is able to stand atop water for longer than she was capable of earlier; while happy for her friend, Shigure approaches Jiraiya and inquires as to whether or not the seal was applied by Orochimaru which Jiraiya applies in the affirmative. Surprised that she guessed him, Shigure added that Orochimaru had appeared during the Chūnin Exams' second round and had also placed a cursed seal on Sasuke; Shigure was not aware of the seal on Wakame until now and confirmed that she was truly merely guessing. This soured Jiraiya's mood but he quickly recovered and declared that he was going to teach Wakame the Summoning Technique.

Shigure volunteered to demonstrate, summoning her hawk who was still of the size to settle on her shoulder as she nipped at her mistress' hair. Impressed that Shigure had contracted with such a splendid hawk, Jiraiya began explaining to the starry-eyed Wakame about the technique. With her hawk still on her shoulder, Shigure warmly watched over her friend's efforts which soon paid off; while she started small—being only capable of summoning tadpoles, she soon became able to summon regular-sized toads until five days after starting their training, Wakame successfully managed to summon Gamabunta, much to Jiraiya's surprise. He asks Wakame whether or not she had training in drawing on the Nine-Tails' chakra to which Wakame responds with the affirmative, stating that her adoptive mother has been training her seeing as she was a jinchūriki herself. Wakame is then taken on an adventure with Gamabunta who while impressed by Wakame summoning him, still insists on testing her.

A week later ten days before the final rounds open, Shigure visits the Konoha Hospital to pay Lee a visit as his duel with Nonomi left him with large injuries that had him bedridden for the most part of the one-month respite period; to her horror, she stumbles upon Gaara attempting to kill Lee which was halted by Shikamaru Nara's Shadow Imitation Technique and Wakame's shadow clones. Gaara reveals a bit of his past—about the sand demon sealed inside of him to turn him into a human weapon, about the many assassins sent after him by his own father, and about his philosophy where he believes the only way to legitimize his existence is by killing—and thereby, erasing—others. Wakame nods in sympathy as she explains about her own demon, insisting that Gaara did not have to turn out this way; in response, Gaara moves to kill Shikamaru and Wakame but is stopped by Shigure's emerald flames as she could not stand to simply watch and listen anymore. She demanded for Gaara to leave which he—to her surprise—obediently did but not before declaring a parting shot: that he will kill them all. Shigure egged him on, stating that Gaara did not have what it takes to claim her head. After he was gone, Shigure clonked Wakame on the head, scolding her for trying to reason with Gaara, before apologizing to Shikamaru who merely shrugged; Shigure dragged Wakame out of the hospital and together, spent the remaining ten days training and sparring.

On the day of the finals, Shigure furtively looked around, concerned for Wakame, Emiri, and Sasuke who weren't present; the two Uchihas' absence caused a stir in the crowd as well as their performance was what the audience was looking forward to the most. Shigure noted the viewing office the Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage were seated in and soon saw several Anbu leap from its bounds. As for Wakame, Shigure discreetly dispatched a shadow clone to look for her, and sure enough, Wakame was late; Shigure brought her to the arena with her space–time ninjutsu. Having proctored the preliminaries, Shigure was thankful to see Hayate return for the finals as he declared the tournament to be styled as a single-round elimination, however, with contestant Dosu Kinuta having been mysteriously killed twelve days prior, his match will have to be rearranged; originally planned to fight Shino Aburame and whoever won the fight was to fight Shigure, the match was arranged so that Shigure fights Shino from the get go. With that out of the way, the contestants were ushered into their special viewing box while the first match contestants, Wakame and Neji, remain and square off in the arena. Wakame loudly declares that she—as promised—will defeat Neji; this confuses Shigure with Shikamaru taking the opportunity to fill her in on the circumstances—following Neji's defeat of Hinata, Wakame smeared her fingers in Hinata's blood and facing Neji, made a fist, announcing her intention to avenge Hinata. Neji merely scoffs, stating that Wakame was destined to lose from the moment she was paired up against him.

The two fighters open up the match lightly with them exchanging several physical blows; Wakame then spawns several shadow clones and throws some kunai which Neji expertly deflected. Neji was rather impressed at Wakame's taijutsu skill, especially since he was unable to strike her tenketsu as he pleased. Brushing off the praise, Wakame continues her straightforward attack and successfully fooled Neji into attacking a clone that she had purposefully held back from his Gentle Fist; surrounding him with clones, Wakame pressed the assault only to be blown back. Still reeling from the blowback, Neji approaches Wakame and enters the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms stance, eliciting great shock from onlookers; with Wakame collapsed, Hayate moves forward to declare the match over but was stopped when Wakame stands up, challenging her supposed defeat. She then inquires about Neji's hatred into the clan who responds by removing his forehead protector and revealing the cursed seal there. He explains the circumstances behind his father's death and the situation of the Hyūga branch family; once again, he states that Wakame's defeat was set in stone.

Sneering, Wakame forms a hand seal and calls upon the Nine-Tails' chakra, forcibly opening her Chakra Pathway System much to the Third Hokage's shock. Now empowered, Wakame charges once more and after several clashes, she and Neji triggers a massive explosion on the arena. Peering through the smoke with her eyes, Shigure closes them and nodds, asserting Wakame's victory; Suikazura mocks this claim which was soon proven to be correct when upon the smoke clearing, only Neji was seen standing, however, Wakame emerges from beneath his feet, landing a rattling punch on his chin and knocking him down. With Neji being unable to get up, Hayate acknowledges Wakame's victory. Upon returning to the viewing area, Shigure scolds Wakame for her haphazard fighting, fussing over her bleeding nails which had shattered from the force of the punch she gave Neji. As the girls converse, it was soon declared that the second match which was between the two Uchiha was to be postponed and the third match between Kusanali and Suikazura would be moved up, a suggestion made by the Fourth Kazekage who insisted that it would be a waste to squander the audience's excitement by disqualifying the favorites. Shigure wishes Kusanali luck as she descends to the arena alongside her opponent.

Watching the two kunoichi clash, Shigure was shocked to see Suikazura too employing Kusanali's favorite technique―Suikazura simply laughs as she states that she could copy such a paltry lightning technique in no less than a month. This affinity to lightning would prove to be Kusanali's greatest annoyance as her kekkei genkai's most prominent weakness was lightning. As the two girls clashed with Suikazura showcasing her mastery over fūinjutsu with the sheets of paper she randomly pulls out from somewhere on her person spitting out numerous bladed implements, the audience seemingly decides that Suikazura was to be victorious, however, they are shocked to see Suikazura suddenly stop her attacks and raise her arms, announcing her surrender. Shock then turns to deep confusion as Kusanali finds a violet stiletto piercing her abdomen and the surrendering Suikazura vanishing with a thunderclap; appearing behind her holding the violet stiletto, Suikazura continues impaling Kusanali only to click her tongue as Kusanali disperses into petals. Suikazura then finds herself defending against a massive wall of water; standing atop the water's surface, Suikazura scratches her hair in annoyance, enviously glaring at Kusanali and her massive chakra reserves granted to her as a member of the Senju clan. Forging twin blades of wind and lightning, she summons more violet stilettos and attempts to erect a barrier around Kusanali, however, she employs her own forged blade to counter Suikazura and after multiple exchanges, halts her blade at Suikazura's neck. Suikazura too has her blade at Kusanali's neck and with the two girls out of breath, the first to throw in the towel was Suikazura who dropped her blades, declaring her surrender as she had exhausted most of her chakra reserves. At that, the audience goes wild, never expecting such a terrain-altering match between genin.

Shigure congratulates Kusanali before going to embolden Mizakura who had retreated into her shell upon hearing the crowd's excitement; she was worried if she'll be able to perform at a level to match the audience's fervor. Shigure merely entrusts that Mizakura will fight at her finest. Thanking her for the words of encouragement, Mizakura descends into the arena where she faces off against Rock Lee who has recovered enough from his wounds that he is able to perform in the finals. Mizakura first apologizes for her teammate's misconduct as it was by her hand he had suffered such grave injuries; Lee brushes it off, ensuring that it was due to his own weakness and lack of training that he had been subject to such damage. As the match begins, Mizakura quickly moves back, pulling out her Demonic Flute and casts a genjutsu which Lee immediately shrugs off by virtue of simply outrunning the sound before it can enter his ears and affect his mind. Mizakura immediately changes the melody, summoning six women from her abdomen who enter the fray. Initially confused, Lee forges onward, engaging the six women in combat; his speed allows him to defend against and avoid the teamwork of the six women, eliciting praise from them. Mizakura herself, meanwhile, kept playing although she had sunk to her knees due to the massive drain on her stamina removing the six women had done to her; as their "jinchūriki"—so to speak—extracting them from her body places quite the strain but since she isn't technically a true jinchūriki, she is merely left in a lethargic state.

Seeing as he is getting nowhere, Lee decides to open the second Gate of Healing to further augment his speed and finally breaks past the six women. Striking Mizakura, he is surprised to find a golden barrier stopping his fists; immediately, he felt something off and leaped away. Mizakura congratulates him for noticing, lamenting her inability to seal him. The Third Hokage once again expresses great surprise as he is well aware of the golden barrier—or more accurately, what made up the golden barrier; as Mizakura unwound the barrier, golden chains came into being and the Third Hokage called them by name: the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Mizakura smiled at Lee who nervously broke into a sweat as she asked him if he was ready for round two; while he was able to outspeed the six women, each time he tried to land an incapacitating blow on Mizakura, he would find his way blocked by the golden barrier. Shigure sighs in relief, quietly apologizing to Lee as the Adamantine Sealing Chains is a truly terrifying fūinjutsu. As the fight continued to dazzle the crowd due to the sheer speed at which it was being conducted, it was soon clear to the more eagle-eyed viewers that Mizakura was to be victorious; indeed, Lee eventually was caught between the spears of three of the six women and pinned in place before being wrapped by the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Seeing no reason to continue any longer especially with the chains impeding his ability to both move and use chakra as the chains had disrupted his chakra enough to interrupt and close the gates, Lee surrenders.

Shigure listens to the crowd once again erupting into cheers, wondering why this year's batch of genin were of such talent that they had exceedingly high-level fights for their age. As Shigure prepares to fight her opponent, she is surprised to hear Shino announce his forfeiture which would have drawn the ire of the audience if not for the timely appearance of the two Uchiha of Emiri and Sasuke, who appear in a burst of flame and a clap of thunder, respectively. Shino then walks past Shigure, promising that they will have a fight on their own terms later; he further states that he did not like being made into entertainment before leaving the venue. Shrugging, Shigure turned to face her two friends who glared at each other with indomitable grins. As the two exchange pleasant greetings, Hayate declares the start to their match upon which both Sasuke and Emiri proceed to weave the exact same pattern of signs, unleashing a great wall of flames at each other. With the crowd's excitement at its peak, the two Uchiha move to enter close-quarters combat. Using what they had learned over the past month, they continuously exchange blows as they try to read each other to ensure that they stay in a favorable condition over the other. The two further exchange multiple fire techniques as they try and fail to get the upper hand. Suddenly, both fighters disengage and slide vertically up the side of the arena walls. Once again weaving the same sequence of signs, both bring their hands forward and gather lightning chakra in their hands; with the chorus of a thousand singing birds, the two charge down the walls and into the arena before barrelling straight toward each other, however, just as they were about to collide, an explosion sounds off in the distance and a genjutsu sweeps through the audience.

Konoha Crush[]

Main article: Konoha Crush

Just prior to the genjutsu taking hold, Shigure's eyes warn her of the impending threat; her foresight immediately spurs her into opening a portal to the Kage viewing booth and arrives just in time to witness the Third Kazekage pull a kunai for threatening the Third Hokage. Opening a second portal directly beneath the Kazekage's feet, she drops him into the arena where she shoots a glance in Emiri's direction who instantly understands and engages the "Third Kazekage" in combat, revealed to be Orochimaru. Shigure leaves the Third Hokage alone after confirming his safety before going around in the audience and lifting the genjutsu from as many people as she could, only stopping upon hearing a loud crash. With Orochimaru having defeated Emiri and Sasuke, Shigure unhesitatingly steps in to confront him herself but is stopped by the Third Hokage who commends her efforts but gently reprimands her to leave it to him. Shigure once again leaves the Third Hokage and reunites with Kakashi who quickly assembles an emergency team to chase after the Sand Siblings who had left the grounds the minute the chaos began; the team consisted of Shigure, Shikamaru Nara, and Wakame but Sasuke, upon regaining consciousness, insisted on following.

Led by Kakashi's ninken Pakkun, the team, captained by Shikamaru, follows the Sand Siblings' trail but soon slows down upon Shigure's warning that they were being tailed. Shigure volunteers to remain behind to throw off the pursuers, a task she completes swimmingly. She is assisted by Asuma Sarutobi who compliments Shigure's strength before she opens a portal, directing Asuma to Konoha's northern gate, upon his request to be sent there to help his significant other. Shigure catches up to the rest of the team just in time to see them confront the Sand Siblings; Shikamaru opens negotiations, indicating his will not to fight but is rebuffed. Shigure confronts Kankurō while Shikamaru approaches Temari. Shigure's unique green fire proves to be Kankurō's greatest annoyance and he surrenders upon realizing Shigure was burning his chakra threads, rendering his puppet technique useless. Just as Temari unleashes Summoning: Quick Beheading Dance, a large explosion in the distance interrupts them.

Arriving at the scene, Shigure is shocked to find Sasuke being crushed behind a giant hand of sand; intending to step in, she subsequently hesitates when Kankurō and Temari's trepidation led them to state that Gaara had "awoke." Wakame stops Shigure from interfering as she confronts Gaara herself. Summoning thousands upon thousands of clones, Wakame enters combat with the partially transformed Gaara which finally tips Shigure off as she recalls the existence of the sand demon. As she watched Gaara get angrier and angrier, Shigure moves once more to assist but is halted again by Wakame who stubbornly believes that she is the only one that can set Gaara straight. With nothing more left to say, Shigure continues watching, witnessing as the battle continued to escalate until Gaara fully transforms into the One-Tails. Wakame is soon immediately engulfed in sand but breaks out, summoning Gamabunta. With his assistance, Wakame enters a new level of combat, leading Shigure to dumbfoundedly comment about the terrain-altering nature of their duel. With her emerald eyes, Shigure spies the moment Wakame punches Gaara across the face which fails to wake him. Wakame decides to transform herself and Gamabunta into the Nine-Tails and locks Shukaku in place, giving her the opportunity to headbutt Gaara, breaking the One-Tails' manifestation.

Upon collapsing to the tops of trees, Shigure approaches for the third time but stops herself from going further as she listens to the exchanged dialogue. Deciding that she had no room to interfere, Shigure—shouldering the unconscious Sasuke after pulling him from Gaara's crumbling hand of sand—watches as Wakame lands one final punch before before both fall to the forest floor. Kankurō and Temari pick up their downed sibling and after exchanging a few more words with Shigure and the Konoha shinobi, Shikamaru settles on the decision that the mission was successfully completed. Allowing the Sand Siblings to retreat to Sunagakure, Shikamaru leads the hastily assembled team back to their village and upon arriving, they hear the somber news regarding the Third Hokage's death and the sacrifice he offered to the village.

Search for Tsunade[]

Main article: Search for Tsunade

With her team in tow, Shigure goes back to Takigakure to report on the happenings of Konohagakura before returning to Konoha to participate in the Third Hokage's funeral service. Upon the Third Hokage finally being laid to rest, Shigure retires once again to Taki to recuperate. She occasionally returns to Konoha to check on her friends. On one such occasion, Shigure hears about Jiraiya's journey to look for Tsunade as a candidate for Fifth Hokage in which he is bringing Wakame. Shigure immediately accosts Jiraiya, demanding that he also bring her along, which Jiraiya easily accepted. On their journey, Jiraiya teaches the two girls the Rasengan and it quickly devolves into a contest where Shigure and Wakame races to see who could master the technique first. Their training is interrupted when Jiraiya finally tracks Tsunade's location to Tanzaku Quarters.

Once arriving in the early morning, the three fail to find Tsunade all day until late afternoon when they hear reports of a giant snake destroying the castle. Jiraiya correctly deduces this to be the work of Orochimaru and the three quickly head for the site of the incident. Unfortunately, they were too late as Tsunade and her adjutant Shizune who were actually present had already left before they reached the vicinity. Deciding to give up for the day, Jiraiya takes his two students to a local diner only to be surprised to find Tsunade and Shizune already feasting on theirs. While Shigure elegantly consumes her dinner, Jiraiya converses with Tsunade and brings up the topic of her nomination for the office of Fifth Hokage, causing Wakame to choke on her food. Unperturbed, Tsunade is able to confirm with Jiraiya that their sensei had fallen in battle with Tsunade refusing the appointment before beginning to ridicule the other Hokage. This angers Wakame who moves to strike Tsunade but is held back by Shigure, however, Shigure herself had words for Tsunade who responded with great interest upon examination of her emerald eyes.

Tsunade agrees to give Wakame a chance and they head outside; of course, Wakame is easily defeated but not before she employs her incomplete Rasengan, surprising Tsunade. She angrily turns to Jiraiya to complete but stops when Shigure steps up to the plate herself, challenging Tsunade. She gets quite close but fails to touch her, only narrowly avoiding being struck by Tsunade's karate chop. Tsunade bluntly labels Shigure's use of Amanoukihashi unfair before turning on Jiraiya again, demanding why he thought of teaching such a dangerous technique to Wakame as she figured it was too early for her; she then makes a bet with Wakame where if she masters the Rasengan within three days, she will gift him her necklace, a priceless heirloom that was once worn by the First Hokage, Tsunade's grandfather. Wakame accepts the wager which prompts Shigure to remind her that she has made less progress with the technique than Shigure did; nevertheless, Shigure agrees to help accelerate Wakame's learning. They then retire to their hotel although Tsunade and Jiraiya temporarily step away to hold a private discussion.

Shizune explains to Wakame and Shigure the history behind Tsunade's disdain against the title of Hokage, elaborating on the losses of her loved ones, Nowaki Senju and Dan Katō, both of whom declared their wish to become Hokage, were given the necklace, and died not long after. This led Tsunade and those around her to believe that the necklace was cursed; Tsunade herself even developed a great fear of blood because of it. Upon hearing this story, Shigure and Wakame excuse themselves and head to the hotel's roof where they discuss what they have just learned before focusing on completing the Rasengan. Over the next two days, Shigure and Wakame perfect the technique, each successfully splitting a tree in half with their Rasengan before collapsing from exhaustion. Shigure would recover first and help Wakame back to the hotel where she found Tsunade and Shizune in the middle of an argument. Correctly inferring the contents of the argument, Shigure merely warns Tsunade not to regret the decision before quickly finding the drugged Jiraiya.

Upon performing emergency first aid on Jiraiya and getting him in somewhat working condition, they immediately chase after Tsunade with Shizune in the lead; along the way, Shizune elaborates on why Orochimaru approached Tsunade, explaining that the former wanted the latter to heal his arms in exchange for the resurrection of the latter's loved ones. In response, Jiraiya begins seriously contemplating the choice to kill his former teammate. Once they had tracked Tsunade out into the castle ruins, Shigure immediately opens a portal directly into the fray to defend against Kabuto's attack which was poised to strike a kneeling Tsunade healing her wounds. Her expression rapidly souring, she kicks Kabuto away before being joined by Wakame and Jiraiya; Shizune rendezvouses with Tsunade and pulls her aside to assist in her recovery, a gesture that the latter did not appreciate. Initially confused by Kabuto's allegiance, Wakame steeled herself after receiving encouragement from Shigure and confronts Kabuto alone; her clones are handily defeated by Kabuto despite his handicap as he was still recovering from having his motor skills scrambled in his duel with Tsunade beforehand. Shigure enters the fray and holds Kabuto in place, allowing Wakame time to prepare her newly perfected Rasengan and propel it directly into Kabuto's abdomen; unfortunately, Shigure fails to react in time to stop Kabuto's Chakra Scalpel from touching Wakame's chest. Quickly, she applies her own Medical Ninjutsu to repair the damage and notices Kabuto recovering from the damage out of the corner of her eye.

Kabuto retreats back to Orochimaru's side and Orochimaru declares the start of a grand battle. Her eyes flash emerald as Shigure opens five portals and teleports everyone to the Land of Snow, the most remote location Shigure is aware of; Tsunade marvels at the Space–Time Ninjutsu employed, praising the Abura clan's immense strength as she stands fully recovered. Just before the legendary Sannin could face each other earnestly, Shigure snaps her head to the side and teleports a certain distance before unleashing Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation to vaporize an incoming wall of water; she quickly realized that she was unable to fully clear the water so Shigure added a gust of wind to bolster her flames. Only then did she finally neutralize the technique, which was revealed to have been cast by Azuma Suiren. Shigure raises a complaint, demanding that she had no right to suddenly attack which Azuma merely replied with the question of why she suddenly sensed three immensely powerful chakras appear all at once. She then praised Shigure as tales of her exploits in the Chūnin Exams had spread far and wide, even reaching the ears of the isolated Land of Snow. Azuma turns to face the legendary Sannin, introducing herself as the Second Hikage of Yukigakure before stating her willingness to arbitrate their fight, wordlessly understanding the lingering tension in the air.

Trying to decipher the interloper, Azuma elaborates that she is the daughter of Eishun, a name that the Sannin all recognize; he was the samurai warrior who died in deadly mutual combat with the First Hokage. Shigure returns to Wakame's side and continues her treatment as she observes the Sannin's battle; the three each call upon their signature summons—Jiraiya beckons Gamabunta to his side as he had fully recovered from the effects of Tsunade's drug through his earlier duel with Orochimaru, Tsunade invokes Katsuyu, and Orochimaru, assisted by Kabuto, arouses Manda. Wakame chose that moment to regain consciousness, joining the peanut gallery formed from Shigure and Azuma, and watching the battle unfold herself. Quickly, Shigure realizes that the fight was too difficult for her to follow; she only catches the latter half of it when Tsunade finally downed Orochimaru with a powerful punch and shaves away his skin once again. Just like how he had impersonated the Third Kazekage, Orochimaru had once again taken another body and seeing as his defeat was imminent, he chooses to retreat, shooting a glare at Shigure as a silent challenge to try stopping him. Shrugging, Azuma congratulates Jiraiya and Tsunade for their victory before sending them on their way; Shigure teleports them all back to Konoha.

Upon arriving, Tsunade removed the First Hokage's necklace and draped it around Wakame's neck as promised; with Jiraiya in the lead, the group presents themselves to the Konoha Council, only to interrupt a meeting for the planned inauguration of Obito Uchiha as Fifth Hokage. Obito greeted Jiraiya, showing his appreciation for his recommendation, and Tsunade, thanking her immensely for returning to the village to assist in his role as while he had forever dreamed of becoming Hokage, he had no idea what to do once he had been selected as a candidate. Tsunade wheels on Jiraiya, angrily punching him out of the room as he had not told her the whole truth; returning to Obito, Tsunade congratulates him for being chosen before praising him for the heroic deeds—including his miraculous survival—he had done during the Third Shinobi World War and that she was more than willing to help the young Uchiha in his newfound role. Shigure stifles a fit of laughter upon witnessing Obito struggling not to look in the direction Jiraiya was flung in and accepts Tsunade's help, his face clearly holding back a fit of cold sweat. Tsunade then leaves the room with Shigure at her side, indicating her desire to visit Sasuke Uchiha and Rock Lee who were both heavily injured and were recovering rather poorly even with Shigure's prior assistance. Nevertheless, Tsunade got to work and showed Shigure her prowess as a Medical Ninja which spurred her into asking Tsunade to take her as a disciple; Tsunade merely laughed off the question, saying that she had nothing that she could teach her, however, she was free to watch her work.

Sasuke Recovery Mission[]

Main article: Sasuke Recovery Mission

In the interim period between her missions, Shigure and Emiri teleport over to Konoha to have a bite at Ramen Ichiraku before they overheard a pair of passersby discussing the kidnapping of a teenage Uchiha. Quickly finishing their lunch, they teleport over to the Hokage's office where Obito Uchiha was in the middle of assigning the mission to rescue Sasuke...

Interlude[]

Aokigahara Rainforest[]

Sunagakure Chūnin Exams[]

Part II[]

Kazekage Rescue Mission Arc[]

Main article: Kazekage Rescue Mission

Akatsuki Suppression Mission[]

Main article: Akatsuki Suppression Mission

Tenchi Bridge[]

Main article: Tenchi Bridge

The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant[]

Main article: The Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant

Pain's Assault[]

Main article: Pain's Assault

Five Kage Summit[]

Main article: Five Kage Summit

Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown[]

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown

Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation[]

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation

Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax[]

Main article: Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax

Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki[]

Main article: Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes[]

Main article: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes

Blank Period[]

Night of Falling Stars[]

New Era[]

Development[]

Trivia[]

Quotes[]

  • (To Dotō Kazahana) "You have no right to forcibly impose your will on those weaker than you. The privilege of the strong is in their ability to shepherd the weak. In my name as the heiress of the Emerald Eye, I hereby sentence you to death!"[26]
  • (To Reyna Yoimura) "You cannot surpass me. Obey me and remain in my shadow. That is the only way you can atone."[27]
  • (To Utakata) "Why do you reject her? Is it because of your status as a missing-nin of Kirigakure? Is it because of your traumatic memories concerning your own master? Can you not see how earnest she is!? She has no ill intentions—of that I can personally guarantee. I truly think it is time for you to stop stagnating and move forward. I'm sure there was a time your master only had good intentions for you."[28]
  • (To Pain (Deva Path), directly before remote activation of Amanoukihashi) "Do not touch him...! I won't allow you to... Stay away...! Stay away...!! Stay away...!!!"[29]
  • (To the leader of the Prajñā Group) "You pups cannot take my head—nor my eyes for that matter."[30]
  • (To the attendees in the exam room before the first round of the Chūnin Exams begins) "It is a pleasure to meet you all. While most of you will hardly remain in my memory, I trust that those who would like to be remembered express their best efforts."[31]
  • (To Sasuke Uchiha when guaranteeing her identity) "Look, see this? It's my birthmark. Surely you know what it looks like? Oh my, are you blushing? You're adorable."[15]
  • (To Gaara) "I am pleased to finally meet you without interruptions. My name is Shigure Abura. I shall do everything in my power to reject your worldview."[32]
  • (To Kabuto Yakushi) "You are free to choose. Either continue this battle or be erased from this timeline entirely... as you have already tasted for yourself the power of these green swords."[33]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #213
  2. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #16
  3. 3.0 3.1 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #42
  4. 4.0 4.1 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #60
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #107
  6. 6.0 6.1 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #89
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #12
  8. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #1
  9. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #58
  10. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #68
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #17
  12. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #74
  13. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #208
  14. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #149
  15. 15.0 15.1 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #71
  16. 16.0 16.1 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #3
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #202
  18. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #86
  19. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #32
  20. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #197
  21. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #64
  22. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #120
  23. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #214
  24. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #83
  25. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #113
  26. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #11
  27. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #30
  28. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #51
  29. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #56
  30. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #59
  31. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #66
  32. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #103
  33. Diaries of the Hidden Waterfall, Chapter #115

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