Konoha, Cloud delegation's VIP lounge.
A kerosene lamp popped and hissed, throwing warped shadows on the walls like something out of a horror flick.
The real boss of this Cloud squad (not the fake one they paraded around) drummed her nails on the table. Her pocket watch ticked like wet needles stabbing the silence.
She glanced out the window. Konoha's sky was choked with clouds so thick the moon was hiding like a little bitch, only daring to peek with half its face.
"Plan A's busted," she thought, smirking as she toyed with her scratched-up Cloud forehead protector. "Snatching a main-branch Hyūga? Yeah, that was never gonna be easy."
She tilted her head, traded silent looks with her team, then fired off the update back home through secure channels.
Bitch had backups on backups.
If the kidnapping failed, the decoy "head diplomat" was scripted to eat dirt on Hyūga property. Boom, instant casus belli: "Konoha murdered our leader, hand over the killer or we go to war."
Cloud's been flipping tables since day one; it's basically their national sport.
Best-case for them: Konoha coughs up the "killer" (some poor Hyūga sap), Hyūga clan loses their shit at the village elders, doves and hawks start clawing each other's eyes out, Konoha tears itself apart from the inside.
Worst-case? Still a W. They get a legit excuse to dog-walk a crippled Konoha.
Lady traced lazy circles on the tabletop (busywork for whatever ANBU were almost definitely watching).
This room was bugged six ways to Sunday; even blinking was done in code.
Even if the Third Hokage green-lit war tomorrow, Cloud wasn't sweating. Their spies had been feeding gold for years:
- Nine-Tails night gutted Konoha's elite.
- Fourth Hokage's grave has nicer grass than most people's lawns.
- Previous jinchūriki Kushina? Dead. New one (baby Naruto)? Still in diapers, zero threat.
- Wood's White Fang "committed suicide."
- Two of the Sannin are MIA, the third's a wanted traitor.
- Third War? Konoha threw Uchiha fire-nin into the ocean against Mist just to spite them. Relations spicy as hell.
Konoha's never been this hollow since the village system started. Golden generation? Dead, deserted, or lost in the sauce.
Uchiha and the village leadership hate each other's guts.
Cloud's drooling. Win: steal Byakugan, breed a new Hyūga branch back home (because what they really lack isn't jutsu, it's busted bloodlines).
Lose: still get to curb-stomp a dying village under the banner of "justice."
Either way, Konoha bleeds. Cloud feasts. Win-win, baby.
…
Shisui's yard.
Cherry petals spinning in the night breeze, sticking to the stone path like someone spilled pink blood.
Shisui popped in front of Makoto and Itachi so fast he left afterimages (moonlight couldn't even catch his coattails).
Sweat on his brow, but eyes sparkling like he just pulled the greatest prank in history.
Makoto leaned against a pillar, smirking. "Rough night?"
"Worth it," Shisui grinned. "Dropped those two packages right where you wanted. Hyūga compound's a nightmare to sneak into, but mission accomplished. What's next, boss?"
Ever since Makoto turned him onto "redirect the hate" instead of "hug it out with the village," Shisui felt fifty pounds lighter. Who knew politics could be this fun?
Makoto brushed petals off his sleeve. "Next? We wait. Go home, train your asses off. Uchiha's about to get a nice little vacation from the bullshit. Use it."
He turned to leave, grass whispering against his hem. Time to pack; dipset from Konoha was coming soon.
Itachi nodded at Shisui, then jogged to catch up. The two brothers walked side-by-side, moonlight stretching their shadows like black capes.
Makoto, of course, hit Itachi with the nightly "Will of Fire? Nah, Will of Makoto" brainwashing session. Routine at this point.
…
Hyūga main house, Hinata's room.
Candle flickering like it's nervous.
Little Hinata shot awake, brows scrunched like someone kicked her puppy.
Head pounding, she reached up (ow, huge lump on her forehead). Tears welled, but she's a big girl, no crying.
Moonlight spilled through the paper door. She whispered, "Just a dream…?"
Nope. Pain too real.
Memories Shisui implanted via genjutsu started bubbling up.
She "remembered" the Cloud head guy kidnapping her… and the Hyūga Grand Elder swooping in like Superman to save her.
Hinata's tiny face scrunched harder. She hopped out of bed, shoved her feet into geta (straps all crooked), and pattered to daddy's room trying to look calm.
Hiashi jolted awake, listened, then stared at the bump on her forehead like it personally offended him.
"The Grand Elder? The old coot who thinks bending over is cardio? Saved you?"
Something stank worse than week-old milk.
He grabbed her shoulders. "Hinata. Whatever happened tonight, you tell no one else. Ever. Got it?"
She nodded, confused as hell, got tucked back in, and curled up hugging her pillow until she passed out again.
Hiashi sat in the dark plotting.
…
Next morning, Hyūga Grand Elder's room.
Old man yawned, then gagged; something smelled like copper and death.
Looked to the corner… and nearly pissed himself.
Corpse. Throat opened, kunai jammed in the neck (Hyūga crest clear as day).
The "dead" Cloud head diplomat. Very much planted.
Cold sweat exploded down the elder's spine.
"I'm framed… I'm so fucked…"
Then the survival instincts kicked in.
"Gotta pin this on somebody else. For the clan! I still have value!"
Destroying the body? Too risky, too many ways to get caught.
Better to find a fall guy and keep shining as the clan's wise, totally-not-guilty elder.
"Whatever it takes, I'm not dying for this!"
…
Dawn barely cracked and the Hokage Tower plaza was already a circus.
Cloud squad blocking the doors, their real leader screaming: "Our head diplomat's missing! We demand the Hokage investigate!"
Inside, Hiruzen puffed his pipe so hard the smoke could choke a horse, eyebrows knotted like old rope.
Glanced at ANBU: "Danzō do this?"
"Nope. Root never left the base."
Hiruzen relaxed a fraction. Only his old war criminal buddy would be crazy enough… so probably Cloud stirring shit.
"Help them search. Don't let them escalate."
Cloud sensor nin locked onto the body in ten seconds flat.
Hiruzen watched through the crystal ball as the mob marched straight toward the Hyūga compound.
He muttered to himself, "Hyūga keeps to themselves… no way they'd be this stupid, right?"
Right?