Chapter 180: Diplomatic Level
The information was not hard to get. Kenichi quickly learned why Konoha's security had suddenly tightened to this degree.
"So the envoy from Kumogakure is coming…" Kenichi rubbed his chin. The news caught him off guard.
Even though he was not deeply familiar with every detail of the original plot, he remembered this section clearly.
Because it involved the Hyuga clan, the internal conflict between the main house and branch house, and the introduction of the Caged Bird Seal. It was also where Hyuga Neji truly stepped into the story.
"Neji… the only one who died," Kenichi muttered with a yawn.
Neji never really held hatred toward Hinata herself, but his father's death crushed his restraint and twisted everything. And among the shinobi of Naruto's generation, Neji was the only notable supporting character who actually died. The rest survived.
Still, Kenichi felt Hizashi's death was tied directly to the Third Hokage's choices.
After all, Kumogakure had been arrogant enough to attempt kidnapping the Hyuga clan's main family heiress inside Konoha. Put plainly, it was like breaking into someone's home and trying to snatch their daughter away.
What would a normal person do?
Explode in rage, call for backup, and beat the criminal until they could not crawl.
Yet the envoy from Kumogakure still shouted, caused a scene, and acted like Konoha owed them an apology.
If it were anyone else, letting those Hidden Cloud shinobi leave Konoha in one piece would already count as mercy.
But faced with that arrogance, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, weighed the risk of restarting the war with Kumogakure and the number of shinobi Konoha would lose. In the end, he compromised.
He even demanded the Hyuga clan hand over a so called murderer.
And the result was that Hizashi, the younger twin, died in place of his older brother.
"From a political standpoint, it avoided the risk of war," Kenichi said quietly, shaking his head. "But it also damaged the unity of the village's clans."
It was a questionable move.
Yes, it reduced the immediate danger, but it also reeked of weakness.
The Will of Fire became a joke, at least to the people who had to pay the price.
Whether Hiruzen's decision was right or wrong had been argued endlessly later, and Kenichi had no interest in joining that debate.
What interested him was something else.
"Still… the plot's already been warped in a lot of places," Kenichi thought, eyes narrowing. "Will Kumogakure's envoys even dare to reach for Hinata this time?"
Now that he understood why Konoha was tense, he stopped worrying. He used the Disguise Technique, turned himself into an ordinary villager, and slipped into the village.
Coming back into Konoha almost felt like returning home.
Almost.
The moment he entered, he saw several squads of shinobi sprinting past.
Kenichi stepped aside quickly.
They were not coming for him. If they were, their movement would be sharper and more targeted. These teams were clearly racing toward the village gates.
"Huh… the Military Police Force?" Kenichi raised an eyebrow.
The Uchiha police actually showed up?
So they were part of the escort and welcome detail for the Kumogakure delegation?
Kenichi blended into the crowd and watched with curiosity. Soon, ANBU began appearing one after another. After them came the village's leadership, including the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzo, along with elders like Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
Then Kenichi noticed a discordant detail.
Among them was a man in traditional Uchiha clan attire, someone Kenichi had never met, yet his position in the formation made the identity obvious.
Fugaku Uchiha.
Kenichi watched with open interest. This was not an everyday sight.
"What a big welcome," Kenichi murmured. "If this is just an envoy from Kumogakure, why would the Third Hokage bring this many people?"
And then the answer clicked.
Diplomacy was not something you handled casually.
The status of the visiting party determined the status of the welcoming party. It was a matter of treatment, of rank, of message.
If Kumogakure sent a normal envoy, Konoha might send a powerful elder to greet them. That alone would be respectful.
If Kumogakure visited a small village like Yugakure in the Land of Rivers, then the Kage of that village might come out personally, simply because the difference in power was too wide.
But for Kumogakure and Konoha, that was not how it worked.
The Third Hokage could not and should not personally greet a normal envoy from Kumogakure. Not when the two sides were only in a truce, not in a relationship of victory and defeat.
Which meant…
"So it's the Fourth Raikage, A?" Kenichi's expression tightened.
A Kage rarely entered another hidden village willingly, especially not when history between the two villages was blood soaked. Even the Five Kage Summit needed neutral ground.
But besides a Kage, Kenichi could not think of anyone important enough to force the Third Hokage to appear like this.
The next moment proved him right.
The delegation arrived.
And at the front, even from a distance, Kenichi could tell the leader was the Fourth Raikage.
Kenichi's lips twitched.
This was absurd.
The Fourth Raikage actually came to Konoha.
Kenichi did not keep watching. He scanned the area, melted into the crowd, and left with the other civilians.
On one hand, ANBU and ROOT were maintaining order, and Kenichi was not interested in getting noticed during a security sweep.
On the other hand, the Fourth Raikage was a monster. Sometimes the instincts of people like that made no sense at all. Kenichi had no desire to test whether A could feel something wrong through a crowd.
So Kenichi went to eat ramen.
"This is shocking," he muttered as he walked down the street, "but it makes things easier for me…"
Normally, shinobi patrols were everywhere. Now most of them were concentrated along the main road, because that was where the Fourth Raikage would enter. ANBU and ROOT were focused there too, watching for threats.
Because at a moment like this, even a simple Fire Release technique that killed nobody could still ignite a war between Konoha and Kumogakure.
Leaving that area was the smart move.
If Kenichi stayed, he would eventually run into a thorough inspection. It would be detailed, meticulous, and annoying.
And of course, when one side was heavily guarded, the inner village naturally relaxed a little.
"What surprises me is that the Uchiha police were assigned to security at all," Kenichi said quietly.
He found Ichiraku Ramen, ordered a bowl of tonkotsu, and sat down, thinking.
He understood why Konoha would sometimes give the Uchiha visible responsibilities. It was a tool, both leash and decoration.
But he did not expect Konoha to use them for welcoming Kumogakure's delegation.
Fugaku must be pleased, Kenichi thought.
He might even mistake it as a friendly signal, a sign that the village trusted the Uchiha.
Kenichi's eyes turned cold.
Konoha had not suffered a disaster severe enough to humble itself. Why would it suddenly become friendly?
If most of Konoha's shinobi died, the intact Uchiha would not be rewarded. They would be exterminated even faster.
So the most likely reason was obvious.
Konoha wanted to display unity.
They did not want the Fourth Raikage noticing the cracks inside the village, and they definitely did not want him noticing the Uchiha and thinking about recruitment.
If Kumogakure poached the Uchiha, Konoha would lose both pride and resources.
While Kenichi ate, a few civilians nearby chatted loudly.
"It's the Fourth Raikage this time," one man said nervously. "Are we going to war again?"
"No way," another replied, waving a hand confidently. "I heard he's here to discuss cooperation."
The second man glanced around, then leaned in and lowered his voice like he was sharing forbidden secrets.
"I heard from my neighbor's daughter's brother's wife's sister's husband that they might be here to deal with some kind of demon."
Kenichi nearly sprayed his ramen across the table.
These rumors were unbearable.
And even if it were true, did they think Konoha and Kumogakure would unite to target some random villager?
Ridiculous.
If someone believed that, they might as well believe Obito suddenly figured out Madara's scheme and decided to kill Black Zetsu out of moral clarity.
Kenichi finished quickly and left. If he stayed any longer, the two men were going to move from gossiping about the Raikage to arguing about which girl at the Fire Maple shop had the lowest price and the best service.
He did not need that in his life.
"But where do I find Shisui now…" Kenichi frowned.
With the village on high alert, Shisui was probably assigned to guard duty. If he wore a mask, searching would be annoying.
Then Kenichi spotted him.
Shisui was buying three color dango with Itachi and a small brat. He was not wearing any special uniform at all.
So Shisui had not been assigned a mission.
Kenichi's gaze lingered a second too long.
Shisui noticed.
When Kenichi activated his three tomoe Sharingan, Shisui's expression shifted. Kenichi opened his mouth and silently formed the words.
"The usual place."
Then Kenichi turned and left immediately.
He was curious what the Fourth Raikage was doing in Konoha, but he did not care enough to dig into it. What mattered was what he had told Shisui, and how much free labor Shisui had managed to gather.
And right now was the best time to leave the village.
At the gate, the shinobi on duty stopped him.
"Why are you leaving the village at a time like this?"
Kenichi, still disguised as an ordinary farmer, answered calmly, "I forgot my hoe in the field."
The guard did not look surprised. He probably heard the same excuse a dozen times a week. The farmlands were large, and people often rushed home for dinner and left tools behind.
"Which field?"
"The one I'm responsible for," Kenichi replied without hesitation. "The section marked with the T shaped number three."
He had lived in Konoha for years. Even back when he believed he might never become a shinobi, he learned how ordinary people survived in the village. He knew the farmland allocation system.
The guard stepped aside. "Go quickly, come back quickly. It'll be closing time soon, and nobody will open the gate for you no matter how long you shout."
Kenichi flashed a fawning smile and hurried out, at least at the speed an ordinary farmer could manage.
The moment he was out of sight, he dropped the disguise and burst forward, heading straight for the Valley of the End.
He crouched on a tree trunk and waited.
The waterfall's roar faded into the background as time passed.
Shisui arrived.
Kenichi jumped down, landing in front of him. "On a day this important, you're not on a mission?"
"Danzo ordered me to monitor the clan," Shisui replied simply.
Kenichi almost laughed.
That was Danzo's style through and through.
He gave orders like chains, one link at a time, testing obedience. If Shisui hesitated or resisted, Danzo would tighten the leash and observe him more closely.
Kenichi did not bother commenting.
He got straight to what mattered.
"How many people are willing to leave with you?"
Shisui sighed, helpless. "So far, I've only gathered 172 within the clan who are willing to leave Konoha and the Uchiha."
He could not openly announce it. He had to probe first, test whether someone even had the thought of leaving, then cautiously bring it up. That kind of work was slow.
Kenichi nodded.
"That's enough."
One hundred seventy two was a good number.
More than enough to start.
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