The sky over Konoha had darkened to the color of ink. The reception ceremony had only just wrapped up as evening fell.
"You've all worked hard today. Please rest well."
Outside the guest quarters reserved for foreign dignitaries, Reina smiled gently and gave a slight bow to the three Kumogakure shinobi. "I'll be guiding you through tomorrow's activities. Until then, you have plenty of time to shake off the fatigue from your journey. No one will disturb you."
After her soft-spoken instructions, Reina quietly closed the door.
Click.
Inside the room, two of the Kumogakure shinobi rubbed their cheeks, stiff from smiling nonstop all day. One of them glanced sideways at Yūruī, who was scanning the room's furnishings with careful eyes.
"Boss," he muttered, jerking his chin toward the door, "that last line sounded like a threat, didn't it?"
Yūruī silently withdrew his gaze without answering. He walked into the spacious living room and dropped heavily onto the sofa.
The two shinobi exchanged a quick look and let the topic die. They glanced around at the luxurious décor and let out a low whistle. "As expected from Konoha. Even the rooms for foreign guests are this high-class."
As they spoke, both slipped their hands into their pockets. A small sensory-blocking barrier activated, sending faint ripples through the air. A voice echoed directly inside Yūruī's and the other shinobi's minds.
'Boss, any surveillance or listening devices?'
"Quite the honor," Yūruī replied evenly, his expression unchanged. "Looks like Konoha really is treating us as honored guests."
The two immediately caught on and started chatting about harmless nonsense—where they might wander the next few days.
When they brought up FUNFUN Street, not far from Konoha, they even let out a couple of crude, suggestive laughs.
Meanwhile, standing outside the door with her back to it, Reina slowly opened her closed eyes.
She knew a shinobi wasn't supposed to let emotions cloud her judgment, but hearing the rough, vulgar language so typical of Kumogakure still made the young woman frown.
"No chakra fluctuations… and no suspicious movements…"
Reina quickly pushed down her discomfort, lowering her hands from the seals while staying on high alert.
If it were up to her, she would have preferred the Third Hokage ordering a full search of the three or placing monitoring barriers inside the room. But the Third had gently yet firmly refused. So far, Kumogakure had shown genuine sincerity. Any underhanded moves by Konoha could easily give them ammunition.
Still, Reina couldn't shake a nagging sense of unease. She couldn't put her finger on why—maybe it was just a woman's intuition.
At that moment, inside the high-floor guest suite, Yūruī stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at Konoha's streets, which remained bustling even at dusk. The people below flowed like ants through the city.
After a brief silence, Yūruī's hands flew through seals. The chakra he had been storing surged forth.
Ox—Dog—Dragon—Rat—Dog—Boar—Snake—Tiger.
Bang!
A puff of white smoke burst silently, and a Shadow Clone appeared at his side.
"Let's begin," the real Yūruī said quietly. "For Kumogakure."
The two Kumogakure shinobi exchanged glances. They both understood perfectly: whether the mission succeeded or failed, none of them would survive.
Only if all three of them died here would the threat to Konoha carry enough weight.
"For Kumogakure!"
Their resolute voices overlapped as they raised their hands and formed seals. Chakra erupted violently from within them.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion tore through Konoha's evening sky. Windows in the buildings, storefront glass along the streets, and lampposts all shattered under the sweeping shockwave.
"Ahh!"
"What's happening?!"
Passersby on the nearby streets screamed in panic, turning fearfully toward the blast. Countless birds scattered into the air as thick black smoke poured from the fifth floor of the guest apartment.
A massive hole had been blown through the apartment wall. Bricks and debris rained down from above, along with three falling figures.
Thud! Thud!
They slammed into the ground from dozens of meters up, cracking the pavement. Bright red blood spread across the street.
Many villagers had already heard the explosion and rushed out from shops and homes. They watched in horror as the three figures plummeted.
Two of them lay completely still on impact. Only one coughed up blood and struggled to his feet, roaring, "Konoha! How dare you break the alliance treaty?!"
The raw fury in his voice stunned the surrounding villagers, who could only stare as the figure fled.
Once they snapped out of their daze, someone finally recognized the two bodies on the ground. Their faces filled with terror.
"Those two… they're the Kumogakure envoys!"
The moment the trembling shout rang out, Reina—her body scorched black and clothes torn—appeared instantly on the scene. Seeing the two corpses, her face turned deathly pale.
How could this be?!
Had someone planted explosive tags in the Kumogakure envoys' room in advance?!
"This is bad! I need to report to the Third immediately!"
Even though she hadn't expected Kumogakure to stage this themselves, Reina instantly realized how serious the situation had become.
Enduring the heavy injuries from the blast, she formed seals and created a Shadow Clone to chase the lone survivor, then raced full speed toward the Hokage Building.
At the same time, in her haste, Reina failed to notice a figure silently leaping out from the thick black smoke overhead.
It was Yūruī—the only one of the three Kumogakure shinobi who was truly still alive.
The "Yūruī" Reina's Shadow Clone was pursuing was merely another clone. The other arriving Konoha shinobi had also been lured away, all believing he was attempting to flee the village.
But his real objective wasn't escaping Konoha at all. It was the opposite direction—the Hyūga clan grounds.
"Rest in peace. You were all heroes of Kumogakure. I'll be joining you soon."
Yūruī's gaze was complex as he glanced at the two bodies below. Then he activated the Body Flicker Technique with full force.
Before long, he arrived in the forest near the Hyūga clan territory. The journey had gone remarkably smoothly.
But in the next instant, as his figure was swallowed by the dense tree shadows and his vision plunged into sudden darkness—
A hand gripping a short blade, knuckles sharply defined, suddenly thrust out from the deep gloom.
Acting on pure battle-honed instinct, Yūruī instantly raised his kunai to block.
Clang!!
The blades collided with a piercing ring. A buzzing filled Yūruī's ears, and a sharp crack came from his wrist. Using the powerful impact, he leaped backward to gain distance.
"Who's there?"
His expression darkened as he looked up. He saw a figure dressed in black robes emerge from the shadows, the short blade in their hand gleaming coldly under the moonlight.
"This path is closed," Hyūga Kumokawa said in a hoarse, calm voice as he finally stepped forward to confront the "supporting actor." "Stop right here."
***
If you want to read up to 25 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)