Konoha and Kumogakure had actually been making efforts to establish contact. For nearly a year, they had been rubbing against each other… so much friction, sparks were practically flying.
In certain matters, they had even begun sharing intelligence.
The Box of Ultimate Bliss in Kusagakure was the best example. Though both sides had sent separate teams to investigate, it was still a major breakthrough. A little more rapport, and they could have started cooperating.
Konoha was interested in Kumogakure's energy resources, while Kumo had its eyes on Konoha's... Well, in short, it was a case of mutual attraction, and they had been on the verge of an alliance.
Yugito, Samui, and Mabui had all witnessed this in the office. The three women wanted to say something, but they couldn't. What could they say? "Oh, I know Uzumaki Naruto really well?
That would be idiotic… it'd be outright admitting they were traitors. And Kumogakure had zero tolerance for traitors. Getting caught meant a one-way ticket to a bad ending.
They couldn't say anything, so it's better to stay silent.
The three women remained eerily quiet as they watched Yondaime Raikage rage. In the end, Mabui was the first to speak, but she didn't mention any suspicions. Instead, she asked whether they should immediately send a strongly worded protest to Konoha.
Protest or inquiry… a single word difference, but the implications were worlds apart.
The furious letter was swiftly delivered to the Hokage's desk. Kakashi glanced at it, then looked up at the ceiling with a sigh.
He rubbed his eyes and looked down at the document again.
'This is... weird.'
'Konoha attacking Kumogakure? Naruto attempting to assassinate the Raikage? Irrefutable evidence?' Kakashi read it several times, confirming that his eye wasn;t playing tricks on him, and couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
"Shikamaru."
"Yes!" Shikamaru raised his head from a pile of documents, looking puzzled at Kakashi.
"Where are Naruto and the others? Has there been any news from Shino?" Kakashi asked, one hand holding the urgent dispatch while the other massaged his temple.
"They're on their way to the Land of Grass. Based on Team Shino's speed, they should have arrived by now." Shikamaru replied after a moment of thought.
"Arrived, huh? Then this doesn't make sense…" Kakashi stroked his chin, glancing at Shikamaru, "This is an urgent message from Kumogakure. Take a look."
Kakashi handed the document to Shikamaru.
"Kumogakure?" Shikamaru was puzzled, glancing down at the document, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Naruto and the others are still in the Land of Grass. How could they possibly be in Kumogakure?"
"This is... a deliberate frame job, right?"
"They claim to have evidence, which they'll send shortly," Kakashi said, pacing around the office leisurely, "Most likely... someone impersonated Naruto and caused trouble in Kumogakure."
"That's possible, but what's their goal?" Shikamaru's brows furrowed, "Facts speak louder than words. If it wasn't Naruto, we just need to clarify things."
"Let's send a reply first and test Kumogakure's stance." Kakashi said, his tone suggesting there was more to it.
Shikamaru didn't question his leader's decision. With a nod, he took the document and left. As the Hokage's assistant, drafting official responses was his job.
Half a day later, Shikamaru returned with a grim expression.
"What's the result?" Kakashi asked casually, as if he already expected the outcome.
Shikamaru took a deep breath, opening his mouth but hesitating before finally shaking his head with a serious expression, "Kumogakure is adamant that Konoha is responsible, that Naruto was involved in the assassination attempt, and insists he must be punished. Otherwise, they'll immediately halt all cooperation with Konoha and won't rule out... military action."
"Heh..." Kakashi chuckled, "We will just investigate again and report back, bargain with them, and show that we we have 'irrefutable evidence'."
Shikamaru left again, though he didn't hold much hope. Kumogakure had always been aggressive. If they cared about evidence, Neji's father would never have been forced to take his own life.
Before long, Shikamaru returned to the office.
Kakashi was no longer so relaxed now, as he probably knew that this was the final outcome, so he asked, "What did they say?"
"Kumogakure's stance is that both sides should jointly investigate. But until the final verdict is reached, to prevent Konoha from shielding Naruto... he must be placed under custody… specifically, imprisoned in Hozuki Castle, in the Land of Grass."
"Hozuki Castle, huh?" Kakashi rummaged through his drawer, pulling out a letter. He skimmed it while muttering, "Hozuki Castle's warden, Mui, has decent relations with Konoha."
"Kusagakure is already history. Seems like there was some turmoil there…"
"Why does Kumogakure insist on sending Naruto there?" Shikamaru frowned in doubts, "Can't he just be temporarily detained in Konoha's prison?"
"Well... the reasons are a bit complicated." Kakashi scratched his head, "Kumogakure would never agree to that, of course. They'd insist on a neutral third-party prison to hold Naruto."
"Hozuki Castle is a detention facility jointly entrusted by multiple villages to prevent favoritism. It specializes in holding high-profile criminal Shinobi involved in inter-village incidents."
"And... well, we wouldn't agree to keeping Naruto in Konoha's prison either."
"Why not?" Shikamaru asked.
"Seems like there's been some... developments. If we detain him in Konoha's prison, the primary overseers would be Ibiki and Inoichi."
Kakashi scratched his head and chuckled dryly.
"Compared to Hozuki Castle, I think Naruto would be in much worse hands with Inoichi. The Yamanaka Clan's Clan Head has been in a particularly grim mood lately. I can't say for sure it's related to Naruto, but... it's probably not a coincidence."
Hearing this, Shikamaru fell silent.
"...Yeah, fair point."
He shook his head, realizing he'd been so busy he'd actually worried about that guy, 'No matter how terrifying Hozuki Castle was, Naruto would never be the one at a disadvantage.'
But if he ended up in Konoha's prison under the Torture and Interrogation Force's jurisdiction? Well… that would be the end of him.'
Kakashi's plan was clear… skip the trial entirely and ship Naruto straight to Hozuki Castle. Keep him locked up until the truth came out.
Because if Konoha got involved in the investigation, the first person Naruto would have to face was Inoichi.
"Is Hozuki Castle safe?" Shikamaru couldn't help but ask.
"It's not safe." Kakashi shook his head, "But for Naruto, it's probably safer than Konoha. Besides, Kumogakure has its own ulterior motives."
"Ulterior motives?"
"Before Yamato went missing, his mission was to investigate the Box of Ultimate Bliss in Kusagakure, which is an extremely dangerous and mysterious artifact. Kumogakure was also involved in the investigation. It was supposed to be a joint operation, but clearly, Kumogakure didn't find the box either."
Kakashi leaned back in his chair, his lone visible eye half-lidded.
"If the Box of Ultimate Bliss is still in the Land of Grass but not in Kusagakure, there's only one other place it could be."
Shikamaru asked tentatively, a look of doubt in his eyes, "Hozuki Castle?"
"Mm." Kakashi nodded.
"If Naruto is innocent, this becomes an undercover mission," Kakashi said, "Kumogakure is even more shameless than you think. Go ahead and issue the mission update."
"Notify Shino's team that the mission has been changed."
"Understood." Shikamaru nodded and left.
…
Outside Kusagakure.
"How did this village become like this?" Tenten stared at the desolate ruins in the distance, unable to believe this was once the powerful Kusagakure.
"Collapsed from within?" Naruto smirked, secretly pleased. After all, he'd had a hand in this.
He had planted Ajisai and Yakumo here, telling them to wait for an opportunity. Looks like they got lucky and took advantage of the chaos to tear the place apart.