Chapter 384 – Assassination!
"Head Kei… have you noticed something as well?"
The moment Kei spoke, Minato almost reflexively turned toward him with a question.
Shikaku, seasoned as ever, immediately chose silence.
From this exchange alone, he could tell that when Minato weighed perceptions between himself and the Head of the Military Police, Kei clearly enjoyed greater trust.
That didn't surprise him.
Kei possessed both the capability and the results to justify that trust.
What truly interested Shikaku, however, was what Kei had realized—and whether their conclusions aligned completely.
If there were gaps in Kei's judgment, then it would fall to Shikaku to quietly patch them.
On the surface, his relationship with the head of the Military Police appeared to be growing distant.
But Shikaku knew the truth.
They still maintained a certain level of tacit coordination.
That distance was necessary.
Subordinates had to stay close to the Hokage—but if subordinates were too close to one another, that was when real problems began.
Even if it was merely for appearances, the balance had to be maintained.
The only issue was that this particular Head of the Police seemed… a bit too serious about it.
That gave Shikaku a mild headache.
Still, irritation aside, what needed to be done had to be done.
So he stood quietly to the side, watching Uchiha Kei.
The Third Hokage and the others did the same.
As Kei had said—conflict among them was acceptable.
But all conflict had to exist beneath the absolute premise of Konoha's safety.
Nothing mattered more than that.
"I noticed something… yes. And I have Head Shikaku to thank for helping me connect the dots."
Kei nodded calmly before continuing.
"Does everyone here know that today is actually a rather… special day?"
"A special day?"
Minato and the Third Hokage both froze for a moment.
Even Shikaku looked mildly confused.
"What day is today?" Minato asked.
Kei smiled faintly.
"My teammate, Ayaka, once complained that today happens to be the birthday of the Hyūga clan's main family heiress."
He paused briefly.
"At first, I didn't think much of it. I treated it as nothing more than a coincidence…"
"But now—if they claim it was merely a coincidence that they chose today to visit Konoha, I simply can't see it that way anymore."
"You mean…" Shikaku frowned slightly. "They intend to use the Hyūga clan as leverage?"
Everyone present was sharp enough to reach the same conclusion with only a moment's thought.
The birthday of the Hyūga main family's eldest daughter.
If something were to happen to the Hyūga on that day, the perpetrators would undoubtedly be killed on the spot.
And that would be perfectly justified.
After all—who crashes someone else's birthday celebration and then expects to walk away unharmed?
But the real problem lay elsewhere.
In recent months, Kumogakure's behavior had been far too abnormal.
Those anomalies had already left a deep impression on everyone:
Strong, yet not overtly aggressive.
Firmly protecting their own interests, yet showing restraint.
Even going so far as to voluntarily halt hostilities in the name of peace.
From a political standpoint, this was an enormous boost to Kumogakure's image—almost enough to overturn how many villages viewed them.
And Konoha?
Konoha hadn't embarrassed itself, nor had it committed any political missteps.
But from start to finish, it remained in a clearly dominant position.
Kumogakure, on the other hand, had deliberately placed itself in a weaker stance.
Perhaps they had intended to dominate and failed, forcing a rapid strategic adjustment.
But that very adjustment allowed them to seize the initiative.
Especially the treaties.
They had raised no objections at all.
It was as if they were saying:
"Whatever you demand, we accept. As long as there is peace in the shinobi world."
And the most damning part?
They signed everything.
Which meant—
If that man called Atsubi were to die in Konoha, it could instantly give Kumogakure a perfect excuse to rebound from the bottom.
Coupled with their recent performance, they could gain sympathy—and, more importantly, silence.
As long as no one openly opposed them, that silence would be tacit approval.
Konoha had been besieged during the Third Shinobi World War for many reasons:
Its fertile land.
Its overwhelming share of mission resources.
In short— Interests.
But there was another critical factor.
Konoha was too strong.
Once it showed weakness, the other villages would circle like sharks smelling blood—whether or not they chose to enter the fray, they certainly wouldn't oppose it.
"These bastards…"
The Third Hokage finally grasped the core of the scheme. His hand clenched tightly around his pipe.
"No wonder he dared to come alone. That man is a suicide envoy!"
"Not just him," Kei sighed softly.
"His subordinates are the same. I doubt a single one of those Cloud shinobi ever expected to return alive."
"And as the Hokage just mentioned—Kakashi was sent to monitor him. His teammates were likely nothing more than cover."
"Should I inform the Hyūga clan immediately?" Minato asked.
Though part of him anticipated what was coming, as Hokage he had to make his stance clear.
"It's probably too late," the Third Hokage said quietly.
"It's already very late."
And just then—
A rapid knock sounded on the Hokage Office door.
---
Ayaka had no desire whatsoever to attend the Hyūga main family heiress's birthday celebration.
She would much rather remain in the Military Police headquarters.
Or retreat to the underground chamber in the forest behind the Uchiha compound—doing what she needed to do.
But as a member of the Hyūga clan, escape simply wasn't an option.
Hyūga Hiashi might not openly pressure her, but since she had already made her choice, she knew she had to act accordingly.
Kei had shared some intelligence with her.
She understood very clearly that the Cloud shinobi's target was likely the Hyūga clan's young lady—Hyūga Hinata.
So Ayaka chose to stay within the clan grounds.
She didn't inform Hiashi of the details.
In her view, there was no need.
She intended to act alone—and claim all the credit alone.
As for danger?
For some reason, she felt certain that Kei would never allow her to fall into real danger.
"They're here."
Suddenly, Ayaka sensed something and immediately activated her Byakugan.
Perhaps due to her body having once been infused with senjutsu chakra, her perception had sharpened dramatically.
Even without activating her dōjutsu, she could sense faint, concealed chakra signatures.
Unfamiliar—yet faintly recognizable.
She had seen their owners before, but didn't know them well.
Under the Byakugan's vision, she instantly locked onto their positions.
Three people.
Two remained outside the compound.
One had already infiltrated.
One of those outside appeared to be tracking the Hyūga patrol routes—a sensor-type shinobi.
The other had a thin strand of chakra extending from his body, connected to the intruder—likely transmitting information.
As for the one who had entered the Hyūga estate—
It was none other than Atsubi, the man who had spoken so arrogantly earlier.
"Interesting… in that case…"
Ayaka sprinted straight toward him.
No feints. No misdirection.
As she ran, she steadily regulated her breathing. Chakra surged through her body, growing denser and colder by the second.
In her vision, Atsubi had already entered Hinata's room.
He had drawn the attention of several Hyūga shinobi.
Even Hyūga Hiashi seemed to be mobilizing.
That realization made Ayaka smile.
Perfect.
She wanted Hiashi to arrive quickly.
But not too quickly.
She couldn't allow him to face Atsubi directly.
That would conflict with her interests entirely.
She needed to confront this man first—
And preferably, kill him right in front of Hiashi.
With that thought, Ayaka accelerated.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared before Atsubi.
"Oh?"
Atsubi, now masked, held a young child in one arm. His voice was sharp and unpleasant.
"Someone actually reacted?"
"Impressive. You're the first one here. But—"
As he spoke, he pressed a kunai against Hinata's throat.
"Do you want her to die?"
"Boring."
Ayaka glanced at Hiashi, who had arrived but had not yet revealed himself.
Her voice was icy calm.
"Is this really the only trick Kumogakure knows? Sneaking around like rats?"
"The Byakugan truly is remarkable," Atsubi laughed, sounding almost unhinged.
"What makes you so sure I wouldn't dare?"
"Because—"
Before Ayaka could finish the sentence, she charged.
A palm strike packed with terrifying chakra slammed toward him.
Atsubi barely managed to evade—
But Ayaka immediately closed the distance again.
Her palm clenched into a fist and smashed straight into his abdomen.
He hadn't expected her speed.
Nor her strength.
Pain exploded through him, yet he still clutched Hinata tightly.
The child cried out—likely from the sudden pressure—forcing Ayaka to halt her attack.
"Because you never intended to kill her," Ayaka said calmly.
"Kidnapping her and returning to Kumogakure? Even a fool knows that's impossible.
"So your goal is simple."
She looked at him with cold certainty.
"You want to die here."
"And if I'm not mistaken, your subordinates are about to make their move as well—trying to force their way in, provoking the Military Police.
"With the grudges already in place, they'll die too."
"How unfortunate," Atsubi sighed after a moment of silence.
"A mind like yours… stuck in the branch family, serving under an Uchiha. What a tragedy."
"But—"
A vicious grin spread across his face.
"Do you really think I wouldn't do it?"
As he spoke, his kunai stabbed toward Hinata—
At the same instant, Ayaka moved.
The blade stopped just short of the child's neck—
But Ayaka's palm had already struck his chest.