Chapter 385: The Footsteps of War
"What exactly are you people trying to pull?"
Outside the inn where the Cloud Village envoys were staying, Kawa stood facing off against the Kumogakure shinobi, surrounded by members of the Military Police.
Once the Cloud envoys entered Konoha, ANBU operatives followed them covertly.
But openly, it was still the Military Police who handled surveillance.
The difference in symbolism between the two was enormous.
There was another reason ANBU assistance was required.
During the previous conflicts, the Military Police had suffered significant casualties.
Unfortunately, between time constraints and the reality that training and recruitment couldn't be rushed, there was no opportunity to replenish their ranks.
As a result, the current workload of the Military Police had increased dramatically.
To maintain normal patrol operations, even shinobi who had just returned from the battlefield were forced back into active duty.
Kawa, as a squad captain, technically didn't need to be here.
But he had long since regarded the Military Police as his home—his life's work.
More importantly, he was one of Kei's most loyal subordinates.
A little extra exhaustion didn't matter to him.
Besides, his presence helped restrain those under his command—many of whom had fought Cloud shinobi directly on the battlefield and were still carrying volatile emotions.
Yet no matter how well Kawa controlled his own men, he couldn't stop the Cloud shinobi from acting.
These people were anything but cooperative.
In the dead of night, they suddenly caused a massive disturbance—as if deliberately courting chaos.
"We came here in good faith for peace talks! For the peace of the shinobi world!"
A Cloud shinobi shouted angrily at Kawa.
"What is Konoha doing?! Hand over our commander! Is this how you treat envoys?!"
"Commander? Atsubi?"
Kawa frowned.
"Visiting the Hyūga clan? Since when did you receive permission?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Kawa realized something was deeply wrong.
These Cloud shinobi had no authorization whatsoever to visit any clan within Konoha.
Officially, such rules were never spoken aloud.
But everyone understood the unspoken protocol.
How could they possibly be allowed to visit the Hyūga clan?
And even if they wanted to—how could they get in?
The Hyūga would never agree to meet them unless—
Unless the Hyūga had betrayed Konoha.
Which was practically impossible.
That meant only one thing.
Kumogakure was deliberately trying to create internal discord within Konoha.
Kawa's conclusion was immediate.
These Cloud shinobi had not come in peace.
After following Kei for so long and serving as a squad leader himself, Kawa's perspective had long since broadened.
With the authority he now held, he had no choice but to keep sharpening himself.
Otherwise, he feared he would fall behind Kei.
"Enough talk!"
The Cloud shinobi clearly had no intention of continuing the discussion.
"So this is Konoha's answer?"
He suddenly raised his voice.
"Brothers! Since Konoha has detained our commander and treats us like this, we leave immediately and bring this intelligence back!
All units—break through!"
"Yes!"
The Cloud shinobi shouted in unison.
In the next instant, they drew their weapons and charged straight at the Military Police.
Their decisiveness was terrifying.
Aside from Kawa and a few battle-hardened veterans, most didn't even have time to react.
Kawa drew his blade and intercepted one of the attackers.
He didn't activate his Sharingan—this should have been a non-lethal confrontation.
Yet what shocked him was that his opponent fought with complete disregard for survival.
Ignoring the blade, the Cloud shinobi thrust his kunai straight toward Kawa's chest.
"Damn it!"
Kawa cursed and instantly used the Substitution Jutsu.
At that same moment, he heard the sound of metal colliding behind him—followed by screams.
That was when the gravity of the situation became unmistakably clear.
No matter who had screamed, Kawa could no longer afford restraint.
He inhaled sharply.
They were trying to kill him.
If he hesitated now, not only would he die—his subordinates would too.
Yes, this might cause trouble for Kei.
Yes, it might cause trouble for Konoha.
But first—he had to survive this moment.
If possible, he would leave a prisoner.
With that decision made, Kawa's eyes turned crimson.
His blade no longer held back as he slashed brutally toward the Cloud shinobi.
The opponent was skilled, with an aggressive and ruthless fighting style.
Kawa dared not underestimate him.
And yet—
The Cloud shinobi suddenly smiled.
A twisted, eerie smile.
He abandoned all defense, allowing the blade to pierce straight through his body.
Kawa froze.
What—?
Before dying, the man used the last of his strength to twist his face into an expression of sheer terror.
His eyes widened—
Then he went still.
Suicide.
Deliberate suicide.
"Everyone—stop!" Kawa roared.
But when he pulled his blade free and turned around, his expression darkened completely.
Every single Cloud shinobi lay dead.
Not one survivor.
These damned Cloud shinobi had chosen the most despicable—and most brutal—method imaginable to frame Konoha.
To frame the Military Police.
This wasn't even a battle.
It hadn't lasted a minute.
Calling it a massacre would have been more accurate.
"Captain… this…"
A Military Police member finally snapped out of it.
"They… were they trying to die?"
"Notify Lord Kei immediately," Kawa said grimly.
"This is serious."
"And inform the Hokage. Now."
"Yes, Captain!"
"These bastards… truly are—"
Minato gazed at the bodies scattered across the ground and let out a quiet sigh.
When both the Military Police and ANBU delivered the report to the Hokage Tower, the leadership had already been discussing the situation.
The Cloud shinobi's decisiveness had exceeded all expectations.
Even though Kei had predicted their actions, seeing the aftermath firsthand was still shocking.
"It seems Kumogakure has truly made up its mind," the Third Hokage said softly.
"A pity. If Shikaku and Kei had exchanged information earlier, perhaps—"
"There is no 'perhaps,' Third Hokage."
Kei shook his head.
Looking at the corpses on the ground—and at Ayaka and Hyūga Hiashi standing nearby—he let out a cold laugh.
"Knowing or not knowing changes nothing.
Even if we knew in advance, could we have stopped them?
If they had died on the road back, it would only have spared Konoha some internal trouble.
You cannot stop someone who is determined to die."
"I agree, Third Hokage."
Shikaku bowed slightly—far more reserved than Kei.
"Their provocation at the Hyūga clan was merely an attempt to spark internal chaos.
Debating how they intended to die or frame Konoha is meaningless now.
What matters is how we deal with the aftermath."
Shikaku remained calm and rational.
At this point, dwelling on the past served no purpose.
What truly mattered—
Was preparing for what came next.
The footsteps of war had already arrived.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Kei had known all of this from the very beginning.
It was just that—for reasons of his own—Kei hadn't acted. Instead, he had allowed events to unfold naturally.
Even the Fourth Hokage seemed to be doing much the same.
Although Minato had been trying to intervene, in essence he always seemed one step behind—and deliberately so.
What made the situation even more delicate was that it involved one of Konoha's great clans: the Hyūga.
After Kei sorted everything, they had already grasped fragments of the truth. From that alone, it wasn't hard to guess where Kumogakure intended to strike.
But he also knew that the Fourth Hokage would never allow something like that false peace mission—which was actually meant as a show of force and a buried internal landmine—to succeed.
And Kei certainly wouldn't allow it either.
After all, wasn't Ayaka effectively his partner now?
If she spoke up even once, Kei would undoubtedly mobilize his full influence.
"Fortunately, we were prepared in advance," Minato sighed softly.
"This really isn't something we can blame the Military Police for. Those people were… truly something else."
"Shikaku, draft the official statement," the Third Hokage said, lifting his head with a grave expression.
"We're already behind. From here on out, we cannot afford to fall behind again."
"Make it firm," Minato added, "but make sure the facts are fully and accurately presented."
Then he continued,
"Summon all department heads, clan leaders, and jōnin. We have announcements to make."
He paused and turned toward Kei.
Kei nodded slightly.
That simple gesture gave Minato a powerful sense of reassurance.
Taking a deep breath, Minato's expression hardened.
"Everyone—starting today, starting now—we are entering a state of war."
A state of war was an extremely dangerous designation.
Coming from the mouth of the Hokage himself, it was even more so.
It defined not only their next actions, but the very tone and direction of everything that followed.
The Third Hokage didn't look pleased—but he didn't object.
Perhaps, deep down, he had already accepted that this outcome was inevitable.
At times like this, internal conflict was the most dangerous thing of all.
That night, Konoha was destined to remain sleepless.
Per Minato's orders, nearly every clan head, department chief, and shinobi of jōnin rank gathered in a conference room within the Hokage Tower.
There, Minato laid out the entire situation without concealment.
The gravity of it all hit everyone immediately.
While some still hoped for a special solution to avoid war, the vast majority supported Minato's decision.
To be fair, the strategies laid down earlier by Kei and Minato had been sound.
From the moment they sensed something amiss with Kumogakure, preparations had already begun.
Those preparations had been thorough—and convincing.
Combined with nearly half a year of low-intensity clashes near the Land of Iron, resentment toward Kumogakure had already taken root among Konoha's shinobi.
Most of those present were politically astute.
After Minato's explanation, no one could deny that there was no room left to retreat.
Retreating now would only tear Konoha apart internally.
Setting aside how the Hyūga clan would react—such weakness would devastate Konoha's standing across the entire shinobi world.
And Konoha was not without the strength to fight.
With early warning and extensive preparation, plus the presence of Minato and Kushina, the Third Hokage, and Fugaku, Konoha's high-end combat power was nothing to scoff at.
The Nine-Tails incident had shaken the village, true—but it hadn't broken it.
Konoha needed a decisive event to restore morale.
The skirmishes near the Land of Iron, despite technically being victories, had failed to inspire.
A true victory now would change everything.
Of course, everyone understood that externally, Konoha would still suffer losses.
Even if they displayed their strength once more, the actual gains compared to Kumogakure's provocation would be minimal.
But seen another way—
This war could stabilize Konoha's position and send a clear warning:
Don't get any ideas. Konoha is still Konoha.
At the very least, it could buy ten years—perhaps more—of peace.
Time enough to recover.
Perhaps even to reach a new peak.
And if they lost?
Unconditional retreat was also a loss.
Fighting to the end was a loss too.
The latter simply carried far more meaning.
Because it passed down something vital—
Spirit.
And that mattered.
Thus, almost immediately, the entire Konoha war machine began to turn.
Shikaku produced a firm diplomatic statement in record time.
It detailed the Cloud envoys' actions within Konoha, openly included Konoha's deductions, and warned Kumogakure against further provocations.
A day later, Kumogakure responded.
Their wording was even more aggressive—casting themselves entirely as the victims.
They also issued a proposal.
One Konoha could never accept.
A proposal that sounded reasonable:
Hand over those responsible for killing the envoys—and hold the relevant departments accountable.
Refuse, and Kumogakure would respond with the harshest retaliation possible.
The ambition behind such words was unmistakable.
Hand over the killers?
That would mean surrendering nearly everyone who had participated that night.
Which included members from almost every major clan.
Including Hiashi.
Including Ayaka.
And inevitably—
Kei.
Kumogakure likely understood exactly how outrageous the demand was.
Which was precisely the point.
A demand that looked justifiable—but could never be accepted.
Either Konoha would comply and lose its soul…
Or war would begin.
Cruel.
Effective.
At this point, there was nothing left to debate.
Konoha could only refuse to declare war outright—while preparing for it in full.
"This winter is going to be a hard one,"
Kei sighed, standing atop the Military Police building, gazing at the snow-covered village.
Ayaka stood beside him, equally silent, watching the snowfall.
Things had reached this point almost without notice.
The plans he and Minato had proposed long ago had reached a decisive turning point.
There had been deviations along the way—but overall, everything was still moving forward.
"At least you and the Hokage have been preparing for this for a long time," Ayaka said calmly.
"By the way… what are you planning to do about Kawa and his people?"
"Do?" Kei chuckled.
"You already know my answer. Why would I punish them? Those Cloud shinobi committed suicide. It had nothing to do with Kawa."
"I just wanted to be sure," Ayaka nodded.
"Atsubi was the same. His strength was impressive, but he barely resisted—he wanted me to kill him."
"I know," Kei replied.
"I saw the scene. Clean Gentle Fist work—your style.
I heard he tried to kill Hinata, which is why you struck. Hiashi took responsibility for you, didn't he? He didn't trouble you afterward?"
"No," Ayaka shook her head.
"He was grateful. Later he had some regrets, but once Konoha made its decision, he said nothing more."
"Sounds like you gained some goodwill," Kei smiled.
"And the Hyūga girl? I hope she won't carry any trauma."
Kei suspected she wouldn't.
In the original history, Atsubi had been killed by Hiashi right in front of her—and she'd still grown up fine.
The Hyūga would handle it.
And if necessary… memories could always be erased.
That thought made Kei's expression subtly strange.
He'd been meaning to erase certain memories from his little sister for quite some time.
But he'd been too busy.
This time, he resolved to do it once the war ended.
And to tell Iori the truth first.
Everyone deserved a choice.
Even if forgetting was likely the best one.
"There's something I've always wanted to ask," Ayaka said suddenly.
"You've always emphasized the importance of jōnin and expanding civilian shinobi. Kenta and I had our theories, but you never explained it clearly. Can I ask now?"
"This question?" Kei tilted his head and looked out the window again.
"Let me ask you something first. I'm pretty sure I asked you and Kenta this once—but if not, blame my memory."
"Go ahead," Ayaka said softly.
"I really am curious now."
"If you were a shinobi from an enemy nation and saw me for the first time—what kind of shinobi would you think I am?"
Kei smiled.
It was a classic question.
One that perfectly exposed a fundamental flaw in Konoha's system.
Who are you, really?
What are you fighting for?
How should your identity be defined?
These weren't just Konoha's problems.
They plagued the entire shinobi world.
And once—
They had nearly destroyed the Uchiha.
"What kind of shinobi?" Ayaka looked at him strangely, then thought carefully.
"I want to say you're ruthless and manipulative—but that's not what you mean.
Based on everything you've done…
You're a Konoha shinobi of the Uchiha clan."
"See?" Kei turned to her seriously.
"That's the answer. I'm a Konoha shinobi of the Uchiha clan.
You're a Konoha shinobi of the Hyūga clan.
Don't you think there's a problem with that?"
Ayaka froze.
Then slowly—
"You mean…"
"There's no need to overthink it," Kei said, gently patting her shoulder.
"Wouldn't it be simpler—cleaner—if everyone were just Konoha shinobi?"