Sakumo's words acted like a signal. As soon as he spoke, the remaining three scouting teams all reported the same thing:
none of the clans they were monitoring had heard anything about the Militant faction planning to battle the conservatives tomorrow night.
Even the Flying Thunder God trio, who were scouting the Hōzuki clan, said they had heard nothing of the sort.
In other words—
this supposed plot against the Kaguya clan wasn't known even within the Hōzuki clan itself, aside from those two messengers.
Hearing this, Hoshiyomi was stunned.
Something was off.
Those two who visited the Kaguya clan were definitely from the Hōzuki clan, but why did no other clan receive this information—
not even the majority of the Hōzuki themselves?
Could it be…
that this wasn't a strategy decided by the Militant faction's leadership,
but instead the personal vendetta of some Hōzuki elder?
But to put personal grudges above a matter this serious—
how could he dare?
As soon as this thought formed—despite being incredibly close to the truth—Hoshiyomi dismissed it.
It was just too absurd.
The room fell silent.
The Konoha group gathered together, trying to piece together what was really going on.
They knew Hoshiyomi's intelligence couldn't be wrong.
If someone in this world could hide something from Hoshiyomi's sensory abilities, that person would be the undisputed king of espionage.
If Hoshiyomi's information was correct, then the situation was undeniably strange.
After a long silence, Dan suddenly lifted his head and said:
"I suddenly feel like we've fallen into a logical trap."
Everyone immediately turned toward him.
Seeing all eyes—including his wife's—focused on him, Dan smiled slightly and continued:
"Why do we care what their motive is?
Whatever schemes, grudges, or hidden agendas exist behind this—none of that matters to us, does it?
The only thing that matters is that tomorrow, the Kaguya clan will attack the conservative faction."
The group froze for a moment.
Then one by one, realization dawned on their faces.
Right—
whether this plot was concocted by the Militant leadership or by some idiot acting alone didn't matter.
It had nothing to do with them.
Their mission was simple: suppress the rebellion—
and if possible, wipe out the Militant faction entirely.
As for who was manipulating the Kaguya clan or why—meaningless.
What mattered was that this situation provided a perfect opportunity—
a chance for them to accomplish their goal.
All they needed to do was report this information to Elder Genji and let him prepare to crush the Kaguya clan.
Once the Kaguya clan fell, the conservatives would gain overwhelming advantage.
A counterattack that directly ended the Militant faction and restored peace to Kirigakure might even be possible.
Even if the intel was wrong, and the Kaguya clan ended up attacking alongside the whole Militant faction—
that outcome would simply return things to how they were at the beginning.
Either way, it was a win-win:
if the plot happened, they gained big;
if not, they lost nothing.
Realizing this, everyone dropped their earlier worries and smiles returned to their faces.
It looked like they might be able to return to Konoha sooner than expected.
On the side, Kimimaro remained silent after hearing the possibility of the Kaguya clan being defeated.
Even though no one in that clan had ever treated him well—and they had kept him imprisoned his whole life—
it was still his clan.
Haku, standing beside him, immediately noticed Kimimaro's mood.
He gently patted Kimimaro's hand and said:
"Don't overthink it. Besides the fact that they were never good to you, even if you know about this now, there's nothing you can do to change it.
Even if you ran back and told your clan it's a trap, they wouldn't believe you. They'd only drag you back into that dungeon."
Hoshiyomi then turned and gently ruffled Kimimaro's hair:
"Don't worry. For your sake, I'll speak to Elder Genji. I'll ask him to give the Kaguya clan a chance to surrender.
If they're willing, it's possible to spare some of them."
Hearing this, Kimimaro finally felt a bit better. He bowed deeply to Hoshiyomi and said sincerely:
"Thank you, Lord Hoshiyomi. You really are a good person."
...
With the direction of the situation settled, everything became easier.
That very night, Hoshiyomi and the others left the hideout again to meet Elder Genji and explained everything.
The old fox immediately understood the gravity of the matter. He sent people to notify Terumi Mei and Ao, and even came up with a plan Hoshiyomi's group hadn't considered at all.
"If your intel is correct, then for us conservatives, this is a perfect opportunity to crush the Militant faction and restore peace to Kirigakure!
There's no way I'd let such a heaven-sent chance slip by."
He then turned to Ao, who had just arrived:
"Ao, go contact the current head of the Momochi clan—the newly appointed Momochi Zabuza.
Tell him we possess critical intelligence that can restore peace to the Mist.
If he agrees to cooperate, once the Fifth Mizukage is appointed, Zabuza can be made a Kirigakure elder."
Ao accepted the order and left.
Meanwhile, Terumi Mei stared, full of question marks. Since Hoshiyomi's group was still present, she spoke quietly:
"Old man… what kind of scheme are you cooking up now?
Shouldn't we just prepare to intercept the Kaguya clan directly? Why drag Zabuza into this?
Isn't this adding unnecessary risk? What if he refuses?"
The hunched-backed Elder Genji chuckled and explained openly:
"The success rate is low, yes. But if it works, it will benefit us in many ways.
The Momochi clan isn't large, but its strength is noteworthy. Even within the Militant faction, many clans trust their abilities.
Whether they know about the Kaguya rebellion or not, imagine this:
During our battle with the Kaguya clan, if Zabuza spreads word among the Militant clans that the Kaguya have caught us completely off guard and might overwhelm us—
what do you think those clans will do?"
Terumi Mei, a genius who became clan head and Genji's right hand at sixteen or seventeen, quickly connected the dots:
"They'd flock over like sharks smelling blood, rushing to support the Kaguya.
Then when they arrive and see we have the upper hand…
and Zabuza betrays them on the spot—
Old man, you really are sinister."
Elder Genji didn't get angry. He sighed and stroked his beard:
"I have no choice. Ending this turmoil swiftly and with fewer casualties is best.
The Kirigakure… can't endure much more."
Hearing this, Terumi Mei fell silent, her earlier smile fading.
She clenched her fists tightly.
..
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