The day the Kumo envoys were scheduled to arrive came faster than expected.
To celebrate what Konoha's leadership was publicly calling "hard-won peace," the village had organized a grand festival. Colorful ribbons and banners hung from every building along the main street. Vendors had set up stalls selling food and festival goods. Children ran through the crowds waving small flags. The atmosphere was celebratory, almost aggressively cheerful.
Nobody seemed to notice the unusual number of ANBU operatives positioned on rooftops and in alleyways. Or the way seemingly casual civilians loitering at street corners all happened to be ninjas. The security presence was heavy, but it had been disguised well enough that most villagers remained oblivious.
Kenji stood near the Hokage Building, observing the preparations. The festival looked genuine enough. People were genuinely happy. After years of war and the tense ceasefire that followed, the prospect of formal peace with Kumo was appealing. They wanted to believe it was real.
He knew better.
At precisely the scheduled time, the Kumo delegation appeared at the village gates.
Leading them was a ninja with bandages wrapped around his head and a forehead protector covering his right eye. Only his left eye was visible, and it scanned the crowd. Behind him walked two more Kumo ninjas, both with powerfully built frames that suggested taijutsu specialists.
The crowd erupted into cheers as the delegation entered. People waved and shouted welcomes. Some threw flower petals. It was all very friendly and welcoming.
The younger of the two Kumo ninjas, a man who looked to be in his early twenties, glanced at the cheering villagers and leaned slightly toward his companion. His voice was pitched low enough that civilians wouldn't hear.
"Can you believe this? They rolled out the whole welcome treatment. These people are so naive."
The delegation leader's visible eye snapped toward the speaker. "Shut your mouth."
His tone carried enough edge that the younger ninja immediately straightened. "Yes! Sorry, Captain Kaminari!"
The mockery vanished from the younger ninja's face, replaced by a stiff, obviously fake smile. He started waving at the crowd with exaggerated friendliness. The other Kumo ninja followed suit, forcing pleasant expressions and nodding to villagers.
Kenji watched the exchange from his position. The Kumo ninjas were putting on a show, but they weren't particularly good at it.
The leader was more subtle. His expression appeared pleased, almost grateful. But there was something in the way he surveyed the street that set off warning bells. This was a man evaluating targets and escape routes, not someone here to celebrate peace.
The delegation made its way through the crowd toward the Hokage Building. Minato stood waiting at the base of the building, flanked by Konoha's senior leadership. Kushina was beside him, her presence both as the Hokage's wife and as a jonin in her own right.
As the Kumo ninjas approached, Kenji saw Kushina's expression change subtly. Her eyes narrowed slightly. The pleasant smile on her face didn't quite reach her eyes anymore. She leaned close to Minato, speaking quietly enough that even Kenji's hearing barely caught the words.
"Something's wrong. They're radiating malice. It's buried deep, but I can feel it."
Minato's expression didn't change. He understood immediately what Kushina was telling him. Since Naruto's birth, only half of the Nine-Tails' chakra remained sealed within Kushina. The reduction in raw power had improved her control over what remained. Combined with her Uzumaki bloodline's natural affinity for sealing techniques and chakra manipulation, she'd developed the ability to draw on the Nine-Tails' chakra more freely than before.
One of the benefits of that enhanced control was the ability to sense negative emotions, like malice, hatred, killing intent. The Nine-Tails' chakra could detect those things in people nearby. It wasn't perfect, it could be fooled by skilled operatives who'd learned to suppress their emotions completely, but it was remarkably accurate against most targets.
If Kushina was sensing malice from the Kumo delegation, then they were here for something other than a simple peace treaty.
"The situation we were worried about," he murmured back. "It's happening."
His expression remained warm and welcoming as the delegation reached them. Nothing in his demeanor suggested he suspected anything.
Kaminari stopped in front of Minato and executed a respectful bow. "Hokage-sama. We come on behalf of Kumo to formalize the alliance between our villages. The Fourth Raikage sends his regards and his hopes for lasting peace."
In the shinobi world, strength commanded respect. Minato's performance during the Third Great Ninja War had been legendary enough that even Kumo ninjas, known for their pride and aggressive culture, would show proper deference.
"Welcome," Minato said warmly. "I'm glad you've come. I hope this alliance marks the beginning of genuine cooperation between Konoha and Kumo."
He gestured toward the entrance. "Please, let's head inside. We have the treaty documents prepared and ready for review."
The groups moved together into the Hokage Building and toward the conference room. Kenji fell into step with the other advisors.
---
The treaty signing itself was remarkably smooth.
Kaminari reviewed the documents quickly, asked a few clarifying questions about specific clauses, then signed without hesitation. He didn't try to negotiate better terms. He didn't raise objections or demand concessions. And he didn't even engage in the expected back-and-forth that typically characterized diplomatic negotiations between rival villages.
He just signed.
Kenji exchanged a glance with Shikaku. The Nara's expression remained neutral, but something in his eyes suggested he found the proceedings equally suspicious.
When the formalities concluded, Kaminari addressed Minato again. "The journey from Kumo was long and tiring. My team would appreciate the opportunity to rest in Konoha for one night before we begin the return trip tomorrow morning. Would that be acceptable?"
"Of course," Minato said with a smile. "I'll have ANBU escort you to accommodations we've prepared. Please, make yourselves comfortable. You're our guests."
Kaminari bowed his thanks. An ANBU operative appeared and led the Kumo delegation out of the conference room.
The moment the door closed behind them, the atmosphere changed.
Minato's pleasant expression hardened. He looked around the table at Konoha's assembled leadership.
"The treaty signing was too easy," he said quietly. "They agreed to everything without pushing back. That's not how Kumo operates."
"Perhaps they want peace," Hiruzen suggested. His tone was hopeful but not particularly convinced. "The war exhausted them as much as it did us. Maybe they've decided cooperation serves their interests better than continued hostility."
"I can tell you definitively that's not the case," Kushina said flatly. "I sensed malice from all three of them. Strong enough that they're barely keeping it contained. They're here for something, and it's not to celebrate an alliance."
Shikaku leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled in front of him. "They asked to stay overnight. That suggests their real objective will be attempted tonight, under cover of darkness. The question is what they're targeting. Classified documents? A strategic location? Or something else entirely?"
Kenji had been waiting for an opening. He spoke up now, "We don't need to play defense and hope we guess their target correctly. That's a losing strategy. You can be a thief whenever you want, but you can't maintain constant vigilance forever. Eventually you'll have a gap in coverage, and that's when they'll strike."
He met Minato's eyes directly.
"Have ANBU maintain close surveillance on them, but don't interfere unless they're about to cause serious harm. Let them make their move. Follow them, see what they're after. Once we know their objective, we can respond appropriately and have evidence of their actions."
He paused, then added, "Of course, there's a simpler option. We could arrest them right now and use Yamanaka techniques to extract their mission parameters directly from their minds. But that would mean tearing up the treaty, and it would put Konoha in an awkward position. We'd look paranoid and aggressive."
"I agree with Kenji's assessment," Minato said after a moment's consideration. He turned to Danzō. "I want Root coordinating with ANBU. Full surveillance on the Kumo delegation. Track their movements, monitor their communications if they attempt any, and report anything suspicious immediately."
Danzō's expression didn't change, but he nodded once. "Understood. Root will handle it."
For all his ambitions and questionable methods, he was committed to protecting Konoha. Anyone who threatened the village became his enemy, regardless of political considerations.
Minato looked around the table one final time. "Deploy according to the plan we discussed earlier. But maintain the illusion that nothing's wrong. If the Kumo ninjas realize we're onto them, they might abort their mission, and we'll never know what they were planning. I want to catch them in the act."
The meeting broke up shortly after. People filed out of the conference room, each heading to handle their assigned responsibilities. He remained behind to coordinate the ANBU surveillance teams.
Kenji made his way to his private office in the Hokage Building. As one of Konoha's advisors, he rated his own workspace in the administrative building. He closed the door behind him and moved to the center of the room.
His hands formed the necessary seals.
"Summoning Technique."
A puff of smoke, and his Transparent Release puppet materialized in front of him.
"Mind Clone Switch Technique."
His consciousness split. A mental clone transferred into the puppet, taking control of its functions while his original body remained safely in the office. The puppet moved immediately, slipping out the window and onto the rooftop.
He knew from his previous life's memories what was coming. The Kumo ninjas weren't here for documents or strategic intelligence. They were here to kidnap Hinata.
ANBU would be watching them, yes. But he wanted his own eyes on the situation. If something went wrong, if the timeline had shifted because of his presence in this world, he needed to know immediately. The puppet would give him that capability.
The Transparent Release puppet activated its bloodline ability, fading from visible sight. It moved quickly across the rooftops, following the trail of the Kumo delegation's chakra signatures toward their assigned accommodations.
Within minutes, it had reached a position overlooking the building where the Kumo ninjas were staying. The puppet settled into a concealed spot with clear sightlines to all the exits.
Kenji's mental clone extended its sensory range, cataloging everything in the immediate area. The ANBU surveillance team was positioned on a rooftop two buildings away, well hidden but maintaining visual contact. Police Force patrols were moving through the surrounding streets at regular intervals, more frequently than normal but not obviously so.
Now it was just a matter of waiting to see what the Kumo ninjas would do when darkness fell.
---
---
50 Advance Chapters!
Visit my profile page for more information.