The piercing cry of an eagle ripped through Konoha's night sky.
Under an emergency summons, shadows flashed across rooftops and empty streets—Jonin and Special Jonin converging toward the Hokage Building.
When Roshi arrived, the office was already filled. The air felt heavy, suffocating, as if pressing down on everyone present. Fugaku stood among the ranks, expression dark and unreadable. Only the Hyuga Clan members were conspicuously absent.
At the head of the room, Hiruzen sat in silence—his calm demeanor replaced by an oppressive gravity Roshi had never seen before.
"Akai, the representative from Kumogakure… is dead."
The brief statement froze the room. Every gaze snapped toward the Hokage in disbelief.
"Tonight," Hiruzen continued, his voice low and grim, "Akai infiltrated the Hyuga main family compound, attempting to abduct the clan head's daughter, Hyuga Hinata. When discovered by Hyuga Hiashi… he was killed on the spot."
A wave of gasps broke the silence, followed by hushed murmurs—shock, disbelief, and anger colliding in the air.
Shikaku, ever the tactician, was the first to regain composure. "Hokage-sama, what about the other two members of the Kumogakure representative team?"
His tone was steady, but his eyes were sharp. The representative's death was irreversible—what mattered now was containing the fallout before the news spread.
Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly, weariness etched into every line of his face. The Anbu at his side stepped forward. "The other two Kumogakure shinobi… have been confirmed missing."
The silence shattered.
"What?!"
"Missing? In Konoha?!"
"What are the Anbu even doing?!"
Anger and disbelief surged like a tide. Three representatives from Kumogakure—one dead, two vanished—right under Konoha's nose. It wasn't just negligence. It was humiliation.
How had Akai infiltrated the Hyuga compound unnoticed? How had the other two slipped past surveillance?
Shikaku raised a hand, cutting through the noise. His brows were drawn tight in thought. "Given the circumstances, the alliance with Kumogakure will be difficult to sustain. The Raikage will almost certainly use this as leverage."
He spoke quickly, his thoughts already on the upcoming problems. "Our alliance with Kumogakure was what forced Iwagakure to scale back their western offensives. If this alliance collapses, we must immediately alert Sunagakure and strengthen their defenses."
"At the same time," he continued, "the Daimyo must be informed. And the representative's actions must be officially documented. We'll need every detail to justify our position."
Under Shikaku's clear words, the room slowly regained order. All eyes turned back to the Hokage.
Hiruzen's gaze swept over them, heavy with the weight of responsibility. The Anbu report echoed in his mind—Akai had been under surveillance until the Hyuga alarm had sounded. Only afterward had they realized the representative was gone… along with his two companions.
In the heart of Konoha, the situation had already spiraled out of control.
"Any further questions?" Hiruzen asked.
Roshi raised a hand. "Hokage-sama, has there been any unusual activity along the Land of Hot Water border?"
A subtle shift rippled through the room. Shikaku's eyes flicked toward him, instantly recognizing the importance of the question.
If Akai's actions had been sanctioned by the Hidden Cloud leadership, then movements along the front line should already reflect it—troop buildups, supply convoys, border skirmishes.
But if there had been no such movement…
The Jonin responsible for intelligence spoke up. "The latest reports came in this morning. No unusual activity has been detected along the Kumogakure front."
A heavy silence followed.
Roshi understood. So did Shikaku.
This wasn't a planned act of war—it was sabotage. A desperate, independent move meant to destroy the peace negotiations.
Which meant… the foundation for peace still existed.
As long as the incident wasn't officially tied to the Raikage's orders, the alliance could still be salvaged. The death of one representative—even three—wasn't enough to overturn the strategic necessity of peace.
If the Hidden Cloud tried to force a war now, they would bleed themselves dry. Konoha could simply blockade the Land of Lightning, cutting off its trade routes and food supplies. The Raikage might be able to feed his soldiers with coin—but not the starving civilians of his land.
A nation that couldn't feed its people wouldn't stand for long.
The true danger, ironically, lay not in the east—but in the west. If Iwa took advantage of the chaos and launched a major offensive, the Raikage might be cornered into war by domestic pressure. That was the real crisis.
Shikaku's eyes gleamed as his mind reached the same conclusion. "Hokage-sama, our immediate priorities are twofold. First, order Jonin Commander Kitamura to reinforce the Land of Hot Water front. Keep the lines steady, but avoid direct provocation with Kumo."
He turned to the other Jonin, his tone sharp. "Second, dispatch elite reinforcements to the western front. Strengthen our defenses and coordinate with Suna before Iwa reacts. We cannot—must not—allow the west to become the weak point."
Hiruzen inhaled deeply, then rose to his feet. The years showed in the weight of his posture, but his voice carried the strength of a leader who still bore the will of fire.
"Proceed as Shikaku has advised," he commanded. "Everyone, begin preparations at once. Detailed orders will follow shortly."
He paused, bowing his head slightly.
"Everything… I entrust to you."
A silence fell over the room—solemn, resolute.
"For Konoha," he said softly. Then, with a weary breath that carried both burden and belief—
"For our home."
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