The night was the perfect cover. Night Namikaze held his breath, his presence vanishing into the shadows as if he were nothing more than a stone.
His Mind's Eye of the Kagura expanded like an invisible spiderweb, firmly locking onto the source of the rapidly moving chakra.
As the figure drew closer and the chakra signature became clear, Night's pupils constricted slightly.
"It's him!"
The newcomer was a clansman of Shibi Aburame—Shikuro Aburame.
An Aburame clan member appearing deep within the Land of Water was no coincidence. Night immediately deduced that this was a channel for exchanging intelligence between Konoha and their spies within the Mist.
For security reasons, deep-cover operatives rarely met their handlers face-to-face. They used dead drops.
For example, using a summoning beast to deliver intel to a pre-arranged location, where a specialized courier would secretly retrieve it.
All spies operated on a single-line contact system and didn't know each other. This compartmentalization minimized the risk of a chain reaction if one was captured.
As for Night's own "handler" on paper? He hadn't even considered making contact. If his handler turned out to be one of Danzo's ROOT agents, he'd be walking straight into a trap.
The scene unfolding before him confirmed his guess. Shikuro Aburame was clearly on a retrieval mission.
He moved with extreme caution, spreading a cloud of kikaichu (destruction bugs) around him as a perimeter while his hands quickly felt through a crevice in the rocks.
Moments later, he pulled out a small mud ball. Crushing it between his fingers, he revealed a micro-scroll the size of a fingernail inside.
He tucked the scroll into his chest pocket. Mission accomplished, he didn't linger for a second, turning to retreat immediately.
Night's mind raced. His "obituary" had likely already reached Konoha.
Revealing himself now could cause unnecessary trouble and might interfere with his subsequent plans.
However, this was also a golden opportunity. While he couldn't show his face, he could use other means to hint to a certain someone that he might still be among the living.
Deciding instantly, Night acted just as Shikuro was about to leave.
Swish.
With a flick of his wrist, a standard-issue kunai—with a wrinkled, sorry-looking explosive tag tied to the handle—cut through the air and slammed precisely into the tree trunk next to Shikuro.
"What?!"
Shikuro, whose nerves were already strung tight, sensed the attack mid-flight. He instantly gathered his kikaichu, his body dissolving into a swarm of insects—a Bug Clone.
But he froze when he realized the kunai wasn't aimed at him.
Thud.
The kunai embedded itself in the wood. The forest returned to a deathly silence. Aside from the sudden projectile, there was no follow-up attack, no enemy presence.
Based on his experience, Shikuro judged that the kunai had been thrown from a considerable distance.
He stood guard for a few seconds, staring deeply at the kunai and the strange tag. Deciding not to risk the intel he just secured, he turned and vanished into the dense forest at top speed.
Whoever the thrower was, and whatever their intent, his priority was to get the information back to the village. The analysis of this bizarre interlude was a job for the analysts at the Hokage Tower.
---
Several days later, Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in deep thought, looking at the intelligence scroll brought back by Shikuro, along with the mission report.
"So, during the retrieval, a standard kunai with no distinguishing marks suddenly flew out of nowhere, carrying an explosive tag? But there was no follow-up attack?"
Confused by the intent, Hiruzen asked Shikuro to confirm the details again.
"Yes, Lord Hokage," Shikuro replied calmly. "Judging by the force and trajectory, it was thrown from a great distance. The opponent seemed to be sending a warning or a message, rather than attacking."
Hiruzen frowned, struggling to grasp the meaning behind it.
Was it a warning from a friendly source? Or a threat from a faction within the Mist?
Just as Shikuro was about to be dismissed, the office door swung open without warning.
Tsunade walked in. Although she looked like she had pulled herself together, a trace of exhaustion still lingered in her eyes.
Hiruzen, who was running out of ideas and about to call the elder council, saw her enter and decided to loop her in. Perhaps a fresh pair of eyes could help.
When Tsunade heard that Shikuro had been "attacked" by a kunai with an explosive tag, her expression shifted. A thought struck her, and she asked hurriedly:
"Shikuro, describe that kunai and the tag again."
Shikuro recalled the scene seriously. "I was worried it might be booby-trapped, so I didn't retrieve it, but I observed it closely. The kunai was standard issue, nothing special. But the explosive tag... it was odd. It looked like it had been crumpled up and smoothed out again. It was very wrinkled."
Tsunade fell silent for a moment. Her guess was confirmed. A flicker of joy, almost imperceptible, passed through her eyes.
Once Shikuro left the room, she finally voiced her thoughts to Hiruzen.
"Old Man, I can't be 100% sure... but that might be the Namikaze kid."
She explained the "fake/crumpled explosive tag" running gag she had with Night. Hiruzen's eyes lit up as he listened.
"Are you saying Night Namikaze isn't dead? That he's still lurking in the Mist?"
Hiruzen paused, then looked puzzled. "But if he's alive, why hasn't he returned to the village? Why not show himself? Does he not trust us?"
"Based on the intel about his 'death,' his exposure was definitely suspicious," Tsunade replied coolly, leaving the implication hanging in the air.
---
Meanwhile, Land of Water, Outskirts of the Kaguya Clan Estate.
Night had long since used the Flying Raijin to return to his hideout. Whether Konoha reacted to his signal or not was up to fate; the seed had been planted.
He observed Naoto Kaguya heading to the Mizukage building again, swept along by the anger of his clansmen.
It seemed there was another heated argument. When Naoto left the building, he still looked dissatisfied.
However, Night noticed a change. The Mist ANBU who had been strictly monitoring the Kaguya perimeter were quietly reducing their numbers.
It appeared Naoto's hardline stance had worked. The Mizukage didn't want a full-blown civil war with the Kaguya clan and had chosen to compromise.
But Night wasn't about to let that happen. If things cooled down now, all his earlier investments and machinations would be wasted.
"If the ANBU are pulling back," Night thought, a devious glint in his eyes, "then let's have the prestigious 'Yuki' clan take their place."
Moving like a ghost, he flitted through the woods and streams near the Kaguya estate.
He would stop at specific locations, extend a hand, and gently touch a tree trunk or a rock.
Wherever he touched, a thin layer of frost would appear, or a slash mark that looked like it was made by an ice crystal blade.
If someone were to inspect these traces quickly enough, they would detect the unmistakable residue of Ice Release chakra.
Night was extremely careful. He left only faint traces each time, but he scattered them all around the Kaguya compound.
He was weaving an invisible web, herding the Kaguya clan step by step onto the stage he had prepared for their final act.