Let's rewind to ten minutes ago…
Training Ground Zero, East Side.
Dusk filtered through the canopy, shadows winding like twisted roots over the thick ferns. A faint purple mist hovered above the treetops.
"Woof! Woof!"
Akamaru lay on top of Inuzuka Kiba's head, his little paws digging into Kiba's hair excitedly. His tail wagged as he sniffed the air, picking up unfamiliar scents.
Nearby, Aburame Shino adjusted his sunglasses, a kikaichū resting lightly on his finger.
"There's a large tear in the wire fence up ahead. That's where the wild beasts are getting in," Hyūga Hinata pointed forward. The veins around her eyes pulsed like thorns.
"Mm," Shino nodded. "The kikaichū are detecting a strange smell in the air too, and it's coming from the same direction."
"Akamaru says the scent makes his whole body feel fired up!" Kiba chimed in, unwilling to be outdone.
They were part of the rare breed of sensory-type ninja—capable of sensing danger before it even emerged.
Thanks to Hinata's Byakugan, which could see over a kilometer, and Kiba's clan-specific beast-repellent powder, they weren't too worried about getting attacked.
So, the "Top Sensory Trio" advanced toward the source of the disturbance.
"Maybe we should retreat... I-I'm a little scared..." Hinata's pale eyes darted around nervously. Savage beasts tore into each other just beyond the treeline, their ferocity leaving her legs trembling.
"Don't worry, Hinata!" Kiba patted his chest, flashing his sharp canine grin. "We're the strongest sensory team. If we detect any dangerous chakra, we'll just run for it."
Thump! Akamaru thumped Kiba's head in protest with a tiny paw.
"Oh, right—sorry! The strongest sensory three-man-one-dog team!" Kiba quickly corrected himself, covering his forehead.
Seeing this, Hinata gave in and continued the mission—not because she was convinced, but because she wasn't good at saying no or stirring conflict with her teammates.
"The pheromones in the air are getting denser. We're getting close. Be careful," Shino warned after consulting with his kikaichū.
The trio nodded and pressed forward.
Thanks to Kiba's repellent powder, no beasts attacked them along the way.
Soon, they reached the gap Hinata had spotted earlier.
The usually sturdy wire fence had a gaping hole, over three meters wide. Rabid beasts were constantly squeezing through it, roaring madly.
But despite having prey nearby, they ignored everything else and rushed madly toward Training Ground Zero.
"This is it!" Kiba clenched his fist in excitement.
Such a large tear couldn't have been made by animals—it had to be man-made. The culprit was likely just beyond the fence.
"Hinata, use your Byakugan," Shino, temporarily acting as team leader, gave the order.
"Yes!"
Hinata formed the "Ram" seal.
Byakugan, activate!
The veins at the corners of her eyes bulged even more as the distant scene came into focus.
"Well?" Kiba asked impatiently.
"It looks like… just one woman. And… a few swallows?" Hinata frowned, her Byakugan rippling like water. "She has no chakra, and her muscle mass is weak. She seems like a normal person."
"A normal person?" Kiba was stunned.
Even the usually cautious Shino faltered.
It wasn't arrogance—chakra created an unbridgeable gap between ninja and civilians. Back in the Warring States era, people treated chakra-wielding ninja like gods.
A normal person stirring up trouble in Konoha? It was unthinkable.
"Let's go check it out." Kiba, now relaxed, proposed enthusiastically.
With Hinata confirming the woman's harmlessness, he let his guard down completely.
"I'll have my kikaichū verify one more time," Shino added, still cautious.
After a while, the kikaichū returned—confirming the woman had no chakra, no traps, and no backup.
The team lowered their steps and began creeping in.
Sawada Fūka had a beautiful, makeup-free face. She wore high-top boots and a green tactical jacket. Her matching green backpack made her blend into the forest background.
She raised her wrist and glanced at her watch.
Five minutes left.
Three elite jōnin from Kumogakure were about to strike Konoha's front gates.
But the true goal wasn't to break in and fight their way to the Nine-Tails from the front—that would be impossible, even for the Fourth Raikage.
These three were speed specialists trained in Lightning Release taijutsu.
The attack on the front gate? Just a diversion—to draw attention away and buy time for the real objective: stealing the Byakugan and the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
That was Layer One: the decoy.
Fūka's beasts—driven mad by her drugs—were attacking the students.
Beasts alone posed little threat to trained ninja, especially with academy instructors around. So, no one would expect this to be a serious assault.
It gave Konoha the illusion that things were under control—that there was no need to report it to the Hokage.
Layer Two: feigning weakness.
Now came the final step—a surprise strike.
Fūka took out a small scroll from her backpack.
It was barely a meter long when fully unrolled, and about as wide as a tissue. It was covered in erratic sealing script—brought back by a swallow from Kumogakure.
Following instructions, she spread the scroll out on the ground and bit her thumb.
She used her blood to mark the final line of the sealing formula.
After a moment…
The seal reacted.
Lines of script shimmered, shifting on their own to form a complex formation.
Buzz! Chakra light flashed across the scroll.
Tick… tick… The watch on her wrist ticked steadily.
Fūka stepped back and began mentally counting down.
Ten… eight…
The glowing script grew heavier, like tree roots crawling across the forest floor.
Buzz buzz!
The chakra pulses intensified, flickering like electric signals.
Five… four…
As the moment approached, Fūka's anxiety grew.
If the signal failed, everything would fall apart. Her career as a spy would continue indefinitely.
Lost in worry, she didn't notice Kiba creeping up behind her.
"**Fang Over Fang!**" Kiba let out a battle cry as he spun into a whirlwind, launching himself at Fūka.
The forest had been deathly quiet.
The sudden yell made Fūka freeze in shock.
In that split-second, her trained swallows acted, flapping their wings and ramming into her.
Their power was weak, but the jolt was enough to snap her out of it.
She twisted mid-air and dove to the side, barely dodging the lethal strike.
Now on the ground, panting, she looked up with difficulty.
"Missed…" Kiba muttered, disappointed, his face streaked with war paint.
Whoosh! A red flare shot into the sky.
Hinata had fired a signal to summon academy instructors to arrest this suspicious woman.
"No worries. I've already secured it," Shino said calmly, face hidden behind his high collar. In his hands was the scroll.
Fūka's eyes widened in horror.
The scroll was now completely engulfed by kikaichū.
What once shimmered with chakra light was now utterly drained and lifeless.