Buzz… Buzz…
The tent's windows began to vibrate faintly, emitting a slight glow.
Ripples spread across the surface of the sake in the cups on the table.
The tremor seemed to originate from a place very, very far away, but it was enough to startle the other ninja in the Konoha camp awake.
They emerged from their tents, weapons in hand, frowning with heightened alertness.
"What's going on?"
"Was that an earthquake?"
Hearing the footsteps outside the tent, Hyuga Kumokawa ordered his three puppets to pick up their weapons and go out.
He also created a shadow clone, dressed it in the dead ninja's clothes, and sent it out to follow the three puppets.
As for himself, he remained inside the tent.
A moment later, the tremors gradually subsided.
Hyuga Kumokawa felt an intangible connection form in his mind.
A three-dimensional schematic of a five-layer subterranean palace appeared in his thoughts.
It felt vast, but the interior was still completely empty.
However, if he wished, he could directly enter the palace from any location within a kilometer of it.
"Hopefully, this palace can withstand a direct assault," Hyuga Kumokawa pondered silently. "Otherwise, even if it gives me a beggar's version of a space-time ninjutsu, spending three thousand points would feel like a bit of a loss."
He planned to use these ruins as bait; they couldn't be broken into so easily.
But for now, Hyuga Kumokawa couldn't test it.
He could only try to trust the system's… conscience.
Just then, his eyes flickered.
He looked up towards the tent entrance, sensing the eight Root ninja in the camp—including his shadow clone and the three puppets—gathering in one specific direction.
"It seems Aburame Ryoma has arrived. Just as I thought, he's summoning the Root ninja," Hyuga Kumokawa understood internally.
With that, everything was set. Now, he just waited for the show to begin.
Hyuga Kumokawa melted into a shadow, disappearing into the darkness of the rainy night, stealthily making his way towards the Land of Hot Water.
He needed to wait inside the underground palace ahead of time.
Wait for Kumo and Konoha to "dig" him out.
And then…
Hyuga Kumokawa slightly raised his head, looking towards the full moon obscured by dark clouds.
"Since Otsutsuki Toneri could control that giant Tenseigan, I should be able to borrow it too, right?"
A light, amused chuckle scattered amidst the wind and rain.
---
Meanwhile, at a port in the Land of Hot Water, over a dozen Kumo ninja stood silently in the rain.
Behind them, the hot spring inn serving as their contact point was lit with yellow lamps.
The strong wind forced its way through every crack, causing the light bulbs to swing back and forth, making their black shadows drag and sway uncertainly on the ground.
The leader had short purple hair, wore black form-fitting combat gear with the standard white Kumo flak jacket over it, and a yellow scarf around his neck.
"Lord Toroi," a Kumo ninja appeared behind him in a Body Flicker. "No abnormalities detected. It seems it was just an ordinary earthquake."
KABOOM!
A thunderclap exploded overhead at that moment, forking lightning spreading pale light across the night sky.
"An ordinary earthquake, huh…"
Toroi muttered, raising his head.
Raindrops the size of beans were hurled by the wind.
Thick, heavy clouds loomed above, blotting out the moonlight, only illuminated intermittently by lightning like white serpents.
Inexplicably, he felt a tightness in his chest and a sense of unease, as if foreboding some impending disaster, like the clouds above were pressing down on them.
He had always trusted his intuition. Already distrustful of Konoha, he became even more vigilant.
However, with the agreed-upon time drawing near, a faint anxiety inevitably rose within him.
Just as Toroi was lost in thought, the Kumo ninja beside him suddenly looked up.
"They're here!" he said grimly.
In the distance, they could see over a dozen figures in black raincoats, racing across the water's surface towards them.
Toroi put his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp, clear whistle. Hearing an identical whistle respond from the distance, he confirmed their identity.
A moment later, the Kumo group standing on the port shore, illuminated by the warm yellow light shining from behind them, saw the Konoha group led by Akimichi Doto.
"Sorry, the weather isn't great, we're late…"
Akimichi Doto glanced over the Kumo ninja, scratching his head with a somewhat simple and honest expression, offering an apology.
"Inside. For the exchange."
Before he could finish speaking, Toroi interrupted, cutting him off and stuffing the words back into his mouth.
With that, Toroi and the Kumo ninja turned and walked into the hot spring inn behind them.
"So impatient?" Akimichi Doto said, but he shot a meaningful look towards the Hyuga Kumokawa (clone) behind him before quickly leading his team to follow the Kumo ninja inside.
This inn was backed by Kumo funding.
The lobby was large enough to accommodate the thirty-plus people from both Kumo and Konoha.
The Konoha members glanced subtly towards the Hyuga Kumokawa in their ranks.
Only after seeing him give an almost imperceptible nod did they relax slightly.
"The weather tonight is terrible," Toroi suddenly stopped and turned to face Akimichi Doto, his tone cold.
"…" Understanding the implication, Akimichi Doto decisively took a step back and shrugged. "Alright, alright, let's get this over with quickly then."
A barking dog seldom bites.
Since the other side was being so aggressive from the start, it wouldn't be too late to draw weapons if a real fight broke out later.
The moment he saw Toroi's face, he had recognized him.
Toroi, a Jonin of Kumogakure, proficient in the Kekkei Genkai: Magnet Release.
The Fourth Raikage sent him?
Did they notice something abnormal?
'If a fight breaks out, I wonder if I can protect that Hyuga kid.' Akimichi Doto sighed inwardly. The Third Hokage really gave me a troublesome mission.
"The goods?" Toroi asked bluntly.
Akimichi Doto tilted his head slightly.
The Hyuga Kumokawa (clone) behind him stepped forward, gave Toroi a cold glance, and then pulled out a scroll from his chest.
Poof!
A dark brown coffin appeared before them.
Under the warm yellow ceiling lights, it exuded an air of deathly stillness, making the already oppressive atmosphere even colder and more grim.
"Just as I thought."
Seeing this, Toroi frowned deeply but didn't say anything.
On the way here, he had received a message from the village informing him that the Daimyo had misspoken, so it wasn't surprising that Konoha had seized on the verbal mistake to offer a "corpse."
However, as long as the corpse was Hyuga Hiashi, it still held significant value.
"Step back," Toroi said coldly. "We need to 'inspect the goods.'"
Referring to the "corpse" as "goods" seemed to strike a nerve with the Hyuga Kumokawa (clone).
A flash of anger appeared in his eyes as he looked at Toroi.
But just as he was about to say something, Akimichi Doto raised a hand to stop him and actively stepped back, giving Toroi space.
Toroi walked to the coffin.
A peculiarly shaped shuriken slid from his sleeve into his hand, and he inserted it along the seal of the coffin lid.
Crack.
The moment the coffin opened, the black night outside was suddenly dyed a blazing white by lightning.
The dazzling, blinding flash cast everyone's shadow onto the floor of the lobby, stretching them long and thin like ghosts.
"…"
Behind Akimichi Doto, Aburame Ryoma stared intently at the expression on Toroi's face, only to see an unexpected look appear there.
Anger, shock, fear—all jumbled together on his features.
Why that reaction?
Aburame Ryoma felt a sudden doubt arise in his heart. He saw Toroi jerk his head up, his face a mask of shock and fury as he opened his mouth.
KABOOM!
The thunder following the lightning arrived a moment later.
"Fall b—!" Toroi's shocked and angry roar was drowned out.
Akimichi Doto, who was closest, heard an all-too-familiar sizzling ignition sound. His pupils constricted violently in an instant.
Explosive tags? How is that possible?!
In the next moment, before anyone could react, a deafening roar, far more terrifying than the thunder, engulfed the world!
A blinding white light erupted before their eyes, surging forward to envelop everyone!
BOOM!!