The envoy from Kumogakure had already settled in Konoha.
Their leader was a tall, dark-skinned middle-aged man named Troy.
He led the mission to first pay respects to Acting Hokage Hiruzen and present a peace-accord draft personally signed by the Fourth Raikage, A. He also expressed "deep sympathy and regret" for Konoha's various losses.
His posture was humble, his words full of sincerity.
That let Hiruzen and Konoha's senior staff breathe a little easier. They hadn't had much contact for years, but any contact was better than none—it meant there was still room to negotiate.
It seemed the Fourth Hokage's return from death, along with his thunderous execution of Danzo, had already spread across the shinobi world, thoroughly cowing the hot-blooded Raikage far away in Kumogakure.
After the meeting, Troy naturally raised a second request.
He wished to, on behalf of Kumogakure, visit Konoha's oldest and noblest clan—the Hyuga—to "deepen friendship" between the two villages' shinobi.
The request was reasonable; Hiruzen had no grounds to refuse.
That evening, the Hyuga estate blazed with light.
Clan head Hiashi received the envoy with the highest courtesy.
In the banquet hall, the air was solemn and austere.
Hiashi sat in the main seat, expression severe.
Though Minato's prior warning weighed on him, as the head of a great clan he had to maintain proper dignity and etiquette before foreign envoys.
Troy sat in the place of honor among the guests, wearing a humble and friendly smile.
"Clan Head Hiashi," Troy lifted his cup and spoke first, "on behalf of Raikage-sama and all of Kumogakure, I offer the Hyuga clan my highest respect."
"The Hyuga's Byakugan (White Eye) is one of the most powerful Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit) in the shinobi world. We of Kumogakure hold only admiration—never covetous intent."
He opened by disavowing any suspicion.
Hiashi lifted his cup with an impassive face, toasting him from afar. "You are too kind, Lord Troy. Since Konoha and Kumogakure have now signed a peace agreement, past grievances will be written off."
"Well said!" Troy laughed. "Clan Head Hiashi truly puts the greater good first! To be frank, I was uneasy coming here. After all, your village's Fourth Hokage-sama returned like a deity and, with lightning means, shook the shinobi world. We worried Konoha might pursue responsibility for past wars because of this."
He deftly steered the topic to Minato and lowered his stance even further.
Hearing this, Hiashi's face eased slightly.
He knew the other side was showing weakness.
"Minato-sama returned to protect Konoha, not to spark war," Hiashi said. "So long as Kumogakure truly seeks peace, Konoha will always welcome friends."
"But of course. But of course." Troy nodded again and again, his smile seeming all the more sincere.
He kept toasting, speaking ceaselessly of Kumogakure's yearning for peace and of the Fourth Raikage's awe for Namikaze Minato.
His rhetoric was masterful; his disguise, almost seamless.
After several rounds of drink, the atmosphere in the hall gradually relaxed.
Though Hiashi remained vigilant at heart, under this barrage of sugar-coated words he couldn't help but loosen a bit.
Perhaps he was overthinking?
Perhaps Kumogakure truly had been scared witless this time and wouldn't dare any more small moves?
In any case, today's Konoha was not the Konoha of the past.
A resurrected Namikaze Minato stood like a mountain on every village's head—one might say he nearly suppressed the entire shinobi world. Among those still alive, scarcely a handful could stand against the Fourth head-on.
Who would dare tempt fate now?
Troy took in every change on Hiashi's face.
Inwardly, he let out a scornful snort. Playing the weakling to this degree was indeed an effort, but compared to tangible profit, what was this grievance? A true man bends and stretches.
Konoha shinobi were still this foolish.
Had a single Namikaze Minato truly frightened them so?
Peace was merely alms bestowed by the strong upon the weak.
"Tomorrow, once I bring the Hyuga clan's bloodline back to the village, in less than ten years Kumogakure will field its own Byakugan unit.
By then, who's strong and who's weak—hard to say!" Troy thought.
He smothered his greed and raised his cup again, his gaze, however, drifted—subtly—toward the small, timid girl sitting beside Hiashi with her head bowed.
Hinata.
The Hyuga main-house eldest daughter.
Bearing the purest Byakugan bloodline.
She was the ultimate target of this mission.
"Clan Head Hiashi!" Troy's voice grew even more sonorous. "To the eternal peace between Konoha and Kumogakure."
He paused. "And to this beautiful Byakugan princess."
"Kanpai!"
Hiashi failed to catch the hidden meaning and lifted his cup to drain it as well.
The banquet ended in a false yet harmonious mood.
Hiashi arranged for attendants to escort the Kumogakure envoy to the post station to rest.
Troy waved his hand with a smile. "No need for such trouble, Clan Head Hiashi. The moonlight is exquisite tonight. I'd like to stroll alone in your manor's garden and admire Konoha's scenery, if you would be so kind?"
Hiashi hesitated, but it didn't seem excessive; just a walk shouldn't cause any eggs—er, trouble. In the end, he nodded.
"Of course. However, please don't go too far. There are many patrols nearby—I'd rather avoid unnecessary misunderstandings," he added.
"Rest assured, I understand." Smiling, Troy walked alone toward the Hyuga rear garden.
The moment he turned, his smile vanished.
In its place was a wolf's hungry greed.
He melted into the garden's shadows.
With jonin-level skill, he silently slipped past one patrol of Hyuga guards after another.
The Hyuga guards were strict, but they were watching for intruders from outside. Who would think a "peace envoy" honored by the clan head would plot mischief in their own rear garden?
On a tall tree not far from the Hyuga residence—
Two masked ANBU lay in wait: the advance placement Minato had arranged earlier.
Their eyes were locked on the figure flitting through the shadows.
"He's moving. Do we stop him?" one ANBU murmured.
The other shook his head.
"Hokage-sama's order is to act the instant he makes a move."
"Don't be rash. Hokage-sama has his reasons. We just watch—do not disrupt the setup."
Their tones were icy, as if they were observing prey already in a trap.
Who was hunter and who was prey—Troy had no idea.
He was steeped instead in the thrill of a plan about to succeed.
He soon penetrated deep into the Hyuga rear garden.
There, in the moon-washed courtyard,
A little girl in a kimono crouched, playing.
Hinata.
Perhaps, released from the banquet's oppressive mood, she had slipped out alone to play.
There were no guards at her side.
Every last pretense fell away from Troy.
Only naked, undisguised greed and possessiveness remained.
It was her!
Seize her and take her back to Kumogakure—
Everything would be within reach!
He hesitated no longer.
His body sank slightly, chakra gathering underfoot.
Swoosh!
A Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)!
Like a specter, he appeared behind Hinata.
Hinata seemed to sense something and started to turn.
Too late.
Troy's right hand was already raised high.
His fingers pressed together like a blade, aiming at the pale, fragile nape of the girl's neck.
A feral, triumphant grin split his face.
"Got you!"
(End of Chapter)
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