Morning in Konoha was filled with the clamor of activity.
A week had passed since the attack during the Chunin Ninja Exams, but the buildings destroyed by Orochimaru and the Sunagakure ninja still lay exposed like wounds throughout the village.
Workers carrying timber and stone moved through the ruins, while hammering and shouts rang out all around them.
Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, stood at the window of the Hokage's office, her golden eyes sweeping over the village being rebuilt below. She held a scroll that had just arrived.
"The Sunagakure delegation will arrive tonight," Shizune said from behind her, holding Tonton in her arms.
Tsunade tossed the scroll onto the desk and turned, her Hokage robes sweeping through the air in a sharp arc. "That old woman Chiyo is leading them herself. She says they're coming to 'apologize,' hmph." She sneered.
"Does an apology require two elite Jonin and more than a dozen Chunin?"
Shizune bit her lip. "They want Gaara and the other captured Sunagakure ninja back..."
"That One-Tail Jinchuriki?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "After Orochimaru's plot was exposed, Sunagakure immediately changed its tune and claimed he'd deceived them. Now they want their people back? Things aren't that easy."
Outside the window, a gust of wind stirred up dust from the ground. Tsunade watched it, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.
As Hokage, she had to weigh the advantages and disadvantages—continuing to hold the Sunagakure ninja could provoke an all-out war, but letting the tiger return to the mountain could sow trouble for the future.
"Tell Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai Yuhi to strengthen the prison guard," Tsunade ordered. "And have the Anbu keep a close watch on every entrance to the village. I don't want any surprises."
Shizune nodded and took note, then hesitated before asking, "What about... Naruto? He's been asking about the Sunagakure prisoners lately, especially Gaara."
Tsunade rubbed her temples. Ever since the blond boy learned that Sunagakure's Jinchūriki was being held prisoner, he had been running around like a headless chicken.
As someone who also had a Tailed Beast sealed inside him, Naruto seemed to feel a strange empathy for the red-haired boy.
"Keep him away from the prison," Tsunade said at last. "The situation is too sensitive right now."
Meanwhile, at a training ground on the edge of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki was furiously pounding a wooden post, each punch carrying anger he could scarcely vent. Sweat ran down his cheeks, mixing with dust to form mud.
"You'll ruin your hands doing that." A lazy voice came from behind a tree. Kakashi leaned against the trunk, holding the copy of Icha Icha Paradise he never went anywhere without.
Naruto didn't stop. Instead, he hit even harder. "Kakashi-sensei! Why can't I see that guy from Sunagakure? They said he's... he's... just like me!"
"A Jinchūriki." Kakashi closed his book, his visible eye turning serious.
"That's exactly why I can't let you near him right now. Sunagakure's position is still unclear, and Gaara is an important bargaining chip."
"But he's not an object!" Naruto finally stopped and turned to face Kakashi, anger burning in his blue eyes. "He's a person! I can feel it... he's lonely, just like me!"
Kakashi fell silent for a moment. He knew better than anyone the pain and loneliness Naruto endured as a Jinchūriki.
Perhaps the boy from Sunagakure really had experienced something similar to Naruto, but politics never took such things into account.
"The Sunagakure delegation will arrive tonight," Kakashi said at last. "Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure is leading it herself. Things will take a turn. Until then, you have to be patient."
"Granny Chiyo?" Naruto blinked. "The granny shown in the sky fighting the enemy alongside Sakura?"
"Yes. She's an elder of Sunagakure and a legendary puppeteer," Kakashi said.
Meanwhile, in a dense forest a day's journey from Konoha, the Sunagakure delegation was moving swiftly. More than a dozen ninja guarded the carriage at the center in a tight formation, their Sunagakure Forehead Protectors reflecting a cold gleam.
Inside the carriage, Granny Chiyo rested with her eyes closed, her wrinkled face showing no emotion. Sosuke, an elite Jonin of Sunagakure, sat beside her.
"Elder, we'll reach Konoha before sunset," Sosuke reported quietly. "According to the plan, we'll first propose compensation. If Konoha refuses..."
"Do as I say, Sosuke." Chiyo opened her eyes. Her old eyes, seemingly clouded, were now as sharp as blades. "The purpose of this mission is to bring our people home, not to start a new conflict."
Sosuke lowered his head slightly, but a trace of disagreement flashed in his eyes. "Konoha is extremely weak right now. This is our chance to..."
"Enough!" Chiyo cut him off sharply. "Do you think that woman Tsunade is easy to deal with? Or do you think Orochimaru's betrayal hasn't already made us lose enough face in the Shinobi World?"
She took a deep breath, her voice growing low. "We must be careful on this mission. Sunagakure can't afford any more failures."
Naruto sat alone at the counter of Ichiraku Ramen, absentmindedly stirring noodles that had gone completely cold.
The red-haired boy's cold face kept appearing in his mind. They had faced each other during the exams, and Naruto knew that bone-deep loneliness all too well.
"Another bowl, please!" he suddenly called to the owner, louder than usual, as if to drive away those bothersome thoughts.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, Tsunade was engaged in a heated argument with three elder advisers.
"Sunagakure must be punished severely!" Utatane Koharu slammed her hand on the desk and stood. "How many fine ninja did we lose because of their betrayal?"
"But war benefits no one." Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses. "Accepting compensation and returning the prisoners is the wise course."
Tsunade listened silently to the two sides arguing, but her gaze rested on the memorial portrait of the Third, who had said nothing throughout. Sensei, what would you do?
The Sunagakure delegation was about to arrive, and farther away, out at sea, the Mizukage of Kirigakure was also approaching at great speed. Would the clash of the three forces bring Konoha peace, or an even greater storm?
The setting sun cast long shadows from the Sunagakure delegation, now less than a few hours' journey from Konoha. Granny Chiyo raised a hand, signaling the group to stop. Her wrinkled face looked especially careworn in the fading light.
"Sosuke," she called.
A middle-aged ninja wearing a Sunagakure Forehead Protector, with a scar over his left eye, immediately stepped forward. He was another elite Jonin of Sunagakure, known for his calm and rationality. "Elder, what are your orders?"
"Send two Chunin ahead to Konoha to inform them of our arrival time." Chiyo took a scroll from her robes. "Give this to Tsunade. Consider it... a greeting gift."
Sosuke took the scroll, his fingers pausing slightly when they touched the intricate sealing formula on it. This was no ordinary document, but a secret scroll containing Sunagakure's advanced Puppet Technique—Granny Chiyo was making a costly gesture of goodwill.
Sosuke left to carry out his orders. Chiyo watched him go, a trace of worry flashing through her clouded eyes.
She knew better than anyone that this mission was far more complicated than it appeared—not only did they have to bring their captured people home, they also had to restore Sunagakure's reputation in the Shinobi World.
In Konoha, the Hokage's office was brightly lit.
"The Sunagakure delegation is ahead of schedule?" Tsunade frowned at the latest intelligence. "Three hours earlier than expected."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." An Anbu operative knelt on one knee as he reported. "And our scouting team detected a faint Chakra signature two kilometers behind the delegation. Its nature doesn't seem to match Sunagakure Chakra."
Tsunade exchanged a glance with Kakashi beside her. "Keep watching, but don't alert them." She turned to the others in the office—Konoha elites including Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, and Shikaku Nara had gathered there.
"Everyone, tomorrow will be a tough battle." Tsunade pointed to the map hanging on the wall. "Sunagakure has ostensibly come to negotiate, but we can't let our guard down. Kakashi, how are the prison's defenses?"
Kakashi put down the Icha Icha Paradise in his hand. "The guard has been strengthened as you instructed. Besides the regular patrols, I've set up a Lightning Release barrier outside the One-Tail Jinchuriki's cell. Asuma's squad is responsible for security around the perimeter."
"The medical team is standing by," Shizune added.
In the sky above the Shinobi World...
The Heavenly Screen's long silence had left the people of the Shinobi World too busy to pay it much attention, but now the countdown on the Heavenly Screen had only a dozen or so hours left. What changes would the new content bring...?