"What?"
The Cloud Ninja leader was extremely alert. Though the hands reaching up from beneath the ground had startled him, he forcibly twisted his body at the last possible moment and brought his Ninja Sword crashing down.
It only kicked up a cloud of dust. The hands had already vanished without a trace.
When he looked again, all that remained in the clearing were two of his comrades, one dead and one injured. Kushina and Namikaze Minato were nowhere to be seen.
Knowing something was wrong, he didn't dare waste time. He decisively abandoned his comrade's corpse, helped the teammate with the severed hand to his feet, and prepared to retreat.
As he turned, the corner of his eye caught a figure darting through the woods. Someone in an Anbu uniform slowly emerged, dressed exactly like the "captain" who had appeared earlier.
Recognizing the newcomer as a member of the Cloud Village envoy, the man saw how battered he looked and started forward to ask what had happened.
Before he could get a word out, the Cloud Ninja's eyes went bloodshot. He raised his Ninja Sword and charged over, roaring:
"You think you can treat us however you want! Do you really think I'll fall for that trick again?"
"Brother Yoru, when did you use the Clone Technique?"
After successfully rescuing Kushina, Namikaze Minato finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked Namikaze Yoru, who seemed somewhat distracted.
From the moment they'd tracked her from the village to the fight with the Cloud Ninja, he'd only seen Namikaze Yoru use the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as the Anbu Captain. He hadn't noticed him making any move to use the Shadow Clone Technique.
"Do you really think you could keep up with a master's hands?" Namikaze Yoru answered vaguely, then changed the subject. "You acted decisively both times you struck. You'll definitely become an incredible ninja one day. When you become Hokage, remember to look after your big bro."
Namikaze Minato scratched his head at that and gave an embarrassed little smile.
"But remember, when you fight the Cloud Ninja in the future, try not to pick nighttime," Namikaze Yoru added, his tone utterly serious. "We're naturally at a disadvantage when fighting at night."
"???"
Minato was taken aback by the unexpected remark. Before he could think it over, the conversation had already been steered in a different direction.
Namikaze Yoru, meanwhile, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Minato had really pressed him on the matter, his whole plan would have been exposed.
As for when he'd used the Clone Technique?
Naturally, the "Namikaze Yoru" who had met Minato outside Kushina's house had been a Shadow Clone from the very beginning. The one who didn't appear from the ground until the battle was nearly over was the real one, who had raced all the way there and only just arrived in time.
Namikaze Yoru had plenty of ways to get past the Anbu Ninja blocking his path. He'd only acted so boldly because he was afraid he'd miss his chance.
After all, it would have been a disaster if the Shadow Clone had suddenly popped along the way. Fortunately, everything had gone according to plan.
Watching Namikaze Minato comfort Kushina, who was still shaken, Namikaze Yoru couldn't help feeling as if he'd taken a critical hit as a single man.
Even though bringing the two of them together had been his intention, the future was full of uncertainties. It was entirely possible that one day, his "butterfly effect" would derail the story.
Still, if possible, Namikaze Yoru wanted to lie low until the story began. Only then could he make the most of his foreknowledge. For now, he needed to lay his plans carefully.
"Ahem... I hate to interrupt you two, but I'm still here..."
Seeing the pair practically surrounded by pink bubbles, Namikaze Yoru cut in at the worst possible moment. Kushina seemed to have only just realized what was going on; her face instantly turned red.
Namikaze Minato, on the other hand, still looked like a sunny, cheerful boy. Namikaze Yoru couldn't help wondering if what he lacked was that kind of "natural flirt" confidence.
After all, they were both "blond." He wasn't any worse-looking than Minato, so why had nothing like this ever happened to him at the Ninja Academy?
But with the scroll in his arms, Namikaze Yoru was in high spirits. The smile never left his face.
The three of them no longer hurried. They walked back to the village beneath the night sky at an unhurried pace.
Inside Konoha, at the Hokage's Office.
"Have you still not found them?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's furious voice rang through the Hokage's Office. If he hadn't needed to remain at the center of operations, he would have gone out himself.
The atmosphere in the office was tense. Hokage Advisors Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were both there.
"Hiruzen, there aren't enough ninjas in the village right now. We've already sent out everyone we can."
Utatane Koharu thought Hiruzen Sarutobi was making too much of a fuss, but as a Hokage Advisor, she also knew Konoha needed to show its resolve.
"This is Konoha, the strongest ninja village, founded by Senju Hashirama and my teacher, Tobirama Senju!"
With a bang, Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his palm down on the Hokage's desk. His formidable presence as the Shinobi Hero surged forth.
"And now you're telling me that someone tried to assassinate their descendants in Konoha? How am I supposed to face my teacher? How am I supposed to face the First Hokage?"
Mitokado Homura remained silent. He knew that nothing he said would help right now. They could only wait for the search results.
Suddenly, a report came in from the Anbu. Hiruzen Sarutobi read it, first looking stunned, then turning livid with rage.
"Is the Cloud Village trying to rub salt in my wounds too?"
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura took the report and exchanged baffled looks.
The Cloud Village had actually seized the opportunity to kidnap a member of the Uzumaki Clan, only for a Genin and a student from the village to rescue them. Some Cloud Ninja had even been killed or injured along the way. Now they were protesting the Anbu Ninja's "violent enforcement."
Ordinarily, Konoha might have made a show of "raising the matter high, then letting it down lightly," but no one had the patience to deal with this right now.
"Get them all out of here and send them back to the Land of Lightning! Those dark-skinned bastards really think they can do whatever they want!"
"Hiruzen, isn't that a little inappropriate? We've only just signed the Treaty..." Mitokado Homura, who had yet to speak, offered a cautious objection.
"Then send a squad to 'escort' them home!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, putting heavy emphasis on "escort."
"After daybreak, I don't want to see a single Cloud Ninja left in Konoha!"
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude, neither advisor had anything to say. Even they felt the Cloud Village's behavior was truly infuriating.
"What should we do about the Namikaze boy who knocked out the Anbu and beat the Cloud Village envoy senseless?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep draw from his pipe and considered the matter for a moment before answering:
"Kushina is a Konoha Ninja. And ever since the news came that the Land of Whirlpools had fallen, Lady Uzumaki Mito's health... hasn't had much time left. We need to reward them, so Kushina will truly accept Konoha and become a suitable vessel for the next Jinchuriki."
Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi had made up his mind, the two advisors agreed. Anything concerning the Jinchuriki had to be handled with the utmost care.
It would be a disaster if the next Jinchuriki grew alienated from the village over these trivial matters.
They never would have guessed that Namikaze Yoru, the very person they planned to reward, was also the culprit behind the great search now underway in Konoha.
The whole thing had been an elaborate scheme he'd carefully set in motion.
Meanwhile, this "hero" was strolling leisurely along the road back to the village, teasing the boy and girl beside him while carefully replaying the whole affair in his mind: had the grand performance left any cracks in its façade?
Before you continue