Action Thwarted
The first thing the Cloud Ninja did upon entering the room was to observe how many Konoha Ninja were monitoring them outside.
The Military Police Force surveillance was conducted openly, under the guise of protecting their mission, and therefore easily detected.
The enemy in plain sight is the easiest to deal with; we can devise methods in advance to disrupt their plans.
The real challenge lies with the enemy observing from the shadows.
"Currently, I can sense six Konoha Ninja hiding in the shadows."
After sensing their location, the cloud ninja named Serm pointed out their approximate location.
"Then proceed as planned. You will draw the attention of the Konoha Ninjas to buy me time to act."
Darem, the leader of the delegation, remained calm. They had anticipated being monitored before leaving the village and had already made corresponding contingency plans.
"If I succeed, I will escape to the border according to the planned route; if I fail, I will die in the Hyuga Clan's territory, just as planned."
Even knowing that this plan would cost him his life, Darem's face remained unwavering; instead, he looked at Serm beside him with a resolute gaze.
"Serm, after my death, the task of launching an attack on Konoha will be entrusted to you."
"I know."
Serm nodded and extended his hand.
Two rough, large hands clasped tightly together, everything understood without words.
That night, the delegation from Kumogakure successfully created some disturbances.
"Kazashiro, a letter from the Military Police Force reports Jonin a conflict has broken out between the delegation and the hotel staff, and the situation is getting out of control."
The mountain Chunin sent by Fugaku to be by Kazashiro's side received a message from his clansmen immediately.
"It's moving after all, Tiger. Have you noticed anything unusual?"
"Not for now, since it's too far away."
Tiger shook his head, still diligently searching for any Cloud Ninja that might appear.
In order to avoid being detected by the enemy, Kazashiro and the others stayed at a considerable distance from the inn. In addition, it was nighttime, so even the Hyuga Clan ninjas could not quickly find a target who was deliberately hiding.
"What about the six Anbu who were monitoring at close range? Did they find anything?"
The elephant asked the mountain Chunin in a low voice.
Just as Elephant, Sparrow, and Tiger were analyzing each other's intentions based on their past experience, Kazashiro had already vanished from his spot in Body Flicker Technique.
"Where did Kazashiro go?"
The four people present were completely bewildered. Why did their captain abandon his teammates and run away without saying a word?
At this time, Darem had already infiltrated the Hyuga Clan's territory.
Just as the sparrow sensed, Darem's combat ability was not considered top-tier among the Cloud Ninja. His specialty was infiltration operations, which is why he was able to accurately evade the Hyuga Branch Family guards and rush straight into Hinata's room.
Of course, this also includes the fruits of years of work by the Kumogakure Spies.
Gently opening the door, Darem confirmed that his target was correct, then used anesthesia to knock Hinata, before retreating along the route he had entered.
"Who?!"
Standing in the courtyard, Hiashi, who was troubled by Hinata's personality, keenly noticed the commotion and rushed over.
"Damn it, have we been found out?"
Darem tossed the smoke grenade from his pocket to the ground, preparing to use the smoke as cover to escape.
But just as the smoke grenade was about to hit the ground, it was struck precisely by a Senbon that appeared out of nowhere, embedding itself deeply into a nearby wooden pillar.
Before he could react, Hiashi's Gentle Fist struck Darem's pressure point, killing the Cloud Ninja on the spot with a single blow.
"Is it that easy to beat?"
As the Flying Thunder God Kunai pierced the ground, Kazashiro's figure appeared in front of Hiashi.
Bending down, he removed the black cloth covering the other person's face, revealing Darem's wide-open, unseeing face.
"So they really came here."
Kazashiro muttered to himself.
At this moment, the Hyuga clan members, who had heard the commotion, arrived late. Their disordered footsteps prevented Hiashi from hearing Kazashiro's mutterings.
His attention was entirely focused on Hinata.
Even if you dislike her personality, she is still your daughter.
With a grim face, Hiashi handed Hinata over to a servant and instructed his clansmen to report the matter to the Fourth Generation.
Soon, Minato arrived at the Hyuga Clan Compound with several Anbu.
"The facts are clear: Kumogakure is using peace talks as a Byakugan to covet Konoha. Their so-called peace talks are nothing more than an excuse to enter Konoha."
In a conference room in the Hokage Building, Sakumo sat in the main seat with a serious expression. After a night of investigation, the purpose of Kumogakure was now clear.
"However, what was unexpected was that they had even investigated the detailed situation of the Hyuga Clan's territory in great detail."
Yamanaka Inoichi, who was in charge of intelligence work, read the corpse's memories immediately. However, Kumogakure had obviously anticipated the existence of the Yamanaka Clan before the operation. It is unknown what secret technique they used, but Inoichi did not see all of the other party's memories.
Only some scattered fragments can be seen.
"This was a dereliction of duty by the Military Police Force; they failed to promptly apprehend the spies hiding in the village."
Fugaku's expression was also not good. Even though Kazashiro had explained the situation to him in advance, the people he had arranged were still deceived by the tricks used by the delegation and failed to discover Darem's secret departure in time.
"Indeed, the Military Police Force's counter-espionage work is extremely inept."
Danzo coldly echoed, scoffing at the capabilities of the Military Police Force.
If Root were still intact, Konoha's intelligence would never have been leaked on such a large scale.
"Danzo, now is not the time to discuss this. The focus should be on Kumogakure."
Hiruzen rebuked Danzo, telling him to focus on the main topic.
"Indeed. The actions of the Kumogakure prove that they have no intention of negotiating with us. I suggest that we immediately send them a letter demanding an explanation, detain the delegation, and force the Raikage to apologize."
After assessing the relative strengths of both sides, Nara Shikaku offered his advice.
I agree.
Danzo was the first to agree.
Hmm, I didn't expect this guy named Shikaku to share the same stance as me. I should pay more attention to him.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, who had been with the Third Hokage for many years, seemed unaccustomed to Konoha's tough stance and subconsciously focused their attention on Hiruzen.
Inside the meeting room, to Sakumo's left sat Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Fugaku Uchiha, Hyuga Hiashi of the parties involved in the incident.
On the right are four products from the previous era: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō.
Konoha is now full of vitality.
Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose, seeing a reflection of his past self in Shikaku and the others.
I agree.