This Way Is Closed

Konoha's sky had taken on the color of ink, and the reception did not end until evening.

"Thank you for your hard work today. Please rest well."

Outside the guest rooms specially reserved for foreign visitors, Reina smiled and gave the three Kumogakure ninja a slight bow. "I will be guiding you through the remaining activities tomorrow. Until then, you have plenty of time to relax and recover from your journey. No one will disturb you."

After gently reminding them of a few things, Reina softly closed the door.

Click.

Inside the guest room, two Kumogakure ninja raised their hands to rub their faces, stiff from smiling all day. One of them turned to Yurui, who was scanning the room's furnishings with his eyes.

"Boss." He curled his lip toward the guest room door and lowered his voice. "That last sentence was a threat, wasn't it?"

Yurui silently withdrew his gaze without answering. He walked into the spacious living room and dropped onto the sofa.

The two Kumogakure ninja exchanged a glance and tacitly chose not to bring up the subject again. Instead, they entered the living room, swept their eyes over the decor, and sighed. "As expected of Konoha. They're really rich, treating foreign guests to accommodations like this."

As they spoke, the two Kumogakure ninja slipped their hands into their pockets. A small Barrier that blocked sensory perception activated, invisible ripples stirring faintly through the air. Then a voice sounded in Yurui's and the other Kumogakure ninja's minds.

"Boss, any surveillance or listening devices?"

"It's an honor." Yurui's expression did not change, and his tone remained ordinary. "It seems Konoha truly considers us 'distinguished guests.'"

The two Kumogakure ninja immediately understood. They began playing along, spouting nonsense as they discussed where they should go sightseeing over the next few days.

When they mentioned FUNFUN Street, not far from Konoha, the two even let out somewhat lecherous laughter.

Meanwhile, Reina, standing outside the door with her back to it, slowly opened her closed eyes.

Although she knew that, as a ninja, she should not be swayed by her emotions, hearing the crude obscenities so fitting of Kumogakure's rough style still made her frown as a young woman.

"No Chakra fluctuations detected, and no abnormal movements..."

Reina quickly suppressed her displeasure. She lowered her hand from its seal, but remained on guard.

If possible, she would have preferred for the Third Hokage to search the three of them, or to set up some surveillance and listening Barriers in the room.

But the Third Hokage had gently yet firmly rejected that suggestion. After all, Kumogakure had indeed shown sincerity thus far. If they discovered that Konoha was playing tricks, it would only give them leverage.

Still, Reina had an ominous premonition, though she could not say why. Perhaps it was a woman's sixth sense.

Inside the room, Yurui stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of the high-rise guest room, looking down at Konoha, which remained bustling even at dusk. Below, the crowds flowed through the streets like ants.

After a moment of silence, Yurui swiftly formed hand seals. The Chakra he had long since stored within his body surged forth.

Ox—Dog—Dragon—Rat—Dog—Boar—Snake—Tiger.

Boom!

A puff of white smoke burst soundlessly, and a Shadow Clone appeared beside him.

"Do it." Yurui's true body spoke calmly. "For Kumogakure."

The two Kumogakure ninja exchanged a glance. At this moment, they understood clearly that whether this operation succeeded or failed, none of them would survive.

Only if all three of them died here would the "weight" of their threat against Konoha be heavy enough.

"For Kumogakure!"

The two Kumogakure ninja spoke in overlapping, resolute voices. At the same time, they raised their hands and rapidly formed seals, Chakra surging wildly from within their bodies.

Boom!!

An explosion that shook the night sky rang out across Konoha at dusk. Building windows, storefront displays, and street lamps shattered like rain beneath the sweeping shockwave!

"Ah!"

"What happened?!"

Pedestrians on the surrounding streets cried out instinctively and stared in terror toward the source of the thunderous blast. Countless birds took flight in fright, while thick black smoke poured from the fifth floor of the Reception Apartment.

A huge hole had been blasted through the apartment wall. Countless bricks and fragments fell from high above, smashing toward the ground, along with three figures that were flung out and plummeted down.

Bang! Bang!

They fell from dozens of meters up, smashing the ground into cracks and rubble as glaring scarlet blood flowed out.

By now, many villagers had heard the tremendous explosion and run out from shops and homes to see what was happening. They watched helplessly as three figures fell from above.

Two of them lost all signs of life the instant they hit the ground. Only one figure coughed up blood, struggled to his feet, and roared, "Konoha! How dare you betray the alliance?!"

The Wrath in that howl did not seem feigned, leaving the surrounding Konoha villagers stunned as they watched the figure flee.

When they finally came back to their senses, someone recognized the two figures lying on the ground, and their expression immediately turned terrified.

"Those two are... Kumogakure's envoys!"

The moment someone shouted those words in a trembling voice, Reina arrived in a Shunshin, her entire body scorched black and her clothes torn. The moment she saw the two corpses, her face went pale.

How could this be?!

Someone had planted Exploding Tags in the Kumogakure delegation's guest room beforehand?!

"This is bad! I have to report to the Third Hokage!"

Though she had not considered that Kumogakure had staged the whole thing themselves, Reina instantly realized the situation was dire.

Forcing herself through the severe injuries caused by the blast, she formed hand seals and created a Shadow Clone to pursue the sole surviving Kumogakure ninja. Then she raced at full speed toward the Hokage Building.

At the same time, the frantic Reina failed to notice that a figure leaped out from within the thick black smoke overhead, concealing himself.

It was Yurui, the only survivor among the three Kumogakure ninja.

The "Yurui" Reina had sent her Shadow Clone after was merely another Shadow Clone. The other Konoha ninja who arrived were also led away by the clone, all believing he was trying to escape Konoha.

But in truth, his real target was not to escape Konoha at all, but the Hyuga Clan compound in the opposite direction.

"Rest in peace. You are all warriors of Kumogakure. I will join you soon."

Yurui's gaze was complicated as he looked down at the two corpses below. Then he used the Body Flicker Technique with all his strength.

Soon, he arrived in the forest near the Hyuga Clan compound. The entire journey had gone exceedingly smoothly.

But in the next instant, just as his figure was swallowed by dense shadows beneath the trees and his vision abruptly plunged into darkness—

A well-defined hand gripping a short blade suddenly reached out from the depths of the shadows.

Almost from the battle-honed instincts of his body, Yurui instinctively raised the Kunai in his hand.

Clang!!

The blades collided with a piercing shriek. A clear ringing filled Yurui's ears, while his wrist gave a crisp crack. Borrowing the immense force, he leaped backward and opened the distance.

"Who are you?"

His expression darkened as he raised his eyes toward the distance. A black-robed figure stepped out from the shadows, the short blade in his hand reflecting the cold moonlight.

"This way is closed." Looking at the "supporting character" who had finally appeared before him, Hyuga Yunchuan's hoarse voice held only calm. "Stop here."