Nya nya nya nya nya~

"Look! It seems like something's flying over!"

Unaware of the danger, the villagers pointed up at a faint black speck high in the sky and chattered among themselves.

"It looks like it's drifting toward the village..."

Its course was slow and leisurely. It didn't look like anything dangerous.

Ordinary villagers hadn't seen much of the world. Even living in a hidden ninja village, they rarely got to see ninjas use their techniques. Ninjas, on the other hand, were always on their guard when faced with something unknown.

On rooftops and along the streets, ninjas wearing Konoha vests and registered as Konoha Ninja stared up at the sky.

Even if it was something dangerous, there was nothing they could do but watch. They couldn't reach it, much less stop it.

Throughout the village, ninjas dressed in their Shinobi Clan attire stood in unison atop the rooftops of their respective clan compounds, gazing up at the sky with grim expressions.

An enemy?

The village had only been established three years ago. Who would dare defy the God of Shinobi and challenge Konoha's authority?

Beneath the Gunbai clan crest, a group of red-eyed Uchiha stood or crouched across the rooftops. With tense expressions and the village clearly on high alert, they turned their scarlet Three Tomoe toward the sky.

"Can you make out what it is?" an elder asked in a low voice.

The former clan head had left without a word, and the Uchiha were now without a leader. The clan head position remained vacant, and no one would accept anyone else's authority.

"Looks like a person?" said a young Uchiha with a spiky head of hair and a haughty expression, sounding puzzled.

"A person?" Everyone began discussing it.

"Elder, what should we do?" one clan member asked.

At that, the elder sneered. "We'll see what happens. Wait for the Senju brothers to tell us what to do. We're not doing a thing!" His voice was full of resentment.

Before Madara left, everyone had been polite and acted like decent people.

As soon as Madara was gone, every Shinobi Clan started giving him the cold shoulder. It was absolutely infuriating. The Senju brothers just watched and didn't say a word.

On the other side, the Hyuga had it much easier than the Sharingan, which wasn't especially suited to seeing things from far away.

As the object descended, it entered the field of vision of most Hyuga clan members.

The Main Family elders, both men and women, looked livid. The Branch Family members were all fuming, veins bulging on their foreheads.

There was no other explanation. The person hanging in the sky was one of their own. They could see her suffering clearly, and it was far worse than simply having her eyes gouged out.

In the spacious courtyard of the clan compound, a refined middle-aged man with a smooth forehead, dressed in a kimono and covered in scars, stared up at the sky. His hand clenched into a tight fist, furious at what had happened to his clanswoman.

But...

"Tenji..." An elder lowered his eyes and spoke with one hand raised. "It would be best not to do anything. Wait for the Senju brothers to give us an explanation."

"Heh..." Tenji gave a soft laugh. "Three members of Ino-Shika-Cho just died. Did they get an explanation?"

The elder's eyes flickered. "We're in the village. Watch what you say."

"You're being foolish." A cold sweat broke out as Tenji spoke. "Tobirama is very wary of us. If you demand an explanation, he might turn around and demand one from us. If we say nothing, everyone will pretend nothing happened."

"Tenji, you could try trusting his older brother, Hashirama," the elder said calmly. As long as Hashirama was alive, that detestable brat Tobirama couldn't do as he pleased.

"Can't you see that the two brothers are in this together?" Tenji said. "You're a crafty old man, but don't let that fool-looking Hashirama deceive you."

"At this point, we should handle things as usual. It's only a Branch Family member," the elder said. He discreetly glanced at the Branch Family members around them, their expressions furious and agitated, then lowered his eyes as if tired.

It had always been this way. That was tradition.

The man turned to the elder. "Knowing what I know now, I should have taken my people and left with the Kaguya Clan."

"Heh..." The elder closed his eyes and scoffed. "Would a man like you actually regret it? Those foolish old men of the Kaguya Clan still cling to the traditions of the Shinobi Clan. Kirigakure will fall to Konoha sooner or later. But wherever we are, as long as the Caged Bird remains, the Hyuga Clan will always be the Hyuga Clan."

"You're awfully optimistic, old man," Tenji said with a scornful laugh. "Uchiha Madara is gone."

"So what if he is?" the old man declared. "Hashirama is the strongest in the Shinobi World. That arrogant brat Uchiha Madara will never win, not once in his life."

"You foolish old fossil," Tenji sneered. "Regardless, the Hyuga Clan's dignity cannot be challenged. I'll deal with this myself."

"The Warring States period is over, Tenji." The old man opened his eyes and glanced at him. "You should learn to enjoy your retirement and leave an heir or two. This is the village's concern, not the Hyuga Clan's."

Tenji folded his arms and snorted. "I have my own plans. Don't worry about me."

"Worry?" the old man snorted. "I'm only worried you'll lose those precious Byakugan."

The two spoke in low voices. The clansmen nearby listened apprehensively, but couldn't make out what they were saying.

In the sky, the black speck drifted toward Konoha, drawing nearer and nearer. The villagers followed it with curiosity while the Shinobi Clan watched coldly.

The leaders of Ino-Shika-Cho gathered together and watched. The slender man with black hair like Pineapple Head wore a grave expression.

"I thought it was an isolated incident before, but now it doesn't look like one."

"What do you mean?" the blond man asked.

"Someone terrifying has set their sights on Konoha," the Pineapple Head man said gravely.

"What's so terrifying about that?" the fat man asked in a low voice. "The most terrifying man in the Shinobi World is right here in Konoha."

"Precisely because they aren't afraid of the most terrifying man in the Shinobi World..." the Pineapple Head man said. "That's what makes them terrifying..."

"Maybe they're just ignorant," the fat man said.

"Leave the thinking to me," the Pineapple Head man said. "Don't overthink it."

The fat man shut his mouth.

The three men stared up at the sky, their expressions solemn.

The Pineapple Head man frowned. This was an extremely ominous sign. Konoha wasn't as powerful as it seemed. He couldn't help murmuring to himself.

"Was my decision a mistake?"

It was only the third year. Had Hashirama's fearsome reputation already stopped intimidating the Shinobi World?

At the Senju compound, past a shadowy corridor, Tobirama slid open the paper door in the depths of the courtyard and sat behind his elder brother, who was meditating.

Dressed casually in a kimono, the man wore a peaceful, simplehearted expression. He scratched his head and said, "I told you before, I don't want to be Hokage. Whoever wants that office can have it. I'm not going!"

At that, Tobirama's eyelid twitched.

"I'm not here to drag you to work, big brother."

At that, Hashirama turned around and looked at Tobirama. "Then what is it?"

Tobirama's expression darkened. "I sensed an enemy at an altitude of about eighteen thousand meters. They've stopped there. Can you knock her down? That woman is extremely dangerous, and she's carrying a Jinchuriki."

Some sensor ninjas could only sense a general direction, and not from very far away. Others could sense not only the direction but the exact number of people. The best of them could even sense a person's appearance and build. Tobirama Senju was one of the Shinobi World's top sensor ninjas.

He could clearly see Yura's face, wearing an infuriatingly mocking, teasing smile.

He knew they had come to take revenge.

Hashirama's eyes widened. He raised his voice. "How high!? Eighteen thousand meters!? You think too highly of me, Tobirama."

Hashirama didn't care about Jinchuriki or anything like that.

"You're really useless, big brother," Tobirama said.

At that, Hashirama immediately slumped, his mood turning gloomy as he said, "Sorry I'm so useless..."

It was so infuriating. Absolutely infuriating.

Tobirama's expression darkened. All he could do was watch the enemy gloat, unable to strike back at all.

He also knew the other side could sense him and was laughing at him.

Feeling Tobirama's emotions surge and the enormous malice directed at her, Yura smiled.

With an elegant, ladylike smile, she raised a finger, pulled down her lower eyelid, and stuck out her little tongue.

Nya nya nya nya nya~

Back in the room, Tobirama's face darkened. His fists suddenly clenched.

Fine! Just fine!

Negative emotions +1+1+1+1

"Thanks for the treat~" Yura smiled faintly. She didn't know if Tobirama could hear her, but he should be able to read her lips.

Akitsu of the Hyuga Clan could read lips, and so could Kakashi of the Sharingan. Yura knew Akitsu had discovered her intentions earlier because she'd read her lips.