The Fourth Hokage's return to Konoha stirred up little commotion in the village. The news that a Cloud Ninja envoy had died in Konoha, however, spread throughout the village by the next morning. When news traveled this fast, even a fool could tell something was amiss.
Bang!
"Hokage, I've already reported this to Lord Raikage. Your village will be held responsible!"
"Our leader died on your Konoha's Hyuga Clan grounds. Hyuga Hiashi is the culprit!"
"Hand over the killer! Otherwise, Konoha won't be able to bear the consequences!"
In the Hokage's office, a dark-skinned Cloud Ninja slammed his palm on Minato Namikaze's desk and shouted angrily, showing the Hokage no respect whatsoever. The five remaining members of the Cloud Ninja delegation had all gathered in the office, intent on demanding an explanation from Minato.
Even as he faced the furious Cloud Ninja, Minato wore a warm smile and paid no heed to the man's attitude. He replied calmly:
"Everyone, there's no need to get worked up. Konoha is still investigating the matter. We haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet."
"Our initial suspicion is that someone was secretly engaging in espionage in Konoha. Your leader wasn't killed by one of our people. There's another culprit."
Minato lied through his teeth without the slightest hesitation.
"Don't try to shirk responsibility! Our leader died in Konoha, right outside the Hyuga Clan's home. If you don't hand over the culprit—"
"Then this matter isn't over!"
Besides Minato, the only other person present was Nara Shikaku, the Hokage's aide. They had only just received word that morning that Hyuga Hiashi had killed the Cloud Ninja envoy. But the Cloud Ninja delegation had shown up almost as soon as the news arrived.
That had caught Minato off guard. He hadn't yet discussed with Hiruzen