On an April spring night, stars filled the sky, and a bright full moon hung high above. Moonlight filtered through the cherry blossoms, shining down on the ground in the courtyard.
After a full day of training, Uzumaki Kuming lay beneath the cherry tree, using the moonlight to read a scroll. Beside him stood a low stone stand with a lit candle on it.
Candlelight and moonlight mingled, illuminating one corner of the courtyard. The world of shinobi already had electrical appliances, and electricity was widely used in the village. But Kuming's residence clearly wasn't included in the village's electrical grid plans. Everything here was rather primitive.
That afternoon, the Anbu guarding Uzumaki Kuming had been extensively redeployed. All the shinobi belonging to Root had been transferred elsewhere, and now every Anbu assigned to protect Kuming reported directly to the Third Hokage. However, with Danzo's Root shinobi redeployed in such large numbers, the Third Hokage's own Anbu ranks had begun to run short.
Konoha's conflicts with other nations had not yet fully ended. A considerable number of Anbu remained along the Land of Rain's border, gathering intelligence. Most of them belonged to the Third Hokage's own faction. As Hokage, he had to keep a close eye on the border situation, and Hiruzen Sarutobi would never entrust that sort of duty to someone else.
As a result, the number of Anbu guarding Kuming had fallen to nine, just three squads. They weren't particularly powerful, but they were the Third Hokage's most trusted operatives, people who would carry out orders to the letter.
In the woods not far from the residence, three Anbu hid among the trees, keeping watch on the courtyard beside the waterfall.
They didn't notice the several bees creeping along the ground toward their feet. The moment the bees