The Plot Arrives Ahead of Schedule

The grand Joint Chunin Exams had concluded, and while the lingering echoes of the duel between Konoha's "Golden Sun" Namikaze Minato and "Konoha Red Peak" Uzumaki Qi Luna remained, most villagers were still immersed in the facade of glory and peace.

However, beneath this facade, undercurrents were already surging.

Perhaps it was because Qi Luna's performance had been too formidable, leaving them with no confidence to abduct her without being detected. Consequently, Kumogakure, which had long coveted the vast chakra and sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan, locked its greedy gaze upon the "Bloody Red Habanero," Uzumaki Kushina!

Taking advantage of the night and the laxity of the celebrations, a special operations squad composed of Special Jonin and elite Chunin infiltrated the Senju Clan Compound at the heart of Konoha like shadows. Their goal was clear: to abduct Uzumaki Kushina, one of the few remaining members of the Uzumaki Clan.

Setting aside the reputation of the Senju Clan Compound, Kumogakure's plan was meticulous:

Use special barrier ninjutsu to mask their presence, then subdue the target with lightning speed!

Yet, much like their "meticulous" plan, they were attempting to infiltrate the Senju Clan Compound—a place guarded by the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito—and were delusional enough to think they could use barrier techniques to block the Kagura Mind's Eye and the Nine-Tails' ability to sense malice!

If Qi Luna were to learn of this, he could only say that those who do not seek death will not find it.

By the time they infiltrated the Senju Clan Compound, no fewer than three people had already discovered them!

The first: the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito, who sensed someone entering her sensory range with malicious intent!

The second: Nagato, who, under the guidance and assistance of Mito and Qi Luna during this time, was already able to barely utilize a portion of the Rinnegan's abilities!

And finally: Qi Luna, who loved to use the Kagura Mind's Eye to survey the Senju Clan Compound from time to time, just in case Old Man Madara tried to find a way to steal back the Rinnegan!

However, after the three of them discovered the intruders, they did not take immediate action. Instead, Mito and Qi Luna notified an attendant, instructing him to report the matter to Sarutobi Hiruzen first.

What followed transpired exactly as it did in the original story.

Having finished the Chunin Exams and feeling relaxed, Kushina had let down all her defenses, only to be ambushed and kidnapped by several Kumogakure ninja of Chunin rank and above!

After succeeding, the Kumogakure group quickly left the residential area of Konoha and headed straight into the forest behind the mountains, simultaneously splitting off two Special Jonin to intercept any potential pursuers from Konoha.

At this moment, with her chakra sealed and being watched by an elite Chunin and a Special Jonin, Kushina could only helplessly use her red hair to leave a trail for tracking.

The outcome was no different from the original story: the two Kumogakure Special Jonin held off Jiraiya for a moment, but Minato bypassed the obstruction and found Kushina by following the red hair trail she had left behind.

The only difference from the original story was perhaps that this time, Minato did not hold back; the Kumogakure Special Jonin and Chunin all died at his hands!

Namikaze Minato had successfully achieved the "Moonlit Rescue" milestone!

This pursuit and rescue mission did not cause much of a stir. The battle lasted less than two minutes before subsiding, and the elite Kumogakure squad was like dust falling into the deep sea, failing to even create a ripple.

When the dignified figure of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, appeared at the entrance to the village's back mountains, he was followed by the Konoha Anbu standing at the ready and the delegations from various ninja villages who had heard the news.

Everyone looked at the two battered Kumogakure Special Jonin firmly controlled by Jiraiya and Qi Luna, as well as Uzumaki Kushina, who was being carried bridal-style by Namikaze Minato, still looking shaken and furious. The smoke rising from Sarutobi Hiruzen's pipe emitted a chilling rage:

"It seems... Kumogakure does not understand the value of peace! Nor do they have any sincerity in wanting to cease hostilities!"

"Hahaha... that was quite a show for us to watch, Representative Dodai!"

The representative of the Iwagakure delegation was full of schadenfreude. One could imagine the heavy price Kumogakure would have to pay in the upcoming negotiations, or the storm of retaliation they would face from Konoha in the days to come!

Abducting a genius of Konoha's younger generation in front of the representatives of the major nations was no longer a matter of disrespect; it was an attempt to shake the very foundation of a ninja village's future!

If Kumogakure could act in such a manner without paying a price, then what had happened would surely happen again. It would be an endless cycle; unless the village were destroyed, there would be no peace!

"As expected of people from that village of thieves, truly bandit-like behavior!"

The Sunagakure representative also sneered at such conduct. Even though their village was poor and weak, they still had their bottom lines. Kumogakure's behavior was something even they found despicable.

After all, if Kumogakure's target this time was Konoha, who would it be next? Would it be them? They still remembered the attack on Uzushiogakure, where Sunagakure had been the scapegoat. Not only did they lose their Second Kazekage, Shamon, and their top puppeteer, Monzaemon, but they hadn't gained much in return. Most of the spoils were inherited by Konoha, while Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure received the most, already possessing relatively stable Jinchuriki!

What was even more infuriating was that because Sunagakure had lost two major combatants, their village defenses were weak. During that time, several children with decent potential had gone missing, including one who had awakened the Magnet Release bloodline limit. Yet, a while ago, a Magnet Release expert had suddenly appeared in Kumogakure, and their age basically matched the missing child. The implications were chilling to think about.

Facing Sarutobi Hiruzen's fury and the cold sarcasm of Iwagakure and Sunagakure, Dodai's gaze swept over the two corpses of the Kumogakure ninja, then looked at the two captives. He opened his mouth, but in the end, he could say nothing and could only remain silent.

In his heart, however, he had already cursed those four Kumogakure ninja a thousand times over! He didn't blame them for failing, nor did he think they shouldn't have done such a thing; he resented them for not consulting him beforehand. Even a heads-up would have allowed him to prepare himself mentally!

Was it because he had also been snatched from Iwagakure by Kumogakure that they didn't trust him with such matters?!

Dodai was furious, yet helpless. The facts and evidence were laid out before him, leaving no room for sophistry. The only thing he could do now was perhaps make some concessions at tomorrow's ceasefire agreement discussion to see if he could save the lives of these two men.

"Lord Hokage, this matter was purely their personal behavior and not the intention of our Kumogakure or the Raikage. However, I still hope that you can be magnanimous and give us a chance. We are willing to pay a certain price in exchange for a chance for them to live!"

What else could he do, no matter how angry he was? He had to try to protect them. As for whether he could actually succeed, that was a matter for later.

Dodai braced himself against the immense pressure and spoke his plea.

"Do you people in Kumogakure train your Lightning Release on your faces? How can you be so thick-skinned?"

"Perhaps they only trained their bodies, which is why they are so shameless~"

Iwagakure and Sunagakure continued to press the issue, their words dripping with sarcasm.

"Hmph! Lock them in the Police Force prison first. As for whether they live or die... we shall wait until after we discuss the terms of the ceasefire agreement tomorrow!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not pay much mind to Iwagakure and Sunagakure's attempts to kick Kumogakure while they were down, nor did he care about their efforts to sow discord between Konoha and Kumogakure, because in his eyes, they were all enemies!

It was merely a matter of who would be settled with first and who later, or to what extent the final reckoning would go!