"What?!"
Minato shot to his feet. His gentle expression vanished, replaced by a fierce killing intent.
"Give me the details!"
The Anbu Ninja dropped to one knee, speaking urgently:
"Half an hour ago, the Hyuga Clan Grounds were attacked. The assailants were extremely professional. They evaded all the Anbu patrols and infiltrated the Hyuga Main Family directly. Lord Hiashi wounded one of the intruders on the spot, but the intruder's accomplice took advantage of the chaos to kidnap Lady Hinata."
"According to Lord Hiashi's description, they used Lightning Release Ninjutsu. They're suspected to be ninja from Kumogakure."
The atmosphere in the office instantly turned icy.
Danzo snorted, mockery flashing in his single eye.
"I told you long ago that Kumogakure had ulterior motives. Minato, are you still going to accept their peace agreement?"
Fugaku's expression darkened as well.
He remembered that three days ago, Lord Madara had sent someone to warn him that Kumogakure would take advantage of Konoha's weakness and make a move.
At the time, he'd assumed they were targeting the Uchiha Clan. He hadn't expected their target to be the Hyuga.
Those brutes from Kumogakure had long coveted Konoha's Kekkei Genkai.
"Seal off every entrance and exit to the village immediately!"
Minato's voice was cold, nothing like the usually gentle Fourth Hokage.
"Notify all the Anbu. Search for suspicious people with all your might. Also—"
He turned to Fugaku.
"Fugaku, lead the Konoha Military Police Force and coordinate with the Anbu. This is exactly when we need the Sharingan's keen insight."
Fugaku nodded.
"I'll make the arrangements right away."
"Wait."
Danzo suddenly spoke, his voice grim.
"Minato, have you considered that the timing is too convenient?"
"The Cloud Village Envoy Group arrived in Konoha just yesterday, and today the Hyuga are attacked. Either this is a test by Kumogakure, or..."
He paused, sweeping his single eye over everyone present.
"Someone is deliberately trying to sabotage the peace talks between Konoha and Kumogakure."
Minato frowned.
Danzo was right.
The timing really was too convenient.
"Whoever's behind it, we'll talk about that after we get Hinata back."
Minato took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Shikaku, go notify Hiashi and tell him to keep his clan members calm. If we don't handle this properly, it could easily turn into a diplomatic incident."
"Yes, sir!"
Nara Shikaku accepted the order and left.
Just then, another Anbu Ninja appeared in a flash.
"Lord Minato, the leader of the Cloud Village Envoy Group demands to see you at once. He says... they have important information to share."
Minato and Danzo exchanged a glance.
They both saw the wariness in the other's eyes.
Kumogakure coming forward at a time like this could not be a good sign.
"Let them in."
Minato sat back down in the Hokage's seat, a gentle smile returning to his face.
But those who knew him understood that beneath that smile lurked a fury ready to erupt like a thunderclap.
A few minutes later.
The leader of the Cloud Village Envoy Group, a burly, dark-skinned middle-aged man, walked into the office.
Two guards followed behind him. Both were powerful elite jōnin.
"Fourth Hokage, a pleasure to meet you."
The Cloud Village leader wore a courteous smile, but his gaze kept moving over everyone in the office.
"I'm Toroi, an envoy from Kumogakure."
"Lord Toroi."
Minato nodded in greeting without getting up.
"I hear you have important information to share?"
Toroi's smile stiffened for a moment.
He hadn't expected Minato to be so direct.
"Yes. Just now, one of our escorts went missing."
Toroi's tone turned serious.
"Based on our investigation, he was most likely kidnapped by certain... radicals in Konoha."
"Radicals?"
Danzo sneered.
"Lord Toroi, what exactly are you implying?"
"I'm not implying anything."
Toroi spread his hands in an innocent gesture.
"I'm only saying that our village came here in good faith. If there are people within Konoha who don't want peace, there's nothing we can do about that."
"However..."
He shifted his tone, his gaze turning sharp.
"I hear the Hyuga Clan had an incident too? What a coincidence."
The atmosphere in the office instantly grew taut.
Minato's smile vanished completely.
"Lord Toroi, what are you insinuating?"
"I'm not insinuating anything."
Toroi shrugged.
"I just think that if one of our people and the Hyuga young lady both disappeared, could they have been taken by... the same group?"
"After all, a Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan is worth a fortune on the black market."
Fugaku's Sharingan activated at once.
He glared at Toroi, wishing he could tear the hypocrite apart on the spot.
But he held back.
He knew this was exactly what the other man wanted.
If the Uchiha or Konoha's leaders attacked him here, Kumogakure would have its excuse.
"Lord Toroi, watch your words."
Minato's voice was frighteningly cold.
"This is Konoha, not your Kumogakure."
"Of course, of course."
Toroi hurried to apologize, but there was not a trace of remorse in his smile.
"I'm just worried about our companion. After all, he's a trusted aide of the Lord Raikage. If anything happens to him..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but the threat was unmistakable.
Minato drew a deep breath.
Now he finally understood why Danzo had said the timing was too convenient.
Kumogakure was forcing him to choose.
Either hand over these so-called "radicals" and admit that someone within Konoha had sabotaged the peace.
Or reject Kumogakure's demand and let relations between the two villages collapse completely.
Either choice would cost Konoha dearly.
"Lord Toroi, rest assured."
Minato's gentle smile returned, but this time it carried a hint of chill.
"Konoha will investigate this with all its might. If our people really did this, I'll give Kumogakure an explanation."
"But likewise, if it was someone from your village..."
He paused, his voice turning colder.
"I expect the Lord Raikage to give me an explanation too. Remember, Konoha isn't a pushover!"
Toroi's smile stiffened completely.
He hadn't expected Minato to be so forceful.
"Then I'll wait for good news from the Fourth Hokage."
Toroi turned to leave, but when he reached the door, he suddenly looked back.
"By the way, Fourth Hokage, I hear quite a few major things have happened in Konoha lately."
"The Nine-Tails Incident, the rise of the Uchiha Clan, and... rumors of the return of that legendary 'Asura,' Uchiha Madara."
"Could all these things be making Konoha... spread a little too thin?"
With that, he laughed loudly and left the office.
Minato clenched his fists.
Now he finally understood. Kumogakure hadn't come for any peace agreement.
They had come to test Konoha's limits.
"Minato."
Danzo suddenly spoke.
"I suggest we execute the Cloud Village Envoy Group immediately."
"What?!"
Minato whipped around, unable to believe what he'd just heard.
"Have you gone mad? They're an envoy group! Killing them would be the same as declaring war on Kumogakure!"
"So what?"
Danzo sneered.
"If Kumogakure dares to make a move in Konoha, they should be prepared for retaliation. Rather than let them lead us around by the nose, we should strike first."
"No!"
Minato rejected the idea outright.
"Konoha has just been through the Nine-Tails Incident. We don't have the economic means to fight another limited war right now."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
Danzo pressed him.
"Stand by and let Kumogakure walk all over us?"
Minato fell silent.
He knew Danzo wasn't wrong.
But he also knew that if they really killed the envoy group, Konoha would face more than just Kumogakure's retaliation. Kumogakure might also rally the other great nations and attack them together.
Just then, Fugaku spoke up.
"Lord Minato, I have a suggestion."
"Go ahead."
"Since Kumogakure says one of their people has gone missing, we'll help them search."
Fugaku's Sharingan turned slowly.
"If we find him, we'll execute him on the spot. If we don't..."
He sneered.
"Then that means Kumogakure is lying. At that point, we'll have reason to suspect they had something to do with Hinata's disappearance."
Minato's eyes lit up.
That really was a good idea.
"Good. We'll do that."
He turned to the Anbu.
"Notify all the search teams immediately. Focus your search around the Cloud Village Envoy Group's residence."
"Also, assign people to keep Toroi under surveillance. Report his every move to me."
"Yes, sir!"
The Anbu Ninja accepted the order and left.
Silence fell over the office once again.
Minato sat back in his chair and rubbed his temples.
Now he finally understood how difficult it was to be Hokage.
He had to deal with threats from outside while also keeping the conflicts within the village in check.
And all of it was because of that man—Uchiha Madara.
If he hadn't suddenly appeared during the Nine-Tails Incident, if he hadn't saved him and Kushina, the situation might have been even more complicated. Without him and Kushina, two powerful fighters, Konoha would have been in an even tighter spot facing external threats.
"Madara... what exactly are you trying to do?"
Minato murmured to himself.
Meanwhile.
Outside Konoha, inside a hidden cave.
A man wearing a Black Red-Cloud Robe was holding an unconscious little girl.
The girl had short, dark blue hair, and tear tracks still stained her face.
It was Hinata Hyuga.
"This is such a hassle."
The man took off his mask, revealing a young, twisted face.
It was Obito Uchiha.
"I only meant to kidnap some Cloud Village shinobi, but I ended up stumbling into Cloud Village's little scheme to snatch a Hyuga brat."
He looked down at Hinata in his arms, hesitation flickering in his eyes.
But that hesitation was quickly replaced by madness.
"Whatever. It's all to throw Konoha into chaos anyway."
"Lord Madara, didn't you want to watch the show? Then I'll make sure you get your fill!"
He picked Hinata up, and his figure vanished into a space-time vortex.
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