"No, he wouldn't." Naruto cut him off, his voice firm and his gaze clear. "I trust Darui."
"He may have his own agenda, but he's not the kind of man who'd break his word and resort to such a clumsy scheme."
"Besides, if anything happened to Hinata during the visit, Kumogakure would be the prime suspect. They wouldn't be foolish enough to bring trouble on themselves."
Seeing how certain Naruto Uzumaki was, Shikamaru nodded and let the matter drop. As his strategist, he had raised the risk, but the final decision rested with the Hokage.
"I understand. Here's the itinerary Kumogakure provided: Samui, the Raikage's wife, will arrive in Bali ahead of the delegation to make preparations."
"Hinata will first take a train through our territory to the port at Kirigakure, which will serve as the transfer point."
"From there, she'll board the Peace Tour, a new electric ship developed by Kirigakure with an emphasis on comfort and sustainability, and travel by sea to Bali."
"Kumogakure staff aboard the Peace Tour will receive and accompany her."
"Kirigakure? There shouldn't be any problems on Chojuro's end." Naruto thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'll leave the itinerary and security details to the General Staff to refine. Make absolutely sure nothing goes wrong."
"I'll speak to Hinata myself tonight. She's always wanted to do her part for the village's diplomacy, so I think she'll be happy."
He stood and walked to the window, stopping beside Shikamaru. His gaze drifted toward the distant horizon, in the direction of the Land of Earth.
"I don't know why, Shikamaru, but something about what happened with Deidara in Iwagakure feels wrong. I hope it's just my imagination."
That evening, warm light filled the spacious living room of the Uzumaki home, and the aroma of dinner hung