The Delegation Enters the Village

The road outside Konoha Gate had been swept clean.

Morning light fell across the towering wooden gates. Twice as many guards stood on either side as usual. ANBU hid among the rooftops and tree shadows, Hyuga clan members watched the distance with their Byakugan, and the Konoha Military Police Force lined the street, their gazes cold as knives.

Konoha had only just endured an internal conflict the night before.

Now an outside enemy stood at its gates.

The Kumogakure Delegation appeared at the end of the mountain road.

Twelve people were visible.

At their head was a tall, dark-skinned ninja with broad shoulders and Kumogakure's symbol engraved on his Forehead Protector. The people behind him carried the same sharp air.

They did not look as though they had come to negotiate.

They looked more interested in testing how deep the wound ran.

The Third Hokage had changed into his Hokage robes and stood inside the gates.

Jiraiya stood beside him, while Kakashi, Hyuga Hiashi, and Uchiha Fugaku took positions on three sides.

Naruto did not stand at the front.

He sat on the edge of a nearby rooftop, his legs dangling. He had drawn his Nine-Tails Chakra completely back in and sat as quietly as any ordinary child.

But none of the ninja who knew what had happened last night dared to treat him like one.

As the Kumogakure Delegation entered, its members immediately swept their gazes over Konoha's streets.

They saw traces of the cordon that remained, Central Street still not fully cleared, and the exhaustion and unease on many villagers' faces.

The leading Kumogakure ninja grinned.

"Third Hokage, Konoha seems to have had a rough night."

The Third Hokage's expression did not change.

"Konoha's internal affairs are no concern of Kumogakure's."

The ninja's grin widened.

"But we heard the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki went berserk, the Hokage Advisor died, and an Advisor was killed. If Konoha can't control the Nine-Tails, the peace agreement will need to be reassessed."

Jiraiya said coldly, "Kumogakure gets its intelligence quickly."

The ninja looked at him.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin has returned too. So the rumors were true. Konoha really is in such chaos that it had to call back its strongest fighters from abroad."

The Konoha Ninja bristled at his words.

The Third Hokage raised a hand, holding back their anger.

"State your purpose."

The Kumogakure ninja took out a document.

"First, we want to confirm the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's condition."

"Second, we want to reopen the investigation into the Hyuga incident. Kumogakure believes the identity of the body Konoha handed over was questionable, and the compensation was insufficient."

Hyuga Hiashi's face turned cold at once.

Anger rose in the eyes of the Hyuga clan members behind him as well.

Years ago, Kumogakure had failed to abduct Hinata and then turned around and blamed Konoha. That humiliation had been bad enough. Now, with Konoha fresh from turmoil, they were dragging it up again to take advantage of the crisis.

The Third Hokage's voice dropped.

"The Hyuga incident was settled long ago."

The Kumogakure ninja scoffed.

"Settled? That was Konoha's account of events. Now the Konoha High Command itself has been exposed for concealing the truth about the Nine-Tails' Attack, suppressing the Uchiha, and mistreating the Fourth Hokage's son. Can anyone still trust the conclusion it gave back then?"

The barb struck home.

The Konoha Ninja looked grim, but they could not immediately refute him.

The records made public last night really had proved the leadership was corrupt.

Kumogakure was using Konoha's own wound to attack it.

On the rooftop, Naruto's gaze turned cold as he listened.

They aren't here for justice.

They're here to feast.

The Kumogakure ninja continued, "We demand to see the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

The Third Hokage refused. "Impossible."

"Then we can only conclude that the Nine-Tails is already out of control."

Someone in the Kumogakure Delegation deliberately looked toward the surrounding villagers.

"If the Nine-Tails runs wild again, will Konoha still be able to protect the neighboring countries?"

A stir ran through the crowd.

The bloody words from last night had only just been exposed as a lie, and now Kumogakure was using the Nine-Tails to frighten people again.

Fear could not be erased in a day.

Seeing the crowd's reaction, a flicker of satisfaction crossed the Kumogakure ninja's eyes.

The next instant, a pebble dropped from a rooftop and struck the ground beside his foot.

It made little sound.

But it made him look up.

Naruto sat on the eaves, watching him with golden slit-pupiled eyes.

"You wanted to see me?"

Every gaze turned to the rooftop.

The Kumogakure ninja narrowed his eyes.

"You're the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Naruto jumped down from the roof.

He landed lightly and walked in front of the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage moved to stop him, but Naruto raised a hand.

The Kumogakure ninja looked down at him, appraising him.

"You look like nothing but a brat."

Naruto looked up.

"Is that how you saw Hinata Hyuga back then?"

Hyuga Hiashi's eyes shifted slightly.

The Kumogakure ninja's face darkened.

"What are you getting at?"

"When you abducted a child, you thought she was weak."

Naruto walked closer, step by step.

"Now you've come to inspect the Nine-Tails because you think Konoha is weak after last night."

"Does Kumogakure always pick on the weak?"

The faces of several delegation members changed at once.

His words struck hard.

He had tied their abduction attempt back then directly to their test of Konoha today.

The leading Kumogakure ninja sneered.

"Sharp tongue. We're only concerned about the danger the Nine-Tails poses."

Naruto stopped three paces in front of him.

"You want to see the Nine-Tails?"

The ninja did not retreat.

"That's right."

Naruto raised his hand.

The Konoha Ninja tensed as one.

The Kumogakure Delegation went on guard too.

The next instant, orange-red Chakra surged from Naruto's body.

It was not a rampage.

Nor was the Chakra leaking out of his control.

Behind him, the Chakra formed the phantom head of an enormous fox. The outlines of nine tails spread through the morning light, and the terrifying pressure forced several delegation members to step back on the spot.

The Nine-Tails opened his eyes and looked down at the Kumogakure ninja.

"Brat."

The Nine-Tails' voice carried through the Chakra, making the gates' wooden beams tremble.

"Are these the creatures who want to inspect me?"

The Kumogakure ninja's face changed instantly.

This was not a loss of control.

The Nine-Tails was talking to Naruto.

And he was neither raging nor resisting.

He looked more like a beast standing behind Naruto.

Naruto looked at the Kumogakure Delegation.

"Seen enough?"

The ninja swallowed and forced himself to stay calm.

"The Nine-Tails clearly isn't out of control, but you can't prove Konoha can still maintain peace."

Naruto smiled.

"Peace?"

He pointed toward Hinata, who stood beside Hyuga Hiashi.

"You abducted her, and Konoha paid you for it."

Then he pointed at himself.

"You heard something had happened to me and came knocking at once."

Finally, he looked at the Kumogakure ninja.

"You don't want peace."

"You want a beating."

At the rear of the Kumogakure Delegation, a young ninja could not hold back an angry shout and charged forward with the Body Flicker Technique.

"How dare you!"

Lightning burst across his fist as he drove it straight at Naruto's face.

The Third Hokage was about to move, but Naruto had already raised his hand.

An arm of Nine-Tails Chakra caught the Kumogakure ninja's fist and gave it a slight twist.

Bone cracked with a sharp snap.

Naruto forced the man to his knees before Konoha Gate.

"First one."