That half-sentence had been leaked on purpose.
The clan's loosest tongue had let slip at a tea stall that "the boy who awakened his eyes goes to the west side of the Clan Grounds at night."
Plenty of people heard it.
Only one took the bait.
The same shadow that had stood guard outside his house two nights earlier, staring at that dark window for a long time.
Kiyoshi had chewed the information down, leaving only the scrap that could reach idle ears. If that shadow came, the leak had served its purpose.
Shisui had said the bait had to be cast for the person who most needed to hear it.
Not scattered for everyone.
Shisui had arranged their positions too. He had yet to show himself.
He would seal the front entrance, the Konoha Military Police Force would take the rear alley, and Kiyoshi would have the top of the woodpile.
Kiyoshi followed the familiar route around to the Old Oil Mill's back courtyard.
The firewood piled in the corner stood taller than he did.
He climbed the woodpile and crouched on the highest bundle.
The entire canal entrance and back courtyard lay below him.
From the top of the woodpile, he could see the whole canal entrance, but not the darkness at the front door.
Half the warehouse had collapsed. The other half still stood.
The crooked wooden framework creaked. Wind poured through the gap, carrying the fishy smell of water up through the gaps in the firewood.
The water in the Northern Irrigation Canal murmured softly as it flowed along the canal wall, giving no hint of how many people were there.
The smell of grass masked the fishy scent. He quieted his breathing, the night wind chilling the rims of his ears.
It was late at