The hunter becomes the hunted

"So this is Konoha. Nothing special. It doesn't look much better than our Kumogakure. Actually, aren't we the most prosperous of the Five Great Shinobi Villages now? Hahaha..."

The Envoy Delegation sent by Kumogakure entered Konoha. Looking around the village, they couldn't help showing their disdain, even laughing aloud.

The Konoha Ninja guarding the gates felt their mouths twitch at the sight. If this hadn't been a diplomatic visit, they would have loved to throw a Shuriken straight into those visitors' backsides.

"Enjoy your stay in Konoha."

After holding themselves back, they could only force out those words. There was no helping it. Ultimately, the shinobi world still respected strength above all else. If your fists were big enough, others had to accommodate you. Otherwise, you could only swallow your anger.

The Kumogakure envoys grinned even wider at that. They waved cheerfully and strode into Konoha, looking less like guests than masters.

The Naruto Building.

Kumogakure's ambassador spoke with Hiruzen Sarutobi one-on-one. In reality, they were negotiating a deal.

Diplomacy wasn't as simple as exchanging promises to be nice to each other. Rather than merely paying lip service, someone had to pay a tangible price.

"Crops?"

"That's right. You should know that, prosperous as Kumogakure is, most of our land is mountainous. Our food production and reserves can't compare to Konoha's. Speaking of which, your land really is enviable. If Kumogakure had land like yours... tsk, tsk."

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly, thinking how rude the man before him was. He had already guessed that the deal would involve crops, but the quantity... was rather excessive.

If Konoha's annual food reserves amounted to ten units, Kumogakure's terms demanded three units of food each year. Thirty percent was indeed too much. This could leave Konoha's poorer residents hungry, perhaps even facing famine.

In return, Kumogakure offered Konoha the backing of its military strength and promised to speak on Konoha's behalf at conferences between the five villages.

Konoha at its peak would never have hesitated over terms like these. Have someone else speak for Konoha? If anyone said something unpleasant, Konoha would simply march over and kill them.

"I need more time to consider your proposal. Please stay in Konoha for a day, and we can discuss it tomorrow."

"Certainly, no problem at all. Take your time, old sir~"

The Kumogakure ambassador's lips curled upward. Hiruzen Sarutobi's suggestion was exactly the outcome he had wanted most.

Food supplies from Konoha?

What a joke. How could those compare to Konoha's kekkei genkai?

As long as they could bring back a kekkei genkai bearer, it wouldn't matter even if they were discovered.

Wanted a fight? Kumogakure would oblige!

Kumogakure was a village of warriors. Even when Konoha had flourished, it had held second place. Now that Konoha was declining, if a fight really broke out, Kumogakure's answer would be-Life or death, who cares? Got a problem? Come fight!

Once the Kumogakure ambassador left the Naruto's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly and used the Telepathic Communication Technique to contact the captains of the various Anbu squads.

"These people are definitely up to no good. Keep your eyes on them!"

"Understood!"

The Anbu squad captains immediately acknowledged the order and, together with their partners, began carefully watching their assigned targets. All except one...

After answering Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi lowered his gaze toward the person he was assigned to watch. But there was no partner beside him. Chinatsu had disappeared.

A glint flashed through Kakashi's eyes beneath his mask. Just a few minutes earlier, his partner Chinatsu had raised a question.

"Huh~? Kakashi, don't you think these Kumogakure people are being a little too straightforward? It's almost as if they really want to establish diplomatic relations with us~"

Standing beside Kakashi, Chinatsu prodded him with leading remarks, as though possessed by a certain elementary-school grim reaper.

"We're on a mission. Don't call me Kakashi... But you do have a point. Their movements and numbers are far too unremarkable. They're completely within our Anbu's sight. If Kumogakure really has bad intentions, this would mean they're seriously underestimating Konoha."

Beneath his mask, Kakashi's brow furrowed slightly. Kumogakure's shinobi weren't idiots. Surely they would have made appropriate plans.

Either they had a way to slip past the Anbu's surveillance later, or they...

"Hey~ I don't think this is all of them. Maybe we missed someone right from the start. Kakashi, let me go look. You can watch one person on your own anyway, can't you?"

Kakashi lowered his head and fell silent for a while. Under normal circumstances, he would never have agreed. He wouldn't even have considered it, because watching Kumogakure's people wasn't his only assignment. Watching Chinatsu was part of his mission too.

But...

"All right, go. But you don't have much time, and when I tell you to come back, you must return."

"Understood!"

Beneath her mask, Chinatsu wore the expression of a little devil whose scheme had succeeded. Just as she turned to leave, Kakashi suddenly spoke again and stopped her. Chinatsu stiffened and turned back to look at him.

"One more thing."

"Huh? Wh-what... what else?"

"Don't call me Kakashi during a mission."

"Okay, Kakashi."

"..."

Ten minutes had passed since Chinatsu left, and the more Kakashi thought about it, the more he regretted letting her go.

He couldn't read her.

It was a strange feeling. Unlike the unreadability of someone deeply calculating, Chinatsu's unreadability struck Kakashi as more... incomprehensible?

Yes, incomprehensible. He had absolutely no idea what went on inside her head.

A lady? Not even close. She's a complete tomboy.

Kakashi shook his head helplessly, then continued watching the Kumogakure ambassador in his sights. Meanwhile, elsewhere, Chinatsu's Three-Tomoe Sharingan really had picked out a suspicious person who had sneaked into the village.

"I knew it. If the Anbu were watching everyone from Kumogakure, how could anyone carry Hinata off like in the original story? They missed one after all."

Concealed in the shadows, Chinatsu spied on the Kumogakure ambassador, who was also hiding in the shadows and cautiously surveying his surroundings.

As the sky gradually darkened, he approached the Hyuga Clan's estate, ready to act at any moment.

Kumogakure shinobi: Byakugan, here I come!

Chinatsu: If you're going to do it, could you hurry up? I've been watching you forever! I'm still waiting to play the hero and rescue the damsel!!!

Hinata: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴