Naturally, Zou Hyuga had not met with Oto merely to discuss the Leyline.
Soon, they were out on the street, holding hands without the slightest concern for how the other Ninja felt.
A Hyuga and an Uchiha holding hands also drew considerable attention from the shadows.
In truth, a date that all but made their relationship public concerned more than just the two of them.
It also concerned the Uchiha and Hyuga clans behind them.
Although Zou Hyuga considered himself relatively unknown, he and Oto were actually outstanding members of the younger generation of those two great clans. Oto, in particular, was showing signs of becoming the next Military Police Force Captain.
That was precisely why they had held off so long on openly expressing their feelings.
After all, both the Hyuga and the Uchiha were influential clans in Konoha. Their combined strength would make even the village's leadership wary.
At the very least, they should have understood that much and acted accordingly to avoid arousing suspicion.
Yet they showed no such awareness and continued without restraint.
Over this, Danzo, lurking in the shadows, had visited the Hokage Office more than once to report signs of an alliance between the Hyuga and the Uchiha.
The Third, however, had no time to concern himself with such matters. He was troubled by the intelligence Jiraiya had brought back.
As Hokage, the Third had not let the peace before him blind him. He had always felt that something was wrong with the Bounty Organization Orochimaru and Sasori belonged to, and that the Shinobi World could be brewing a Fourth Ninja War at any moment.
At the border of the Land of Wind.
Orochimaru surveyed the Sand Ninja corpses scattered before him, then Sasori, who was silently collecting them.
This was already their