"Ahem, this man was one of your Cloud ninja, wasn't he?"
The Third brought the unlucky fellow's corpse into the conference room. A powerful aura of Nine-Tails Chakra rippled over it.
The people from Kumogakure fell silent.
Their original plan had been to steal the Byakugan. Success would have been ideal, but if they failed, they would use the dead man's body as leverage and turn the accusation against the other side.
But... with all this dense tailed beast chakra, how were they supposed to turn the accusation around?
Were they supposed to accuse the Hyuga using the unlucky bastard's slapped face?
"Oh! My poor Mēidémìngzǐ! How could he have died so horribly?"
The leader of the Cloud delegation stepped forward, speaking in a tearful voice as though his own father had died.
"He sneaked into our village's Jinchūriki training grounds yesterday. He was taken for a spy and killed by the Jinchūriki."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was very somber, as though he were playing along with the delegation leader.
Well, this was awkward.
The leader clammed up.
They had all taken part in Mēidémìngzǐ's operation last night.
They had been responsible for distracting the Uchiha Clan, while Mēidémìngzǐ had been responsible for abducting the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter.
They had already succeeded, only to run into the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!
Now their original plan was ruined.
And judging by this dense tailed beast chakra, Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was definitely no weakling.
Damn it, was there something wrong with the intelligence?
Didn't the intelligence say the Jinchūriki was a three-year-old child?
How could a three-year-old inflict this kind of damage?
Damn it, when I get back, I'm definitely reporting the spy who passed along this false intelligence to Lord Raikage.
"Ahaha, I see. Then what happened to his face? What's this slap mark?"
The leader still wanted to make one last attempt.
"Oh, that."
"That's our Hyuga Clan's latest treatment method."
"By pressing the acupuncture points on the face, we can stop bleeding and promote healing."
Hyuga Hiashi stepped out from behind Hiruzen Sarutobi and volunteered an explanation for the palm print.
"I arrived very promptly, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to save Mr. Mēidémìngzǐ."
Hiashi sighed regretfully and lowered his head.
He looked as though he truly felt very sorry about Mēidémìngzǐ's death.
The corners of the leader's eyes kept twitching as he watched Hiashi spout blatant lies.
A palm print that deep, and you're telling me it was an acupressure treatment?
Our people saw you rush out after him in a panic.
This was a provocation. This was absolutely a provocation!
Could I put up with this?
Of course I could.
"I see. On behalf of the late Mēidémìngzǐ, I sincerely thank you for treating him."
The leader spoke through slightly gritted teeth. Everyone knew the truth, but under the pressure, they simply couldn't say it openly.
They could only swallow the loss in silence.
"You're welcome. It's what we in Konoha should do."
The Third stepped in to smooth things over, but his words completely glossed over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki going berserk and hurting someone.
Tch, was he deliberately taking a jab at us?
That was not actually the case. The Third feared that if they kept talking, the Cloud ninja would turn hostile on the spot, and then it really would be difficult to smooth things over.
It was better to leave it there and show them Konoha's magnanimity in the process.
Off to the side, Zǔofǔ Danzo, who knew nothing about any of this, tapped the table to signal that it was time to end the conversation.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi's recent warning, his activities had become more covert, and he had also focused most of his attention on the Uchiha Clan.
As such, he genuinely knew nothing about what had happened with the Jinchūriki last night.
But seeing the Third take such a firm stance, and since this was for Konoha's benefit, he refrained from causing trouble at the meeting.
He even volunteered to play the bad cop.
"This is very unfortunate, but I must ask our guests from the Cloud to take their man away."
"Since the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has lost control, we will probably have to conclude this visit as quickly as possible."
"Otherwise, no one can guarantee who might die the next time the Nine-Tails loses control."
Danzo's voice was extremely sinister, and the threat it carried was self-evident.
His words were aimed squarely at the Cloud delegation.
What he meant was that, since they had gone so far as to do something like this, there was no need to continue their exchange in Konoha.
They should hurry up and settle all the postwar arrangements, and then Konoha would see them off.
If they wanted to keep causing trouble, their Nine-Tails was no pushover either.
Damn it, this overwhelming pressure... was this what one should expect from Shimura Danzō, the man known as the Darkness of Konoha?
His tone alone made it clear how frighteningly sinister he was!
"All right. Zuǒěr, go collect Mìngzǐ's remains. We'll finish discussing the final portion of the agreement right away, then take him back to the village."
The leader lowered his head. The situation left them under pressure, with no room to maneuver.
In fact, Lord Raikage had initially ordered him to do everything possible to steal Konoha's kekkei genkai.
But his assignment had also included probing Konoha's true capabilities.
Although they had failed to obtain a kekkei genkai this time, learning that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was someone else made the trip worthwhile.
In that case, bowing their heads to Konoha a little was acceptable.
Sarutobi glanced at Danzo, his gaze deeply conflicted.
My dear old friend, just how should I treat you?
Ah, if only all three of my students were here.
Then Danzo and I wouldn't have to hold Konoha up by ourselves.
Hiashi: So you only have eyes for your damn boyfriend? -`д´-
That afternoon, the Cloud delegation quickly completed the handover of the final portion of the agreement.
With that, the Third Shinobi World War truly came to an end.
What wonderful news. Truly, something to celebrate.
Meanwhile, little Hinata had already returned home.
The terrifying experience of the previous night had strengthened her desire to grow stronger.
Yet no matter how hard she worked, it seemed she could never close the gap between herself and Neji.
"Lady Hinata, perhaps you should rest for a while."
"You're only three, after all. You don't need to push yourself so hard. As a member of the branch family, I'll protect you."
Having not been treated to the full funeral package for his dear old father, Neji still felt quite warmly toward Hinata.
Although he spoke of the branch family, in his heart, he was protecting her as an older brother would his younger sister.
Little Hinata wiped the sweat from her face, her plump little cheeks flushed red with blood.
She knew her performance was far worse than Neji's.
But she didn't want to give up. She didn't want to need someone else to save her when she faced danger.
The meager chakra within her flowed into her eyes in response to her thoughts.
Prominent veins bulged menacingly around both eyes.
This was the Byakugan.
Last night, the moment the doctor had said someone had died, Hinata's Byakugan had already shown signs of awakening.
But only now did it truly awaken.
Yet the very next moment, little Hinata lost consciousness.
Her body involuntarily toppled toward the ground.
"Lady Hinata!"
Neji had been delighted to see Hinata awaken her eyes.
He had thought to himself that Lady Hinata had finally grown.
He had never expected her to collapse a moment later.
Neji hurried forward to catch Hinata, carried her unconscious form back to her room, and left her in a maid's care.
Before you continue