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"But we have the information we need.They are leaderless… shaken… vulnerable."
A chunin named Yagura Kujo spoke up,
"The Hyuga girl's celebration will stretch their resources. Guard posts will be lighter."
Hoshino smiled thinly.
"Exactly. During the celebration, we make our move."
Raikou's eyes glinted with cold calculation.
"The main family heir… if we can capture her…"
"we can breed our own Hyuga in Kumo and our strength will increase significantly," Hoshino finished.
The room fell into tense, excited silence.
The next morning, the Cloud delegation was seen again, smiling, offering polite bows, pretending diplomacy.
Shikaku, watching them from the shadows, whispered to Kakashi nearby,
"They're playing it too smoothly. Kakashi… prepare your team. Something's going to break soon."
Kakashi's single eye narrowed under his silver hair.
"Already done."
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The evening sky draped a crimson veil over Konohagakure, casting long, wavering shadows across the tiled roofs. The Hyūga compound gleamed brightly in the distance, decorated with lanterns and banners, alive with the spirit of the heiress Hinata's third birthday celebration.
Inside the Hokage Tower, the atmosphere was anything but festive.
Shikaku Nara stood by the window, arms folded behind his back, gaze sharp. His mind raced faster than his heartbeat, weaving scenario after scenario like an intricate web. Across the room, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the aged but still formidable Third Hokage, quietly packed his pipe with fresh tobacco, waiting for Shikaku to finish his internal analysis.
"Their interest," Shikaku said finally, voice low, "has shifted. Drastically."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Shifted how?"
"They no longer show the slightest curiosity about the Hyūga. Not the Byakugan, not the clan's traditions, nothing. I've reviewed their diplomatic engagements, and there's a pattern. Their attention to our R&D departments, logistics routes, and even hinted about our Sealing Corps' operations isn't casual—it's methodical. They've asked about storage seals, chakra-reactive ink, even low-tier experimentation protocols."
Hiruzen exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "Meaning?"
Shikaku turned, his shadow falling across the office floor. "Meaning, Hokage-sama, they're diverting our attention. Their true aim might still be the Hyūga heir... or something else entirely hidden within our classified divisions. Either way, they intend to strike."
For a long moment, silence reigned.
Then Hiruzen nodded. "Increase ANBU surveillance at R&D and logistics immediately."
Shikaku hesitated. "We have already doubled the ANBU patrols around the Hyūga compound. We don't have enough elite operatives left to—"
"How is their behavior regarding the Hyūga heir's celebration?" Hiruzen interrupted.
"Passive. Almost dismissive."
The Hokage's gaze sharpened. He tapped the ash from his pipe into a tray, deep in thought.
"Then," Hiruzen decided, "reduce the Hyūga surveillance by half. Shift those teams toward R&D and Logistics. Keep it subtle."
Shikaku inclined his head, hiding his worry behind a placid expression. "As you command."
Inside the guest house arranged for the Kumogakure diplomats, the atmosphere was entirely different.
The interior was modest but comfortable—sliding paper doors, tatami mats, a small garden pond visible from the back veranda. It was a traditional home of the Land of Fire, yet its current occupants eyed it like wolves trapped in a foreign den.
"Are you ready, Captain?" whispered Tokubetsu Jōnin Hoshino Kari, a tall, sharp-featured shinobi with hawkish eyes.
"Always," replied Elite Jōnin Raikou Abashiri, Kumogakure's appointed captain of the diplomatic team. His voice was quiet, but his eyes burned with ambition.
Hoshino smirked, polishing the edge of a kunai with the corner of his sleeve. "Having second thoughts?"
"Nonsense," Raikou said, a cruel glint in his eye. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We can seize the Byakugan, harvest its bloodline... and breed our own branch of the Hyūga."
At the far end of the room, five Chūnin sat silently, their faces grim. Among them was a young prodigy, Yumi Kuro, barely sixteen yet already renowned for her finesse in infiltration techniques.
"We've successfully confused them," Kaito continued, pacing. "Our relentless questions about R&D and Sealing Techniques have forced them to reshuffle their guard posts. Their Hyūga defenses are thinner than ever."
Renga leaned in, voice even lower. "What about their Anbu Captain? That Hatake."
"Kakashi?" Kaito narrowed his eyes. "He's a threat. But he's currently tasked with overseeing us during daylight. At night, their vigilance falls. and our spy has conformed this."
Tonight would be the night.
The night Kumogakure would strike.
Shikaku remained restless even after his meeting with Hiruzen.
Standing alone at the observation balcony, he overlooked the glowing lights of the Hyūga compound.
"Too easy," he muttered under his breath. "They've made it too easy."
He remembered something his father once told him: In war, a smiling enemy is a dagger waiting for your throat.
His instincts gnawed at him, whispering that something was still wrong but couldn't quite pinpoint it.
The Hyuga compound stood quiet under the shade of the setting sun, its symmetrical courtyards glowing faintly with lanterns being lit in preparation for the following day's clan gathering. Every corridor buzzed with servants polishing polished wood and elders discussing arrangements. Yet amidst all the preparations, in the southern wing of the main house, a very different sort of preparation was underway.
Hiashi Hyuga stood tall and composed in the center of the main training hall. His voice was low and even, but there was a steely firmness threaded into every word. Across from him stood his daughter, Hinata, dressed in a pale lavender kimono that still felt too heavy on her three-year-old frame. Her hands were tucked in front of her, her posture stiff but fragile like a twig caught in a storm.
"You must understand, Hinata," Hiashi said, his arms behind his back, his pale eyes locked onto hers. "Tomorrow, the entire clan will see you. Every elder, every child, every member with a critical eye. The heiress of the Hyuga clan cannot afford to stumble. Not in posture. Not in speech. Not in presence."
Hinata's lips parted slightly, as though to reply—but she said nothing. Her heart beat faster with each word.
"Again," Hiashi said, nodding toward the mat. "Enter the room as you will tomorrow. With dignity."
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