The sky over Konoha had turned the color of ink, and the reception did not end until evening. The formal tone finally faded, leaving the quiet of night to settle over the guest area. Lamps along the corridors were lit one by one, casting steady light on the doors.
"Thank you for your hard work today. Please rest well."
Outside the guest rooms reserved for foreign visitors, Rena smiled and gave a slight bow to the three members of the Kumogakure Ninja. She spoke gently, saying that she would guide them through the next activities tomorrow and that they would have plenty of time to relax, with no one coming to disturb them. After the reminder, she closed the door softly.
kacha.
Inside the room, two of the Kumogakure Ninja raised their hands to rub their cheeks, stiff from smiling all day. One of them glanced at Yurui, who was scanning the furnishings with a sharp, quiet gaze.
"Boss," he whispered, curling his lips toward the door. "That last line was a threat, right?"
Yurui withdrew his gaze without answering and walked into the spacious living area. He dropped onto the sofa with a heavy motion, his expression unchanged.
The two Kumogakure Ninja exchanged a look and let the topic go. They instead looked around the decor and sighed, saying that this really was Konoha, rich enough to host foreign guests at such a level.
As they spoke, both slipped their hands into their pockets. A small barrier meant to block sensing was triggered, and faint ripples passed through the air as a voice sounded directly in the minds of Yurui and the other.
'Boss, any surveillance or listening?'
"An honor indeed," Yurui replied aloud, his tone calm and even. "It seems Konoha truly treats us as honored guests."
The two immediately understood and began to joke along, talking nonsense about where to stroll over the next few days. When they mentioned FUNFUN Street near Konoha, they even let out lewd laughs.
At the same time, Rena stood outside the door with her back to it and slowly opened her eyes. She knew a ninja should not be swayed by emotion, but hearing the crude words that fit Kumogakure's rough style still made her frown as a young woman.
"There is no sign of Chakra fluctuations, and no abnormal actions…"
She quickly pressed down her displeasure, lowered her hands from the seal, and stayed alert. If possible, she would have preferred Third Hokage to search the three or place monitoring barriers in the room.
That suggestion had been gently but firmly rejected by Third Hokage. Up to now, Kumogakure had shown sincere intent, and if Konoha were found making secret moves, it would only give the other side an excuse. Even so, Rena felt a vague sense of unease that she could not explain.
Inside the room, Yurui stood before the floor to ceiling window on the high floor and looked down at Konoha, still busy even at dusk. The people below moved through the streets like ants in constant motion.
After a brief silence, Yurui raised his hands and formed seals, the Chakra he had long prepared surging out. The sequence flowed without pause, and then a soft boom followed.
A cloud of white smoke burst soundlessly, and a shadow clone appeared beside him.
"Do it," Yurui said calmly. "For Kumogakure."
The two Kumogakure Ninja met each other's eyes. They understood clearly that whether this action succeeded or failed, none of them would survive. Only if all three died here would the threat against Konoha carry enough weight.
"For Kumogakure!"
Their voices overlapped as they raised their hands and formed seals, their Chakra surging violently.
A massive explosion tore through the evening in Konoha. Windows of buildings, storefront glass, and street lamps shattered under the sweeping shockwave.
Screams rang out as pedestrians on nearby streets cried in fear and turned toward the sound. They saw birds scattering into the sky and thick black smoke pouring from the fifth floor of the guest apartment.
A huge hole had been blasted through the wall, bricks and debris raining down from above. Along with them, three figures were thrown outward and fell.
With heavy impacts, the bodies slammed into the ground from dozens of meters up, cracking the pavement as bright red blood spread. More villagers rushed out from shops and homes, staring as the three figures fell before their eyes.
Two of them lay still the moment they hit the ground. The third spat out a mouthful of blood, struggled to his feet, and roared, "Konoha! You dare betray the alliance?!"
The fury in that shout sounded real, leaving the villagers of Konoha frozen as they watched him flee. When they finally reacted, someone recognized the two bodies on the ground, and terror spread across their face.
"Those two are envoys from Kumogakure!"
In the next moment, Rena, her body charred and clothes torn, arrived in a flash of Shunshin. The sight of the corpses made her face drain of color.
How was this possible? Someone had planted Explosive Tag in the guest rooms of the Kumogakure delegation?
"This is bad. I have to report to Third Hokage!"
Though she did not consider that Kumogakure had staged this themselves, Rena instantly understood the gravity of the situation. Enduring her severe injuries from the blast, she formed seals and sent out a shadow clone to pursue the lone surviving Kumogakure Ninja, then rushed at full speed toward Hokage Building.
In her urgency, Rena did not notice that within the thick black smoke above, a figure concealed himself and leapt away. It was Yurui, the only true survivor among the three Kumogakure Ninja.
The "Yurui" her clone chased was merely another shadow clone. The other Konoha ninja who arrived were also led away by it, all believing he was trying to escape the village.
In truth, his destination was not outside Konoha at all. It was the opposite direction, toward the territory of the Hyuga Clan.
"Rest in peace. You are all heroes of Kumogakure, and I will join you soon."
Yurui cast a complex glance at the two bodies below, then used Shunshin at full force. He soon reached the forest near the Hyuga Clan grounds, the journey going smoothly.
But the next instant, as dense shadows swallowed his figure and his vision plunged into darkness, a hand holding a short blade suddenly reached out from the deep shade. Acting on instinct honed by countless battles, Yurui raised the Kunai in his hand.
Steel clashed with a sharp screech. A ringing filled his ears as his wrist cracked under the force, and he used the impact to leap back and open distance.
"Who's there?"
His face darkened as he looked up. A figure in a black robe stepped out of the shadows, the short blade in his hand reflecting the cold moonlight.
"This path is closed," Ryuji Hyuga said, his hoarse voice calm as he faced the intruder. "You stop here."