Surrounded by Cloud ninja, Kōrinshi stood up, his right arm hanging unnaturally at his side.
A clear laceration ran across the web of his thumb; blood gushed out and streamed down his arm.
His wrist swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye, the skin red and shiny.
Seeing Kōrinshi's arm, Cee drew a sharp breath.
"Emergency treatment first."
Cee formed a seal with both hands; a soft light glowed and enveloped the wound.
"Sorry, Lord Kōrinshi."
Cee looked ashamed—if he hadn't lost focus, Kōrinshi would never have needed to block that blade for him.
Kōrinshi shook his head calmly, not blaming Cee: "The arrow was too fast; you couldn't have dodged."
"Can you sense where the shooter is?"
Cee's face reddened further: "Um… the enemy's very far—at least two kilometers away. I can't pinpoint them."
Looking at Cee's youthful face, Kōrinshi said nothing more, though his expression darkened:
"Seems Yato won't catch anyone."
Cee kept working, healing Kōrinshi without pause.
That single arrow had done more than tear the tiger's-mouth; it had fractured the styloid process of the ulna.
Had Cee himself not been a Medical Ninja able to treat it immediately, Kōrinshi's hand might have been left with permanent damage.
After emergency medical ninjutsu, Cee applied salve and bandaged the arm to immobilize it.
"Lord Kōrinshi, don't use this hand for now; we'll do full treatment back in the village."
At that moment, distant rumbling like muffled thunder rolled across the sky.
Snow atop a vast stretch of forest was shaken loose in sheets.
The falling flakes quickly obscured visibility.
Seeing such upheaval inside the forest, the Cloud ninja's hearts sank.
But soon a figure wreathed in electric arcs burst through the snow fog toward them.
"Good—Yato's back."
A veteran of many battlefields, Kōrinshi voiced no complaint; as long as the arm healed, that was enough.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
Yato appeared, his body still giving off the sweltering heat of muscles expanded under Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
He first searched Kedar and Yudas's bodies, eyes thoughtful.
"They got away—two of them."
"Not sure who, but possibly the Hyuga Clan."
One glance at Kōrinshi's arm told Yato the man was essentially out of action.
"I'll take Cee and scout the Land of Fire; you head back with the others."
Ordinary ninja can't handle opponents like that."
Kedar used up all his supplies—probably split from the rest. I suspect the others are already dead."
Harsh as it sounded, Yato coolly assessed that the chances of survival were slim.
Seeing he'd contributed little, Cee quickly offered a plan:
"Tell Lord Raikage to send a formal letter to Konoha at once—say the delegation was killed by the Hyuga."
"Understood. Take the supplies and stay safe."
…Konoha Village.
Returning from the Hyuga Clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not relied solely on appeasement.
After all, not every Hyuga was a fool.
A large portion of the clan cared little for the Main House—or for the Hokage's words.
Wealth can tempt, but Hizashi had been a benefactor to many Branch members.
Even with Main House orders and higher pay, some Branch families feigned illness and stayed away.
Inside the Hokage's Office, an Anbu reported.
"Hokage-sama."
"Hyuga attendance has improved, but absenteeism still exceeds fifty percent."
"Most claim poor spirits and take sick leave."
Ninja can fall ill; Hizashi's death had shocked many.
Clearly they meant to spite Hiruzen—to show they rejected his earlier performance.
Konoha had yielded; Hizashi had died—both facts.
The Third Hokage drew on his pipe; thick smoke spilled from his lips.
"Hmph!"
"Let them take their sick days; Konoha won't grind to a halt."
He had conceded so much, yet the Branch's resentment still ran deep.
Hyuga Hizashi's standing among them must have been higher than expected.
But high as it was, he was still only a dead man.
With the situation settled and no war at hand, even a high absentee rate would not cripple Konoha.
Given time, the Hyuga would forget Hizashi and return to duty.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The door was struck violently; an Anbu burst in.
"Hokage-sama—urgent dispatch!"
"Hidden Cloud Village sends official word: their delegation is dead, and they demand we arrest the Hyuga culprit."
"What!?"
The Third's pipe clattered onto the desk.
Forgetting the pipe, he stepped forward and snatched the document.
Such letters, delivered by special Message Bird, were open condemnations—public slaps to Konoha's face.
After reading, the Third slammed the letter onto the desk.
"Damn—could it really be the Hyuga!?"
Long-range bow shots, long-range vision suppression—only the Hyuga should be capable.
But when had the Hyuga ever produced a master archer!?
If they had, why had past clashes with Cloud been so hard-fought?
Hiruzen started in fury—then, still furious, fumed in place.
None of it made sense.
He drew a breath, retrieved his pipe, and forced down his rage.
"Send reply to Cloud: deny the claim."
"Say someone seeks to sabotage our peace talks; we are willing to join the search."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Once alone, Hiruzen slumped back into his chair.
"Who on earth…?"
Cloud's usual conduct afforded them zero credibility.
Massacre was serious, but Cloud hadn't even seen the culprits before blaming the Hyuga.
Clearly they'd grown addicted to blackmail.
Even if the Hyuga were involved, the Third would never admit it.
He had just condemned Cloud alongside the Main House—how could he now investigate the Hyuga?
How had everything spiraled so fast?
Right now the Third Hokage's head throbbed—throbbed badly…