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Four days later;
Ryuu stood silently on the top of a tall building overlooking the clans' district, with Phoenix standing silently beside him. They stood in the shadows so that even with the help of the moonlight, they couldn't be spotted.
The negotiations with the Kumo envoy started three days ago, and let's just say they are making Hiruzen feel conflicted about their intentions.
On the first two days of negotiations, they continue to make absurd demands for very little in return. Like asking Konoha for a piece of the land of fire in return for a non-aggression pact. They kept those absurd demands up for two days, pushing these resolutions without trying to negotiate any of the terms.
Then today, they suddenly became much more lenient, disposing of the demand for the land and asking for a non-aggression pact for 10 years, along with a trading agreement that favoured Kumo at first.
They were open to negotiating the terms of the trade agreement so that it would be at least on equal terms.
This is a tactic called the lowball/highball tactic. It involves making an intentionally extreme opening offer that they know they won't achieve. Its goal is to shock the other party with an outrageous demand so that when they make a less extreme offer, it seems reasonable.
That's what is confusing Hiruzen, Kumo's first offer was indeed absurd, but the second offer wasn't outlandish at all; it was a good offer, if not for the slightly biased trade agreement. He thought that they would make a less absurd demand after the first one, not this.
What is Kumo's plan here?
...
But as the day is coming to an end, the Kumo envoy returned to their temporary residence so that they could continue tomorrow.
And as Hiruzen ordered, the Kumo envoy, along with his escort, was being monitored discreetly by an Anbu team. But it seemed that there was nothing out of the ordinary to report.
There are also other Anbu teams patrolling other areas while the Uchiha police patrol the streets. Ryuu's team has the responsibility to monitor the clan district. Most of the clans' compounds are here, except few, like the Nara, who have a huge compound on the other side of the village due to them raising deer. And of course, the Uchiha, who previously lived in the clan district but were forced to relocate to the outskirts of the village.
The huge clans' district is being monitored by Ryuu and Phoenix, along with Ryuu's Shadow clones. Each clan compound has at least 2 or more Shadow clones to monitor it, depending on the compound size. Ryuu has also dispatched multiple clones to the other clan compound outside of the clans' district, just in case.
At the Same time, in the Kumo's envoy's temporary residence;
"So are you ready?" Masaru, the ambassador, said with a serious look on his face.
"Yes," Daiki replied, with a hidden nervousness in his tone.
"You can leave undetected if you climb the back wall. It is the least guarded space, but the Konoha bastards are lurking around us, so make sure you are unseen." Masaru said
"Make sure to take a child from the main family. If the child has a seal on their forehead, then it is a no-go." Masaru said
"You have been chosen because of your high speed and mobility. Make sure to run as fast as you can to the border after securing what we want. If you got caught before that, ... You know what to do." Masaru said with a blank tone
"Yes, Masaru-sama," Daiki replied while clenching his fist so that he could stop its sudden shaking.
"Then go, make Kumo proud," Masaru said with finality.
Half an hour later, near the Hyuga compound;
One of Ryuu's Shadow clones hides in a tree overlooking the Hyuga main compound. Seeing how huge the compound is, other Shadow clones are overlooking the compound from other places. This is because Ryuu had to make a lot of Shadow clones to monitor the many clan compounds, limiting each clone's capabilities, including their sensory range.
As the clone stood watch, it felt a chakra signature entering its sensory range, which was reduced to a couple of hundred meters.
'What is he doing here?' the clone asked itself with suspicion; it knew the Chakra signature from before.
The Ambassador's assistant, Daiki.
The clone watched with narrowing eyes as Daiki moved slowly and quietly towards the walls of the Hyuga compound.
As Daiki reached the wall, he looked around to make sure no one had spotted him. Seeing that there was no one, he climbed the wall before jumping into the other side, before sneaking into the compound carefully.
All of that was witnessed by the clone, who made a shadow clone with the least amount of Chakra it could before making it dispel, then moved from his position and into the compound, shadowing Daiki to see what he was about to do. The clone could just apprehend Daiki for trespassing, but it knew that Daiki had a more sinister agenda, so it followed him to see what he was about to do. It also made sure that it was near Daiki at all times, unseen by him.
It watched as Daiki went from room to room, opening them ever so slightly and silently before looking inside and closing them again. After a couple of other doors, the clone watched as Daiki opened yet another door, but this time, he walked inside. The clone was about to follow him, but stopped for a moment before dispelling silently, with Ryuu and Phoenix appearing just behind the dispelled clone, having just arrived.
Flashback, A few seconds ago;
Ryuu was still standing on the top of the building along with Phoenix. Then, a sudden influx of chakra and memories returned to him, making his head snap towards the Hyuga compound and focusing all his sensory abilities on just that compound.
"What is it?" Phoenix asked as the sudden movement startled her slightly.
"Daiki is in the Hyuga compound. Move out," Ryuu said as his eyes narrowed behind his mask, his senses confirming Daiki's location in the Hyuga compound, before leaving his position in body flicker.
Phoenix's eyes widened slightly as she followed Ryuu in a body flicker. What is the ambassador's assistant doing in the Hyuga compound?
Flashback end
Ryuu processed the last of his clone's memories before his eyes zeroed in on the room that Daiki entered.
He, along with Phoenix, peered inside the room only for their expressions to darken upon seeing what was happening inside.
Inside the room;
"You are going to make me a hero of Kumo," Daiki whispered with a nasty smirk on his face as he tightened a knot.
The one he is talking to is a very young girl of about three years old who was trembling and frightened out of her mind as she woke up from her sleep, only to find her mouth taped shut and a strange man about to finish binding her hands. Seeing this, she started to tremble terribly.
"Hold still." The man whispered with a menacing tone as he went to bind her legs.
"If you want to blame somebody, blame Konoha for hoarding all these bloodlines." He whispered with a smile on his face, looking at her eyes as she wept silently, tears that fell from eyes that held a bloodline Dojutsu that many want to acquire.
As he finished tying up her legs, he reached into his pouch and pulled a large black cloth bag. He looked back at the trembling girl, only to see her looking past him, as if she was looking behind him, and before he could do or say anything, his world turned black.
To be continued.
Guys and Gals, show me those powerstones.
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I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
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1452 words
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