The card game between Kaede, Tsunade, and the others continued until three in the morning.
Out of six and a half rounds of mahjong, Kaede won four and a half, placing first in four of them. On the other table, Konan emerged as the final winner with the highest score.
What's worth mentioning is that when Konan arrived, Kakashi was originally ranked third. But after Konan took his place, even though she had barely learned how to play, she performed better than Kakashi and managed a series of comebacks to claim first place.
In the end, the Nine-Tails rested its two front paws under its chin, both cheeks puffed up in frustration.
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The next morning.
Kaede woke up on the sofa, rubbing his eyes.
After the game ended, Konan returned home. Tsunade and Shizune stayed over at Kaede's place. Since both Shizune and Rin had learned medical ninjutsu from Tsunade, the two were quite close and slept in Kaede's room. Anko stayed in Kurenai's room.
Tsunade took over the room that had been empty since Kakashi moved out.
Although there were still other bedrooms, they hadn't been furnished with beds. Of course, the real reason Kaede ended up on the sofa wasn't due to a lack of space, it was because of Kurenai, Rin, and Shizune. While none of them minded sharing a room with Kaede, they did mind the idea of others doing so.
Just as Kaede sat up and stretched with a yawn, the door to Kurenai's room creaked open. Out walked Kurenai, bleary-eyed in loose white pajamas. Her loosely tied sleepwear revealed the developing and shapely figure of a sixteen-year-old girl.
She quietly closed the door behind her, then noticed Kaede on the sofa. She immediately raised a finger to her lips in a "shh" gesture.
"Shhh..."
"Anko's still asleep," she whispered softly, then added, "Want something to eat? I'll go make breakfast."
Seeing how sleepy she looked, Kaede couldn't help but chuckle. "You should go back to bed. I'll whip something up myself, I've got a few things to take care of soon anyway."
Kurenai replied with concern, "You've only slept for like four hours. Why not just send a shadow clone? Shikaku handles everything anyway."
"No, this one needs the real me."
Kaede stood up and smiled at her, gently brushing aside a stray strand of hair at her temple. The gesture brought a soft blush to Kurenai's cheeks as she lowered her head.
And as she did so, she noticed her pajama top had come loose. Her face flushed deeper, but she merely pulled her top a bit tighter and said:
"Then take care out there…"
"I will."
Kaede smiled and headed toward the kitchen.
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9:00 AM
Hyuga Clan Compound
The usually spacious courtyard was now packed with people, making it feel incredibly crowded, at least several dozen individuals were crammed into the area.
Ninjas also stood atop the outer walls and rooftops.
Some wore the uniforms of the Konoha Military Police, indicating they were from the Uchiha Clan. Others wore the long coats of the Hokage Guard, marked with the characters "Two" and "Seven" on their backs, representing the 2nd and 7th divisions tasked with internal security in the village.
In addition to them were several Konoha Jonin, led by Nara Shikaku.
At the center of the courtyard, two sides stood in confrontation, on one side, Hyuga clan members led by Hyuga Hiashi, and on the other, the visiting Cloud Ninja delegation.
Between them lay a corpse, the body of the Cloud Ninja team leader.
"So this is how Konoha's great clans behave," one of the leading Cloud Ninja sneered at Hiashi.
"You kill our captain, refuse to take responsibility, and even smear his name. You were the only ones who didn't attend yesterday's celebration. Seems like the Hyuga clan thinks they run the whole village."
Hiashi frowned and said in a low voice, "I've already explained. Your man snuck in during the night and tried to abduct my daughter Hinata. It was dark, I couldn't afford to hold back…"
The night before, Hiashi had caught someone sneaking in to kidnap Hinata. Naturally, he assumed it was an enemy and struck with full force, aiming to incapacitate immediately.
Unexpectedly, the target suddenly froze in place just as he attacked, making no attempt to dodge, and was killed instantly by a strike that snapped his neck.
When Hiashi realized the man was the Cloud Ninja leader, he was shocked. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. The sudden stiffness in the man's movement didn't seem normal, it felt more like someone was deliberately setting the Hyuga Clan up.
"...And I'm telling you, it looked like your captain was under some kind of control. This might not entirely be my fault. Someone could be trying to frame us."
"Lies!" the Cloud Ninja shouted, glaring at Hiashi.
Whether or not it was a setup, they didn't care. Hiashi's explanation sounded plausible, but it didn't matter. What mattered was holding the Hyuga clan accountable.
If the relationship between Konoha and the Hyuga Clan weakened, they might be able to force the clan to hand someone over, and seize the opportunity to obtain the Byakugan bloodline.
"I'm telling the truth," Hiashi replied sternly, turning to look at Shikaku.
Shikaku's expression remained calm, but inwardly, he had already deduced the likely chain of events.
There was no way Hiashi would have killed the Cloud Ninja captain without good reason, so it was almost certain that the man had indeed infiltrated the Hyuga compound that night.
And the details of how he died aligned with what Hiashi described. In fact, Hiashi seemed genuinely agitated, as if he truly believed they were being framed.
But regardless…
The Cloud Ninja leader had died at the hands of the Hyuga Clan.
This matter could either escalate or be smoothed over, but the decision wasn't up to Shikaku, or even Hiashi, and certainly not the Cloud Ninja.
It was up to the Fifth Hokage of Konoha.
"Shikaku-sama… Are you really going to let the Hyuga Clan walk all over us? They didn't even show up to the celebration, they're openly ignoring our fragile peace!"
The Cloud Ninja turned to Shikaku.
Shikaku responded calmly, "There's no need to jump to conclusions. We should first clarify the cause of your captain's death. I've already reported the matter to Hokage-sama."
He knew his role: delay. Delay until Kaede arrived.
This wasn't a situation he could handle on his own.
He crouched down and looked at Hinata, who was nervously hiding behind Hiashi, clutching the hem of his robe. With a warm smile, he said, "Hinata, do you remember what happened last night?"
Hinata shook her head timidly.
Shikaku stood and looked over at the ninja examining the Cloud Ninja leader's body. "Any results? Have you determined the exact cause of death?"
The ninja had actually confirmed it long ago, but due to the sensitivity of the case, he had rechecked everything multiple times to avoid any oversight.
Upon hearing Shikaku's question, he finally stood up and replied solemnly, "If the inspection is correct, the cause of death was a broken neck and ruptured arteries…"
That all but confirmed the death was caused by Hiashi's Gentle Fist.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria