"The surroundings are so barren..."
"Why are the buildings built so tall?"
"There aren't many trees or plants..."
"Man, the environment in the Hidden Cloud Village really sucks!"
As they walked through the village, Guy was chattering non-stop, looking around and making comments like a curious child.
Walking ahead, Kakashi noticed the corner of Mabui's eye twitching. He quickly threw an arm around Guy and covered his mouth.
With an apologetic tone, Kakashi said to Mabui, "Sorry about that. He's probably just not used to being in the Hidden Cloud, maybe a bit lightheaded."
After calming herself, Mabui replied indifferently, "Among all the nations, the Hidden Leaf in the Land of Fire holds the most fertile land. That's also why Konoha has always been targeted during the ninja wars."
Yun smiled and added, "Guy can be a bit blunt. Sorry for the rudeness."
That caught Mabui's attention, 'Blunt?! That's how you're going to excuse this behavior?'
Killer Bee walked up, waving his hand. "After you get them settled in, you probably need to report to Big Bro, huh, Mabui?"
"I know... Lord Bee."
Without further comment, Mabui continued leading the group toward their accommodations, ignoring the bickering between Guy and Kakashi behind her.
Yun furrowed his brow, 'So the Hidden Cloud had patience after all.'
'Even the notoriously short-tempered Fourth Raikage had approved of this plan. That guy usually smashed tables just for fun. Now he was cooperating? Shouldn't he be bulldozing everything in his way like the Third Raikage did before being worn down to death?'
"Please rest well tonight. Tomorrow, the Hidden Cloud will host a grand welcoming ceremony to celebrate the alliance between our two villages."
Bang!
After Mabui closed the door and left, Kakashi quickly made some hand signs and performed a sensing technique.
"My sensory skills aren't on the same level as our sensei's, but it seems there's no major issue."
He busied himself setting up a small barrier and then asked, "Yun, were you testing them back there?"
Yun nodded slightly. "They didn't even bother defending their stance, and I know Bee's personality well. The tone of his final line carried a sense of... disagreement."
Kakashi thought for a moment. "It could also be that the Hidden Cloud is genuinely invested in the alliance. After all, they've got deep blood feuds with Iwagakure from the last war..."
Yun nodded. "That's possible, but the ANBU received some intel earlier... I believe that's why the Fourth Hokage is acting so cautiously.
'Intel from ANBU?'
Yun glanced over at Guy, who was now snoring loudly after stuffing himself, and then continued, "The Hidden Cloud previously stole a secret technique from the Hidden Mist. The Mist sent ninjas to pursue them. Since Iwagakure was allied with the Mist at the time, they were expected to help, but instead, Iwa backstabbed the Mist for some petty gains."
"The Battle of Green Gorge, where Iwa betrayed the Mist. To the Tsuchikage, alliances are just scrap paper when compared to profit."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. The betrayal between Iwa and the Mist wasn't the main issue, the real question was: what was the Hidden Cloud after?
'A stolen technique from the Mist?'
'Ever since the Third Shinobi World War, the Hidden Cloud had been actively pursuing secret techniques and kekkei genkai. Were they now targeting the great nations directly?'
'Even more shocking, after sacrificing so much in that war, the Hidden Cloud seemed to have just let go of its hatred toward Iwa, the village that killed the Third Raikage using human-wave tactics?'
Yun chuckled. "The Mist recently got their hands on a Byakugan from the Hyuga clan. And the Byakugan was exceptionally useful for recon during the war, wasn't it?"
Kakashi blinked, glanced at Yun, then at Guy. "But... none of us have a Byakugan."
Yun smiled and stood up. "We can't do anything about things that haven't happened yet. I'll go wash up first. Let's rest early tonight."
As Yun walked to the bathroom, Kakashi stood in thought, his brow furrowed.
'Byakugan...'
'If there's still a chance to intercept them, it would have to be when the Hidden Cloud emissaries visit Konoha.'
'But even then…'
'All we could do was increase surveillance, not detain them. And the Hidden Cloud was clearly well-prepared.'
Kakashi slapped his cheeks.
'Everything Yun said was just speculation. It might not be true.'
'It's possible the Hidden Cloud really does value the alliance with Konoha, and that's why they're being so tolerant.'
....
Inside the Raikage's Office
Mabui finished her report about the escort mission, including Killer Bee's impulsiveness.
But the hot-headed Fourth Raikage didn't seem to care at all. He turned to Bee and asked, "Bee, what did you think of Kakashi and Uchiha Yun's strength?"
Bee shook his head. "We didn't fight for long, just tested each other's alertness."
Then, with a serious look, he turned to his older brother. "Big Bro, the Hokage of Konoha isn't the old Third anymore, it's the Yellow Flash, the young Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
"If… if they refuse to compromise, it could mean war. And then, "
BANG!!
Raikage slammed the desk, shattering it with one punch. "If they don't compromise, then we beat them until they do!"
An older Hidden Cloud ninja nearby spoke up, "Konoha's Fourth Hokage is young, but youth isn't a reason to have the courage to go to war."
"According to intel, one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, defected more than nine months ago. Jiraiya is still out chasing him, and Tsunade is busy gambling all over the place."
"And Danzo, the leader of Root, who was as cunning as Hiruzen himself, also died in the village under mysterious circumstances."
"Konoha's strength from the Third Shinobi World War has been heavily depleted. So we believe… there's very little chance they'll risk open war with us."
The ninja turned to the Raikage. "As for the Byakugan, you know its value in wartime reconnaissance. The Hidden Cloud must obtain that ability before the next Great Ninja War."
The Fourth Raikage closed his eyes in thought. After a while, he opened them and looked at Bee. "The Konoha delegation will be staying a few days. After the welcoming ceremony tomorrow, I want you to probe Uchiha Yun's strength."
"That kind of Sharingan, something beyond the standard level, I want to know just how far he can push it."
Bee's expression was unreadable. He nodded, then turned and walked out of the room.
BANG!
The loud door slam made it clear how displeased he was.
He didn't even drop a rhyme, 'That kid… just because he's from a different village, does that make him the enemy?'
...
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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