At that moment, the Cloud jonin looked toward the direction his subordinates had left.
"When we get close to Konoha, they'll burn anything that could link them to the Cloud. Once the explosive tags go off and you're all dead, who would ever know it was us who did it?"
"Most will probably think it was the remamnant of the Kagero village instead, right?"
The Cloud jonin smirked, then looked down at the girl in his grasp. "The Uchiha crest, huh? In that case, I might as well take some interest from the Uchiha clan first."
Across from him, Hyūga Tokuma's eyes hardened. In that instant, he made up his mind.
'Uchiha Izumi cannot die in front of me.'
Whether it was because of Cloud's past dealings with the Hyūga branch family, or because of the Uchiha clan's growing influence in Konoha, Izumi could not die here, not before his eyes.
But the village…
"Hana."
"Hm?"
"You and Rimaru split up. Run back to the village as fast as you can and deliver this information."
Inuzuka Hana froze. She too came from a major Konoha clan, she understood what Tokuma's words meant.
Having her and Rimaru run separately meant that even if they stayed, they wouldn't be of much help.
And Tokuma staying behind… meant certain death.
'Had it really come to this?'
'To buy time for the others with one's own life?'
But… the village was still hours away. Even if she and Rimaru split up, how much time could they really buy?
And Izumi!
This was their very first mission after graduation. Were they already going to abandon a comrade?
"Don't worry."
Despite his grim expression, Tokuma suddenly smiled. "Hana, just run. Leave Izumi to me!"
At that moment, the Cloud jonin's blade gleamed as he prepared to drive it into the unconscious Izumi.
"Shhkk!"
Tokuma exploded into motion, veins bulging around his temples as his Byakugan activated to its fullest.
"Go!"
With a roar, he struck.
Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!
Normally, once the target was within his domain, there was no escape. But this time, the technique failed to land decisively.
Still, Tokuma hadn't expected it to. His attack was meant only to interrupt, to stop the blade from falling.
Swish!
In the next instant, his opponent vanished from in front of him.
He appeared behind Tokuma.
'Too fast-!'
"Four Legs Technique!"
Boom!
Hana suddenly burst in, intercepting the enemy's sword, but her strike missed by inches.
"Huff… huff…"
Landing on all fours, Hana gasped for breath. Tokuma gave a strained smile. "The gap between us is… too wide. I spoke too soon."
Hana smiled faintly. "Don't worry. Rimaru's already gone. The Inuzuka never abandon their comrades."
Tokuma's Byakugan locked onto the returning Cloud jonin. "It may be futile, but since Rimaru's gone, our goal now is clear, save Izumi, no matter what."
The Cloud jonin strolled toward them, sneering. "So you didn't run after all? Then your death will just add one more corpse to the pile."
Hana crouched low, baring her teeth. "No matter what, Cloud's scheme won't succeed!"
"Oh really?"
He sneered, then grabbed Izumi by the throat, lifting her with one hand.
"Then you'll have to rush in to save her, won't you?"
Tokuma's fury exploded. He kicked off the ground, ready to charge, but Hana blocked him.
"It's a trap! You can see the dagger hidden in his other hand with your Byakugan, he's waiting for us to attack!"
"Let go!" Tokuma growled, eyes blazing.
Hana didn't. Instead, she called out to the enemy. "She's Uchiha Izumi, sister of Uchiha Yun! If you kill her, do you really think he'll care about evidence?"
"With the power that killed the Fourth Raikage, do you think Cloud can handle Uchiha Yun's wrath? You've studied the Uchiha, you know how they react when family is killed. They'll burn the world before letting it go!"
The Cloud jonin's grip loosened slightly, hesitation flickering across his face.
Hana exhaled in relief and released Tokuma's arm.
Swish!
Suddenly, a shadow darted from the treeline.
Startled, the Cloud jonin stepped back and called out, "Who's there?"
A figure stepped out from the shadows, the Konoha forehead protector gleaming faintly in the dim light. Tokuma and Hana's hearts lifted, help had arrived!
But then…
"Relax," the newcomer said casually. "I'm your contact."
He tossed something toward the Cloud jonin. The man didn't catch it immediately but looked it over after it hit the ground.
After confirming its authenticity, he asked, "Did you run into my comrades?"
The newcomer nodded, taking out a scroll. "The precise distribution of the explosive tags was given to me. I heard something went wrong here, so I came."
He stepped closer, handing the scroll over.
The Cloud jonin, now reassured, lowered his guard.
"You're a spy from Cloud?!" Hana shouted in anger.
The newcomer turned, smiling faintly. "No point hiding it now. You'll all be dead soon anyway."
The Cloud jonin laughed and took the scroll. It looked identical to the one he'd given his subordinates earlier. That familiarity made him even more careless.
Then came the final step, opening it.
Boom!
A deafening explosion! A blinding flash!
"Splurt!"
Blood sprayed from the Cloud jonin's neck.
The supposed Konoha ninja caught the falling Izumi midair and tossed her toward Tokuma and Hana.
Hana caught her and checked quickly, Izumi was alive.
Meanwhile, the Cloud jonin writhed on the ground, choking on his own blood.
"Wh… gurgle…"
Bubbles of blood filled his throat as the life drained from his eyes.
The "spy" smiled. "The unexpected part was their appearance, but you were the bigger problem. If you'd killed Uchiha Yun's sister, the entire plan could've gone off the rails. You know how the Uchiha are."
With that, the jonin's body went still.
Tokuma looked up at the stranger. "Are you a Konoha ninja or a Cloud spy?"
The man shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I've always been a Cloud spy."
"What?!"
Tokuma froze. "Then why-!?"
The man exhaled softly, then smiled. "You have many questions, I know. But it doesn't matter now. The plan is already complete."
He sat down casually, completely unguarded, as if unconcerned they might attack.
"I… along with the three from earlier. Oh, and the two before them, I've already killed those."
"We four were always meant to die as part of the plan. It's true that the Kagero Village planted explosive tags in Konoha nearly thirty years ago. But after all that time… how many of them can still detonate? The odds aren't promising."
"If they can't destroy Konoha in one strike, the intel is worthless, and dangerous for Cloud. With the Fourth Raikage dead, the village is weaker than ever."
"So the higher-ups came up with another use for the intel, tell Konoha about it."
He smiled at their stunned expressions. "Surprised? I was too. During the last war, my only mission was relaying Kushina's patrol routes. But now, the village has decided to sacrifice me."
"With just four lives, one jonin, one special jonin, two chunin, and this intel, Cloud gains a bargaining chip. Once I die inside Konoha territory, the village can claim they lost elite ninja in an act of good faith. Then they'll demand to cancel four years of war reparations. If Konoha agrees, the mission is a success."
Tokuma and Hana were speechless.
Tokuma finally managed, "You'd sacrifice your own comrades just for money?"
The man shook his head slightly. "If the Fourth Raikage were still alive, he'd never approve this. But now… it's only expected."
He chuckled bitterly. "Huge reparations are bleeding the village dry. Training the next generation requires resources. Four lives for freedom from debt, it's a good trade."
Tokuma still couldn't believe it.
Hana asked, "So you're not even afraid of dying, are you? You've already accomplished your mission. Even if you die now, we'll still have to deliver the scroll to Konoha."
"The tags will be found and defused. That way, Cloud's 'gift' of intel becomes undeniable. And with our bodies discovered inside Fire Country, Konoha will look guilty in the eyes of the other villages. They'll have no choice but to compensate Cloud further."
Her words made Tokuma's mind spin. It all made sense now.
A grand manipulation, using their own ninja as pawns.
Wasn't this the same as the Hyūga branch's Caged Bird Seal, sacrificing individuals in the name of a greater cause?
"Clap, clap, clap…"
The spy applauded lightly and stood up, smiling. "As expected of a major clan's child, you catch on quicker than that Hyūga branch boy."
He continued calmly, "Once I hand this distribution scroll to Konoha's elders, my brain will turn to mush automatically. Don't think of killing me. Even if you did, the scroll will still reach them. My heart stops, my mind becomes unreadable. The others were set up the same way."
Without a care, he turned and began walking toward Konoha.
Behind him, Tokuma and Hana could only stare in stunned silence.
Freshly graduated, and already dragged into a political nightmare between nations.
They both exhaled heavily.
Hana asked quietly, "What do we do now?"
Tokuma shook his head. "I don't know. No matter what, their goal's already achieved. Cloud must have contacted Konoha's higher-ups long ago. The scrolls will reach the village, and the elders will know."
Hana frowned in thought. "The higher-ups probably expected Cloud's intent to involve reparations. But they didn't expect Cloud to actually send elite shinobi here to die for it."
Tokuma rubbed his temples. "This… really is like the Hyūga incident back then. Another open conspiracy."
An open plot, one that couldn't be avoided.
He sighed. "If the village refuses to reduce compensation, what can Cloud really do in its current state?"
Hana shook her head. "They'll reduce it for sure, just a matter of how much. I finally understand something today. Politics is never about who's always strong or weak. The Five Great Nations and their villages restrain each other. Unless one side has overwhelming power, everyone must play by the rules."
"A village's survival depends on missions. On reputation and military strength. No one will trust a village that kills its own messengers."
Tokuma fell silent, then gave a weary smile.
So that's what politics really was.
He thought of his own clan, the Hyūga. The main family, the branch family, the cursed seal of the Caged Bird.
If you weren't strong enough to break the rules, you had to learn to use them.
And in that, Cloud's cunning was undeniable.
If not for Uchiha Yun's close ties to the Hokage, perhaps Konoha would've been the one forced to sacrifice a clan to preserve peace.
"Come on," Tokuma finally said. "Hana, carry Izumi. Let's go find Yun."
Hana nodded. "After everything that's happened, the test doesn't matter anymore. Whatever this is, it's something only Yun can know how to handle."
…