"Captain, are you sure Haseo really just brought up the Jinchuriki casually? Is there any chance our operation has been exposed?"
The Kumo ninja were all gathered in the same room. After repeatedly confirming no one was eavesdropping or watching nearby, Daru finally asked.
Even so, he spoke toward the darkened wall without windows—to prevent Konoha from reading his lips if under long-range surveillance. In Konoha, such extreme caution was necessary.
"Based on the intelligence specifically collected by the village about Haseo," Toma added, "even a slight analysis makes it clear he often talks recklessly without basis."
It made sense that Kumo had studied Haseo's background thoroughly, but their ability to deduce he sometimes acted impulsively showed impressive insight.
Kurin, the squad leader, didn't rush to reply. He carefully replayed every interaction with Haseo since arriving in Konoha. Only after confirming neither he nor his team had slipped up did he feel slightly reassured.
"As for the Eight-Tails and Burubi, even though the village tried keeping it secret, some incidents caused rumors—other hidden villages likely already know Jinchuriki aren't always obedient. Haseo probably guessed based on that alone.
This kind of test is understandable; we don't need to overreact, or we might risk exposing ourselves… Even if Haseo suspects something, he can't possibly confirm our exact purpose."
Kurin tried to reason carefully, yet still drew the wrong conclusion—he failed to realize Haseo had already determined Kumo would target Uzumaki.
But it wasn't exactly his fault. Haseo's judgment originated from supernatural elements rooted in a 'non-scientific worldview.' Haseo himself was a reincarnated soul—his access to information was uncanny.
Despite having convincing reasoning to reassure both himself and his teammates, Kurin couldn't shake the lingering unease in his heart… This was Konoha. Their mission was nearly unsupported. No matter how careful they were, success still seemed unlikely.
"Captain," someone asked, "then what about the timing of the operation?"
"We need to act quickly to minimize variables," Kurin answered. "But before this 'quickly' begins, we must wait patiently."
The task was extremely difficult, yet these Kumo shinobi had never once considered giving up on it.
"Once we've gotten what we came for, we must leave immediately using our diplomatic cover. We'll select one of the pre-planned escape routes out of the Land of Fire based on how things unfold...
The only problem is stopping Konoha from chasing us. Some will definitely stay behind as blockers while others become bait—so please come to terms with what lies ahead."
Because this mission involved sacrificing people, Kurin chose gentle wording instead of issuing rigid orders.
"Captain, we were prepared before the mission even began."
No matter whether the mission succeeded or not, there was no way for the Kumo team to return unscathed—perhaps only a few of them would make it back to Cloud. For this reason, many saw sacrifice as the unavoidable toll they had to pay.
Kurin's reminder seemed unnecessary, yet only battle-hardened veterans like Kurin himself truly understood how quickly youthful determination could fade. A young ninja's resolve to die for his village and his sudden regret and attempt to escape just before that sacrifice was required were not contradictory at all.
Still, he never voiced anything that might weaken their morale.
"What happens next," someone asked, "if we succeed? How will Konoha respond toward Kumo? Konoha has just defeated Mist, its strength cannot be underestimated."
Their operation was one capable of sparking a war—betraying an ally and taking hostile actions. The seriousness of the matter needed no explanation.
Yet Kurin didn't seem overly concerned about the consequences. He cared more about whether the mission would succeed. As for what came afterward...
"The village will always find a suitable 'reason' to convince Konoha. In fact, if we need Konoha to remain our ally, the alliance would most likely continue uninterrupted... Would Konoha really have the nerve to start another massive war, especially when they're already stuck in one?"
Konoha had indeed defeated Mist, but there had been little progress in the Land of Rain, and the scale of the war continued expanding amidst the chaos of four factions fighting. Would Konoha really want to create a new enemy now?
Many focused only on Konoha's overwhelming victory over Mist while overlooking the fact that concentrating forces in the Land of Rain was exactly why Konoha had launched such a swift, aggressive strike against Mist in the first place.
Yeah, that assessment wasn't exactly wrong—but it was definitely incomplete. Because some people... well, they've never lacked courage.
Just as the Kumo ninjas were about to begin discussing their course of action, someone suddenly gestured for silence.
The whispered conversation came to an immediate halt.
Shortly afterward, someone knocked on the door.
Following Kurin's silent signal, the Kumo ninja nearest to the door opened it casually—and found a Konoha restaurant server standing there.
This was a high-end hotel, practically a prison, but room service was provided.
The Kumo ninja accepted the food, politely thanked the server, and closed the door again. Once the sensor ninja verified the server had moved far enough away, he signaled for the conversation to continue.
Naturally, not one of the Kumo ninjas would dare touch food from Konoha. Although the dishes looked delicious and smelled amazing, for their own safety and the success of the upcoming mission, they would stick to dryly chewing the Military Rations Pills stored in their ninja tool pouches.
Kurin didn't speak again. He simply stared at the pile of food without saying a word. Moments later, as if realizing something, he started methodically going through each dish.
Finally, after half an hour—nearly turning everything into mush—he found what he was looking for… a small folded map, along with information hidden inside a thin bamboo tube.
"The communication line has been established. The final piece of the puzzle is now in place."
After spreading out the map and documents, Kurin's face finally broke into a faint smile.
With these materials now in hand, their chances of success had skyrocketed.
This document marked the location of the Uzumaki clan's residential quarter within Konoha, along with detailed descriptions of the area. It also included a list of "suitable targets," as determined by the spy, each pinpointed clearly on the map.
At this point, Kumo's objective was crystal-clear—exactly as Haseo had predicted: kidnapping members of the Uzumaki clan and using their chakra to help the Jinchuriki control the Eight-Tails.
Although the spy couldn't understand Kushina Uzumaki's uniqueness, thus not listing her as the sole target, most of the targets listed by the spy were Uzumaki children under the age of ten, considering controllability and "portability."
It was extremely difficult to get an adult ninja to cooperate wholeheartedly, and kidnapping an adult within Konoha was almost impossible, unless this group wanted to spice things up and raise the difficulty on purpose.
Among the several targets provided by the spy, Kushina Uzumaki was also clearly listed… Not only was she of suitable age, but she was also one of the few Uzumaki currently attending Konoha Primary One as a "ninja," which naturally drew a certain level of attention.
"It's decided. We'll move tomorrow night."
Jonin Kurin laid the documents and map before his teammates, then firmly set the operation for the following evening.
Everything went down just as Haseo foresaw… and yet…
While Kushina truly was an exceptionally talented Uzumaki shinobi, all things considered, including her among the targets was hardly a wise move—at least for Kumo.
She'd be enough to throw the entire mission into chaos.
And that was even without bringing Haseo into the picture.
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