Iwagakure is our common enemy, and Kumogakure has already formulated a military plan against Iwagakure. For this plan to succeed, we need Konoha's cooperation.
We hope that before Kumo launches its large-scale operation against Iwagakure, Konoha can draw enough attention from Iwa to the Front Line, preferably forcing Iwa to deploy more troops to the Land of Rain...
First, we hope Konoha will abandon its current conservative military strategy and actively launch attacks against the Iwa Front Line; second, we expect Konoha to reinforce its presence in the Land of Rain... at least an additional 3,000 Konoha ninja."
The next day, the "Konoha–Kumo" alliance meeting regarding joint operations against Iwagakure began as scheduled. At the start of the meeting, Kurin, a Kumo jonin, elaborated on these points calmly in the presence of the Third Hokage.
Facing his "suggestion," everyone on Konoha's side immediately responded without any hesitation: Absolutely impossible.
One sentence demanding Konoha send nearly a third of its forces? Does Kumo think they're Konoha's masters or something?
Leaving aside the issue of launching attacks against Iwa, the situation in the Land of Rain is extremely complicated. If Konoha suddenly reinforces its troops there significantly, not only will Iwa adjust its battlefield deployments, but it will also trigger chain reactions... If Konoha acts on this advice, what happens if Kumo suddenly withdraws and cancels its operation against Iwagakure?
Who can guarantee Kumo will fulfill its promise to send troops? What if Kumo simply tells Konoha, "My friend, we were only testing you"? Would Konoha even have time to regret it?
No, rather than a matter of possibility, it should be seen as a certainty. Sitting back while the war escalates, then stepping in at the last minute to "mediate"—classic strategy for a rising superpower.
Konoha's people are seasoned negotiators, not naïve fools—how could they possibly fall for such honeyed words? However, since this was a formal meeting, Konoha chose a slightly more diplomatic tone when replying.
"If Kumo needs assistance, Konoha will help pin down Iwa forces in the Land of Rain after your forces mobilize. As for significant troop reinforcements... due to the need to guard against Kirigakure, we currently cannot spare that many troops. Perhaps only after Kumo begins its campaign can we complete another round of redeployments." Homura Mitokado replied.
Such matters naturally wouldn't require Konoha's Village Elder to personally get involved in the debate. Although Kurin was serving as the full representative of the Third Raikage, he wasn't the Raikage himself—the ranks between him and the Hokage simply didn't match.
It was already generous enough for the venerable Third Hokage to attend the meeting. During the discussions, he needed to maintain his dignity, letting his subordinates handle the exchanges accordingly.
Bitterly ironic though—it was clear there was no basic trust between the two allied nations, yet they still tried to coordinate joint combat actions... Konoha insisted on seeing Kumo move first before cooperating, whereas Kumo demanded Konoha's cooperation before committing its troops. So, even the first step toward coordinated combat was off to a rocky start.
"We understand that it might be difficult for Konoha to reallocate military forces, but only when Konoha draws enough attention from Iwagakure can our initiative become more unexpected..."
Thus began a long and pointless "debate." If Konoha was still serious about substantive talks, then Kumo was just stalling—they were merely using negotiations as cover for hidden maneuvers.
So Haseo should feel lucky he didn't come to this meeting; otherwise, he'd waste the entire day trapped in the meeting room.
First, he went to visit Mito Uzumaki, stayed there for a while, and after confirming she was in good spirits, he once again headed to Anbu's observation point.
According to Anbu's report, the Kumo Team showed no abnormalities last night. Everything seemed unusually quiet. However, instead of relaxing, this result made Haseo even more cautious.
In his judgment, Kumo would definitely act soon—either yesterday or today.
Haseo arrived at the observation site around noon. Since the Kumo Team wasn't there, the Anbu shinobi who had been monitoring the Kumo Team for an entire day and night were now seizing the opportunity to rest.
Around 4 p.m., the Kumo Team returned under the escort of two Konoha ninja, and the Anbu surveillance operation resumed. This time, Haseo decided to stay put.
However, upon returning to their lodging, the Kumo shinobi still displayed no suspicious behavior. They appeared as if exhausted by a long day of negotiations, retiring to their rooms early to rest… as though they needed to conserve energy for tomorrow's meetings.
But Haseo knew these vermin would eventually strike, so he kept watching like a hawk.
And watch he did—for twelve hours straight.
Wrong. By the time it reached 2:00 AM, "patient" Haseo finally realized something was off because he remembered one detail—the Kumo ninja hadn't even gathered together after the meeting to discuss the day's events before heading off to sleep.
This… simply didn't make sense.
Realizing this, Haseo abruptly stood up.
"Lord Haseo?"
The sudden movement startled the Anbu ninjas, who had been sitting quietly inside the room.
"You all stay here and continue surveillance. I need to verify some things."
Haseo didn't have time to explain anything to the Anbu squad leader. He quickly left the room and, moments later, arrived at the dormitory where the Kumo ninja were resting.
Then, silently and without a sound, he infiltrated one of the rooms. A Kumo ninja seemed to be sleeping peacefully on the bed.
Slowly drawing his long blade, Haseo approached carefully. Just as he was about to confirm the man's condition, suddenly—a puff—and the ninja vanished on the spot.
[Shadow Clone]? When did this happen?!
Under constant strict surveillance by Anbu, including direct observation with *Byakugan*, how could the Kumo ninja have used Shadow Clones to replace their real bodies without notice?
Thoughts racing through his head, Haseo suddenly grasped something critical.
"That doesn't add up. There's no way they could've pulled off such a substitution under Anbu surveillance—it should be impossible. However... what if the switch happened while they were returning from the meeting room? While moving through crowded streets, Konoha's surveillance might have blind spots. Could Kumo have exploited those blind spots?
It's highly challenging, but not impossible.
Replacing themselves gradually with shadow clones while hiding their real bodies among civilians using Transformation Jutsu—wouldn't that be an incredibly bold move...
No, perhaps we should say that Kumo's determination was indeed complete.
Not making unnecessary movements with the shadow clones—could it be that Kumo was simply trying to maximize the duration of the shadow clones?"
Haseo's mind raced, yet he still managed to curl his index finger and bring it to his lips. Soon after, a sharp whistling sound spread out into the quiet night of Konoha.
And just a moment before he sent the signal—the exact instant the Kumo shinobi's shadow clone vanished—
In the Uzumaki District, a Kumo ninja whose eyes were slightly narrowed suddenly stiffened in expression. He quickly said, "Captain, we've been discovered."
Jonin Kurin's expression hardened. Without hesitation, he barked, "Disengage stealth mode. Move to open attack."
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