At the same time, Rena stood outside the door with her back to it and slowly opened her eyes. She knew a ninja should not be swayed by emotion, but hearing the crude words that fit Kumogakure's rough style still made her frown as a young woman.
"There is no sign of chakra fluctuations, and no abnormal actions…"
She quickly pressed down her displeasure, lowered her hands from the seal, and stayed alert. If possible, she would have preferred Third Hokage to search the three or place monitoring barriers in the room.
That suggestion had been gently but firmly rejected by Third Hokage. Up to now, Kumogakure had shown sincere intent, and if Konoha were found making secret moves, it would only give the other side an excuse. Even so, Rena felt a vague sense of unease that she could not explain.
Inside the room, Yurui stood before the floor to ceiling window on the high floor and looked down at Konoha, still busy even at dusk. The people below moved through the streets like ants in constant motion.
After a brief silence, Yurui raised his hands and formed seals, the chakra he had long prepared surging out. The sequence flowed without pause, and then a soft boom followed.
A cloud of white smoke burst soundlessly, and a shadow clone appeared beside him.
"Do it," Yurui said calmly. "For Kumogakure."
The two Kumogakure ninja met each other's eyes. They understood clearly that whether this action succeeded or failed, none of them would survive. Only if all three died here would the threat against Konoha carry enough weight.
"For Kumogakure!"
Their voices overlapped as they raised their hands and formed seals, their chakra surging violently.
A massive explosion tore through the evening in Konoha. Windows of buildings, storefront glass, and street lamps shattered under the sweeping shockwave.
Screams rang out as pedestrians on nearby streets cried in fear and turned toward the sound. They saw birds scattering into the sky and thick black smoke pouring from the fifth floor of the guest apartment.
A huge hole had been blasted through the wall, bricks and debris raining down from above. Along with them, three figures were thrown outward and fell.
With heavy impacts, the bodies slammed into the ground from dozens of meters up, cracking the pavement as bright red blood spread. More villagers rushed out from shops and homes, staring as the three figures fell before their eyes.
Two of them lay still the moment they hit the ground. The third spat out a mouthful of blood, struggled to his feet, and roared, "Konoha! You dare betray the alliance?!"
The fury in that shout sounded real, leaving the villagers of Konoha frozen as they watched him flee. When they finally reacted, someone recognized the two bodies on the ground, and terror spread across their face.
"Those two are envoys from Kumogakure!"
In the next moment, Rena, her body charred and clothes torn, arrived in a flash of Shunshin. The sight of the corpses made her face drain of color.
How was this possible? Someone had planted Explosive Tags in the guest rooms of the Kumogakure delegation?
"This is bad. I have to report to Third Hokage!"
Though she did not consider that Kumogakure had staged this themselves, Rena instantly understood the gravity of the situation. Enduring her severe injuries from the blast, she formed seals and sent out a shadow clone to pursue the lone surviving Kumogakure ninja, then rushed at full speed toward Hokage Building.
In her urgency, Rena did not notice that within the thick black smoke above, a figure concealed himself and leapt away. It was Yurui, the only true survivor among the three Kumogakure ninja.
The "Yurui" her clone chased was merely another shadow clone. The other Konoha ninja who arrived were also led away by it, all believing he was trying to escape the village.
In truth, his destination was not outside Konoha at all. It was the opposite direction, toward the territory of the Hyuga Clan.
"Rest in peace. You are all heroes of Kumogakure, and I will join you soon."
Yurui cast a complex glance at the two bodies below, then used Shunshin at full force. He soon reached the forest near the Hyuga Clan grounds, the journey going smoothly.
But the next instant, as dense shadows swallowed his figure and his vision plunged into darkness, a hand holding a short blade suddenly reached out from the deep shade. Acting on instinct honed by countless battles, Yurui raised the kunai in his hand.
Steel clashed with a sharp screech. A ringing filled his ears as his wrist cracked under the force, and he used the impact to leap back and open distance.
"Who's there?"
His face darkened as he looked up. A figure in a black robe stepped out of the shadows, the short blade in his hand reflecting the cold moonlight.
"This path is closed," Yunchuan Hyuga said, his hoarse voice calm as he faced the intruder. "You stop here."
By the faint moonlight slipping through the night sky, Yurui fixed his gaze on the dark figure ahead. His right hand was still numb from the earlier blow, and his once powerful body had gone tight. Every breath he took felt forced as he measured the threat in front of him.
"Konoha Ninja?" The thought flashed through his mind, but he rejected it at once. "No, the way this person is dressed does not match Konoha Ninja." The conclusion came quickly, driven by instinct and experience.
A long black robe swallowed the figure from head to toe, leaving no detail visible at all. The heavy malice rolling off that presence made Yurui feel as if his teeth were rotting inside his mouth. It was the kind of pressure that gnawed at the nerves without touching the skin.
If it were truly Konoha Ninja, there would be no need to hide like this. They could reveal themselves openly and signal an intrusion, trapping him with no way out. That alone told him this enemy followed different rules.
"Then that means… one of us?"
With that thought, Yurui narrowed his eyes, knowing this was his only chance. There was no time left to stall, because the figure clearly had no intention of letting him go. The only option was to kill the person in front of him, and to do it now.
No useless words were exchanged, and almost in the same instant, both moved. They rushed straight at each other, feet pounding the ground. Their movements overlapped so closely that it was impossible to tell who struck first.
Only the shrill howl of wind could be heard, as if everything caught in its path would be torn apart. Fallen leaves drifting between them were sliced in midair by flashing blades. In the next heartbeat, steel met steel.
Clang.
Blinding sparks burst between them, scattering through the dark forest. Kunai and Short Sword locked together, their edges biting hard. Yurui stared at the shadowed figure at arm's length, yet could not see a face at all, as if the darkness itself had swallowed every trace of light.
Where did this person come from, and how could they be waiting here in advance? Before he could sort out the answer, Yunchuan Hyuga swept his Short Sword aside in a clean arc. Yurui reacted in kind, his Kunai sliding away as sparks sprayed from the clashing edges.
Clink, clink, clang.
Sharp edge met sharp edge again and again, metal ringing through the trees. Sparks bloomed like scattered stars and fell like rain, briefly lighting the night. The sight was almost beautiful, despite the deadly intent behind it.