"Cloud Village?" Hiruzen blinked.
"Negotiate cooperation? And they're already on the way?"
Something felt off. The Leaf hadn't even agreed yet, but Cloud's team was already moving. That meant they planned to push this deal through whether the Leaf liked it or not.
Refusing outright wasn't smart. The village was still licking its wounds from the war with Sand. Adding Cloud as an enemy would be too much—especially with Rock Village waiting for any opening to strike. Hiruzen knew Ōnoki's habits too well.
"Since they're coming, let them come."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The Cloud delegation arrived faster than expected. Killer B himself led the group—the perfect Eight-Tails jinchuriki, far more in sync with his beast than Yagura had ever been with the Six-Tails. But the real brain was Xi, the strategist who called the shots.
"Welcome, welcome!" Asuma's older brother led the greeting party, escorting the Cloud ninja straight to Hiruzen.
"Lord Hokage."
Hiruzen stood and smiled.
"Welcome to the Leaf, everyone from Cloud. Please, have a seat. I've already had rooms prepared for you."
He got straight to business.
"Your letter mentioned cooperation. What kind are we talking about?"
Killer B glanced at Xi.
Xi smiled politely.
"That can wait, Lord Hokage. We've had a long journey. Let us settle in first. These things take time anyway."
He bowed slightly.
"Rest assured—Cloud Village comes with nothing but the best intentions."
Back in the village, talk spread fast.
"That's the Cloud ninja? White as snow and black as night."
One Leaf ninja smirked.
"Not my type. Give me a Leaf girl any day."
Another nodded.
"Even Cloud can see we're stronger than Sand right now. That's why they came here instead of going to those desert rats."
"Bet they want an alliance so they can help us carve up Sand when the fighting starts. Sand's got some real treasures these days thanks to Rasa."
Someone sighed.
"Killer B's still breathing, but Lord Minato's gone. If only he were still here…"
Night fell.
A Cloud jonin slipped into the Hyuga compound and snatched young Hinata right out of her bed.
Every village knew the Hyuga's caged bird seal made branch family eyes worthless once the host died. Only main family members were worth taking. That's exactly how Mist had grabbed their Byakugan years ago—and how Rasa had spun his rumor.
Cloud wanted Hinata for the same reason. Steal the eyes now. Breed more pure-blood Byakugan later. They wanted both the present and the future.
At the banquet, Killer B and Xi kept every high-ranking Leaf ninja busy. The Cloud jonin who had stayed behind never showed up. No one thought twice about it.
"Got her!" the jonin whispered, cradling the unconscious girl as he vaulted the compound wall. His heart raced.
"Easier than I thought. In, grab, out. This is gonna make me a legend back home. Just like Ao in Mist—he got one eye and they still treat him like gold years later."
A furious voice cut through the night.
"Byakugan!"
Hiashi Hyuga's eyes flared. The moment he realized his daughter was gone, rage had wiped out every other thought. He didn't care who the intruder was or why they were here. He only wanted one thing—kill the bastard and get Hinata back.
"Gentle Fist!"
The Cloud jonin spun around and saw Hiashi charging straight at him, fingers glowing with chakra.
His eyes widened.
The fight exploded instantly.
Hiashi's Gentle Fist was faster and more precise than the Cloud jonin had expected. The Byakugan made every strike land perfectly. The jonin tried to fight back while clutching Hinata, but every attack Hiashi threw was aimed straight at his vital points.
"Stop! You can't kill me! I'm from Cloud—"
Hiashi's hand blade drove straight through the man's chest before he could finish.
The other Cloud ninja watching from the shadows went pale. He turned and sprinted back toward the banquet without looking back.
"Lord B! Lord Xi! It's bad! Lord Ibisu was just killed by a Hyuga!"