Outside the Hokage Office, two Anbu stood like iron statues, eyes sharp as hawks behind their masks.
Sunlight through the corridor windows cast hard spots of light across their pale uniforms.
Security today was several times stricter than usual. Even the air felt solid, so heavy it stole one's breath.
Inside the office, the atmosphere was almost tangible with tension.
Hiruzen slowly set down his pipe. His brows were locked, the lines of his forehead deeper than ever.
"You mean Yakumo's genjutsu can erode reality?" His voice carried the steadiness of a seasoned warrior.
"Exactly." Mamoru's tone was calm but certain, arms relaxed at his sides. "This is no ordinary genjutsu. 'Fooling reality' is closer to the truth."
To Mamoru, Yakumo's world could also be called a domain, her personal domain.
"Can you see through it?" Hiruzen pressed, gaze blazing.
"I can see through, yet seeing isn't enough to escape. Rather than a Genjutsu, it's another dimension. Inside, the threats are real." Mamoru shook his dark fringe.
Hiruzen lifted his pipe, rose, and walked to the window. He drew a long breath, eyes on the village he had sworn to protect, smoke curling in the sunlight and cloaking his slightly stooped frame in haze.
"The Kurama clan hasn't declined after all, this generation produced someone extraordinary." His tone carried a mix of admiration and deep worry.
A knock rang out, crisp and urgent.
"Enter." Hiruzen glanced sideways, still looking out.
The door opened and Kurenai stepped in quickly, red eyes urgent. "Hokage-sama, I'm here."
Hiruzen gave a slight nod and turned. "We're discussing Yakumo. Satomi Villa is now entirely her genjutsu."
Mamoru added, voice low, "Maybe more than the villa. All of Satomi Hill may have fallen."
Kurenai spun to Mamoru, gaze sharp as a blade. "Has Yakumo lost control? What did you do to her?"
Mamoru scratched his cheek, eyes sliding away. "I told you before. To draw out the demon in her heart, I used a rather special method."
Seeing his expression, Kurenai knew 'special' meant extreme. Her fists clenched.
"What's the situation now?" She demanded, voice taut with worry.
Mamoru repeated the grim facts. With every sentence, Kurenai's face paled further.
"Let's decide on a response." Hiruzen returned to his seat, fingers interlaced, knuckles white.
"My mission isn't finished. Of course I'm going back." Mamoru straightened, resolute.
Hiruzen's brows knit, pipe turning slowly between his fingers.
"Then I'm coming too, alone is too dangerous." Kurenai stepped forward, red hair swaying, eyes steely.
"I'll dispatch Anbu to support you." Hiruzen said.
"Wait." Mamoru raised a hand. "No one else, just me. More people will only get in the way."
While Yakumo's genjutsu remained unbroken, extra bodies meant extra casualties.
"No, I'm going." Kurenai's tone brooked no refusal.
Whe took another step. "Yakumo is my student, my responsibility."
Mamoru met her gaze sharply. "You don't get it, her genjutsu isn't genjutsu anymore. If she marks you as an enemy, a flick of her brush can erase you."
Kurenai's voice trembled. "You're the one who doesn't get it. That's exactly why I can't walk away. I can't let that child sink further. Even if it costs my life, I'll bring her back."
Mamoru opened his mouth, found no answer, and saw the tears glinting in her eyes, the pure worry of a teacher.
Silence settled and only the faint hiss of the pipe rose in a thin wisp.
At last, Mamoru relented. "All right. Come with me."
Relief flashed across Kurenai's face and her shoulders loosened.
"Then it's decided, you two will enter Satomi Villa." Hiruzen tapped the table with his pipe.
"Yes." Kurenai answered at once, firm.
Mamoru gave a silent, grim nod.
Hiruzen rapped the pipe three times on the desk.
The door opened and an Anbu knelt, voice steady behind the mask. "Hokage-sama, your orders?"
"From this moment, seal off Satomi Hill. No one enters." Hiruzen commanded, voice ringing.
"Understood!"
"Deploy three squads near Satomi Villa. Do not approach without orders. Go."
"Yes, sir!" The Anbu vanished like wind.
"No time to waste." Mamoru stood, coat flicking. "The longer we wait, the worse it gets."
"Mamoru, Kurenai." Hiruzen looked at them, hope and worry in his aged eyes. "I'm counting on you."
"Yes." Kurenai answered.
"Leave it to us." Mamoru nodded, resolve flashing across his face.
If they failed to bring Yakumo back, the entire village could face a crisis unlike any before.
Inside a hotel in Konoha , by a second-floor window.
Kankuro leaned against the window frame, his gaze fixed outside. Several Konoha ninjas swept across the roofs of nearby buildings, and a faint presence was hidden in every area. He couldn't help but frown.
Noticing his odd behavior, Temari approached and asked softly, "Kankuro, what's wrong?"
She rested her hand lightly on the windowsill and looked out, following his gaze.
Kankuro turned his head and lowered his voice. "The atmosphere in Konoha feels particularly tense today. The number of hidden sentries monitoring us has doubled."
Temari's fingertips tightened unconsciously, leaving shallow marks on the window frame. "Did something happen?"
Kankuro shook his head, his voice tinged with worry. "I'm not sure. Could our plan have been discovered?"
Temari denied quickly, "Probably not. If that were the case, it wouldn't be hidden sentries here now, but the Anbu directly under their command."
She frowned slightly. "Maybe something major happened in Konoha."
Baki, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the corner, suddenly spoke, "Stay low for the next few days."
He opened his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping over them. "To avoid any unnecessary complications."
In another corner of the room, Gaara sat alone in the shadows, leaning against the cold wall. He had his arms crossed, his face somber, lost in thought.
—
Satomi Hill had been completely sealed off by the Konoha Anbu.
Ninjas dressed in Anbu gear were scattered like shadows at every entrance leading to Satomi Hill, silently forming a tight perimeter.
(End of Chapter)
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