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"Is this the sincerity you spoke of, Raikage?" Heshu stared at the incredulous face of the Raikage, his voice sharp with accusation.
"Impossible!" The Raikage's thick eyebrows were tightly knit together. Without his direct order, how could they dare act on their own?
Yugito was the first to remember Arubi's words from that day. She frowned. It seemed the Hokage wasn't lying after all.
Just then, the Cloud-nin dangling from the utility poles began to struggle violently. Their stiffened bodies twisted in the air. With their faces caked in blood, their expressions were unreadable, but they were desperately trying to protest through guttural sounds.
The Raikage was jerked back to his senses by the sight of his struggling men. "Hokage! What evidence do you have?"
"Evidence?" A light, cold laugh escaped Heshu's lips. His sharp gaze flickered, landing on the Cloud-nin whose teeth had been shattered by the Hyūga. A flash of light passed through Heshu's hand, and the ninja's shattered teeth regrew in an instant.
"Now. Tell us about the 'good work' you did last night."
The Cloud-nin trembled. He uncontrollably licked his newly grown teeth, then his eyes found the Raikage. A look of determined resolve crossed his bloodied face. "I don't know what the Hokage is talking about! We went nowhere last night!"
"So you've chosen the hard way," Heshu murmured softly. "A lie, born from a lie, shall become reality."
The moment the Cloud-nin's gaze had shifted to the Raikage, the burly man already understood. The Hokage's words were the truth.
If even someone as blunt as the Raikage could see it, so could Yugito. Her eyes filled with disgust. Useless fools! Always stirring up trouble for Kumogakure! In the current shinobi world, where Tsukimi Heshu's reputation blazed bright, this reckless move had just shoved their village directly into the eye of a hurricane. At least these idiots had strong wills.
"Whether it's the Byakugan or the Sharingan, they're both treasures worth coveting!" the dangling ninja began, his voice growing maniacal. "It's not just us Cloud-nin! The other villages are just as envious! They're just unlucky, they never got the chance! But we had an opportunity! How could we let it slip!?"
He was panting now, eyes wide and feverish.
"As long as we secured the Byakugan and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, the terms of any negotiation would be up to us, to Kumogakure! With the power of our village, dominating the shinobi world would only be a matter of time!"
As the voice from the wires grew increasingly frantic, a deathly silence fell over the plaza.
They had thought Kumo merely coveted the bloodlines. They hadn't expected thisā¦ this ambition for total domination. In the current fragile peace, such ambition meant reigniting war. Reigniting war meant making an enemy of the entire world.
Peace had been hard-won. Everyone was struggling to preserve it. The mere whisper of Kumo's intent would spark a firestorm of condemnation across the nations.
Yugito thought of the consequences. Cold sweat instantly drenched her clothes.
The Raikage clicked his tongue, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the ranting Cloud-nin. His shock was swiftly replaced by towering rage.
"BAKA!" he roared, his voice thunderous. "Who gave you permission to act without my orders?!"
His fists clenched. Forget the Hokageāhe wanted to smash their faces in himself right now. Idiots!
Killer Bee blinked behind his shades, beginning to gesture. "Yo! Yo! Big trouble! Fools!"
"ā¦"
Already at his wit's end, the Raikage's fist shot out, smacking the noisy Bee on the head. "Baka! You shut up too!"
Was this the time for rap?!
"Hokageā¦" The Raikage's voice was strained, forced out with difficulty.
"Raikage," Heshu's voice was icy. "I believed you came with sincerity, with respect for peace, to sign a treaty with Konoha. It seems I was mistaken." A cold smile touched his lips. "Your target, from the very beginning, was the bloodline bearers of our village."
Cold sweat poured down the Raikage's neck. A label like thatā¦ Kumo couldn't afford to carry it.
"Thisā¦ this was their own unauthorized action! I truly knew nothing of it!" he argued, a hint of panic entering his voice. "I have no intention of destroying the peace or starting a war!"
Heshu, of course, knew the Raikage meant it. But who cared? The perpetrators were his subordinates.
"Do you find such words credible, Raikage?" Heshu countered flatly.
The Raikage choked on his reply. Damn it.
It was exactly like Shisui sneaking into Kumo and kidnapping a Tailed Beast, and Heshu claiming he knew nothing. The Raikage would never believe it. No one in the world would. The same logic applied now.
The Raikage was sweating profusely, frantic.
Since the confession was done, the men above had served their purpose. Heshu lifted a hand.
Shards of unyielding ice shot from his palm.
Thud! Thud-thud-thud!
The sickening sound of ice piercing flesh echoed in quick succession.
"Ack!"
Blood gurgled from mouths. The life faded from the dangling figures until their breathing stopped entirely.
"Raikage, I trust you know I am a defender of peace," Heshu stated coldly, his gaze like frost. "I will show no mercy to anyone who seeks to shatter the peace of this world. Even if it means defying all common convention!"
His eyes locked onto the Raikage.
The Raikage fell silent. He was never a silver-tongued man. In this situation, he had no words left. Any argument would sound hollow and weak.
"Hokage," the Raikage suddenly lifted his head, his voice resolute. "Kumogakure's desire to sign a peace treaty with Konoha remains unchanged."
"And why should I believe you now?" Heshu fired back. "What if this is yet another of Kumo's schemes?"
The Raikage gritted his teeth.
Yugito stepped forward. "Hokage-sama, what would it take for you to trust our sincerity?" Her beautiful eyes held a whirlpool of complex emotions.
Before coming to Konoha, she had carried a secret anticipation of seeing Heshu again. She knew she shouldn'tāa liar, the leader of another villageābut feelings were hard to control. This situation was beyond anything she'd imagined. Yet she understood clearly: the fault lay with them.
"You should ask yourselves that question!" Heshu scoffed.
Nice try, kicking the ball back to me.
If Heshu laid out demands himself, anything even slightly excessive would give ammunition to conspiratorial gossips. But if the Raikage's side proposed it themselvesā¦ that had nothing to do with him.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the pressure shifted. It was no longer just Heshu who needed proof of sincerity, but the silent, accusing gaze of Konoha's civilians pressing down on the Raikage and his entourage.
The Raikage clenched his fists. His mind, never suited for this kind of scheming, drew a blank. He couldn't think of a single way to prove their intent.
"I will stay in Konoha."
Yugito's voice cut through the tense silence.
Heshu's gaze shifted to her.
She met his look directly. Her eyes held none of the turbulent emotion Heshu might have expected. They were startlingly calm and composed.
"Yugito?" The Raikage turned, his large pupils reflecting her face.
There was no better proof of sincerity than leaving a JinchÅ«rikiāthe Two-Tails JinchÅ«rikiāas a hostage. The Eight-Tails JinchÅ«riki, Bee, was impossible to leave. Yugito was the logical choice.
"Hokage-sama. Will this suffice to prove our sincerity?" Yugito asked.
Before Heshu could answer, the Raikage interjected.
"No!" he boomed. "I won't allow it! I don't trust Konoha with Yugito!"
He knew, rationally, that sacrificing Yugito was the most fitting decision to salvage the situation. But he couldn't accept it. The price of "the greater good" couldn't be Yugito's safety.
"The choice lies with you, Raikage," Heshu said simply.
In the end, a choice had to be made. Village, or Yugito. Life was a series of impossible choices. Each option fraught with hardship. The very existence of choice was meant to put people in a dilemma.
Heshu waited.
"Raikage-sama. Think of the big picture," Yugito said calmly. She glanced at Heshu, then leaned closer to her leader, lowering her voice. "Raikage-sama, I choose to stay in Konoha not as a sacrifice, butā¦ because I genuinely admire the Hokage."
"ā¦?"
The Raikage's heavy mood evaporated, replaced by sheer confusion. His questioning gaze flickered from Yugito's chest to Heshu's face and back.
"Youā¦ aren't you bothā¦ women?" he whispered, utterly lost.
"Women can too!" Yugito raised an eyebrow. Her pretty face took on a hint of roguish boldness.
"Ahem! Wellā¦ in that case, you can stay!" The Raikage coughed twice, his expression awkward. A man had to respect his subordinate'sā¦ preferences.
"Hokage. We leave the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. To ensure Yugito's safety, will you, in turn, give me a guarantee?" The Raikage's intelligence suddenly spiked.
Heshu was genuinely surprised he'd actually agree to leave Yugito.
"What guarantee do you want?" Heshu asked coldly. "Do not forget, Raikage. The Jinchūriki stays because your village broke trust. Konoha has broken none."
The Raikage shook his head. "Therefore, I wish to invite one of the Hokage's students to be our guest in Kumogakure!"
"Unnecessary." Heshu's azure eyes gleamed with mockery. "I see. The Raikage has no sincerity after all."
"Hokage-sama," Yugito pressed, her tone becoming challenging. "You speak so passionately of defending peace. Wouldn't an exchange of students between our villages be the perfect symbol of friendly relations? It would promote cultural exchange! Hokage-samaā¦ are you unwilling?"
Her words cleverly mirrored Heshu's earlier tactic, turning the pressure of public opinion back on him. And the crowd ate it up. She'd masterfully rebranded "hostage" as "cultural exchange."
"Teacher. I will go."
A voice rang out from the crowd. Shinya stepped forward.
He might just be a civilian-born boy. But he was the Hokage's student. And if he was the Hokage's student, there were burdens he needed to shoulder.
Tenri stood frozen in place, staring at Shinya's back. "Shinyaā¦" Her eyes were a mess of complicated emotions.
Itachi's gaze shifted from Shinya to Heshu.
"Teacher, I am your student. Am I not the most suitable candidate to go to Kumo, to act as an envoy promoting cultural exchange between our villages?" Shinya offered a gentle, understanding smile.
The Raikage observed the boy who had become the center of attention. His back was straight, his gaze firm, a faint smile on his lips. A flicker of appreciation crossed the Raikage's eyes. If this boy were from his villageā¦ he might have taken him as a disciple himself.
Heshu's lips moved silently. Finally, he let out only a single, soft word. "Fine."
A wave of excited cheers rose from the crowd. An agreement between the Kage meant the peace treaty was secured.
Under the watchful eyes of all, Heshu and the Raikage signed the document.
"Hokage. I trust you will not betray this contract," the Raikage said.
Heshu nodded, his eyes shifting to Shinya, who now stood beside the Raikage. "He is my student, and a good boy. Take care of him. Yugito will be treated with courtesy here."
The Raikage nodded. He wouldn't bully a child. But a foreigner in Kumoā¦ exclusion was inevitable. How the boy handled it would be up to him.
Once the Raikage's party was seen off, Heshu's figure vanished from the street.
The crowd dispersed like a receding tide.
Only Tenri and Itachi remained in the now-empty plaza.
"Hicā¦" A choked sob escaped Tenri's throat before she could stop it. Tears instantly overflowed, dropping to the ground with soft plinks.
"Willā¦ will we never see Shinya again?" her voice trembled with each word.
She'd thought she hadn't liked the seemingly ordinary Shinya Akiaoi that much. But now she knew. All their time together, they'd become inseparable companions.
Compared to Tenri, Itachi was far calmer. He didn't answer her question. Instead, he turned and leapt onto the rooftops.
Moving swiftly, in just a few bounds, he arrived at the Hokage's office.
"Go in. The Hokage-sama has been expecting you," a masked Anbu at the door said to him.
Itachi paused, then entered, his confusion deepening.
Inside, only Heshu waited. He sat in the Hokage's seat, watching Itachi approach with questions in his eyes.
"Teacher. You knew I would come?" Itachi said.
"Not only did I know you'd come. I know why you're here," Heshu replied.
Itachi pressed his lips together, hesitating. "Teacherā¦ why did you agree to let Shinya go to Kumo?"
Based on his understanding of Heshu, his teacher would never have agreed to Kumo's demand.
"Guess," Heshu said, a trace of amusement in his eyes.
Itachi fell into thought, his brow unconsciously furrowing. Then, a wild, daring idea surfaced in his mind. He looked up sharply at Heshu.
"Figured it out?"
Itachi was silent for a moment, then spoke with difficulty. "Teacherā¦ are you planningā¦ to have Shinyaā¦ be a spy?"
"Pfft." Heshu laughed softly, shaking his head in exasperation. "Itachi, you're overthinking it. Do you remember Shinya's chakra nature?"
Itachi nodded. "Wind and Lightning."
"Correct. In the current shinobi world, who could surpass the Raikage in Lightning Release?" Heshu mused. "Whether he can seize this learning opportunityā¦ is up to Shinya himself."
But Heshu had a feeling Shinya had promise.
Besides, why would he send Shinya Akiaoi as some undercover spy? He was sending him to integrate into Kumogakure.
The goal Heshu had set for Shinya was simple: Fifth Raikage.
If Shinya couldn't, through his own efforts, erase Kumo's inherent distrust of outsiders and earn the genuine trust of their leadershipā¦ well, Heshu could always just control the Raikage directly later. But he wanted to see if Shinya could do it.
With no one suitable in Sunagakure, Deidara in Iwagakure, Haku in Kirigakure, and now Shinya in Kumogakureā¦ Heshu would have sufficient intelligence support and, in the future, political support from within four of the five great villages.
Once the nails were firmly in place, all that was left was to give it time.
Time would slowly push them all toward the top.
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