Chapter 13
Uchiha Mikoto could feel the stiffness in Naruto's small body—this child had probably never been held like this by a mother.
She tilted her head, gazing at his profile so close to hers.
That blond hair, those blue eyes—remove the whisker marks, add a wig, and he was practically a miniature Minato.
The stubborn personality was pure Kushina through and through.
"Kushina… if you were still here and saw these two kids playing together, you'd probably shout for joy so loud the whole village would hear, wouldn't you?"
Mikoto's eyes grew slightly moist.
Back then, she and Kushina had been in the same graduating class—two of the most famous kunoichi in and around the village, and close friends.
After both married and became housewives, political differences between their husbands had reduced their meetings.
On the day Kushina left the village—already at full term—they had met on the road and talked about their children.
They had promised that if the babies were the same age, they could grow up as close friends.
Who could have imagined this promise, delayed by three years, would be fulfilled in such a heartbreaking way.
"Auntie?" Naruto sensed the change in her mood, looking up uncertainly. "What's wrong? Did sand get in your eyes?"
"You bullied my mom?!" Sasuke bristled instantly.
"It's nothing!"
Mikoto blinked quickly, pretending nothing had happened. She tightened her arms, pulling both boys closer into her embrace.
"Auntie just thinks… the sunlight today is really nice."
Her soft voice reached both their ears: "Naruto-kun, if you ever want to play with Sasuke, come to the Uchiha compound anytime. Auntie will make good food for you both."
Naruto froze.
He felt the warmth of her hug—warmer than the winter sun.
"Mm!"
He nodded vigorously, breaking into a huge, goofy grin.
Beside them, Sasuke pouted, face screaming "Ugh, Mom's getting stolen."
But he didn't push Naruto away—just turned his head and muttered under his breath: "Tch… who wants to play with this weirdo anyway…"
Not long after, the photos were developed and framed in two sets as requested.
Uchiha Mikoto handed one to Naruto. "This is your very first photo with Sasuke. Take good care of it, okay?"
...
Meanwhile, at Konoha's main gate, the arriving guests sparked a new wave of excitement.
The Kumogakure delegation had arrived.
"They're here! The Kumo ninja are coming in!"
Shouts rippled through the streets like a chain reaction.
Crowds from every direction surged like a tide toward the main road leading from the gate to the Hokage Tower.
"Sasuke, hold my hand tight—don't get separated."
"Naruto-kun too—stay close to Auntie."
Mikoto gripped one small hand in each of hers, securing a spot near the front in the packed throng.
"Don't squish me, you idiot!" Sasuke, pressed against Naruto by the crowd, tried to shove him away with a scowl.
"Who wants to squish you?! It's that big guy behind with the huge belly!"
"What's so interesting? Just ninja from another village."
"Hmph. No common sense." Though Sasuke's tone was sharp, his dark eyes sparkled with curiosity—what kind of people could cause such a commotion?
Under countless gazes, a few oddly shaped figures emerged.
Leading them was the head of this Kumo delegation—the Kumogakure warlord.
His appearance was striking: head wrapped in white bandages as if recently injured, wearing Kumo's gray-black uniform, forehead protector slanted to cover his right eye, leaving only a sly left one visible.
"Greetings, friends of Konoha!"
As he walked, he waved cheerfully to the villagers lining the road, flashing a practiced smile and basking in their cheers.
Two similarly dressed Kumo ninja followed behind, also waving.
"Looks pretty friendly."
"Yeah—finally peace."
"Damn Kumo bastards, go to hell—"
A few discordant curses were quickly drowned out by the crowd.
The path to this peace alliance had cost countless families their loved ones. Not everyone welcomed it the same way.
Yet inside the seal space.
Xuanming, who had been meditating, opened his eyes through Naruto's vision and fixed them on the bandaged leader, expression turning thoughtful.
The Kumo leader maintained his fake smile while his single visible eye subtly scanned Konoha's streets.
So this is Konoha… truly prosperous.
He wasn't here solely for peace. Behind the alliance treaty lay the Raikage's secret mission: seize the Byakugan.
Kumogakure had coveted the Hyūga clan's kekkei genkai for years.
On the battlefield, Byakugan users acted like walking radar—seeing chakra flow, detecting ambushes, piercing traps, even mapping terrain.
In clashes between forces, Konoha with Byakugan held a massive advantage over Kumo without it—turning a 3:7 disadvantage into a near-even fight.
Unfortunately, the main Hyūga line guarded their bloodline like a turtle in its shell, protected by the branch family.
The branch family bore the Caged Bird seal—eyes blinded upon death. No worthwhile Byakugan ever escaped.
According to intelligence, the current main heir was a mere three-year-old girl—pure Byakugan, and completely defenseless.
Greed flickered in the leader's eye.
If they could kidnap that little girl and bring her back to Kumo…
In a few years, Kumo could breed its own Byakugan lineage!
No more battlefield disadvantage. The title of strongest great nation would belong to the Land of Lightning!
The escorts he brought were Kumo's elite dark ops—specialists in reconnaissance and stealth.
They would handle pre-kidnapping intelligence gathering.
His role as leader was simple: act the part.
Play the perfect "peace envoy," and this freshly signed Alliance Treaty would be their strongest shield.
Success meant massive profit.
If exposed… he sneered inwardly.
Then turn the tables!
Using their envoy status, accuse Konoha of sabotaging peace and threatening war unless the girl was handed over!
Kumo dared this gamble because they saw Konoha's current weakness.
The Nine-Tails Rampage. The Fourth Hokage dead.
The Sannin—one rogue, two missing. Internal politics paralyzed the village.
Konoha's younger generation was still growing. That they could still stalemate Kumo after three years of war proved their status as the strongest hidden village.
But after three years of fighting, Hiruzen Sarutobi craved peace more than anyone.
He would never dare kill envoys and restart war at this critical moment.
Because Konoha had too much to lose, it had become timid.
Besides the Byakugan, the Raikage had given him one minor side task:
Confirm the Nine-Tails jinchūriki's identity—and whether Konoha truly controlled the beast's power.
The leader's gaze swept the crowd quickly.
The real Nine-Tails would surely be treated as a strategic weapon—sealed away or kept under constant guard by elite ninja, both to protect the host and prevent rampage. Like Kumo's own A and Killer B pair.
No way the jinchūriki would appear at a crowded festival like this.
His eyes paused for one second on the two children beside Mikoto.
One wore the Uchiha clan crest—a little Uchiha brat.
The other… blond, squinting a bit vacantly.
He instantly recognized the rumored "demon fox reincarnation" from village gossip.
Seeing Naruto holding Mikoto's hand.
Hmph. This idiot kid was obviously a decoy—Konoha's smoke screen to confuse foreign intelligence.
The leader immediately shifted his gaze away.
No matter. The jinchūriki intel was secondary.
Risking exposure of the Byakugan plan just to chase a rumor would be foolish.
Confident, he turned and strode toward the Hokage Tower.
After handing Hiruzen Sarutobi the scroll containing the peace alliance treaty, the Kumo delegation was temporarily housed in a specially cleared inn.
Unbeknownst to him, the "absolutely impossible" blond idiot he had just passed was exactly the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
The invisible web targeting the Hyūga clan had already begun to spread quietly beneath the festival's laughter and cheers.
And the only variable—the one he had dismissed—was that dazed little fool.
The reason for his daze: an unseen figure was speaking to him.
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