To the majority of people living in a sprawling metropolis like Unming City, no one really cares if you've eaten your fill or if you're dressed warmly enough. When passing each other on the street, the most they can do is spare you a glance before returning to their own orbits.
Unless, of course, your toilet explodes.
BOOM!
A sudden roar thundered through the peaceful street, sounding like a long-clogged plumbing disaster finally giving way after thirty years. The crowd on the street turned in unison to offer their "salute."
What they saw was the grilled fish shop—the one that had just pivoted from a general store two days ago and was threatening to steal everyone's business with its expert culinary skills.
It had exploded.
And it was a very thorough job. From the roof to the crossbeams to the foundation, the entire structure came apart in one satisfying collapse. Blue flames flickered over the ruins, and even from a hundred paces away, one could feel the extreme heat radiating from the site.
"Sss..."
"What happened?"
"That was a ninja's jutsu, wasn't it? That waiter kid must have pissed off the wrong shinobi..."
"Who hasn't? I did see a guy in a bamboo hat walk in earlier."
The local residents stared at the wreckage with keen interest, their tone carrying a distinct hint of schadenfreude.
In the shadows, a team of Cloud ninjas tasked with tailing the shop looked at each other in bewilderment.
Following Orochimaru's "Kumo Collapse Plan," the Third Raikage had ordered a thorough investigation. They had only just tracked Orochimaru's trail to this hidden Konoha outpost in the capital. But before they could even start surveillance... why did it explode on its own?
"Did you see that short guy who walked in? Go investigate him," ordered Motoi, the Chunin squad leader. He had a green mark on his nose and had previously served as a sensor at Hell's Valley. He narrowed his eyes at the ruins.
Soon, a subordinate reported back: "That person came out of the teahouse diagonally across the street. That teahouse hasn't been open for a long time, but according to the locals, three people suddenly arrived there this morning after the foreign envoys entered the city."
Motoi turned his head, his gaze landing on the sign that read The Crow's Tea. Recalling the three distinct, heart-stoppingly powerful chakra signatures he had sensed briefly inside the fish shop, he squinted.
"Three people? Aside from those Immortal Cultists, has another unknown force slipped into the city? Watch that teahouse. Don't get close yet; I have a bad feeling about this. Wait here a moment."
Motoi took a deep breath, bit his finger, and performed a series of hand seals. He slammed his palms onto the ground.
Poof!
With a surge of smoke, a tawny owl appeared at his feet. This was the Summoning Jutsu: Tawny Bird. As a sensory ninja who specialized in battlefield support, Motoi relied on this silent, high-speed messenger to relay intel quickly.
He stroked the bird's back and spoke solemnly. "Fukurō-emon, I'm counting on you. Get this message to A and Killer Bee as quickly as possible. Tell them to bring reinforcements and capture these three unidentified individuals!"
Meanwhile, beneath the ruins.
The two people who had accidentally drawn the attention of the Cloud ninjas—and just as coincidentally escaped the immediate danger—stared at each other.
"You're... Hotaru?"
It was only after the handsome purple-haired waiter removed his headpiece to reveal iconic white hair, then donned a black mask and a Konoha headband, that Ren finally realized who he was looking at.
It's Kakashi Hatake! No wonder he felt familiar.
The disguise Kakashi had been wearing was a younger version of the journalist outfit he would use years later to fool kids. Since the "Kakashi" of this era didn't have his signature scar yet, he didn't need face paint to hide it, which is why Ren hadn't recognized him immediately.
"You..." Kakashi stared at Ren with a look of utter exhaustion. "While finding a Konoha contact immediately after recovering is the 'correct' choice for a mission, running in so recklessly..."
Kakashi sighed. "Don't you know that I've been under Kumo surveillance this whole time? I don't know what kind of training you received in the clan, but you're just like Rasa—a total idiot!"
Ren felt a bit awkward. Look, buddy, my "clan training" didn't exactly cover 'how to avoid exploding in a grilled fish shop.' Besides, he had genuinely just been hungry. If he were looking for Konoha, he would have looked for his own clan first. Who knew a lunch break would lead straight to a black-ops nest?
But it made sense. If Konoha had a mole in the capital, Kakashi was a logical choice. Unlike Naruto, who lived on village subsidies, Kakashi's father, the White Fang, hadn't died a hero. Growing up poor and isolated, Kakashi had learned to fish and cook to survive long before he was a ninja. Using those skills to gather intel was a smart move for a young operative.
Kakashi pressed his ear against the basement wall, listening for a moment. Hearing no heavy footsteps, he relaxed. "Luckily, the jutsu you used didn't match your previous chakra signature, so the Cloud sensors outside didn't realize it was you. Otherwise, the mission would be in jeopardy."
"Mission?" Ren blinked. "What mission?"
Kakashi froze, then remembered: Ren had been missing since falling off a cliff. Naturally, he wouldn't know about Konoha's plans. He looked at Ren's face, his gaze lingering on Ren's closed eyes. Thinking of the reports of the severe trauma Ren had suffered, his heart softened.
Right. He survived that fall and dragged his broken body to a Konoha contact at the first opportunity. He's already done enough, Kakashi thought. His gaze suddenly turned very gentle.
"I'll explain that later," Kakashi said seriously. "Follow me. There's another exit. Let's get out of here first."
He grabbed Ren's arm to lead him through the dark tunnel. Ren felt a wave of discomfort at Kakashi's suddenly "tender" gaze. He felt goosebumps rising on his arm. Hell, why is this white-haired kid looking at me like that? It's creepy.
Ren shook off his hand. "My eyes are fine. Just lead the way."
Kakashi glanced back, thinking to himself: Always acting tough, even now. This guy is just like Rasa... these Uchihas are so stubborn.
He didn't push it and began to explain as they moved. "My mission was to come to Unming City with Minato-sensei to scout. Most importantly, we need to find out the Lightning Daimyo's true attitude!"
They reached the end of the basement, and Kakashi opened a hidden latch. Light filtered in as they walked through a short passage that exited into an alley two streets away from the fish shop.
As they climbed out, Kakashi reached back to help Ren, continuing his explanation: "Konoha's plan—the Third Hokage's arrangement for this incident—is for us to secretly protect the Lightning Daimyo and ensure the Five-Kage Summit happens as scheduled!"
However, the moment the words left Kakashi's mouth—
"Wait!"
Ren, standing in the alley, suddenly shivered. A premonition of extreme danger shot through him. He spun around, looking back toward the street where the fish shop had been.
In that direction, a beam of light merging five elemental chakras suddenly flared, turning everything a skeletal white!
BOOM!!!
A small mushroom cloud rose into the air! The shockwave rippled outward, instantly turning a massive swath of buildings into dust.
Ren grabbed Kakashi, tucking the smaller boy under his arm as he rolled to dodge a falling roof, then performed a massive leap to clear several crashing stone pillars. As the dust settled, they looked up to see dozens of figures in Cloud uniforms leaping into the sky!
They were chasing a red-haired figure in a black cloak toward the city outskirts.
That's Sasori, Ren realized. And among the pursuers was a chakra signature Ren knew all too well. Killer Bee?
But before Ren could process why the city had turned into a war zone in the span of a few minutes, another event occurred.
In the very center of the city—the flattest, most luxurious, and most majestic district where the most exalted person in the Land of Lightning resided—a violent crimson light erupted from the "Tenshu Pavilion" of the Daimyo's mansion!
It looked like underground magma geysering upward. The terrifying chakra condensed within it ignited an instant later.
Roar!
The explosion dyed the very sky blood-red!
Then, from the heart of the city to its furthest edges, voices rose in a frantic, overlapping relay:
"THE DAIMYO HAS BEEN ASSASSINATED! LOCK DOWN THE CITY!"
"THE DAIMYO HAS BEEN ASSASSINATED! LOCK DOWN THE CITY!"
"THE DAIMYO HAS BEEN ASSASSINATED! TOTAL... LOCK... DOWN!!!"
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