Hiashi Hyuga and a group of Hyuga clansmen stood around the corpse of a Cloud Ninja and the two paralyzed Cloud Ninjas, waiting for Minato Namikaze to arrive.
Meanwhile, Brother Shindai was whispering to Naruto, "Naruto, you know what you're supposed to say later, right?"
Confused, Naruto asked, "Say what?"
Shindai dry-coughed and reminded him, "Say that you got hungry and came looking for me to go grab some late-night food."
Naruto replied unwillingly, "Huh? How can I say that? I'm definitely gonna get scolded!"
Shindai persuaded him, "If you get scolded, at most Kushina will just beat you up. But if I get scolded, not only will Sister Kushina hit me, but so will Pakura and Hikaku. Three people beating me up—you wouldn't want that, would you? And besides, it's all for Hinata's sake. You and Hinata are lifelong best friends. It's admirable when you rise for your friend—she won't hit you for that!"
"And think about it," Shindai continued, "isn't this exactly what your dad did back then to save your mom? Maybe instead of scolding you, Kushina might actually praise you!"
Naruto blinked slightly, feeling like there was... some truth to that!
Hinata looked at Naruto with admiration in her eyes. "Naruto, you're amazing! You actually know three different jutsu! And they're all non-hand-sign jutsu too!"
Naruto proudly raised his head. "Well, yeah—I'm a genius after all!"
Without mercy, Shindai poured cold water on him. "Different jutsu? Non-hand-sign jutsu? Those were all jutsu released by my Ninja-Ware!"
Hinata tilted her head in confusion. "Ninja-Ware?"
Naruto complained, "Big brother Shindai, why did you have to expose me like that!"
Shindai lectured Naruto, "One must be honest. You should learn from me—your big brother!"
Naruto rolled his eyes dramatically.
Honesty? Since when had that word ever applied to Shindai?
Shindai then explained to Hinata, "Look at the armguard on Naruto's right arm—that's the Ninja-Ware I developed. As long as someone knows how to operate the machine, even without chakra or knowledge of performing jutsu, they can activate the jutsu scrolls and unleash the techniques sealed inside."
Hinata couldn't wrap her head around it and still looked puzzled.
Shindai glanced at Hiashi Hyuga and the others. Originally, he had planned to stay hidden in the shadows and assist Naruto discreetly.
It wasn't a big issue by itself—but unfortunately, Hiashi had discovered everything using his Byakugan.
Very soon, Minato arrived accompanied by others and was surprised to see Shindai and Naruto. "What are you two doing here?"
Shindai nudged Naruto forward. Naruto gave Shindai a sour look before answering Minato, "Big brother Shindai took me out for a snack, and then we ran into this mess."
"Is that so? Then Shindai—and Naruto—you two should head home now."
Minato Namikaze suspected things were not that simple, but now was not the time to worry about Shindai or Naruto. Right now, he needed to deal with these Cloud ninja.
Minato then commanded the Anbu members behind him, "Secure the corpses properly. The two surviving Cloud ninja should be imprisoned. Summon Shikaku, Inoichi, Fugaku, the Third Hokage, and both Advisors to the Hokage Building immediately. Clan Leader Hiashi, please come with me."
Hiashi Hyuga nodded and replied, "Fine."
Hiashi turned his gaze toward Hinata standing beside Naruto. "Hinata, return to the clan compound and find your mother."
Then he turned to Shindai. "I appreciate your assistance tonight."
Shindai replied modestly, "Just a small favor."
...
Inside the meeting room of the Hokage Building,
An Anbu ninja had just reported something critical to Minato Namikaze—that Cloud ninja had been spotted outside Konoha Village, though they had already been driven away.
Sitting at the head position with his hands clasped together, Minato spoke solemnly, "It's now very clear—the reason they accepted all our conditions was because Kumogakure never intended to ally with us in the first place. Their true goal was simply to steal the Byakugan from the Hyuga clan of Konoha."
Even Minato, known for his calm demeanor, was clearly furious after being deceived by Kumogakure.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and others were also extremely angry. They had welcomed them as guests, only to discover those guests were actually thieves—who wouldn't be furious?
Yamanaka Inoichi spoke first, "No matter whether their actions succeed or fail, this act by Kumogakure will definitely bring relations between our villages to rock bottom. They must know this well, meaning they might have already prepared for war against us."
Nara Shikaku speculated, "Although Kumo may be ready for conflict, I believe they won't easily start a full-scale war. They clearly understand Konoha's current strength. I think they'll likely use these slain Cloud ninja as an excuse to achieve their goals.
I suspect they will use the deaths of their own ninja as a pretext for any actions they plan to take."
Fugaku Uchiha frowned, "If that's the case, they might threaten us with war. After all, Konoha's reputation across the ninja world is one of preferring peace and disliking unnecessary warfare."
Hiashi Hyuga remained silent, as everyone understood just how vital the Byakugan was to Konoha, so Minato wouldn't allow this situation to develop unchecked.
Sarutobi looked directly at Minato and asked, "What do you plan to do, Minato?"
After a long pause, Minato replied firmly, "If we quietly let this slide, it will send the wrong message across the ninja world—that Konoha is weak and can be taken advantage of. Then other villages might follow suit later.
Therefore, on this matter, we must stand our ground unyieldingly!"
Konoha desires peace, but some people exploit our commitment to peace to harm us. I absolutely cannot allow such a thing to happen! This time, we must be firm! Everyone, what are your thoughts?
Everyone present nodded in agreement. After all, what Kumogakure did was truly despicable—do they truly believe Konoha has become an easy target?
Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed, "Minato, do whatever you feel is necessary. We support you."
Currently, the overall strength of Konoha far surpasses that of Kumogakure. Even if war broke out, they would not be afraid.
Minato Namikaze said, "Inoichi, have the interrogation unit extract every detail of their plan from the surviving Cloud Ninja. Then we will strike first, confront Kumogakure, and dispatch Ninja to the border of the Land of Lightning, ready for war at any moment.
At the same time, put in a good word with the Kazekage of Sunagakure and the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure to prevent the conflict from spreading. Our goal is simply to force Kumogakure to admit their wrongdoing—let all who harbor ill intentions understand the cost of acting against Konoha!"
Minato's eyes turned icy cold. He was normally calm-tempered, but if someone dared provoke him like this and he remained gentle, something would clearly be wrong.
His title as the Yellow Flash—he earned it by slicing through entire battalions of Ninja in an instant.
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