The meeting was over.
Samui returned home and sat heavily on a chair in her living room.
In front of her lay a letter and a carrier pigeon, waiting patiently.
As long as she sent the letter, her informant would receive it in an hour. Two hours later, a phone call could reach Kirigakure, even from nearly a thousand kilometers away.
Kirigakure had been on high alert, and Logan had returned ahead of schedule. If all went well, nothing should happen.
But…
If she sent this letter, it would be tantamount to betraying her village.
On one side was a man she had only known for a month—someone with whom she had barely exchanged a few words.
On the other side were her comrades, the people she fought and trained with day and night. On one side was the village that had raised her.
To be honest, Kumogakure had never treated her unfairly. As long as she showed ambition, as long as she strove to become stronger and earn her place in the mighty war machine of Cloud Shinobi Village, resources and opportunities would pour in.
But…
"Logan is going to die... His theories, his ambitions—they'll be buried with him."
Samui saw a new possibility in Logan's ideas.
A future she had never dared imagine. And now, that future, which had only just begun to bloom, was about to be crushed before it had the chance to grow.
"What a waste," she whispered.
A sudden surge of impulse struck her chest.
No!
She couldn't let that happen.
The letter must be sent.
This wasn't just for Logan—yes, he was a brilliant and compelling man, but Samui wasn't the kind of woman who let emotions cloud her judgment. She wasn't doing this for him.
She was doing it for the future of Cloud Shinobi Village.
The Uchiha bloodline, the Ripple Technique, Ice Release, even the daimyo's funding—all were powerful assets.
But they belonged to the past.
Logan's technology and ideas… they were the hope of a new era.
Samui believed, with unshakable certainty, that if she followed the road he had paved, the village would benefit more than ever before.
Her hesitation vanished.
She tied the secret letter to the pigeon's leg, walked out onto the balcony, and tossed the bird into the air.
It flapped its wings and took off into the sky.
Whoosh!
A kunai flashed through the air, piercing the pigeon mid-flight. The bird dropped to the ground with a thud.
Samui turned her head sharply in the direction the kunai had come from.
Standing on a nearby rooftop was Darui, the Raikage's right-hand man and her long-time comrade. Normally relaxed and easygoing, today his face was somber and grim.
"Samui," he said coldly, "do you know what you're doing? Are you planning to become a rogue ninja? Do you want to... die?"
Raikage-sama was no fool. He had sensed something was wrong during the meeting and had discreetly asked Darui to watch her.
"We've worked together for years," Darui continued. "I thought I knew you. I thought the Raikage was being paranoid. But I was wrong."
He narrowed his eyes. "What kind of spell has Logan cast on you that you'd betray your own village?"
Samui shook her head, then leapt down from the balcony and landed softly on the ground.
"I haven't betrayed the village," she said, her voice calm but firm. "Everything I've done is for its future."
Darui sighed. "So what now? You want to fight me? Or will you come quietly?"
Samui clenched her fists—but in the end, she raised her hands in surrender and allowed him to restrain her.
She was taken to the Cloud Shinobi Village Prison.
Later that evening, Killer Bee came to visit her.
He sat across from her, tossing her a cold can of beer. Uncharacteristically silent, the usually talkative Killer Bee didn't scold her for her actions.
He simply listened as she explained everything.
When she was finished, she looked at him. "Sensei, can you persuade Raikage-sama to cancel this operation?"
"Impossible," Killer Bee said without hesitation. "And… I think there's a flaw in your thinking."
"What do you mean?"
"Logan's theories might help us—but they help everyone. If every ninja village gets stronger, then what's the point? Nothing changes."
Samui frowned. "I don't understand. Why are we constantly trying to become stronger at all costs? Why is every Raikage obsessed with power?"
She paused, then finally voiced the question that had weighed on her for years:
"Who are we even racing against?"
Killer Bee didn't answer.
He stood up, placed the last can of beer on the floor in front of her, and walked toward the door.
"I'll ask Big Bro to spare your life," he said. "But… only after this mission is over."
Then he left.
Samui sat alone in her cell, watching the sun rise and fall through the narrow window.
Until—
BOOM!
A deafening thunderclap echoed in the distance.
The God-Given Technique had been activated.
Samui popped open the beer left behind by her sensei and slowly poured it onto the ground in silent mourning—for the innocent lives that were about to be lost.
---
Kirigakure — 1:00 AM
Lightning flashed across the night sky.
Yuzu Wooden Golem, ten elite Cloud Shinobi ninjas, and two snake princesses from Ryūchi Cave appeared in the heart of Kirigakure.
As soon as they arrived, the snake princesses raised their hands. A hazy aura radiated outward, enveloping the group. All chakra signatures and auras were instantly concealed.
Except for the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yuzu Wooden Golem, the rest of the team bore injuries from the technique's side effects.
One of the snake princesses, Princess Ichikishima, her young face expressionless, gently waved her hand. A soothing chakra spread out, quickly healing the wounds of the team members.
There was no time to rest.
"Move," Wooden Golem commanded. They raced toward the housing district where Sasuke, Mayuri, and the others lived.
"That's the place," she said when they arrived.
"Open the barrier."
Princess Tuanjin smiled, extended her sleeves, and released glowing threads that blended into the mist.
A barrier materialized.
"All chakra fluctuations within this field will be hidden," Tuanjin explained. "Well, except for a Tailed Beast Bomb."
Wooden Golem nodded. That wouldn't be necessary. Logan was absent. Terumi Mei was probably in the Mizukage's office. The rest? Just small fry.
There would be no need to transform or use full tailed beast power.
"Complete the capture and evacuate in fifteen minutes," she ordered.
She gave her team one final look. "If you're captured or compromised, you know what to say."
They all nodded.
The justification had already been prepared:
The Ripple Technique was originally a secret technique of Cloud Shinobi Village.
When Logan used the Ripple Technique, the golden lightning on his body was unmistakable proof.
When negotiations failed, Cloud Shinobi Village had no choice but to retrieve their secrets by force.
It was a lie. But a lie well-crafted.
Everyone was in position.
Wooden Golem pulled out a kunai.
"Move."
She stepped forward.
Click.
The soft sound of a blade unsheathing echoed through the stillness of night.
She froze.
Sitting beneath a Sakura tree, bathed in falling petals, was Miyamoto.
He leaned lazily against the trunk, a long sword in his hand and a short one strapped to his leg. His eyes were calm and steady.
"A guest?" he said, glancing at the kunai in her hand.
"No… an enemy."
The wind picked up. Sakura petals swirled and filled the air, momentarily obscuring her vision.
Her hair stood on end.
Danger.
She slashed blindly.
Clang!
Steel met steel. Her kunai shattered.
Miyamoto's blade pierced the veil of petals and surged toward her like a streak of moonlight.
This was no ordinary swordsman.
This was a top-tier samurai.
In pure close combat, without ninjutsu, even a high-level ninja had little hope against a warrior like him.
But Wooden Golem was no ordinary ninja.
"Ha—!"
A guttural, feline growl burst from her lips.
Blue chakra patterns lit up across her skin like tribal tattoos. Her hair stood on end, her pupils shifted to a beastly gray, and her canines grew sharp and vicious.
She had entered a half-tailed beast state.
Her claws slashed forward, driving Miyamoto back.
He flipped through the air and landed gracefully beside a gathering crowd.
Sasuke. Naruto. Mayuri. Momo. Shiro. Kohaku…
More than thirty members of Hope Village stood ready, surrounding the intruders.
Wooden Golem's face darkened.
"…Change of plan," she growled.
She took a deep breath.
"Change surprise attack to…"
"STRONG ATTACK!"
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