The dense forest on both sides of the main road was deathly quiet.
Even the chirping of birds and insects had disappeared, leaving only the rustling of leaves stirred by the wind.
A black shadow descended silently from a treetop dozens of meters high, landing without a sound.
The moment he touched the ground, another shadow emerged from the darkness below.
No words were exchanged between them.
A set of complex hand seals was completed in an instant.
"Area Three is clear."
"Received. Maintain the perimeter."
As the hand seals ended, one figure sank into the earth while the other pressed against a tree trunk, once again blending into the surroundings.
They were part of Arashi's Shadow Guard.
And at the edge of their reconnaissance range, another group of shinobi maintained the same vigilant stance.
A member of the Hyūga clan stood atop high ground, Byakugan activated, his gaze penetrating layers of trees and foliage.
Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, his concentration at its peak.
"Captain, two chakra signatures detected to the west," a sensory-type shinobi reported.
Without turning around, the Hyūga replied calmly, "They're ours. Let them pass."
A moment later, two shinobi wearing Konoha headbands appeared before the squad.
"What's the situation?" the Hyūga captain asked.
"All clear."
"Good. Continue to search in a fan formation to the south. Stay alert."
"Yes!"
The Daimyo's convoy advanced slowly under such tight security.
The Shadow Guard and Konoha's Anbu.
They occasionally passed each other in the depths of the forest.
No words were spoken.
Only a glance or a faint guttural sound confirmed identities before they each vanished back into the shadows.
Cooperation, yet clearly defined boundaries.
Tense, yet orderly.
The entire forest was cloaked in an invisible aura of killing intent.
But inside the carriage, the atmosphere was completely different.
Arashi had awakened.
Ragyō quickly replaced the cooled tea with a fresh, steaming cup, the warmth of her breath lingering in the air.
"My Lord, your complexion doesn't look good," she noticed keenly. Arashi's gaze had grown much more serious than before.
Across from her, Kurenai, who had gradually relaxed under Ragyō's warmth and kindness, also noticed something.
As a Genjutsu specialist, she was even more sensitive to shifts in mood.
The man who had been smiling just moments ago now seemed heavy and silent.
Arashi leaned against the cushion, his fingers rhythmically tapping his knee.
Those familiar with him knew this was a habit he displayed while deep in thought.
It was almost noon.
The convoy was moving slowly.
According to plan, this stretch was the most dangerous section of the journey. Perfect for an ambush.
The terrain here began to rise, and the forest grew denser.
The road was narrow. If attacked here, maneuvering would be difficult.
It was an ideal ambush location.
But strangely, nothing had happened.
Those Kumo rogues had seemingly vanished into thin air.
Something was wrong.
Arashi's brows furrowed.
He ran through the chain of clues in his mind once again.
Kumo had rerouted through the Land of Water to stage a long-range infiltration, sacrificing four Jōnin in the process, just to sneak in a small squad of barely a dozen.
Such a high cost couldn't be for a minor mission.
Judging from their route, their target should have been him.
But they hadn't shown up yet.
Besides him, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, who else would be worth such an operation?
Minato?
Impossible.
Even if they somehow succeeded in killing him, it would only ignite a full-scale war. Konoha wouldn't rest until vengeance was exacted.
It wouldn't benefit the Land of Lightning, already under attack from three fronts.
Only by killing the Daimyo and throwing the Land of Fire into political chaos could they collapse the Three Nation Alliance from within.
That was their only hope of turning the tide.
The logic was sound.
The strategy was plausible.
But why hadn't they moved yet?
Had they given up?
Even more unlikely.
After paying such a steep price, they hadn't come all this way just to sightsee.
What were they waiting for?
Arashi's finger-tapping suddenly sped up, his mind racing.
From the moment they left the capital until now, the convoy had been guarded only by the Twelve Guardian Ninja and Shadow Guard. This was the weakest point in their entire defensive formation.
Once they rendezvoused with Konoha's support force, their security would increase drastically.
Trying to assassinate him then would be suicide.
Which meant the best time to strike was now, before the rendezvous.
And yet, Kumo hadn't acted.
Unless…
Arashi's breath hitched.
Unless he was never the target.
That infiltration squad wasn't sent to assassinate anyone.
But for something else.
What mission was worth exchanging four Jōnin lives?
What objective required a small team to infiltrate deep into the Land of Fire?
Attack Konoha?
A dozen shinobi assaulting a Hidden Village guarded by Namikaze Minato, Tsunade, and Sarutobi Hiruzen?
That was a death sentence.
Then only one answer remained.
That squad wasn't the main force.
They were the vanguard.
Their silence was essential for a much larger plan.
A plan that would allow Kumo's main force to bypass all lines of defense and appear directly in Konoha.
His so-called grand tour, far from luring out hidden threats, had instead become a smokescreen helping the enemy conceal their true objective.
Crack.
Arashi's eyes snapped open, cold and sharp. The teacup in his hand had already shattered.
This conclusion was outrageous.
Nothing like this had occurred in the original timeline.
But when all impossibilities are eliminated, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
Just then, a voice from outside the carriage broke the silence.
"My Lord, Konoha's rendezvous force has appeared ahead."
"Understood."
Arashi's tone was calm, with no visible fluctuation.
He lifted the curtain.
In the distance, hundreds of Konoha shinobi stood in formation.
At the front was Shiranui Genma, senbon in his mouth, with a laid-back expression.
Upon seeing the Daimyo's carriage, Genma stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
"Konoha Jōnin Shiranui Genma, under the orders of the Fourth Hokage, I lead this unit to escort you, Daimyo-sama."
Behind him, a hundred elite shinobi knelt in unison, their formation tight, their presence overwhelming.
Lowering the curtain, Arashi turned to the two women beside him.
"We're speeding up now. Hold on."
Just then, the carriage curtain was suddenly pulled aside.
Arashi stepped onto the carriage shaft, looking down at the kneeling crowd.
"Thank you for your efforts." His voice wasn't loud. "Since we've made contact, proceed at full speed. Destination, Konoha."
The order stunned everyone.
They had just been advancing slowly. Now, suddenly—
"Daimyo-sama." Genma looked up, puzzled. "If we increase our speed now, our formation will be disrupted, and there will be gaps in our defense. The assassins haven't even..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
He stopped himself.
Arashi simply looked at him.
That calm gaze alone made Genma feel as though he had plunged into an ice-cold abyss.
He immediately lowered his head and shouted, "Understood."
Enmaru, watching from the side, instantly grew serious.
He realized something had happened.
They, the Guardian Ninja, understood the point of this journey.
For this man to suddenly abandon all arrangements.
A terrifying possibility surfaced in Enmaru's mind. His entire body trembled.
Something big had happened.
"What are you all standing around for?" he barked at the other Guardian Ninja nearby. "You wanna be collecting corpses in Konoha? Move."
The word corpses struck like a hammer.
A chill ran through everyone.
The entire convoy immediately accelerated.
The Guardian Ninja flanked both sides of the main carriage.
A hundred Konoha elites led the vanguard.
The Shadow Guard no longer hid in the shadows but guarded the rear of the formation in full view.
The wind howled.
The forest filled with the rumble of wheels and the rapid passage of countless shinobi through the air.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)