Three days later.
Approaching the border, a faint flutter sounded in the quiet pre-dawn air as a messenger hawk descended sharply, landing directly in front of Kakashi. The bird's wings beat once, fwoosh, before settling.
Kakashi reached out, removed the small scroll attached to its leg, and quickly skimmed it. His visible eye narrowed.
"Three days ago," he said calmly, "a reconnaissance team from the border forces discovered intelligence that Kumogakure has already passed through the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water."
Yun's eyebrow twitched.
Three days ago?
That meant the moment Kumogakure received the report from the surviving envoys, their military forces had already completed passage through two countries and neared the Land of Fire's border. The timing didn't line up with natural reaction speed, it lined up with pre-deployment.
If this wasn't premeditated… then the Raikage must have gained sudden prophetic insight.
"Clairvoyance, huh…" Yun muttered under his breath, lips curling.
Kakashi released the messenger hawk again. Even though night still lingered, the two Kumogakure ninja walking ahead showed no signs of slowing down. Their pace was urgent, restless, almost deliberately pushing Yun and Kakashi with them.
"Should we follow them?" Kakashi asked in a low voice. "Forcing us to arrive exhausted must be part of their plan."
Yun nodded. "Either way, we must personally witness them return to the Kumogakure unit. And as for negotiations… speaking under the darkness of night isn't the worst environment."
With that, the two Konoha ninja picked up speed, keeping close behind the Kumogakure pair.
Swish… swish…
Soon, the great border bridge between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water came into view, a massive structure spanning the churning river below, lit only by moonlight. Yun and Kakashi landed silently at the Land of Fire's side of the bridgehead.
Dense forest flanked both ends of the bridge, and Yun could faintly sense the presences of Konoha forces hidden within. The border troops and the Anbu units who had arrived ahead of time were already positioned, ready to intervene the moment things went south.
Across the bridge, the two Kumo ninja quickened their pace, crossing over and approaching a waiting group of Kumogakure shinobi.
"Bee-sama, mission accomplished." one of them said breathlessly.
They quickly summarized the mission to Killer Bee, then produced a sealing scroll. With a soft poof, smoke curled up, revealing the cold corpse of the deceased envoy lying motionless on the ground.
Killer Bee's usual rapping rhythm did not appear. He stared at the corpse, expression shadowed, and murmured, "Is it worth it to sacrifice?"
Mabui stepped forward, voice steady. "This is the fate of a ninja. For the village to obtain a kekkei genkai like the Byakugan in future wars, his death will be remembered by the village."
Behind her, Samui added, "They're here. Bee-sama, you don't need to appear for the initial exchange. Mabui and I will negotiate first."
By the time she finished speaking, Yun and Kakashi had already walked to the middle of the bridge, facing the two women.
Mabui's eyes were cold, sharp. "It seems your Konoha did not fulfill Raikage-sama's request. Should I assume Konoha's actions are a deliberate provocation toward Kumogakure?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Hokage-sama has already explained the situation in his message. Had he not attempted to abduct the Hyuga heiress, Hyuga Hiashi would not have attacked."
"And although the injuries on his body look like Gentle Fist, the Hyuga Clan Head only used a single Air Palm. Yet he died immediately. Under such strange circumstances, isn't it natural to question whether Kumogakure planned this in advance?"
Mabui's expression did not soften even slightly. "I have no idea what you're implying. Kumogakure has always sought continued peace. That's why we extended a signal of alliance. Yet the envoy representing us was beaten to death inside Konoha over nothing more than words."
Her gaze darkened.
"And now Konoha refuses to hand over the culprit. It is difficult not to interpret that as Konoha provoking Kumogakure, even preparing to initiate war."
Kakashi inhaled sharply, ready to respond again, but Yun raised a hand and stopped him.
Yun stepped forward. His voice was calm, but the air around him felt heavier.
"Let Killer Bee come out. There's no need to pretend when we both understand what happened."
A brief moment of silence passed. Then, despite Samui's attempts to stop him, Killer Bee walked forward, arms crossed.
Yun smiled slightly. "You know the truth as clearly as we do. Bee, tell me your people's stance. If Kumogakure intends to act shamelessly, then we'll respond with force. Konoha does not fear war."
Killer Bee lifted his head slowly. A breeze blew across the bridge. Then he raised both hands in rhythmic gestures:
"Despicable and shameless? Not Kumogakure!
For the village's sake, sacrifices endure!
Uchiha brat stands not afraid of war!
If no compromise — then victory or defeat, for sure! Yeah!"
His rap ended, and Yun understood.
Konoha refusing to offer up a sacrifice had eased Killer Bee's internal conflict, but he also made it clear: Kumogakure had no intention of backing down either.
Samui stepped forward then. She extended her senses across the forest, detecting the faint chakra presence of Konoha's hidden forces.
"Raikage-sama's order is as follows." she said sharply. "If Konoha does not hand over Hyuga Hiashi, the culprit who killed the Kumogakure envoy, within one week, then war will begin."
The moment her words ended, the Kumogakure group vanished from the bridge with practiced speed.
Only Killer Bee remained long enough to turn and give Yun a thumbs-up before disappearing into the night.
Yun watched their retreating figures.
"One week? Send the intelligence back to Konoha immediately. Once it's confirmed that Konoha won't compromise, that one week won't matter at all. The war has already begun."
He turned, cloak fluttering, walking back toward the forest. Kakashi followed silently, face cold.
Behind them, a ninja hawk soared into the night sky, carrying the urgent report to the Hokage. Meanwhile, the border encampment had grown massively — more tents, more guards, more chakra signatures. In just a few days, the number of stationed personnel had tripled.
Inside the camp, Yun and Kakashi spread a map on a table, discussing their next steps.
"I haven't experienced war." Yun said frankly. "I don't know the intricacies of large-scale defense. But with my speed, I can serve as immediate reinforcement and assassination support."
He was not arrogant. In a world without heavy artillery or massive machinery, battlefield mobility determined life and death.
Kakashi nodded. "War hasn't officially started yet, so the border forces remain at Level 1 alert. But once the intelligence reaches the village, the deployed forces will move immediately."
He tapped the map.
"The Hyuga and Uchiha teams that arrived yesterday will be distributed across the reconnaissance squads. Their detection and mobility will be crucial."
He traced a line across the border's markers.
"There are twenty-three guard posts along this stretch. Each has a Warning Barrier and communication equipment. From now on, you and I will act as mobile support."
He looked at Yun seriously.
"Your speed surpasses mine. So, you will lead the first support team. I'll lead the second. Once Kumogakure moves, we'll resolve each conflict point as fast as possible and redeploy."
Yun nodded in understanding. Then something occurred to him. "Before we left, Shisui told me a group of Uchiha would arrive first. But I still don't know who leads them. What about the Hyuga?"
Kakashi gave a small, rare smile.
"The first Hyuga unit is led by Hyuga Hizashi. Three days from now, Hyuga Hiashi will bring the second group."
Yun nodded.
With the Byakugan augmenting reconnaissance, it would indeed be much more convenient.
*****
Support me on my Ko-fi page to keep me motivated to continue uploading chapters.
https://ko fi.com/rroy28 (put a "-" between "ko" and "fi")
I have added Uncensored NSFW Illustrations in my Discord server, available only to paid members.
I am working on the following projects:
✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]