Konoha Notes

Chapter 70 Kidnapping
There are actually two ways to seal ninjutsu on a scroll. One way is to write the formula on the scroll with special ink and then leave the ninjutsu in the scroll by casting the spell. The second way is to directly use one's own chakra, mainly Yin Release chakra, to draw the formula.

The ultimate goal of learning sealing techniques is to be able to draw one's own Flying Thunder God mark, so naturally, one will not practice in the first way, but directly use the second method.

These scrolls, specifically designed for practice, have limited capacity and extremely short shelf life; they are essentially ruined within three hours.

Aside from eating and drinking, and maintaining his physical combat capabilities through basic exercise, Shuji spent the rest of his day practicing sealing techniques.

He was busy, and the villagers weren't idle either.

The warm, welcoming smile that Akai, the Cloud Village Messenger, had on his face in front of the villagers, a smile that seemed to bring the dawn of peace, vanished the moment he stepped into the negotiation room.

Konoha's leadership was prepared for Kumogakure's tough stance, but this situation still made them frown.

Akai brought up and debated everything from the allocation of tasks between the two countries to the issue of border outposts, which had already been discussed in advance and agreed upon by the high-level officials of both sides.

For several days, not a single clause in the thick draft of the alliance treaty was finalized. Every seemingly close negotiation was overturned or shelved at the last minute by Akai for new reasons.

“Something’s not right.” Mitokado Yan took off his glasses and wearily pinched the bridge of his nose. “That envoy is deliberately stalling for time.”

Tsukai nods slightly: "It seems like they're waiting for something, or maybe they're deliberately testing our patience."

She recalled Shuji's words: the envoys from Kumogakure might do something dishonorable.

"Hiruzen, the Anbu's surveillance of Akai must be raised to the highest level."

"The arrangements have already been made." Actually, there was no need for Shuji to say this; Konoha had been making arrangements all along. Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly. "Observe for a while longer. If the Cloud Village envoys still have this attitude, then send another team directly to Cloud Village to test their attitude."

It's only been a few days, and this kind of thing happens all the time. But this time the progress is particularly slow. Perhaps there are still some disagreements within the Hidden Cloud Village, which has affected the envoy's attitude.

On the edge of Konoha Village, in an inconspicuous abandoned warehouse, Obito Uchiha stepped out from the center of the vortex.

Before him, a white Zetsu, pale and strangely shaped, was wriggling and reporting.

"Lord Akai... he got into another argument with Konoha's advisors today. It's the same old problem, and there's been no progress at all."

White Zetsu mimicked the tone of a human guard perfectly: "Konoha's Anbu are annoying, buzzing around like flies, but they seem to just watch without taking any further action."

Obito listened in silence; this was a far cry from the script he had envisioned. Under his genjutsu manipulation, Akai was supposed to relentlessly provoke Konoha, creating irreconcilable conflict and ultimately igniting a full-blown war.

But after all this time, why haven't the higher-ups in Konoha made any moves?

He couldn't understand the logic behind it; he just knew he needed to change his approach.

"It seems we need to use a more direct approach."
-
The night was deep, and the inn that Konoha had arranged for the envoys was completely silent.

Two Konoha ANBU members were hidden outside Akai's room, monitoring Akai's chakra and all the channels through which he entered and exited the room.

Inside the room, the real Akai's eyes were empty and lifeless. Obito's figure appeared out of thin air and pulled Akai into the Kamui dimension in an instant.

At the same time, a white Zetsu landed and quickly transformed into Akai's appearance.

The replacement was completed in an instant.

"Knock, knock, knock." The knocking sounded at that moment, neither too loud nor too soft.

Akai stood up and impatiently opened the door. A Konoha servant stood outside, a smile on his face: "Excuse me, Lord Akai, would you like to...?" "No! I don't need anything!" Akai interrupted rudely, his voice filled with the frustration of being disturbed from his sleep. "You Konoha people are never going to stop! Get out!"

He slammed the door shut with a loud bang, then slumped back onto the bed and lay down, remaining motionless.

The waiter outside the door maintained his smile, gave a slight bow towards the door, and then silently retreated into the shadows of the corridor. In the darkness, the member of the surveillance team whispered into his communicator: "Target shows no abnormalities."

Deep within the Hyuga clan's territory, the main family residence was shrouded in the tranquil night.

The patrolling guards moved slowly and diligently, fulfilling their duties.

Suddenly, within the Hyuga main family compound, the air rippled silently, like a pebble thrown into still water. A dark figure emerged without warning from the distorted spatial vortex, appearing directly in the core area of ​​the Hyuga main family compound!

The shadowy figure crept straight into Hinata's bedroom, the eldest daughter of the main family. The sleeping girl was completely unaware and was easily pulled under the shadowy figure's arm.

After succeeding, the shadowy figure did not choose to conceal itself. Instead, it arrogantly carried Hinata and climbed over the high wall of the inner courtyard.

This violent action instantly triggered the Hyuga main family's warning barrier.

"who?!"

"Intruders! From the main family's direction!"

A sharp alarm pierced the night sky, instantly waking the entire Hyuga clan territory.

The first members of the main family guards to react rushed to Hinata's bedroom, only to find the bedding in disarray; she was nowhere to be seen.

Almost at the same moment the alarm sounded, Hiashi Hyuga appeared on the corridor leading from the inner courtyard to the main house. His pure white eyes suddenly lit up in the night, veins bulged on his forehead, and his 360-degree vision instantly locked onto the masked figure holding his daughter hostage and trying to escape!

In the next instant, Hiashi Hyuga blocked the shadow's path. With his Byakugan, the flaws in the opponent's movements were clearly visible.

Hiashi struck with lightning speed, delivering a palm strike that precisely released chakra from his palm, imprinting itself onto the masked man's chest without any fancy moves.

A dull thud.

The masked man was struck as if by a heavy hammer; his body stiffened abruptly, his forward momentum halted abruptly, and the part that had been hit visibly caved in. A surge of violent chakra instantly flooded his body, tearing apart his meridians and organs with devastating force.

Before he could even scream, Hinata was caught safely in his arms.

Only after confirming that his daughter was merely in a daze from fright and was otherwise unharmed did Hiashi Hyuga's tense nerves relax slightly.

He bent down and ripped off the black mask from the other person's face.

When Hiashi Hyuga saw that twisted, pained face, his pupils shrank and his face turned ashen!

Just as Hiashi was pondering what to do, the Hyuga branch family guards who had arrived also discovered the person lying on the ground.

"This...is this?"

"Lord Hiashi, this is an envoy from Kumogakure!"

(End of this chapter)