249-Blame Game

Nao furrowed his brow, and then—against all expectations—chuckled. It was an odd sound, echoing through the tense, dimly lit room.

"It seems," he began with a dry laugh, "that I'm hearing things. Can you imagine that I almost heard you say two council members had died?"

He said it as though it were a joke, his tone light but the implication dark.

The attendant who had come with the news froze, his confusion apparent. His face paled, and he swallowed hard, realizing that his Kage wasn't grasping the gravity of the situation.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, nerves rattling him further as he repeated the news—slowly, carefully—hoping it would sink in this time.

"Lord Kita, I said… two members of the council… have been killed."

There was no amusement in the air now, only dread. The Kage's eyes narrowed slightly, the smirk falling from his lips as the weight of the news finally settled in.

His thoughts spiralled, a chaotic whirlpool of confusion and fear. His mind went blank for a moment as he tried to process the severity of the situation.

'Two council members… dead? How? Why now? Could it be… Iwa?' The thought struck him like a kunai, sharp and painful.

His heart raced as the realization dawned on him—this could be retaliation, Iwa's move against him for… the deal.

'I shouldn't have taken the deal,' he chastised himself internally. 'I should have known better.'

"Nao-sama?" Ryota's voice cut through the fog of his thoughts, pulling him back into the present moment. His aide's voice was filled with concern, but he kept his tone steady, addressing the attendant.

"Which council members? Who were the victims?"

The attendant's voice trembled as he answered, "The clan heads of the Kurosawa and Minazuki clans."

Nao felt the blood drain from his face, the ground beneath him seeming to shift. His stomach twisted as the names of the two fallen council members echoed in his mind.

'The Kurosawa and Minazuki clans?'

Panic began to set in. These weren't just ordinary members of the council—these were the leaders of two of the most influential clans in Kusagakure. Their deaths could mean the destabilization of the entire village.

Kusagakure, though a smaller shinobi village compared to the likes of Konoha or Iwa, had always maintained its strength through its powerful clans.

Much like Konoha had the Senju and Uchiha, Kusagakure relied heavily on the Kurosawa and Minazuki clans. The Kurosawa were known for their mastery over Earth Release jutsu, a fearsome clan whose power kept the village's enemies at bay.

The Minazuki, on the other hand, were masters of Water Release, their abilities shaping Kusagakure's rivers and canals. Their rivalry, though fierce, had always been kept in check—until now.

Nao's eyes widened, and for a moment, the room felt smaller, the air suffocating.

'Could they have killed each other?'

The thought terrified him. If the heads of the Kurosawa and Minazuki clans had died at each other's hands, then the fragile balance between the clans would shatter. A civil war could break out within Kusagakure, tearing the village apart from the inside.

"How did they die?" Nao asked, his voice tight, trying to suppress the rising panic. His mind was racing.

The attendant shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flickering to the floor as he recounted what little he knew.

"Lord Kurosawa… was found with an earth spike through his torso," he said, much to Nao's relief. That meant the Kurosawa leader had likely been killed using an Earth Release jutsu.

'That's good,' Nao thought, exhaling quietly.

'They didn't kill each other.' But his relief was short-lived, as the attendant hesitated before continuing.

"What about Minazuki?" Ryota asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room.

The attendant stammered, fear gripping him. "The Minazuki clan head… was killed by shinobi from the Kurosawa clan."

Nao's heart sank. "What?" His voice was a harsh whisper, his body stiffening as the words hung in the air like a death sentence.

"The Kurosawa shinobi… killed him… before they took their own lives," the attendant finished, the words tumbling out quickly, as though he feared lingering on them would provoke more wrath from his Kage.

Nao's breath caught in his throat. 'Suicide? Were they under some kind of genjutsu?'

His mind raced as he considered the possibility. Genjutsu could explain the bizarre nature of the attack—why the Kurosawa shinobi would kill the Minazuki clan head, then immediately take their own lives.

"Was it genjutsu?" he muttered under his breath before repeating the question aloud.

"Was there any sign of genjutsu?"

The attendant shook his head. "We don't know, but it's possible. The attack happened in broad daylight. Witnesses saw it unfold… but no one could intervene in time."

Nao closed his eyes, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. 'In broad daylight?'

It was brazen, a deliberate attempt to cause chaos. The village was already on edge, and now this—an assassination that could plunge Kusagakure into civil war.

"Lock down the village," Nao ordered suddenly, his voice firm. "No one leaves or enters until we understand what's going on. I want every available shinobi mobilized. We can't let this spiral out of control."

The attendant nodded quickly, rushing out of the room to carry out the orders. Ryota, meanwhile, stayed behind, watching his Kage with quiet concern.

Nao leaned back against his desk, his mind swirling with bitter thoughts.

'I really shouldn't have taken that deal,' he thought again, the regret weighing heavier on him now than ever before. The deal he had made, whatever its nature, was coming back to haunt him, and it was threatening to tear Kusagakure apart from the seams.

He stood abruptly, pushing away the dark thoughts that threatened to consume him. There was no time to wallow in regret.

'I need to deal with this. If I don't mediate between the Kurosawa and Minazuki clans, this will escalate into civil war.'

And worse still, most of Kusagakure's shinobi were stationed at the borders, protecting the village from external threats. If the two clans turned on each other, there would be no one left to protect the village from within.

As Nao gathered his composure and prepared to leave his office, far away, Yano, Renjiro, and Kakashi were well on their way out of the Land of Grass. Their mission had been completed, their objective met with precise execution. The assassination of the two clan heads had been the final stroke in their efforts to destabilize Kusagakure from within.

They moved swiftly, their steps silent as they travelled through the dense forest. Renjiro was beside Yano, his mind reflecting on the events of the day.

The plan to kill the two clan heads had been Yano's idea. Originally, they had considered using genjutsu to simplify the matter, forcing the two leaders to kill each other. It would have been a quick, decisive way to destroy Kusagakure from within. But Yano had opted for a different route.

"We'll frame Iwa again," Yano had said earlier, his voice calm and measured as always.

"An earth spike for the Kurosawa leader—simple enough to mimic Iwa's style. As for the Minazuki head… we'll use Renjiro's Sharingan on a few Kurosawa shinobi. Have them kill him. Leave just enough traces for Kusagakure to suspect foul play."

Renjiro had been confused by this. "Leave a trail?" he had asked, furrowing his brow beneath his mask.

"Won't that give Kusagakure an excuse to come after Konoha?"

Kakashi, too, had seemed unsure. "What's the point of leaving evidence?" he had asked.

"Isn't the whole point of this mission to stay undetected?"

Yano had smiled beneath his mask, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "It'll confuse them," he explained.

"If we leave just enough evidence, Kusagakure won't know who to blame. They'll suspect Iwa because of the earth jutsu and the other traces we left behind. But if they find traces of a Sharingan's influence… well, that complicates things, doesn't it? They'll start questioning whether Konoha was involved."

"And if they can't be sure, they won't be able to act decisively. The Hokage can play it off, and start a blame game with Iwa. With how the Tsuchikage is, they'll be too busy arguing with each other For Kusagakure to attack anyone."

Renjiro had been impressed, despite himself. The plan was clever, deceptively simple but layered with misdirection. But as the feeling of admiration settled in, it was quickly overshadowed by something darker.

'The village administration can put this much thought into their schemes… but when it comes to fully integrating the Uchiha clan back into the village, is where they draw the line?'

He had clenched his jaw at the thought, his face darkening beneath his mask. Thankfully, neither Yano nor Kakashi had noticed the shift in his mood. His mask, as always, concealed his true thoughts.

By the time they arrived back in Konoha, the moon hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the village. Yano dismissed the two of them with a nod. "Good work. I'll handle the report to the Commander."

Renjiro watched Yano disappear into the night before doing a quick lap around the village, a habit he had picked up as a precaution against being followed. Once he was sure no one had tailed him, he made his way home, sighing quietly as he stepped through the door.

The mission had been a success, but despite the relief of returning home, Renjiro couldn't shake the feeling that this was far from over.

'Kusagakure is in chaos now, but that doesn't mean the storm has passed.'

He closed his eyes, exhaustion settling over him like a heavy blanket. But even as he prepared to rest, his mind remained alert, ever watchful.

'Things are likely far from over.'

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