Disturbances (VI)

We're way too few people to deal with that kind of shit, the ANBU operative known as 'Owl' thought with a frown that was hidden behind his mask. Now we have an intruder who not only managed to infiltrate us unnoticed but also almost escaped with no one the wiser in addition to all the regular stuff we're already dealing with.

"That's where he went over the wall," the shadow clone at his side said. "I followed him, but-"

It didn't get to finish the sentence before puffing out of existence.

Neither he nor his other comrades, all of them experienced shinobi, stopped, even though they all knew what this meant.

Infiltrating the village, successfully escaping, and then even killing one of our own, he mentally updated his list of crimes committed by this unknown enemy with a resignation born of having seen many of his comrades perish in battle.

"Kazuma-san, welcome in Konoha. Did you have a good journey?"

The other man smiled brightly at him. "I did, thank you, Hokage-sama. I hope you're well? Asuma asked me to make sure you're not working too hard, you see."

They exchanged mostly meaningless pleasantries while they talked, the irony of it not being lost on him. Kazuma doubtlessly held resentment towards him for representing the village he so despised while Hiruzen himself disliked the man for not only being a danger to his home but also for being the murderer of one of his shinobi. Oh, he had no proof, of course, but it didn't take a genius to come to that conclusion.

If everything went well, several members of the Administrative Collective would be taken into custody before the day was over. It was unlikely that any of them could withstand even easy interrogation, so they should have sufficient proof to imprison Kazuma without causing a political incident soon enough.

"So, Hokage-sama," the man finally said. "To get to the topic I came for. Can you please explain the presence of so many rogues in the countryside? Daimyo-dono is most anxious about so many bandits and hostile missing-nins that close to his home, you understand."

Hiruzen hummed and took a puff from his pipe before he replied in a confused tone. "I do understand, of course, but as far as I know, none of those rogues has made any big moves so far. Certainly nothing that would give us reason to worry. Their number increased, but the number of crimes stayed mostly the same." Considering they had already concluded that Kazuma most likely let them into the country himself to act as decoys for his real agents, that was no surprise.

"Be that as it may, they're still dangerous. Just because they didn't act yet doesn't mean they will not do so in the future."

"You're right," he agreed easily. "But you can assure your liege-"

"Our liege, Hokage-sama."

"Of course," he said while hiding his amusement at the very much anticipated correction. "Forgive me. You can assure our liege that the situation is completely under our control and that those rogues pose no threat to him."

Kazuma narrowed his eyes. "You want me to tell him that dozens of groups of bandits whose members are missing-nin pose no threat? Are you sure you're taking this seriously enough?"

"I can guarantee you-"

"Empty promises are as useless to me as they are to Daimyo-dono. Maybe you're not quite aware of how serious-"

"I'm very aware of the situation, Kazuma-san," he said with a hard voice, making the other man's mouth snap shut with an audible 'click'. "We have almost every single group under permanent surveillance and regular patrols all over the country ever since these groups started appearing some years ago. We know what they're doing and when they're doing it. If you have any information you would like to share to convince me that I'm missing something essential, however, you're welcome to do so." He stayed silent for a moment to allow Kazuma to speak if he wished to and only continued when it became clear he didn't. "Can I assume that there is nothing you would want to say, then?"

A nod.

"Wonderful."

After that, their conversation returned once more to one of mere pleasantries, even if it was much stiffer than before.

Ever since the last war had ended, the various villages had taken measures to safeguard the peace. No one was foolish enough to believe it would last forever, of course, but everyone knew that another war at this point in time would not be worth it. So, for as long as it took for them to regain their strength, they would need to keep the status quo.

Konoha and Kumogakure were no exception to that, although these two villages were probably the ones who came out best from the last conflict.

So, to guarantee good relationships between their two villages, they have sent many one embosser and delegates over the years to talk about treaties both parties knew would be broken in secret by each other. These treaties contained agreements on trade, the number of shinobi that were allowed into the smaller countries between them, information exchanges, and even a mutual protection pact. Still, it was only now, almost six years after the end of the Third Shinobi War, that the final signing would take place. That was why he, the Head Ninja of Kumo, was here.

At least officially. Unofficially, he had another mission.

His village had been interested in the Kekkei Genkai of other villages for quite some time now. It wasn't easy to steal one as its carriers were rarely willing to change sides and the few missing-nin who had one were ruthlessly hunted down by their former comrades to stop other villages from taking advantage of them. You could kidnap children or even try to kidnap adults and get them to have children, but that wasn't easy either; children were well-protected and adults that could be kidnapped usually killed themselves before they let something like this happen to them.

Which was why his current position was so precious. Yes, he was under surveillance, but once he managed to get away from his watchers, he had almost unlimited access to the entire village. Being in the very heart of it, all its bloodlines were presented to him on a silver plate. As long as there was no proof, he could kidnap a child of one of the clans without fearing any retaliation. Oh, sure, they would suspect him, but what could they do? He didn't plan to be in the village anymore by the time they noticed the missing child and they would surely not start a war over it. Not yet, at least.

It was a bit risky, of course. Konoha was known to do things other villages considered crazy all the damn time. But alas, his Kage had ordered him to do so and that was the end of it.

Initially, they had planned to kidnap only the Hyūga heiress. She could be moulded to either be a loyal Kumo kunoichi –she was certainly young enough- or, if that didn't happen, be of other use later on. Or, in the worst case, they could just take her eyes.

Then two years ago, the Chūnin Exams happened and the Raikage changed the plan. They would still go after the girl, but aside from that, they would also try to get the Sharingan. These eyes were long since known to be powerful, but the demonstration of the Uchiha heir against Yugito had brought that point home once again. By kidnapping the boy -or any other Uchiha brat, really- they would not only take care of someone that would become a problem in the future – damn Konoha and all their bloody prodigies - but also gain a powerful asset.

At least, that had been the plan.

"Good evening, Tee-san."

He jumped around, ready to defend himself against whoever had managed to sneak up on him and expecting to see the shinobi that had observed him earlier. After all, maybe he hadn't done as good of a job to get rid of them as he had thought. Instead, he found a black-haired woman smiling at him, wearing casual clothes that would make him mistake her for a civilian were it not for the strong chakra he could feel emitting from her.

"I hope you didn't get lost. It must be confusing for someone from another village to find his way through all the streets and alleys, especially during the night when it's dark."

Now he recognized her; Mikoto Uchiha, mother of his target. The sight made him grit his teeth. That woman was a former Jōnin, meaning he wouldn't be able to kill her quickly before anyone noticed him. Any fight between them would only attract more enemies, making his mission impossible.

"Uchiha-sama," he said. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm quite alright. I'm just taking a little stroll, enjoying the night and all that."

"Ah, I see," she said with a gentle smile. "That's understandable. After all, we're doing the same. Isn't that right, dear?"

"Naturally," a voice behind him said, making him jump around again. "It would be a shame to miss the opportunity to watch the starry sky on such a clear night, after all."

Wicked Eye Fugaku, he thought with a scowl. How did both of them sneak up on me…?

"Say, Tee-san," Fugaku continued. "The weather in Kumogakure is much colder than it is here, isn't it?"

"Yes?"

It was the man's wife who spoke up next. "We were just wondering why you were wearing a cloak, that's all. I mean, it's even hiding your face! That must be horribly hot for you."

That was when he realized what was going on: they knew. It wasn't an accident that the Clan Head and his wife, both formidable shinobi in their own right, confronted him when he was just about to infiltrate their district. Konoha knew we would do something and prepared accordingly, he thought. It wasn't a secret that his village was interested in Kekkei Genkai, so it wasn't a stretch to assume all the clans had been warned and put on high alert.

"Oh, I see!" Mikoto suddenly exclaimed as she clasped her hands in front of her as if she had just had a revelation. "You don't want to be recognized, do you? Our villages were at odds not too long ago, so you wanted to avoid problems."

He just barely stopped his eyes from narrowing as he answered with a smile on his lips after taking off his mask. "Haha, you looked right through me, Uchiha-sama." Why were they playing along? They knew his intentions, he was sure of it, so why-

Oh, he thought. They play along because they want to keep up appearances. For the sake of peace, they acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Both parties would know about their attempt, and both parties would stay silent about it. The cold war between our villages will probably increase tenfold, though.

"Well," he finally said. "It was nice to meet you, but I really should go now. I have a meeting with the Hokage early tomorrow and would like to get a few hours of sleep before that."

He had just turned around when Fugaku spoke up from his right. "Let us accompany you. We don't want you to get lost, after all."

"That's really not-"

"We insist," Mikoto added from where she appeared on his other side with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "We would hardly be good hosts if we just let you go on your own, now, would we?"

Understanding that he had no choice in that matter, he agreed. It were an uncomfortable 15 minutes until they reached his hotel, filled with polite comments and subtle threats.

For a second, he wondered if his comrades that went after the Hyūga girl had better luck.

He seriously doubted it.