Chapter 4 — The Night the leaf Watched
The winter air was crisp, the kind that cut through cloth and found the skin beneath. Beyond Konoha's great gates, the mountains stood dusted with frost, the dirt road gleaming faintly where the morning ice had begun to melt.
The Kumogakure delegation approached in a slow, deliberate procession. Banners — black with gold lightning bolts — rippled against the pale sky. Their escort was small, but every shinobi was tall, broad-shouldered, and moved with the measured confidence of trained predators.
Minato Namikaze stood before the open gates, Hokage cloak trailing in the cold wind, the bold kanji for Fourth Hokageshifting with the fabric. His expression was one of polite welcome, but there was nothing soft in the way he studied them.
The delegation halted. Their leader — a lean man with silver-streaked hair and eyes like polished steel — stepped forward. His gaze swept over the gates, the walls, and the subtle layers of sealwork that pulsed faintly along the wood.
"Hokage-sama," the man said with a shallow bow. "Our journey was without trouble. Kumogakure thanks you for your welcome."
Minato inclined his head. "I'm pleased to hear it. You'll find your quarters prepared in the east quarter. My people will guide you there once the formal greetings are done."
As they exchanged bows, Minato caught the small movements behind the leader — two younger shinobi scanning the rooftops and treeline, counting guard positions, noting patrol patterns. He didn't react.
Instead, his tone stayed even. "Your delegation will have full access to our public districts and training fields arranged for the treaty discussions. If you require anything beyond that, my office will address it."
"Of course," the Kumo leader replied smoothly.
Overhead, ANBU shifted silently between rooftops, their masks catching the faintest glint of light. No movement went unobserved.
Minato stepped aside, allowing the Kumo delegation to enter under escort. His eyes followed them as they passed through the gates and into the village proper.
The banquet hall was warm with lantern light, the air heavy with the scent of roasted meats, seasoned rice, and fresh-baked breads. Long tables stretched down the center of the room, set with lacquered dishes and small arrangements of pine and winter berries.
Clan heads and senior shinobi sat interspersed with the visiting Kumo delegation, their conversations a blend of polite words and careful listening.
Minato sat at the head of the main table, posture straight, his Hokage cloak folded neatly over the back of his chair. At his right sat Hiashi Hyūga, expression calm but eyes keen, every movement measured. To Minato's left, Shikaku Nara leaned back slightly, his gaze drifting but his mind clearly tracking every exchange.
The Kumo delegation's leader, Hideo, lifted his sake cup in a small toast. "Konoha has rebuilt quickly. The streets outside were bustling."
Minato inclined his head. "We take pride in our resilience." His tone light.
Dinner continued with polite exchanges, but the undertones were clear to anyone paying attention: Kumo probing, Konoha answering without giving ground.
When the final dishes were cleared, Minato stood. "It's been an honor to host you this evening. Rest well — tomorrow, we'll begin the formal treaty discussions."
The delegation rose, offering respectful bows. As they filed out under ANBU escort toward their prepared quarters, Minato caught Shikaku's eye across the table.
They're interested in more than trade agreements.
Shikaku's minute nod was all the confirmation he needed.
Beneath Konoha, far below the well-lit banquet hall and the chatter of diplomacy, the air was cool and dry. Stone corridors gave way to a wide chamber lined with sealing arrays etched directly into the walls. Pale blue light pulsed faintly from the runes, casting long shadows across the masked figures inside.
The Barrier Corps division of ANBU operated here, a place few outside the highest ranks even knew existed. Their task was constant: watch the village. Every street, every compound, every guest quarter lay within the invisible lattice of seals woven into Konoha's walls and rooftops. Chakra signatures flowed through the matrix like threads in a loom, each one tagged, catalogued, and compared.
Tonight, the seals hummed with a steady rhythm — until one chakra signature spiked in intensity.
"Channel three," the squad captain ordered, his voice low but sharp.
A scribe shifted a control tag, and the faint blue glow from one wall flared brighter, resolving into a projection — not an image, but a chakra-trace paired with sound.
The voices were clear enough to make the ANBU still.
"…the Hyūga heiress," one Kumo shinobi was saying. "We take her, and the Byakugan comes with her."
"Timing?" another voice asked.
"Two nights from now. Late. The Hokage will be occupied with the treaty sessions. We enter from the east wall, move through the compound. The guards will be light at that hour."
"Extraction route?"
"Same way out. Swift and silent. The Raikage can deny everything if we're not seen."
The captain didn't waste a breath. "Seal the feed. Get this to the Hokage. Now."
One operative vanished in a swirl of leaves, reappearing in the Hokage's office less than a minute later.
Minato was still in his formal robes from the banquet, standing at his desk when the ANBU knelt before him and laid down the sealing tag.
"They're making a move on the Hyūga," the operative said simply.
Minato's fingers brushed the tag. The recorded chakra-echo played in the air, the words of the Kumo shinobi filling the room. His eyes narrowed — calm, but cold.
"Good work," he said. "Keep the seals on them. I want every step they take from now on recorded."
As the ANBU vanished again, Minato reached for a fresh scroll. There were certain clan heads who needed to hear this tonight.
The Hokage's office was dim, lit only by the soft glow of two oil lamps. Outside, the village was wrapped in deep winter night, the streets empty but for the silent pass of ANBU shadows along the rooftops.
Minato stood at the head of the long table, the intercepted Barrier Corps recording set in the center for all to hear.
Around him sat the people he trusted most for something like this — Hiashi Hyūga, Shikaku Nara, Fugaku Uchiha, and two masked ANBU captains. Each of them had already listened to the Kumo delegation's plan once; now the last traces of the recording faded into the quiet.
Hiashi's expression was unreadable, but his voice was firm. "You're certain this isn't a fabrication?"
"Completely," Minato said. "Their chakra signatures match those assigned to the delegation's bodyguards. The conversation took place inside their assigned quarters less than two hours ago."
Fugaku's dark eyes narrowed. "They think we'll wait for proof before acting."
"We already have it," Minato replied. "They expect the Hyūga compound to be lightly guarded. Instead, we'll make it the most secure place in the village."
Shikaku leaned forward, fingers steepled. "And you want them to walk into it."
"Exactly. We're going to let them follow their plan — right into a trap they can't escape." Minato's gaze shifted to Hiashi. "We'll need your cooperation to move the heiress and other key clan members out without alerting the enemy."
Hiashi gave a short nod. "The family can be relocated to a secure holding in the western compound. We'll leave the room arranged exactly as they expect to find it."
Minato's voice stayed even, but the precision of his words carried weight. "Kushina and I will prepare the seals. Layered suppression, and immobilization seals. The moment they step into the room, they'll be bound and cut off from chakra entirely."
Minato said. "This is not a battle. This is an arrest."
Shikaku's smirk was faint but approving. "Clean and quiet. Hard to argue with the results."
"Exactly," Minato said. "We will have witnesses — clan representatives and ANBU — present when we unmask them. Kumo will have no deniability."
The meeting closed in under half an hour, each participant leaving by a different route into the sleeping village. Minato stayed a moment longer, hands braced on the table, thinking through each step of the plan.
When he finally left the office, his pace was steady — not hurried, but deliberate. The trap was already being set.
The night of the second day was moonless, the village wrapped in stillness. From the outside, the Hyūga compound seemed unchanged — guards patrolled the walls, lanterns glowed softly in the walkways, and the gentle rustle of winter wind moved through the courtyard trees.
Inside, however, the true heiress and the core family members were nowhere near their usual rooms. Hiashi had personally escorted them to a secure location hours earlier. The "Hinata" room had been left as it was — small bed, folded blankets, and a soft lamp glow — but every surface in and around it had been layered in seals.
The work had been meticulous. Minato's coordinate-lock arrays traced invisible lines from floor to ceiling, each linked to Kushina's suppression spirals etched beneath the tatami mats. A final ring of anti–space-time glyphs pulsed faintly in the doorframe, invisible to the naked eye but deadly to any teleportation attempt.
From the shadows above, ANBU and Hyūga guards waited in perfect silence.
Just past midnight, three Kumo shinobi slipped over the outer wall, their movements sharp and efficient. They followed their mapped route without hesitation — through the east corridor, past the guard rotation they thought was genuine, toward the heiress's quarters.
The first one tested the door with a careful push. It slid open without resistance.
They stepped inside.
The moment the last one's foot crossed the threshold, the room came alive with a faint hum — and then, in an instant, they froze.
Binding seals flared around their ankles, wrists, and torso, rooting them in place. The chakra suppression field fell like a weighted net, cutting off their flow entirely. The leader's eyes widened as he realized he couldn't even form a thought toward jutsu — his chakra was locked, cold and inert.
A voice came from the doorway. Calm. Controlled.
"You didn't even make it past the first seal."
Minato stepped into the room, Hokage cloak brushing the frame. Behind him, Hiashi entered, his gaze sharp as steel. Two ANBU captains flanked them, masks expressionless.
Kushina appeared last, her eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint as she looked over the immobilized intruders. "Hope your Raikage told you what happens next."
The leader said nothing. One of the younger operatives tried to move — and found even the attempt stolen from him by the seals.
Hiashi stepped closer, his voice low. "You came into my home for my daughter. That is the only reason you still draw breath — because the Hokage wishes it so."
The Kumo shinobi were disarmed, tagged with transport seals, and taken away without a single blow exchanged.
By the time the room was empty again, not a scrap of sealing paper remained — only the faint scent of ink and the quiet weight of a trap sprung perfectly.
Morning light spilled into the council chamber, casting long shadows across the polished wood. The Kumo delegation stood clustered near the center, their leader Hideo looking composed — almost too composed — as if nothing unusual had happened overnight.
Minato entered with calm, deliberate steps, Hokage cloak trailing behind him. Hiashi followed, his posture as rigid as a drawn bow, and behind them two ANBU captains carried a sealed scroll between them.
The room quieted.
"We need to address an incident," Minato began, voice even but carrying to every corner. "Last night, three members of the Kumogakure delegation left their assigned quarters without clearance. They entered the Hyūga compound, into the private quarters of the heiress, under cover of darkness."
Hideo's face did not change. "That is a serious accusation, Hokage-sama."
Minato's eyes didn't waver. "It's not an accusation." He nodded to the ANBU. One stepped forward, unsealing the scroll onto the floor — a shimmering projection sprang to life, formed from the Barrier Corps' recorded chakra feed.
Clear as day, the voices from two nights ago filled the chamber: "…the Hyūga heiress. We take her, and the Byakugan comes with her…" followed by the full route, the timing, the entry plan.
When the recording faded, Minato let the silence stretch.
"This," he continued, "was intercepted before your operatives even made their move. They were captured inside the heiress's quarters without a fight. Their chakra was sealed and they were taken into custody. They will not be harmed — but they will be returned to Kumogakure with a full record of their actions."
Hideo's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "You expect me to believe this wasn't fabricated to undermine our talks?"
Minato stepped forward, closing the distance between them until the air seemed to still. "You can believe whatever you like. What matters is that Konoha has proof — and I am presenting it here, with witnesses from every major clan." His tone never rose, but the weight in it was unmistakable. "If this becomes public, it will be your village's reputation that burns."
Hiashi's voice cut in, low and sharp. "You trespassed in my home, for my child. You are fortunate Konoha prefers diplomacy."
The faintest flicker of unease crossed Hideo's face. "Then what do you propose, Hokage-sama?"
Minato straightened. "You will sign the peace treaty as agreed — without amendments, without delay. You will take your people and leave within the day. And you will consider this your only warning. Any further violation will be treated as an act of war."
For a long moment, no one moved. Then Hideo inclined his head, the gesture stiff and without warmth. "Very well."
The meeting ended soon after, the delegation escorted from the village under watchful eyes.