The Third Hokage frowned deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"These past few years, we've searched endlessly for any trace of the Sky Country. But we've found nothing. If we had, we'd already have captured the rogue Hyūga Shigeo and given the other villages an explanation."
The Cloud envoy slammed a palm on the desk.
"No need to keep looking. We already know where Hyūga Shigeo is. So answer one question, Sarutobi — if we form a joint alliance army to attack the Sky Country, will Konoha participate or not?"
The room fell silent.
Sarutobi exchanged glances with Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.
Homura spoke first, his tone steady but sharp.
"Konoha has its own methods of investigation and principles of action. If you wish to form an alliance army, you should ask the other three great villages — not come here shouting demands. Hyūga Shigeo killed Lord Danzō and defected seven years ago. The entire shinobi world knows that. What he does now — we may take responsibility, or we may not. It's our decision."
"So you're saying you'll do nothing?" the envoy barked.
"Not 'nothing,'" Sarutobi replied calmly. "It means this: if the other great villages agree to the coalition, Konoha will cooperate. If they refuse, we will abstain. We stand with the consensus — nothing more, nothing less."
In other words — they would follow the wind, whichever way it blew.
No provocations, no risks — and no blame.
"Fine," the envoy spat. "Then prepare yourselves."
He turned sharply, his retinue following him out of the Hokage's office.
Once the room was empty, Sarutobi's face hardened.
"Seven years of silence… and now he resurfaces," he murmured. His fists clenched behind his back.
He hadn't forgotten.
The death of Shimura Danzō still burned in his memory — the humiliation, the outrage.
That boy had toyed with him, turned a sixty-year-old Hokage into a fool before the entire world.
He remembered the trap — the false summoning that had drawn Shigeo into the Forest of Death.
The perfect seal formation, the waiting ambush.
And yet Shigeo had flipped it on them — pretended capture, slipped into Konoha right under their eyes, then vanished completely.
For two years, the five great villages had accused him of harboring the boy and hoarding the seven Tailed Beasts.
Even Iwagakure had threatened to spark a Fourth Great Ninja War if he didn't share the supposed spoils.
Konoha had walked on diplomatic glass for years — until the day the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was nearly killed by Shigeo himself.
Only then did they believe Sarutobi wasn't hiding him.
And now, after all these years… he was back.
Sarutobi's knuckles whitened.
"For the Leaf… for Danzō… and for my pride — I'll see you buried, Hyūga Shigeo."
Far from Konoha, in a quiet town thirty miles south of the village, Team 7 had just left a cinema.
Naruto Uzumaki stretched his arms, still grinning from the movie.
"That was awesome! But… what kind of mission needs us here, anyway? Why did Kakashi-sensei tell us to wait outside this place?"
Sasuke Uchiha didn't answer. Neither did Sakura.
Because both had noticed the same thing — the sound of hooves.
On the other side of the courtyard wall, a white horse leapt into view.
Riding it was none other than Fujikaze Yukie, the famous actress — known to the world as "Princess Gale."
Behind her, armored men on horseback gave chase, blades drawn.
"She's in danger!" Naruto shouted — and dashed forward before anyone could stop him.
Sakura and Sasuke followed instantly, plunging into the fray.
Steel clashed, dust flew — the small town erupted into chaos.
Moments later, a familiar lazy voice cut through the noise.
"Yo… that's enough."
Kakashi Hatake appeared, his single visible eye narrowing.
Within minutes, the fight ended.
Once everyone had calmed down, the truth came out — the "attackers" were actually the actress's own production staff. Her manager, Mr. Sandayū, had staged the chase scene to force her cooperation for a new film shoot.
"In short," Kakashi explained, "our mission is to protect Miss Fujikaze Yukie, who will be portraying Princess Gale."
The elegant actress frowned coldly.
"If we're really going to the Land of Snow, I refuse to rely on these children. I already have someone in mind for my protection."
She reached into her pack and pulled out a small diary locked with a code.
Opening it carefully, she took out a folded yellow paper inscribed with red ink — a summoning talisman written in an ancient script.
"This is a seal connected to someone who truly wields seven-colored chakra," she said solemnly. Her eyes softened, almost reverent.
Naruto tilted his head. "Seven-colored chakra? Who's that supposed to be?"
"If you want me to go," Yukie said, "then sign this."
She threw a contract toward Kakashi.
Naruto and his teammates leaned in. The agreement was detailed but harmless — except for one clause forbidding conflict with "the invited shinobi." Any violation would require Konoha to pay full compensation for damages.
Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly.
"Haha… maybe we should, uh, consult the village first about this one."
Yukie folded her arms. "Do as you please. I don't need you otherwise."
Naruto's impatience flared.
"Aw, come on! What's there to think about? Even if that guy's some rogue ninja, we'll just avoid fighting him, right? Protecting a big movie star — that's like a dream mission!"
Before Kakashi could stop him, Naruto grabbed the pen and scrawled his signature at the bottom of the page.
"See, done!" he said proudly, handing the signed paper to Yukie. "Now you can relax, Princess Gale!"
Yukie glanced at it, nodded slightly, and withdrew the talisman again.
She took a deep breath — and set it alight.
As the flame died, a shimmering vortex of chakra formed in the center of the filming lot.
The air twisted, light rippled — and from within the vortex, a figure slowly emerged.
A tall young man, dressed in deep blue, his long dark hair flowing behind him.
His eyes — like mirrored seas — glowed faintly with power.
Seven colors of chakra radiated around his body like an aurora.
Naruto's jaw dropped.
Sakura froze mid-step. Even Kakashi's visible eye widened.
The man's gaze lifted, calm and sharp.
Hyūga Shigeo had arrived.
(End of Chapter)
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