When she saw Neiki, Tsume Inuzuka finally realized why Shikaku Nara was there.
She looked at Neiki, then at Shikaku.
The latter quietly stepped between her and Neiki, shaking his head slightly.
The message was clear.
No matter what—hold back.
“Why are you here?” Shikaku asked calmly.
“Looking for Hanabi,” Neiki glanced at him and said lightly, “It’s the dying wish of my clan leader. I must fulfill it.”
… This bastard.
“You have five minutes left,” Shikaku reminded coldly.
“No need to worry,” Neiki said. His gaze went past Shikaku and landed on Tsume Inuzuka. He grinned and pointed to the Inuzuka clan compound.
“Long time no see, Tsume-senpai. I can smell the delicious dog meat inside. Can I take one for a midnight snack?”
Tsume’s eyes widened.
“—Die!!!”
“Shadow Possession Jutsu!”
Almost simultaneously with Tsume’s outburst, Shikaku, who was already prepared, used his shadow jutsu to restrain Tsume and the nearby Kō Inuzuka.
Due to the Inuzuka clan’s beast-like straightforwardness, Tsume was particularly notorious for her impulsive nature. Shikaku had little hope that Tsume could endure Neiki’s provocations.
When Neiki mentioned “dog meat,” Shikaku knew it would be bad.
Seeing Tsume’s ferocious expression under the shadow of Jutsu’s control, Shikaku sighed, knowing he had deeply offended her.
“Are you satisfied now?” Shikaku said to Neiki, his face dark.
“Not bad,” Neiki chuckled, glancing at Tsume before entering the Inuzuka compound.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for Hanabi. What if she’s in there?” Neiki replied.
“If she is, she’s already dead because of your bombs!” retorted the Jonin assigned to monitor Neiki.
Neiki ignored him and walked in. After a brief search, he came out with a charred dog.
Shikaku turned away silently. When it came to provoking others, Neiki was a genius.
“This dog is well-cooked. Want to share it, Shikaku-senpai?” Neiki offered.
The aroma of the cooked dog was enticing, but no one responded.
Neiki then pulled out two coins and placed them in front of the livid Tsume, smiling.
“I don’t take things for free.”
After that, he turned to leave for the next location. Shikaku suddenly called out:
“Do you really hate Konoha this much?”
Apart from the Hyuga massacre, his actions seemed driven by an incomprehensible hatred for Konoha. He destroyed the Hyuga clan, instigated the Uchiha rebellion, released the Nine-Tails, caused explosions, and created division in Konoha.
Neiki waved his hand without answering.
He had already explained many times.
He didn’t hate Konoha; he just wanted to see it decline.
Given Konoha’s size, its decline would be a significant, lengthy process.
Leaving Konoha’s downfall solely to the future Fourth Great Ninja War and other villages was too uncertain—not Neiki’s style.
Though Konoha appeared desolate on the surface, with the Hyuga massacre and Uchiha exodus, it still had considerable military potential.
Merely using Gen’o’s traps could destroy much of Konoha’s infrastructure and create chaos but wouldn’t significantly harm the ninjas. It would devastate Konoha physically but not its people. Otherwise, the original plan by Hono Village wouldn’t have required an inside man.
Moreover, a full-scale assault would only unite Konoha in adversity, strengthening its resolve—something Neiki wanted to avoid.
The Fourth Great Ninja War was imminent, and Neiki didn’t want Konoha to have high morale.
Murder.
Psychological warfare.
Creating division in Konoha.
These were the steps in the grand scheme of [Konoha’s Decline].
And the best use of Gen’o’s hundreds of thousands of explosive tags.
…
After Neiki left, Shikaku released his shadow jutsu and cautiously watched Tsume.
“If you’re really mad… you can hit me,” he offered.
Tsume didn’t respond, still staring in the direction Neiki had left. Kō Inuzuka, however, looked eager to take up the offer.
After a moment of silence, Tsume picked up the coins Neiki had thrown at her and put them in a special box for storing clues.
—The coins bore Neiki’s scent and would be useful someday.
“I’ll remember today’s events,” she said.
She remembered her hatred for Neiki.
And the humiliation from Shikaku.
Shikaku’s expression stiffened. The worst outcome had occurred—Tsume had been successfully alienated.
He dryly reminded her, “This is exactly what Neiki wants.”
“Does it matter?” Tsume retorted, shaking her head. “You should have accepted Neiki’s offer of half the dog.”
“After all, the downfall of my clan is the result of your cooperation with Neiki, isn’t it?”
Although the sequence of events did seem to suggest that… but… but…
Even Shikaku, usually so eloquent, found himself at a loss for words. Tsume had painted him as a co-conspirator with Neiki, and he had no rebuttal.
Hoping tsume’s anger would subside and things would improve, he said before leaving:
“This was for Konoha’s greater good… but regarding the Inuzuka clan’s future reconstruction, the Nara clan can take the lead.”
“No need. The Inuzuka clan… has no reconstruction plans for now,” Tsume said firmly, her eyes reflecting a certain emptiness. “I think it’s time I considered my clan’s future.”
Shikaku’s eyes narrowed, sensing a veiled threat. Was she considering leaving Konoha?
Just as he was about to speak, an explosion shook the air.
…
Neiki acted swiftly. Six minutes in, a ninja “attacked” Neiki. Neiki pressed the first button in retaliation, causing an explosion at the Akimichi clan compound.
This explosion resulted in no casualties, as the Akimichi clan had evacuated early. However, their leader, Chōza Akimichi, was furious as the fire consumed many valuable items.
“Ah, my snacks—” Chōji sobbed beside his father.
Hiruzen, arriving to check on the Akimichi clan, was relieved to hear there were no casualties.
“I’m sorry, Chōza. It was a medical ninja. We didn’t expect her to try and assassinate Nei—”
Before he could finish, another explosion echoed!
The Ninja Library, storing many of Konoha’s jutsu scrolls, was leveled. Neiki’s voice boomed from the sky:
“You Konoha people are really pushing it with these assassination attempts!”
Hiruzen stood in stunned silence for a few seconds before his face darkened.
Who tried to assassinate Neiki again?
Didn’t they know he had the Byakugan?
And why didn’t the two Jonin monitoring him stop it?!
His mind was flooded with questions and anger, but he suppressed his emotions, realizing Neiki might be orchestrating these opportunities to sow further discord.
“There’s only one minute left…”
Neiki and Konoha were searching for Hanabi, hoping to find her before the time ran out. But with the ten minutes almost over, it didn’t matter anymore.
Whether Neiki found Hanabi or not, he had agreed to leave Konoha in ten minutes and not cause any more explosions.
The promise was merely verbal, and either side could break it. But Neiki couldn’t afford the consequences of breaking his word. If he did, the enraged Konoha ninjas would tear him apart, even if it meant enduring explosions. So, the promise restrained Neiki, not Konoha.
From Konoha’s perspective, it was worth upholding.
The final second ticked by without incident.
Except…
“Neiki found Hanabi at the last moment,” an Anbu reported.
“Where did he find her?” Hiruzen asked out of curiosity.
“At… his house,” the Anbu hesitated.
Hiruzen clenched his fists.
Four words echoed in his mind.
Self-directed and self-performed.
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