Envoy

Envoy

With the Jinchuriki and his most valued disciple defecting, Ōnoki naturally had to deal with the matter urgently.

Xu Yue took the opportunity to request that the Five-Tails Jinchuriki accompany him, and Ōnoki naturally agreed.

They had gathered intelligence on this strange merchant’s tendency to enjoy being around Jinchuriki.

They might have hesitated if he had made this request before.

But the Six-Tails, the One-Tail, and even the Seven-Tails he had bought were all perfectly fine, so there was nothing to worry about.

Xu Yue successfully lured Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, into a small room and got the job done.

At this point, of the nine tailed beasts, only the Two-Tails lady from the Land of Lightning remained.

Originally, Xu Yue only needed to continue onward as a merchant as planned. But plans could not keep up with changes. His Wood Clone, which had remained in Konoha, sent a message through the Summoning Snake, saying it was time to exchange memories…

A few days earlier, Konoha…

Konoha’s Black Flash had been removed from Konoha’s records. Coupled with what he had done in the Land of Water, the ninja world had given Xu Yue a new title: the Black Flash of Clan Annihilation. Though it still sounded rather perfunctory, it increased his Comprehensive Reputation a little more.

Meanwhile, an Anbu member codenamed "Yue" had appeared within Konoha’s Anbu, handling documents every day.

Whoosh~

Another masked Anbu figure arrived before "Yue," speaking in a listless tone through dead-fish eyes.

"The Envoy of the Land of Lightning will be here soon. Come greet them with me. I’m worried something might go wrong."

"They’re here for peace talks. What could possibly go wrong?"

After answering in an indifferent tone, "Yue" did not refuse. He sorted the documents and headed out with the other man.

Two afterimages flashed past. The two Anbu members landed one after the other on the rooftops overlooking both sides of the road at Konoha’s gate. They silently watched the grand, formal envoy procession and the crowds gathered along the road to welcome them.

They scrutinized every suspicious detail, guarding against any unforeseen incident.

The middle-aged man serving as the Land of Lightning’s envoy rode a fine horse, constantly waving from its back at the welcoming crowds around him.

His face held an arrogant expression, and he had deliberately slowed his horse to a crawl, causing the entire envoy procession to advance at an unusually sluggish pace.

What should have been an ordinary welcome gradually took on a different flavor, as though the other side had come specifically to show off.

It was clearly a normal diplomatic visit, yet it carried an unmistakable air of swaggering intimidation.

Yet there was nothing they could say about it. They could not find any fault in the other party’s conduct, and at this particular time, they truly needed to yield a little.

The Uchiha Clan Annihilation and the defection of two Uchiha Clan prodigies had undoubtedly dealt Konoha a massive blow.

Fortunately, the Third Hokage was still alive, Konoha’s former prestige remained, and Two of the Sannin had merely gone traveling. Their foundation was still intact.

Through the Third Hokage’s seasoned political skills, the Land of Wind, their ally, and the Land of Water, which was still rebuilding after Mei Terumi took power, had both ceased to be problems.

He had also temporarily stabilized the Land of Earth by sending envoys there.

Only the Land of Lightning had acted after receiving the news. The Cloud Hidden Village had proactively sent an envoy for peace talks.

Since the end of the Third Ninja War, the Land of Lightning had been the only nation that had not signed a peace agreement with the Land of Fire.

It was like Russia and Japan after World War II in the modern era. The lack of a ceasefire agreement did not mean they would truly fight again, but when Russia occasionally flew strategic bombers around the islands, there was nothing Japan could really say about it.

If Kumogakure had sent an envoy for peace talks before, Konoha would naturally have had no issues at all. But choosing this delicate moment suggested they had other intentions.

Still, for peace, and for Konoha to recover from the pain of the Uchiha Clan Annihilation, they had to hold peace talks…

So even if their envoy behaved somewhat arrogantly, Konoha could not show any displeasure.

"They’re truly cunning. The moment you ‘defected,’ they eagerly sent an envoy over. They’re probably planning to make outrageous demands."

Kakashi’s expression could not be seen beneath his mask, but his emotions still conveyed anger and helplessness.

What had happened to Xu Yue, along with the truth behind the Uchiha Clan, had dealt him a tremendous blow.

Had Obito, Rin, and his teacher not died one after another, tempering his heart into something strong, he might still have been unable to pull himself out of his despair and face reality, just like Might Guy.

"I don’t think so. Perhaps their terms for peace will be very simple."

Xu Yue’s Wood Clone stood on the roof, his tone somewhat strange.

Though the space’s corrective force was incredibly strong, his interference had indeed grown greater and greater, especially regarding events occurring around him.

This should have happened several years earlier. Had it been forcibly delayed until now?

That battle with the Fourth Raikage and the others on the battlefield must have left some shadow in their hearts.

Peace talks with the Land of Lightning.

Hinata’s abduction.

Hizashi Hyuga’s death.

It seemed these events were about to happen.

Then Xu Yue spotted a little blond child among the welcoming crowd. A hint of nostalgia appeared in his eyes, and when he saw the paint bucket in the child’s hand, he could not help but smile wryly.

Counting the dates, today was…

Heh~

The next instant, he vanished from where he stood…

A little boy had an overturned paint bucket on his head, red paint dripping all over him. He bared his teeth and claws at the masked Anbu figure before him, letting out an angry childish shout.

"I haven’t even done anything yet! How could you do this?!"

Naruto had pulled pranks more than once or twice to get everyone’s attention. At least every previous time, he had only been punished after finishing the prank. But this time, before he had even acted, not only had the other party confiscated his tools…

After looking at the red paint, he had actually turned around and dumped it over Naruto’s head.

This was just too much!

After Xu Yue’s hand slipped, he looked at Naruto, whose hair had been dyed red, and could not help smiling.

Naruto had actually been quite cute as a child. He even resembled his mother a little now, especially with his hair dyed red. He only grew more and more unfortunate-looking later on…

"But I just wanted to see what it would be like."

Xu Yue teased Naruto slightly as he watched him lose his temper.

But upon hearing Xu Yue’s words, Naruto stopped complaining. A faint, nearly imperceptible disappointment appeared on his little face.

So I really am annoying, huh? Even this masked clown had to dump a paint bucket over my head.

For a moment, amid the originally lively welcoming crowd, though laughter and cheerful voices surrounded him, he still felt his own loneliness. He felt completely out of place with everything around him, as if he were the only person left in the world.

He completely lost the mood to pull any more pranks. Dejected, the small figure silently squeezed his way out of the crowd.

But just as he emerged from the crowd, the empty paint bucket he had left behind was placed back over his head.

"All right, I’ll treat you to ramen as an apology. But first, we need to wash you up…"