Chapter 171: The Critical Moment

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: The Critical Moment

His chance encounter with Naruto on the street suddenly made Hyuga Kagami realize that the protagonists of the original timeline were gradually growing up.

It wouldn’t be long before they began making names for themselves throughout the shinobi world.

With both hands tucked into his pockets, Kagami walked past Ichiraku Ramen with his usual calm expression. He was in no hurry to make contact with Uzumaki Naruto, the so-called "Child of Prophecy."

Because the time had not yet come.

By the time Kagami returned home, his hands were still empty.

He had originally planned to bring back some three-color dango, but he had clearly underestimated just how popular they were among the villagers. By the time he reached the shop that sold them, the "Sold Out" sign had already been hanging outside for several hours.

Rei came out to greet him. "Kagami, welcome home!"

Before he had even stepped inside, Kagami caught the scent of something delicious. He sniffed the air.

"That smells good. Is that barbecue?"

Rei smiled and pulled Kagami into the house.

The moment he stepped inside, Kagami was greeted by the sight of an entire table covered with dishes.

He smiled. "What’s with the feast?"

Rei sat down to the side and let out a long breath of relief, patting her chest. "The war is finally over, so of course we have to celebrate properly! You have no idea—every time you went off to the battlefield, I was scared sick, always afraid that you might... Pah, pah! I shouldn’t say things like that."

Kagami smiled faintly, but deep down, he had a feeling that the clouds of war were still lingering over the village.

A few days later, Team 11’s leave came to an end, and they too joined the forces assigned to protect the Kumogakure delegation.

Kagami was quite pleased with the mission assigned by the Third Hokage. After all, this gave him a perfectly legitimate excuse to openly monitor the members of the Kumogakure delegation.

However, contrary to most people’s expectations, the Kumogakure delegation did not immediately leave Konoha and return to Kumogakure after signing the peace treaty. Instead, they remained in Konoha for the time being.

During this period, the delegation’s chief, Gloya, behaved just like an ordinary tourist, wandering through practically every street and alley in Konoha. Aside from restricted military areas, there was hardly a corner of the village he hadn’t visited.

Because of his status as the chief of the Kumogakure delegation, Konoha couldn’t exactly stop him, so they had no choice but to let him wander around as he pleased.

Kagami knew perfectly well that the man wasn’t simply sightseeing. He had to be plotting something.

However, because of the butterfly effect caused by Kagami’s own actions, even he couldn’t be certain whether Kumogakure was still targeting Hinata Hyuga, the young heiress of the Hyuga Main Family, just as they had in the original timeline.

At the same time, Kagami was certain that a high-level Kumogakure spy was hidden somewhere inside the village. Because of that, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that Gloya’s aimless wandering was actually an attempt to find an opportunity to make contact with the spy.

Several more days passed like this.

Then, without warning, Gloya suddenly broke from his usual routine and remained inside the delegation’s residence instead of wandering around the village.

The sun gradually sank below the horizon, and night descended.

Outside the Kumogakure delegation’s residence, Kagami and Shisui sat atop a large tree, casually chatting with each other to pass the time.

Suddenly, Shisui’s gaze sharpened. He pointed toward the courtyard of the Kumogakure delegation’s residence.

"Senpai, look over there!"

Kagami nodded. "Mm. I see him."

At that moment, a figure dressed entirely in black was stealthily climbing over the wall of the Kumogakure delegation’s residence.

"Byakugan!"

Kagami immediately activated his Byakugan.

With the Byakugan active, he quickly recognized the figure.

It was none other than Gloya, the chief of the Kumogakure delegation.

Kagami frowned as he said, "It’s Kumo’s chief envoy!"

Shisui didn’t seem particularly surprised. "I knew there was something off about that guy."

Still observing Gloya with his Byakugan, Kagami’s frown deepened.

"Something’s wrong with his chakra reserves. He looks like a Shadow Clone."

As he spoke, Kagami used his Byakugan to inspect the Kumogakure delegation’s residence again.

He discovered that only eleven chakra signatures remained inside the building.

He muttered, "So he’s not a Shadow Clone...?"

Shisui thought for a moment. "Senpai, I’ll follow him."

Kagami shook his head.

"No. We’ll stop him and force him back inside!"

Whatever Gloya was planning to do, Kagami wasn’t interested in finding out.

Right now, there was only one thing he cared about—

getting the Kumogakure delegation out of Konoha.

And Gloya sneaking out in the middle of the night dressed in black had clearly handed Kagami the perfect excuse.

As long as he seized upon this incident, he could pressure the Kumogakure delegation into leaving Konoha as soon as possible.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Amid two sharp bursts of displaced air, Kagami and Shisui appeared directly in front of Gloya using the Body Flicker Technique, blocking his path.

Kagami stared at him coldly.

"Gloya-san, where exactly are you going at this hour?"

Still dressed in black, Gloya chuckled and pulled the mask from his face. "As expected of Konoha’s elite ANBU!"

Shisui said sternly, "What you’re doing right now is jeopardizing the hard-won peace between our two nations!"

Gloya smiled and was just about to explain himself.

But at that moment, Kagami’s gaze sharpened.

Without warning, he struck!

His fist slammed directly into Gloya’s chest.

Shisui’s eyes widened in shock. "Senpai, you—"

Poof!

Before Shisui could finish speaking, the Gloya standing before them vanished into a cloud of white smoke.

Shisui’s expression immediately darkened.

"A Shadow Clone!?"

Kagami’s face turned grim.

"Who was responsible for monitoring the Kumogakure delegation during the day?"

There was no way Kagami could monitor the Kumogakure delegation twenty-four hours a day without interruption, so during certain periods, other ANBU teams were responsible for keeping watch.

Clearly, Gloya had found an opening while another ANBU team was on duty. Using his Shadow Clone as cover, his real body had slipped out of the residence where the Kumogakure delegation was temporarily staying.

Shisui thought back for a moment before saying, "I think it was Team 5."

Kagami knew that now wasn’t the time to assign blame.

"Come with me!"

The moment he finished speaking, his figure flickered away as he raced toward the Hyuga Clan compound.

By now, Shisui had also realized the severity of the situation. Without asking any further questions, he hurried after him.

Both of them possessed exceptional taijutsu, so their speed was naturally extraordinary. Before long, the two arrived at the Hyuga Clan compound.

Leaping down from the rooftops, Kagami approached a group of Hyuga clansmen on patrol.

"I’m Hyuga Kagami. I’m currently carrying out a mission. Have you spotted any suspicious individuals inside the clan compound?"

By now, Kagami was already a well-known figure within the Hyuga Clan, so the patrolling clansmen didn’t hesitate when they recognized him.

"Did something happen? There’s been nothing unusual in the compound!"

Kagami breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Still, he wasn’t completely reassured.

"Take me to the Clan Head."

The patrolling Hyuga clansman hurriedly led Kagami and Shisui toward the Main Family residence.

They had only just reached the mansion when Kagami, his Byakugan still active, spotted Gloya.

He was dressed in exactly the same black outfit as before—and he was carrying the kidnapped Hinata as he made his way out!

Not far behind him, Hiashi Hyuga was already closing in, his entire body radiating killing intent.

At this critical moment, Kagami had no time to worry about anything else.

He immediately rushed into the mansion and planted himself directly between Gloya and Hiashi...