By the time Nathan left Sakura's cottage, the sun had begun to sink behind the trees.
The forest was slowly turning gold beneath the evening light, but the Shinobi Village had lost the quiet warmth it usually carried at that hour. People still prepared food. Children still played near the houses under the watchful eyes of their mothers. Smoke still rose from the cooking fires.
Yet beneath that ordinary life, something else had taken hold.
Tension.
Everyone knew that the plan had begun moving.
Messengers had already left for the roads surrounding Minami Kyoto. Shinobi scouts were watching the western route near Kajiya Hara. Others had entered the nearby towns disguised as travelers, merchants, farmers, and laborers. Every person had been given a role, no matter how small.
A few whispers in the right inn.
A frightened report carried to the right captain.
A wagon seen moving along the western road.
