Jiraiya gazed at Sora thoughtfully, falling silent.
He understood what the Great Toad Sage meant—Konoha's future now lay entirely in Sora's hands.
So things like a "Child of Prophecy"? Even if such a child existed, they were now irrelevant.
This realization unexpectedly brought Jiraiya a sense of relief. After all, he knew Sora very well, and he was confident the future would move in a positive direction under his influence.
"All right, you two take little Jiraiya outside. We still have things to discuss," said the Great Toad Sage.
Once Jiraiya and the two elder toads had stepped away, the Great Toad Sage finally asked, "You came here specifically to ask about something, didn't you?"
"I want to know everything about the Sage of Six Paths," Sora said bluntly, throwing out his question without hesitation.
As for whether the Great Toad Sage and the Sage of Six Paths were once allies—perhaps they had been. But now? Absolutely not. Sora was confident in his judgment.
No one knew what the two of them talked about after that. Even when Jiraiya asked later, Sora simply smiled and shook his head, revealing nothing.
After being forced to eat a "delightful" bug-filled meal of toad cuisine, Sora and Jiraiya finally returned to the village.
Upon their return, Sora officially acquired his own summoning contract—even if the toads were unlikely to be much use.
Not long after they got back, news arrived from Minato: Kumogakure had sent envoys to negotiate post-war reparations.
Konoha didn't particularly care for these negotiations, but since there was no harm in taking free benefits, talks were still arranged.
Upon hearing the news, Sora narrowed his eyes.
He had thought that after word of the Nine-Tails Night spread, the Hidden Cloud would back off from their usual tricks.
But who could've guessed that A would be so stubborn, still intent on targeting Hinata—and even acting ahead of the original timeline.
Ultimately, the matter was left in Minato and Hiruzen's hands. No one else showed much interest.
Soon after negotiations were arranged, the envoy team from the Hidden Cloud arrived: three Jonin and six Chunin—essentially cannon fodder.
"As the rumors said, it's truly a prosperous place."
"Yeah, but it won't be long before all of this belongs to Kumogakure."
"Shut up! Do you want to die?"
Hearing his subordinates' chatter, the lead Jonin immediately barked in fury, nearly strangling the careless Chunin.
They had just arrived in Konoha. The plan hadn't even started yet. If it got blown because of this fool, he'd die of rage.
"My apologies!" the Chunin stammered, realizing his mistake, shivering as he apologized repeatedly.
Moments later, Kakashi appeared to arrange their accommodations. After escorting them to their lodgings, he left—but not without ensuring that the ANBU kept them under surveillance.
However, the Cloud shinobi acted as if they were unaware of being watched, splitting into small groups and strolling around Konoha.
Though the ANBU found it odd, they didn't think much of it.
With how Konoha was flourishing now, it made sense that guests would be curious.
Only Sora knew what they were really doing—scouting for their target.
But he wasn't in a hurry. Let them make the first move—only then could he maximize the benefits.
Konoha wasn't intimidated by the Cloud anymore, especially with Minato as Hokage. There was no need for compromise—they could afford to push back.
When that happened, maybe Sora would drop by the Hidden Cloud himself with the Three Legendary Sannin in tow—imagine how many cards he could pick up from that!
///
Hiruzen deliberately left the Cloud delegation to wait for three days, accomplishing exactly what he intended.
Today was the first official negotiation session, but Sora wasn't interested in sitting through it.
As expected, it was just a bunch of bickering—perfect for an old fox like Hiruzen to handle.
After hours of back-and-forth, the two sides parted on bad terms, pushing the next meeting to three days later.
No one thought much of it. That's just how diplomacy worked.
But Sora? The moment he heard the schedule, he quietly slipped into the Hyuga clan's backyard.
If he remembered correctly, it was tonight in the original timeline that the Cloud made their move—attempting to kidnap Hinata, only for her to be saved when Hiashi killed the intruder.
By the time Sora arrived, the sky was already dark.
He used a sealing technique to completely hide his presence and prepared to enjoy the show.
At the Cloud delegation's residence, even though it was already nightfall, all of them were gathered in one room.
"Tonight's the night. Konoha has lowered its guard."
"Naita, we won't let your efforts go to waste. I'll personally look after your wife and daughter. You can go in peace."
A greasy, sinister-looking middle-aged man patted the Jonin named Naita on the shoulder.
Moments later, a shadow clone took Naita's place while the others returned to their rooms to "rest."
Naita slipped out of the building unnoticed and made his way to the rear of the Hyuga compound.
They had spent days scouting and had already picked the best entry point.
With a light leap, Naita was over the wall and into the compound—stepping right into Sora's field of vision.
But thanks to the sealing technique, Naita didn't sense him.
Sora silently watched as Naita slipped into Hinata's room and emerged carrying her.
He shook his head. "Really? The Hyuga didn't even notice something this obvious?"
The Byakugan was supposedly the most powerful sensory technique—it could even see through walls.
And this was their own territory—how could they not notice their clan's young heiress being kidnapped?
A Jonin's chakra was like a two-hundred-watt bulb compared to the Byakugan. Were they blind?
Still, Sora didn't intervene. He just kept watching.
If he stepped in now, the Hyuga might not thank him—they might even accuse him of staging it.
Never overestimate human decency, especially not that of those in power.
The best time to save someone is when they're at their lowest—that's when gratitude sticks.
Compared to a single Jonin's card, helping the Hyuga solve this crisis would earn far more loyalty.
"Who's there?! Die!"
Just as the kidnapper was about to escape, Hiashi finally discovered the intrusion.
Furious, he leapt out and struck down the Jonin with a single blow.
Moments later, the entire Hyuga clan poured into the area, much to Sora's amazement.
They hadn't noticed the kidnapping, but suddenly they could all arrive instantly?
After quietly slipping away, Sora knew the real show was just about to begin.
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