"Hari, could that kid be someone sent by the hidden leaf? They won't send a single kid as a backup but definitely as a messenger. It was good that you were able to spot him and even find his name." Moji asked.
The purple-eyed man Hari shook his head and said "I don't think he is any of it. The kid is selling vegetables outside the house just like Kenji and I got to know the name from the people in the market. I didn't have to investigate anything. It is said that the kid came from the land of forests and Kenji had no idea he was coming. Even he was surprised."
Moji raised his eyebrows and smiled as he said "The chances of the kid being his real nephew is high. The fact that our people died when they tried to approach their house means that Kenji really is a spy. That kid is Kenji's weakness. If we have him in our custody, we can force Kenji into not entering into an alliance with the bloodline clans. Our victory will be secured if the bloodline clans don't have the hidden leaf's support."
Hari nodded and said "I will formulate a plan and kidnap the kid. The students of Kenji won't be much of a problem if we overwhelm them with numbers. Our only problem is the one guarding that place in the shadows." Hari was about to say more but a Kiri shinobi jumped outside the window.
"What are you doing here?" Hari frowned. The man standing outside was one of Hari's squad. He looked at Moji and quickly walked inside the office.
"Hari-sama we spotted Kenji leave his house and head for the Terumi estate with a couple of baskets in his hand. We would have normally ignored this but then we saw his two students leave Kenji's house in black clothes and rush in the same direction."
Hari couldn't connect the dots of what this could mean. Why would the students follow their own teacher? Nothing was making sense to him so he looked at Moji who seemed to have gotten to his own conclusion.
Moji's face which was smiling a few seconds ago suddenly turned furious as he said "Idiots Kenji is making his move. He isn't going to the Terumi estate to sell fruits but to initiate the alliance talks. His students aren't following him but are going for backup. They just left a bit late so that no one would make a connection and tie Kenji and his students together."
Hari's eyes widened as he listened to all this and now things made sense to him "But Kenji left his nephew alone in the house?" Hari's subordinate asked.
Hari looked at him and said "Idiot, did you forget the man who doesn't let us even approach his house? That man must have met with Kenji and decided to protect the kid until Terumi clans provide protection."
Hari then turned to Moji and asked "Moji-sama what should we do now? Shall we take a couple of squads and attack the Terumi estate so that the alliance isn't formed ?"
Moji shook his head and said "It's no use Hari. No, our only bet is to get that kid. I will take 2 squads and go near the Terumi clans and until then you take 3-4 squads and get that kid. Remember, use 2 squads to keep the man protecting the kid busy and quickly snatch the kid away. We don't know what that man is capable of so no need to fight him yourself. I want you to focus on the kid. He is the key to keeping Kenji and the spies on a leash and could very well be the key to our victory."
Hari nodded and left with his subordinate. Even Moji left the office to prepare for the upcoming battle.
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Hideki's house
Yami was standing in the hall with an icy mirror in front of him. The mirror was only 40x40cm and extremely thin.
"What's so urgent that you couldn't use the bat I gave Zabuza?" Yami asked as he looked at the mirror which formed on the wall out of nowhere. This was Haku's secret technique: Crystal Ice mirrors. At first, Haku could only use it during fighting but now she was able to use it remotely at some distance. And she was able to form a mirror but just condensed the moist air in the atmosphere.
The figure of Haku appeared in the mirror. Yami was a little surprised as Haku had changed a lot in the past few months. He still looked a little girly due to his long hair but now his face was getting a little sharper.
Haku hesitated for a second and said "Uh…Zabuza is really pissed. He says at first you sent him on a wild goose chase and when he had just approached only 2 guys out of 7, you called him back and had him guard the house. Even I don't understand what you are planning and until when are we going to do this? We killed 3 people here already and like you said we used Kiri techniques."
Yami didn't bother answering Haku's questions and said "Haku just remember that one man's strength is another man's weakness" Yami then flicked the mirror making it break and fall on the ground as it turned into water.
'I wanted to find if there was any traitor among these spies which is why I sent Zabuza. It wasn't only because spies can be turned into information sources after being caught by the host village but also because I thought one of the spies might be from Danzo's faction and that one-eyed hog might use the spy to warn the Mizukage faction. I also cannot negate the fact that Kiri and stone shinobis were roaming in boats near the seas that connect the land of fire and the land of mist. It could very well be Danzo who gave the tip. When I sensed people watching stalking our house, I had to abandon the idea of finding a traitor and straightway use Zabuza to protect this house and use Kiri techniques. This would make the ones stalking us think that the ones protecting this house are from Kirigure. If it's from the Mizukage faction then they would think that we have allied with the bloodline faction and if they are from the bloodline faction then they would think we have allied with the Mizukage faction. In any case, they would think carefully before using too much force. I waited for hours but they didn't make a move after getting 3 killed. Now sending Hideki and those two idiots will be a good provocation.' Yami smiled. He wasn't sure yet that his plans had worked or not but one thing he was sure about…fun was just around the corner.
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