It took Yoichi four months, but he finally managed to create his first Explosive Tag. Looking at the completed seal, he thought:

  "It took me three months to learn all the necessary symbols. And after a month of trials, I've finally succeeded! I still have some materials left. I should be able to make at least one or two more."

  Leaning against the wall, he allowed himself a moment of rest. All those hours of practice, failures, and learning had finally paid off.

  "Once my ink runs out, I'll sell the tags. From what I've gathered, there's an additional fūinjutsu course in the second year at the Academy. Seiji signed up for it, hoping for quick progress and a chance to earn money. However, so far, he hasn't been able to create anything. He did, however, give me the location of a shop that buys Explosive Tags for 400 ryō each.

  A week ago, Orochimaru deserted. I hope that won't affect sales. The attempted kidnapping of Hinata is imminent. Konoha is at one of its weakest points in history. The death of the Fourth Hokage, the loss of the Jinchūriki, Orochimaru's defection, the absence of the remaining Sannin, and the losses from both the war and the Nine-Tails attack—everything has weakened the vilge."

  Without wasting more time, he returned to inscribing symbols. After a few hours of work, Yoichi had two more Explosive Tags ready.

  The next day, right after css, he headed to the shop Seiji had told him about. Nakamura's Shop was located on the western street of the vilge, near the ninja tools store. From the outside, it looked rather unremarkable, but the moment he stepped inside, he was hit by the intense scent of parchment and ink.

  Behind the counter stood an older man with a stern expression. As soon as he saw Yoichi, he raised an eyebrow and asked:

  "What are you looking for, boy?"

  Yoichi didn't waste time and replied:

  "I want to sell Explosive Tags."

  The shopkeeper gave him a careful look before speaking:

  "400 ryō if you're from the Academy's fūinjutsu course and sign up on the list, or 350 ryō if not."

  Without hesitation, Yoichi handed over three tags. Nakamura examined them thoroughly, checking their quality. After confirming they met the standards, he pced 1,050 ryō in front of him.

  On his way home, he noticed an increased number of Uchiha patrols.

  "Have additional precautions been taken after Orochimaru's desertion?"

  He didn't dwell on it for too long. Instead, he focused on preparing for the exam and earning more money.

  A few days before the exam, Yoichi trained intensively, while in the Hokage's office, a crucial meeting was taking pce between Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, and Danzo.

  The situation in the vilge had become tense after the attempted abduction of Hinata by Kumogakure shinobi. Despite Hiashi Hyūga's swift intervention and the death of the would-be kidnapper, Kumo demanded compensation in the form of Hiashi's life. Konoha found itself in a precarious diplomatic situation.

  Leaning back in his chair, Hiruzen massaged his temples.

  "Danzo, what are your proposals in this matter?"

  As always, Danzo's response was cold and calcuted.

  "Hiruzen! You've grown weak. We should hand over Hizashi's body, not Hiashi's. The twins are identical, and Hizashi himself proposed this solution. This way, we avoid war while keeping the Hyūga cn intact within Konoha."

  Koharu sighed.

  "It's cruel, but it seems to be the only option. Hizashi is willing to do this to protect the vilge."

  Hiruzen lowered his gaze. The decision was made.

  But Danzo wasn't done.

  "We also need to replenish Root. During Orochimaru's defection, we lost many members. We can't afford to weaken further. If you had made the necessary tough decisions earlier, Hiruzen, Orochimaru wouldn't have escaped, and we wouldn't be in this position. Sending Jiraiya to track him down has yielded no results so far."

  Hiruzen shot him a sharp look.

  "Sending additional squads would only get them killed. Besides, we have too few people as it is."

  Danzo pressed further.

  "We must increase the bounty and let me deploy Root operatives to assist Jiraiya."

  Hiruzen, however, didn't trust Danzo's intentions.

  "They'll only get in his way."

  Homura attempted to de-escate the argument.

  "We can debate this ter. For now, we must respond to Kumo's envoys."

  Their discussion continued for some time before they finally headed to the council meeting to officially announce their decision.

  Meanwhile, in Sunagakure, Kazekage Rasa analyzed fresh intelligence reports.

  "If Konoha is so weak that it has to sacrifice its own people... perhaps the time has come to erase past defeats. An open war would be madness, but as allies, we have another option. Maybe we can strike from within?"

  In Iwagakure, the council was locked in a heated debate over Konoha's recent actions. Several senior advisors angrily insisted that this was the perfect opportunity to exact revenge for the Third Ninja War.

  "This is our chance! The Leaf is weakened, and we can finally repay them for the humiliation they inflicted upon us!"

  "Forced to sacrifice their own people… Ha! That's proof of their weakness! Now is the perfect time to strike!"

  The atmosphere grew tense until a loud bang on the table silenced everyone.

  "Shut up, you idiots!" ōnoki thundered, hovering slightly in the air to gre at the gathered faces. "Do you think Konoha is just a bunch of helpless children?! We're talking about Hiruzen and Danzo! They never do anything without reason! And yet you fools fall for this like inexperienced genin! While everyone is focused on the Hyūga issue, none of you have noticed that reports from the Fire Country are arriving less frequently..."

  In Kirigakure, Yagura received simir reports, but he was too preoccupied with Kiri's internal struggles to pay much attention to the incident.

  In Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage, with a wide grin, addressed the gathered council:

  "Didn't I tell you that getting a Hyūga would succeed?! HAH! Konoha finally had to bow!"

  The room filled with an atmosphere of triumph, and several council members nodded approvingly. However, none of them realized that despite all their efforts, they hadn't managed to acquire a single member of the Hyūga main house.