Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

The young Fire Daimyo wasn't merely good-looking; his demeanor, social skills, and adaptability gave the Hokage's party a refreshing sense of ease.

His image was completely different from the aged, ugly, arrogant old man Haseo had imagined.

But from the Hokage's perspective, a Daimyo who appeared "determined to bring reform" was certainly far less desirable than a mere drunkard and rice bag… As the two highest leaders in the country, no matter how harmonious their relationship seemed on the surface, their positions inherently made them rivals behind the scenes.

The Daimyo was nominally the top authority in the Land of Fire but lacked real military power… True, he might command some civilian militia, but ordinary people were practically helpless against ninja. Though politically subordinate to the Daimyo, the Hokage was the nation's actual military chief; the vast majority of the country's combat strength lay in his hands.

If the Hokage ever decided to stage a coup—changing the structure of village and country alike, unifying governance and military command into one—it would almost certainly succeed… Therefore, unless the Daimyo really was a complete dunce, wouldn't he naturally want to turn his situation around?

Thus, within the Daimyo's Castle, Haseo and the other Hokage bodyguards not only failed to relax—they heightened their vigilance even further. Who knew what dangerous games were being played beneath that roaring applause?

After meeting with the Daimyo, the Third Hokage toured the castle grounds alongside him before proceeding to the palace plaza. There, under countless watching eyes, the Third Hokage delivered a speech filled with familiar themes of past hardships, the bitterness of war, and the hope of victory.

Then, at that very plaza, the Fire Daimyo personally signed the formal commission appointing Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage. From that moment onward, nobody could question the Third Hokage's legitimacy…

Sometimes, having rightful status and following proper procedures really did matter.

Throughout this entire half-day event, the greatest psychological burden fell upon Haseo and the rest of the protective detail. Considering the Hokage had already been attacked en route to the Daimyo's Castle, they had to consider the possibility of hidden assassins within the Daimyo's Castle itself… Moreover, statistically speaking, an assassination attempt amidst a crowd carried a far higher success rate than one hidden in the wilderness. Even with Byakugan-level scouting efficiency, it was impossible to keep watch over everyone.

Remember, there were tens of thousands of people standing before the Hokage now.

Every single member of the Hokage's guard remained tightly strung up. After the Daimyo signed the commission letter, Haseo and the others hoped the Hokage could return to Konoha immediately—but unfortunately, that was impossible. The Hokage was currently carrying out a diplomatic mission.

What exactly is a diplomatic mission?

It meant bickering before the main event, and more bickering after it. At the very least, the Hokage had to stay overnight in the Daimyo's Castle—a symbolic gesture of mutual trust between himself and the Daimyo, between the military and political powers of the Land of Fire—before returning home.

"Hokage-sama, please come with me. I've prepared a lavish banquet for you in the palace. Do give it a try," said the Fire Daimyo.

As expected, the daimyo had indeed not played any tricks or delayed procedures regarding the Third Hokage's appointment scroll, since he had absolutely no reason to do so.

After finishing the signing ceremony, the daimyo warmly invited the Third Hokage to join him for dinner.

The Hokage rolled up the official appointment scroll written on precious silk and placed it into his robe, replying cheerfully as he did so, "That sounds wonderful! Thank you very much for your hospitality, my Lord. I have longed for the delicacies inside the Daimyo's Castle, and today is finally my chance to taste them."

As soon as he finished speaking, both men looked at each other before bursting into loud laughter together.

"Old foxes!" Haseo couldn't help but mutter under his breath watching their little performance.

Both the Hokage and the daimyo were barely in their mid-twenties—certainly not old—but still, at that moment, you had to admit—Haseo was spot on.

The Hokage and the daimyo walked hand-in-hand away from the plaza and entered the palace compound... At this point, Haseo and the others could finally take a slight breath of relief. Compared to the wide-open outer spaces, the interior of the daimyo's palace was at least easier to defend.

The sky gradually darkened, and soon, not only the palace but the entire Daimyo's Castle was immersed in lights and lanterns. Inside the palace, the Hokage and daimyo enjoyed their banquet, while outside, the people held a grand parade celebrating the Hokage's arrival.

Yet from Haseo's and the other guards' point of view, however, that festive parade looked eerily terrifying—like a ghostly procession in the night. Who knew what kinds of Moryo lurked behind those lights?

Once they reached the daimyo's palace, the Hokage's personal guard unit was dispersed. The Anbu had to ensure the food served during the meal wasn't poisoned. The Uchiha and Hyuga clans, due to their high status, remained by the Hokage's side as representatives of Konoha—at this moment, the burden of guarding the Hokage fell directly upon them.

As for Haseo's squad and Jiraiya's team, in order to show trust toward the daimyo, they were assigned to guard duty only around the outer perimeter of the palace during the banquet. After all, the Hokage couldn't possibly bring every single one of his guards into the dining hall—it would look suspicious. Who exactly would they be guarding against?

In some ways, Haseo actually preferred being stationed at the outer perimeter. It was relatively free, less nerve-wracking, and didn't carry the same level of pressure. He could even enjoy the nighttime view of the Daimyo's city from atop the palace walls—almost everything, except for the fact that he stood while the Hokage sat, and watched while the Hokage ate.

The daimyo was a thoughtful man and naturally hadn't forgotten about Haseo and the rest of the guards either. Before the banquet began, he sent over an abundant portion of food for them. However, the two-fifty fools didn't touch a bite—they threw everything out. As long as they weren't crazy, there was no way they'd consume outside-provided meals.

Haseo and his team munched silently on Military Rations Pills while outwardly thanking the daimyo's attendants, complimenting, "Delicious! Truly delicious food!"

Do you find it amusing? Well, Haseo certainly didn't—he felt the bitterness boiling deep in his gut.

As Haseo was helping to keep the mood relatively light, a servant girl suddenly joined their group—it was the very same one who had held an umbrella for the Daimyo earlier that day.

"Who are you?!"

Almost instantly, seven Konoha ninja each pulled out a kunai and pointed the blades directly at the young woman's face.

That's just how ninja are. When faced with a beautiful woman appearing unexpectedly at night, they—even Jiraiya—wouldn't think about romance. Their only thought would be to draw their weapons and attack. Startled by their harsh reaction, the woman froze stiff, stammering as she struggled to form a coherent word under the glint of the blades aimed at her.

Haseo frowned slightly as he observed her for a moment. Then, as if recalling something sudden, he spoke aloud a prearranged password before the mission began: "Password: One positive, two sines; three tangents, four cosines remain."

The somewhat stunned servant girl immediately responded fluently with the second half of the phrase: "Odd shifts, even stays; sign depends on where you are."

"She's on our side." The Konoha ninja exchanged glances before simultaneously lowering their weapons.

The servant girl was actually a spy left behind by Konoha inside the Daimyo's castle. Since the Third Hokage had only recently taken office, there hadn't been time for him to make such distant arrangements. Therefore… all this had been prepared in advance by that Blue Dude.

No wonder they call him The Second—damn, the guy's seriously next level. Doesn't even trust his own people.

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