Night fell.

Silence reigned.

Lying seemingly asleep in bed, Samui suddenly opened her eyes. After confirming that there were no prying eyes watching her, she discreetly mobilized her chakra.

Bathed in moonlight, her hands moved swiftly, forming seals:

"Heart-to-Heart Communication Jutsu-!"

'Mabui, today's intel: The Uchiha clan…'

With a stoic expression, Samui transmitted the day's intelligence to Mabui, far away in Kumogakure, completely unaware of the pair of shimmering eyes observing her from the window of a nearby low-rise building.

"Ha~"

"Waited all night, and she finally made her move."

In Gojo Kaigetsu's Six Eyes world, a near-invisible chakra thread extended from Samui's heart, stretching towards the northeast of Konohagakure at an alarming speed.

Such a chakra thread, except for the Six Eyes, capable of extremely fine chakra manipulation, would be undetectable by any known means.

A mischievous glint flickered in Gojo Kaigetsu's eyes. If this was their method of communication… he could… directly manipulate Samui.

With a few swift movements, Gojo Kaigetsu reached the chakra thread, gently touching the intelligence-carrying line with his hand.

"So eager, huh? Can't wait to have Kumogakure secretly contact the Uchiha?"

"That won't do~"

"Mabui, on the other end of the line, is it?"

Gojo Kaigetsu pondered for a moment, then a sly grin spread across his face as he slowly injected his own chakra into the bridge connecting the two kunoichi.

He wasn't planning to destroy their communication network, but rather… to join them!

"First, erase the original intel~ Then…"

"Mabui, top-secret intel--"

"Konohagakure will, at some point in the future, modify their ninja headbands, engraving the following message on the back: Please strictly abide by local laws and respect the local customs and traditions, including the Shinobi Village System."

"The specific reason for this change is currently unknown."

Having accomplished his deed, Gojo Kaigetsu retracted his mischievous hands, nodding in satisfaction before disappearing into the moonlight.

Samui, her chakra thread now tainted, remained oblivious. Her brow furrowed slightly before smoothing out.

The intel… was transmitted!

Ever cautious, she didn't linger, opting to move according to their agreement: intelligence and instructions were to be exchanged the following night.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

With that done, Samui massaged her slightly stiff shoulders. She lowered her head, staring at her unseen toes, and sighed.

As a ninja, her physique was undeniably lacking. If she could, she'd prefer a body more suited for combat.

Samui stretched languidly before settling back into bed, drifting into a deep slumber.

…

…

"Raikage-sama! Intel from Samui!"

"Oh? She's already sent intel? As expected of Samui! Mabui, report!"

The sun had yet to fully rise, but the Raikage, A, was already in his office, pumping iron. Seeing the serious expression on Mabui's face, he immediately set down his heavy dumbbells.

Mabui's face was grim. She had no idea how Samui managed to gather intel so quickly.

But… due to the Heart-to-Heart Communication Jutsu, she could vaguely sense the emotional rollercoaster Samui had experienced yesterday.

If she wasn't mistaken, it was the feeling of shame!

This emphasized top-secret intel must have come at a cost, something precious to a kunoichi, likely extracted from Gojo Kaigetsu.

Mabui shared a sisterly bond with Samui and understood the importance of this mission. Without delay, she had arrived at the Raikage's office before dawn.

"Yes, Raikage-sama!"

Mabui straightened her posture, her impressive figure, though slightly less endowed than Samui's, standing tall. "Samui has sent top-secret intel: Konohagakure will soon modify their ninja headbands…"

As Mabui relayed the intel, the tension in Raikage A's muscles involuntarily eased.

"Huh? That's it?"

Having heard the supposedly top-secret intel, the Raikage couldn't help but feel disappointed. As a battle-oriented ninja with muscles for brains, he had hoped for information regarding Konoha's military capabilities, not such insignificant details.

"A, you should take this intel seriously!"

The Raikage's advisors had entered the room unnoticed, the elder at the forefront sternly reprimanding A.

"Samui is not a reckless ninja. If this is classified as top-secret intel extracted from Gojo Kaigetsu, it must hold value."

"Old man…"

The Raikage muttered under his breath. The elder was an advisor to his father, the Third Raikage, a trusted confidant, and renowned as the wisest ninja in Kumogakure.

"Then tell me, what's the value of this intel?"

"It's just engraving some insignificant words on the back of their headbands."

"I don't know," the elder advisor shook his head honestly. "But we can speculate on their intentions!"

The elder advisor paused. "Konoha ninjas wanting to engrave such a message on their headbands likely means they want their ninjas to avoid trouble while on missions outside the village, preventing unnecessary conflicts with other villages."

"Having experienced two consecutive Shinobi World Wars, even Konoha's resources are strained."

The Raikage crossed his arms, his face filled with disdain. "Hmph, cowardly Konoha ninjas."

They were Kumogakure! Their blood flowed with muscles and a thirst for battle! How could they possibly agree with such a strategy?

The Raikage commented, "In that case, this intel is even more worthless. We, Kumogakure, don't…"

"A, you're wrong again!" The elder advisor slammed his cane on the ground in frustration.

"Konoha's rise to become one of the top Shinobi Villages is inseparable from such strategies. Konoha's Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura are all incredibly wise ninjas. If they approve of this plan, it must have merit. We need to follow and learn!"

"Recently, due to missions, our Kumogakure has had numerous minor skirmishes with Iwagakure and nearby smaller villages."

"This is detrimental to our development! It's time to learn from Konoha and focus on covert development and accumulating strength!"

"We need to act faster than Konoha!"

The elder advisor slammed his cane on the ground again. "Therefore, A, as the Raikage, issue an order to modify the design of our Kumogakure headbands."

"Engrave the same message on the back."

"This…" The Raikage was stunned, instinctively wanting to retort, but upon meeting the elder advisor's stern gaze, his muscle-bound brain chose to comply.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Mabui, you handle the details."

"And tell Samui that she's done an excellent job. Keep it up!"