Shikaku Nara realises that the strange kid is more dangerous than he thought.
In hindsight, back in that park, the fact that Asuma hadn't heard of him and neither had Shikaku or his team mates, despite the boy's talent being more than evident to stand out…
That should have been a huge red flag, even if they had been very preoccupied with struggling to get the advantage over Asuma's 'ANBU'.
Was the child groomed purposefully by the blank headbands? Was he taken from another village after he was already trained?
The mysterious group had been seen running suspicious transports, maybe their stock also included children. A lot of clans and villages used to snatch prodigies not so long ago, it wouldn't be odd that the practice picked up again.
The blank headbands are also Konoha's main suspect regarding the disruptions throughout Kusa and into Iwa, resulting in what is now a quiet, pointed cold war rather than an all out battlefield.
From what Shikaku's parents had told him, the blank headbands were probably headed by an A-rank from Kumo. The missing-nin had identified himself with a blank headband and made clear that no interference with his business would be tolerated.
Osanai had cut off fingers from healthy ninja in their prime. No more hand seals, difficulties holding a weapon, a steep drop in dexterity for trap making and tradework, and it's nothing if not a cruel insult.
Even more, as a well known paedophile according to the Bingo Book, the presence of a child with Osanai -for there had definitely been no henge involved, it really is a child- is so much more concerning.
It's not difficult to condition a child, especially if you take them away early enough. The boy was without doubt a prodigy, and while it wasn't entirely impossible for him to be a civilian-born shinobi such as Minato Namikaze, it was highly improbable. Which called into question where the child had come from.
Considering the prisoner who escaped Konoha recently had also been identified as a former Kumo...
While missing-nin usually don't reconnect with the village they hailed from, it wouldn't be the first time shinobi went undercover as missing-nin. It stood the chance Kumo was sponsoring the blank headbands to cause mayhem.
The group only claimed to be peaceful, after all. The imputed violent disruptions said otherwise. Two groups of 'missing-nin' who were usually not known for teamwork...one large enough to disrupt the war efficiently, and another large enough to warrant whole supply lines arising at roughly the same time, was rather unlikely.
As one of the great shinobi villages, Kumo would also have the resources to scan for, or kidnap and train, a child to that degree. Not to mention their dubious records of adoption.
A look into the latest Bingo Book reveals the most likely and only suspect for the child's identity: Copy Kitten. The misleadingly cute and harmless name belongs to a till now virtually unknown assassination and infiltration specialist whose bounty is far greater than any child's should be.
Shikaku also deliberates -as many, vastly different disguises have been ascribed to Copy Kitten, with some female ones thrown in as well- that Copy Kitten might refer to not one, but a group of children.
Which just means that a large number of prodigious children have been taken, or some efficient training method to create these kids is being tested.
How long have these children been trained for; are they the first generation or are there more before them, as either failed batches disposed of, or currently deep undercover - and perhaps there are even more to come.
And while Konoha was furiously investigating who helped their Kumo prisoner escape and how it was accomplished, news came in - that Suna has now gone worryingly quiet following a delivery of a large team of their own ninja. In pieces.
Meanwhile, Konoha has been dealt unsettling blows recently. From the threat of a potential war, to the sudden but hushed up panic in the Uchiha district, to the escaped Kumo blank headband, and now imprisonment of the White Fang…
It had come as a surprise to many that the profoundly loyal Hatake would betray the village like that. Especially since he seemed so straightforward, hacking away Konoha's enemies, internal and external, in a haze of grief. Seldom seen back in the village where his son was supposed to be safe. Or so they thought.
Iwa is gearing up for a fight, Kiri already gathering a sizable force at their borders, followed by some allied smaller villages. Kumo seems to be stuttering in place - they must know something, for half their village to want to fight but the other half already retreating.
And with Konoha's new Aburame Yondaime turning a blind eye to the mess out near Uzushio, and being half-hearted at best in her effort to recapture the Kumo escapee, Shikaku's village seems to be divided as well.
So what doesn't Shikaku know, and why isn't he allowed to know?
How bad is this going to get?
As if summoned, Shikaku looks up to see a wave of ninja dart across rooftops. A surprising amount, and so clustered together that it immediately stands out.
In the middle, barely visible past the encirclement, is the White Fang in civilian clothes, a deep groove cut through his headband. In his arms sits a small child, large collar pulled up and hair falling over half of his face to cover an eye.