The enemy's assault came without warning.
After only a few exchanged words—murderous intent exploded.
If it had been any ordinary shinobi, the sudden barrage of shuriken and the follow-up volley of water bullets would have left them helpless in the suffocating mist.
Unfortunately for the Mist-nin, their opponents were Hyuga—every one of them bearing the Byakugan.
The fog might blind normal vision, but it could never hinder the Hyuga's all-seeing eyes. The instant the first water bullets took shape, the squad scattered in perfect unison, vanishing an eye-blink before the attacks pulverized the ground where they'd stood.
Both the Byakugan and the Sharingan are dojutsu—bloodline eyes—but their strengths are utterly different.
The Sharingan specializes in insight. It can perceive chakra flows like the Byakugan, but its true power blooms with the Mangekyo Sharingan, granting unique abilities the Byakugan does not possess.
The Byakugan, in contrast, combines clairvoyance with x-ray sight, able to see through obstacles—even many chakra barriers. Where the Sharingan's sight would falter under the Hidden Mist Technique, the Byakugan pierces straight through as though the fog weren't there at all.
"Hoh?" A faint murmur of surprise echoed inside the haze.
Apparently, the Mist-nin commander hadn't expected this Konoha unit to dodge so easily. The strength of this "recon" squad was beyond anything he'd encountered of late. During the Third Great Ninja War, both Konoha and Kirigakure had lost countless elites. Recent battlefield teams typically followed a "one veteran, three rookies" pattern: a jonin leading two or three genin, or at best a jonin, a chunin, and two genin.
But in Hyuga Satoru's escort unit… there wasn't a single genin. Every member was at least chunin—many higher. With the Byakugan's advantages, even the "weakest" among them was formidable. From the first exchange, the Mist-nin realized they had stumbled into something exceptional.
The Hyuga weren't about to sit around waiting for help, either. Even as Branch Family members, pride wouldn't allow them to simply defend and do nothing.
"Leave one alive for questioning. Kill the rest!"
Perched atop a broad branch, Hyuga Yuta surveyed the battlefield through the mist and barked his order.
Four Hyuga versus six Mist-nin. Even technically surrounded, Yuta felt they held the advantage.
"Yes, sir!"
They answered crisply, each picking a target and diving into the fog. Moments later, the sounds of fierce combat rippled through the white screen.
Almost immediately, one of the Mist-nin spotted Yuta's silhouette and charged.
A violent gust—
Whoosh!
A massive sword whistled through the air, scything toward Yuta's head. He dropped low, springing off the branch. An instant later, the blade's edge cleaved clean through a trunk three men wide. As the severed wood crashed down, Yuta rolled aside just in time.
Boom!
The trunk slammed into the earth.
Even as he rose to one knee, Yuta sensed movement behind him. He twisted sharply, raising his kunai—
"Haaah!"
A huge blade erupted from the fog and smashed into his parry with crushing force, hurling him bodily through the air.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He hit hard, skidding across mud before stopping, breath rough, face grim.
"Such strength… and that speed!"
Even with the Byakugan tracking every motion, his body simply couldn't keep up. This was no ordinary jonin.
As the mist thinned a fraction, a figure emerged—a cropped-hair man with the mist-etched headband, red lacquered markings at the mouth, rows of shark-like teeth bared in a grin.
Yuta's pupils shrank.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—Juzo Biwa of the Kubikiribocho!?"
Everything had happened in seconds—from first contact to recognition.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen: a name that still carried terror across the shinobi world. Even though some had been slain years ago, their reputation remained undiminished. They were the Mizukage's most elite jonin, each paired with a legendary blade. Their individual strength, combined with those weapons, far exceeded ordinary jonin.
Even as a proud Hyuga, a cold chill pricked Yuta's spine. Their brief exchange had already proven he was outmatched. Hyuga arts centered on taijutsu, but Yuta's speed and power were suppressed. The Byakugan's insight could only prolong the inevitable.
Silently, he adjusted his plan. Direct combat was suicide.
Across from him, Juzo tilted his head, studying.
"You blocked that?" Surprise flickered. A single kunai had checked the Executioner's Blade. When his gaze fell on Yuta's pale eyes, realization dawned. "Ahh… Hyuga, huh?"
The Hyuga were well known even in the Mist. He'd seen their Byakugan and Gentle Fist firsthand. That a Hyuga could parry his strike—acceptable.
"So, the rumors were true… Hiashi of the Main Family was wounded by Ao's trap, and Konoha sent elite escorts to bring him back." He smirked. "I thought the Hyuga would hole up. Never expected to find one out here."
His squad's mission tonight had been to ambush a Konoha supply officer. The intercept had gone smoothly—until now. Stumbling onto this Hyuga team changed the calculus. Instantly, he decided: every witness dies.
Juzo surged forward, great blade howling. Yuta parried and retreated, kunai ringing again and again against the Executioner's edge. Even as he fought, his Byakugan tracked his comrades through the fog: two were surrounded by four, another was in a fierce duel—but none were collapsing. Elsewhere, a Hyuga had already sealed an opponent's chakra and was moving in to finish.
If things continued at this pace, they might win without reinforcements.
But then—
"My opponent's a Hyuga! Come help me surround him!"
The panicked shout echoed through the mist. One Mist-nin, losing control of his chakra flow and feeling death close in, couldn't help but call for aid.
"A Hyuga?" Juzo froze mid-swing, glancing at Yuta—who also bore those unmistakable white eyes.
"What are you talking about? We're already fighting Hyuga ninja! Your opponent's a Hyuga too!?"
More voices answered from within the fog—followed by steel's clangor. The Hidden Mist Technique not only blinded enemies, but obscured allies as well. Normally, chakra-laced haze let Mist-nin distinguish friend from foe—but before engaging, they hadn't realized every single opponent here was Hyuga.
"Also Hyuga?"
A ripple of doubt spread. A single reconnaissance unit shouldn't contain multiple Hyuga—unless…
Juzo's strikes slowed, a frown creasing his brow.
Before he could piece it together, his senses prickled. The chakra within his mist registered more than ten new signatures, closing fast.
Within seconds, seventeen shinobi had completed a ring around the battlefield.
Realization hit like ice water.
"No… don't tell me—"
And for the first time that night, Juzo Biwa's heart sank.
From the fog's edge came the soft chime of steel—
a three-pronged kunai thunked into a stump, its seal flaring.
Light warped; a figure stepped through, voice low and steady:
"Circle tight. Take them alive—except the swordsman."
Hyuga Satoru had arrived.
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