Sensing that the battlefield had been surrounded by unfamiliar ninja, a sense of foreboding welled up in Biwa Juzo's heart.
He no longer cared about attacking the barely-holding-on Hyūga Yūta. The instant he sensed those unfamiliar presences, Jūzō swiftly withdrew his blade, already thinking about how to escape.
For an elite jōnin like him, there weren't many situations that could make him feel uneasy or afraid.
Even if the enemy outnumbered his team, as long as they were ordinary ninja, Jūzō was confident he could get away safely.
Top-tier shinobi couldn't be stopped just by numbers. Unless a Kage-level opponent personally took the field, there were very few who could hope to trap someone like Hōzuki Jūzō.
But now, Jūzō couldn't shake a deep unease. The Konoha reconnaissance team they had ambushed was… strange.
Not only was it not the usual mixed composition of veterans and recruits, but every single member was from the Hyūga clan.
And the fact that reinforcements had discovered their position and completed a full encirclement in such a short time… made Jūzō's instincts scream that something was terribly wrong.
Hyūga ninja...
A cold bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as a dark realization began forming in his mind.
Hyūga Yūta, noticing Jūzō had stopped attacking and was glancing about as if searching for a way out, sneered, understanding exactly what was going through the man's head.
"Now you think about running? Don't you think it's a bit late for that?"
"If you hadn't attacked first, maybe you'd still have a chance to walk away. But now—there's no way you're getting out of here alive!"
Yūta pulled back, maintaining a cautious distance while taunting his opponent.
A gust of sea breeze swept across the battlefield, scattering the thick mist. In that moment, the scenes of three nearby skirmishes became visible to Jūzō.
To his shock, his subordinates were all fighting opponents with pure white eyes—the unmistakable Byakugan of the Hyūga clan.
At the same time, Jūzō sensed the outer encirclement tightening. Whistling sounds of movement came from all directions.
Even the lesser Mist-nin could now tell—other ninja were approaching fast.
Realizing the danger, the Mist-nin abandoned their duels and quickly regrouped around Jūzō, hoping to combine their strength and avoid being picked off one by one.
When outnumbering the enemy, scattering to strike works; but when outnumbered, grouping is the only right move.
Rustle—
The sound of leaves brushing in the wind filled the silence.
Then, as more and more figures appeared through the mist, the Mist-nin's expressions changed—from alert, to shocked, and finally to despair.
"W-what kind of joke is this…?"
Dozens of Hyūga ninja emerged from the trees, surrounding them. Being stared at by so many Byakugan eyes, one of the younger Mist-nin lost all composure and muttered blankly, his body trembling.
Byakugan. Every single one of them was a Hyūga—with over twenty elite members!
A force like this could sway the outcome of a large-scale battle. Yet they had somehow run straight into such a unit right after entering the Land of Fire.
Despair spread like a plague through the Mist-nin ranks.
"Figures. So it really is Kirigakure's men," came a calm voice.
"Already this deep inside the Land of Fire… your infiltration ability is impressive."
A young figure stepped out from behind a massive tree trunk—it was Hyūga Shinichi. Standing on a high branch, he looked down coldly at the enemy.
His appearance immediately drew every Mist-nin's attention. A child among such elite Hyūga shinobi—it was impossible not to notice him.
"A brat… that young?"
"Wait… don't tell me—"
Recognition dawned on Jūzō's face.
Of course! That would explain why so many Hyūga had gathered in one place.
"That kid—he's Hyūga clan's main family!"
Jūzō's jaw clenched as he hissed the words through gritted teeth. He suddenly felt that the Land of Fire was cursed for him.
The last time he infiltrated this country had been during the height of the Third Great Ninja War, alongside the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
That mission had been meant to cause chaos and weaken Konoha's morale.
But as bad luck would have it, they had run into a Konoha genin—one who fought only with taijutsu. What they thought would be an easy slaughter ended with four of the Seven Swordsmen dead, and only Jūzō, Fuguki, and Raiga barely escaping.
And now, his second infiltration… he had managed to run straight into the Hyūga main family!
The other Hyūga must be his guards, Jūzō thought bitterly.
He subtly stepped back, moving his remaining subordinates in front of him as a shield, while the others, realizing the child was of the Hyūga main family, suddenly saw their only chance of survival.
"Break through! Capture that brat!"
Jūzō barked the order, pointing straight at Shinichi.
Forming hand seals, he launched a volley of Water Bullets toward the boy perched on the tree. His men followed suit, charging from multiple directions.
As the water bullets tore through the air, Jūzō's form faded into the mist—he had never intended to fight.
"Hmph."
"You two, provide cover."
Shinichi's main purpose on this mission—aside from recovering stolen Byakugan—was to gain real combat experience.
These Mist-nin weren't as strong as Ao, but as elite infiltrators, they were perfect opponents to hone his skills against.
Leaping lightly into the air, Shinichi narrowly dodged the incoming Water Bullets that shattered the branch he had stood on moments before.
While flipping in midair, he flicked several kunai imbued with lightning chakra toward the charging Mist-nin.
The projectiles seemed slightly off-target—just barely grazing their faces instead of hitting directly.
"Tch. Poor aim. He's just a kid after all," one Mist-nin thought smugly—just before a flicker of movement flashed beside him.
"Huh?"
Before he could react, his throat tightened, and he realized he couldn't speak. A choking warmth filled his mouth, and the world began to blur as he fell into darkness.
He dimly saw his own body collapsing before him.
"Wait… that's… my body?"
A dull thud echoed—the sound of a head hitting the ground.
At the same time, the broken tree branch crashed down heavily, and five Mist-nin who had charged from different directions suddenly froze.
Their heads slid cleanly from their necks, one after another, before their bodies fell lifeless into pools of blood.
Meanwhile, hidden in the mist, Jūzō had already turned to flee. He knew full well that against this many Hyūga elites, staying meant death.
His subordinates' lives were merely distractions.
But after only a few steps, a small figure appeared out of the mist—Hyūga Shinichi.
Jūzō froze. That brat wasn't supposed to be—
He glanced back, and what he saw made his blood run cold: all his men were lying motionless in spreading pools of blood. Just moments ago, they'd been charging toward that very same child.
"This… this can't be!!"
It was absurd—unbelievable. For a moment, Jūzō even thought he'd fallen into a genjutsu.
But before he could think further, a flash of cold light cut through the mist, descending straight toward his head.
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