pata…pata...
Cold rain in late autumn covered the whole forest. Dark green treetops layered into a canopy, and mist drifted between the branches, pressing down on the woods with a heavy feel. Water dripped steadily from leaves and bark, soaking everything beneath.
Several black figures flickered between trunks and branches. Rain ran along the folds of their dark rain cloaks, drawing winding lines across the waterproof fabric. Their movements were quick and silent despite the storm.
Wearing the same black rain cloak, Ryuji Hyuga stayed near the middle of the formation. He used his peripheral vision to carefully observe the others in this escort team. His gaze moved from one figure to the next without drawing attention.
There were fifteen people in total. Twelve of them were from ANBU, divided into three squads of four ANBU each. This alone showed how seriously the village treated this mission.
Under normal circumstances, ANBU rarely left the village on assignments. As the personal guards of the Third Hokage, their deployment usually meant something important was at stake. Sending three full squads was already a strong statement.
As for the remaining three, one was Ryuji Hyuga himself, who was also half a protected target. The other two were from Konoha Jonin. One was a Jonin of the Akimichi Clan, and the other was a Jonin of the Aburame Clan.
Everyone else wore masks of different shapes. A cold and disciplined presence radiated from their bodies. Even standing still, they gave off a sense of readiness.
It could be said that this escort team had very strong combat power. Under normal circumstances, there should have been no safety issues at all. An ambush from the outside would be hard to pull off.
However, that did not mean there was no danger.
"Threats do not always come from outside."
Ryuji Hyuga's eyes passed over the Aburame Clan Jonin. He clearly sensed a familiar, chilling presence on that person. It was the kind of feeling he had encountered before.
A ninja from "Root."
Danzo Shimura had not given up after all, but that was fine. Their goals happened to align.
"Stop."
Ryuji Hyuga spoke suddenly. The others halted at once, almost by reflex, and several pairs of eyes turned toward him. The rain masked the sound, but his voice carried clearly.
"At the two o'clock direction, one kilometer away, thirteen ninjas are gathered. Their Chakra signatures are chaotic. They should be rogue ninjas."
As he spoke, Ryuji Hyuga took off his Goggles and wiped them. The skin beneath his eyelids had turned pale from prolonged moisture. His expression remained calm.
"Detour," the Akimichi Clan Jonin said, his voice distorted by the rain.
Rogue ninjas were, as the name suggested, unaffiliated shinobi who wandered between countries. They did not belong to any village and often stole bits of Ninjutsu from different lands. Most only learned fragments, copying the form without grasping the essence, so their strength was usually low.
That said, more than ten rogue ninjas gathering together often meant they were under the control of a missing-nin from some village. Such groups could still cause trouble if ignored. Even so, the escort mission took priority.
Their task was only to deliver the body. The sooner it was handed over to Kumogakure, the better. It was not wise to create unnecessary complications along the way.
"How far is it to Land of Hot Water?" the Aburame Clan Jonin, Aburame Ryoma, suddenly asked.
Ryuji Hyuga glanced at the map and replied, "About one hundred and fifty kilometers left."
The territories of Land of Fire and Land of Lightning did not border each other. Between them lay two small countries, Land of Hot Water and Land of Moon. Their destination for this trip was within Land of Hot Water.
At a normal shinobi pace, without using the Body Flicker Technique, it would take three days and three nights to travel from Konoha to Sunagakure. From Konoha to Land of Hot Water was slightly shorter, but it still required a full day and night.
"Tangdong," Aburame Ryoma said as he turned to the Akimichi Clan Jonin beside him. "We are still far from the destination. Why not rest here for a bit? With Byakugan in the team, we do not need to worry about surprises."
"..."
The Akimichi Clan Jonin narrowed eyes that were already squeezed into thin lines by his plump face. He tilted his head slightly and glanced back at Ryuji Hyuga, silently acknowledging the young man's performance so far.
He was a veteran Jonin who had taken part in the Third Shinobi World War. He had once served in a squad led by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Experience like that made him cautious by habit.
At first, he had thought Third Hokage placing this boy in the team would slow them down. Instead, Ryuji Hyuga had kept pace with ease, and thanks to Byakugan, they had encountered no trouble along the way.
This level of perception, this level of stamina, and the calm he showed were all notable. None of it matched the rumors he had heard before.
"So the rumors were unreliable after all."
He did not reject Aburame Ryoma's suggestion. "Then let us rest here for a while."
After speaking, he looked toward the eight members of the Fourth and Fifth squads from ANBU. They nodded in understanding and departed using Shunshin.
Since they were stopping anyway, they might as well clean up the rogue ninjas nearby. This was still within Land of Fire, and such wanderers were often little more than pests. Removing them was part of maintaining order.
The remaining people each found a place to rest. Only the soft rustling of soaked rain cloaks could be heard, like a group of wet birds preening their feathers. The forest returned to a muted quiet.
The Akimichi Clan Jonin summoned a hawk and handed it a prepared scroll. He sent it off toward the Third Hokage. Maintaining communication with the village was mandatory.
If contact was lost, the village would immediately send people to investigate. That was standard procedure for missions of this level. No one questioned it.
Ryuji Hyuga also found a spot to sit down. Since someone else took over observation, he deactivated Byakugan and began refining Chakra to recover. He leaned back slightly, letting his breathing steady.
Just as he raised his canteen and tilted his head back to drink, his eyes shifted. Something brushed against his sleeve. A small movement caught his attention.
A bug had flown into his sleeve.
The insect was tiny and ordinary. If it were anyone else, even the experienced Akimichi Clan Jonin, they would not have noticed anything unusual. It was easy to miss in the rain.
However, Ryuji Hyuga's perception did not rely solely on Byakugan. He could sense more than what the eye revealed. That was why he noticed it at once.
"An Aburame Clan tracking beetle?" he thought.
Ryuji Hyuga calmly lowered the canteen, showing no sign that he had noticed anything strange. His expression did not change. He kept his posture relaxed.
Tracking beetles were reconnaissance insects used to gather information. They were not dangerous like parasitic beetles or nano poison bugs. Still, their presence would interfere with what he planned to do next.
As he considered how to deal with it, his eyes suddenly shifted again. This time, he looked down at the ground beneath him. A faint disturbance passed through the mud.
"Watch the ground…"
Ryuji Hyuga warned without hesitation. But before he could finish speaking, the muddy earth beneath them split open. The attack came with perfect timing.
Earth Release, Head-Hunting Technique.
Bang.
Two hands burst out of the ground without warning. Each held a Kunai, slashing toward Ryuji Hyuga's ankles. The intent was clear.
They wanted to cripple him. They wanted to blind the team by destroying its "eyes."
Not only under Ryuji Hyuga's feet, but also beneath the Akimichi Clan Jonin and Aburame Ryoma. Hands erupted from the mud in all three places at once.
The first raised his hands to form seals and lifted his muscular legs. He bent slightly and stomped down with full force. Aburame Ryoma was instantly wrapped in insects.
Crack. Squelch.
Blood mixed with fragments of flesh spread across the ground, diluted by rainwater. Dense swarms of bugs poured into the earth, releasing a chilling sound as they devoured what lay beneath.
Both men dealt with their attackers in an instant. They then turned their heads toward Ryuji Hyuga almost at the same time. What they saw made them pause.
Ryuji Hyuga had avoided the slash. He grabbed the two hands protruding from the ground and pulled with raw force, dragging the hidden attacker out of the soil. The body came free in a spray of mud.
He struck with a single palm. The impact punched straight through the opponent's abdomen, leaving a large, hollow wound. Blood mixed with organ fragments poured out without stopping.
"They are missing-nin from Iwagakure," Ryuji Hyuga said after glancing at the corpse's forehead protector. "They likely spotted us earlier among that group."
As he spoke, he looked up at the Akimichi Clan Jonin and the others. Several pairs of eyes stared back at him in surprise. The reaction was understandable.
This kind of brutal killing method did not match their usual impression of the Hyuga Clan. Those missing-nin were at most around chunin level, so Ryuji Hyuga killing one was not shocking. Crushing a man's torso with a single palm, however, was another matter.
Was this not a bit too violent for a member of Hyuga? The thought lingered in the air, unspoken but shared.
At the same time, Aburame Ryoma frowned slightly. He sensed his tracking beetle had died and subconsciously looked toward Ryuji Hyuga's sleeve. All he saw was a blurred smear of blood.
Assuming it had been accidentally crushed during the fight, he released several more tracking beetles. They flew out silently, disappearing into the rain. He did not realize it was already too late.
No matter how many he released now, it would not matter. Ryuji Hyuga's true body had already put on a shadow cloak and left quietly. The Ryuji still smiling here was nothing more than a Shadow Clone.
He was moving ahead to set the stage.
For his "puppet."
Within the dense shadows of the forest, the real Ryuji Hyuga blended almost completely into darkness. As he moved, he silently recited in his mind, "Manifestation, Otsutsuki ruins…"
This time, the ones he intended to deceive were no longer just one person, or a small group. It would include everyone in the Ninja World, from Kumogakure to Konoha. No one would be left out.
Ryuji Hyuga was about to tell a lie that would cover the sky.