A figure dressed in a reddish-brown Iwagakure combat uniform slowly emerged from the ground like a ghost.
Using the cover of the bushes, he stared intently at the camp’s campfire, which was faintly visible in the distance.
“This is the place. Lord Kurokawa’s intuition is indeed accurate.”
The figure muttered in a low voice, and his body sank back into the ground as if melting, disappearing without a trace.
…
In another hidden mountain hollow, the smell of blood was pungent.
Hyuga Shinichi was covered in blood, leaning weakly against a moss-covered boulder.
His legs were bent at an unnatural angle, clearly having been broken by someone.
A muscular, bald Iwagakure ninja was choking Hyuga Shinichi by the neck like a chicken, lifting him halfway into the air.
“Konoha brat, my patience is limited. Speak! Where is your main force hiding? If you don’t talk, I’ll crush your bones inch by inch!” The bald Iwagakure ninja’s eyes gleamed with malice as he suddenly tightened his grip.
“Cough… cough, cough…”
Hyuga Shinichi struggled in pain, his face pale, but he still gritted his teeth.
“In your dreams… I won’t say anything…”
Senju Ken’s plan had fallen through.
He had originally arranged for Hyuga Shinichi to stay behind and watch for Iwagakure scouts, but he hadn’t expected the reinforcements from Iwagakure to arrive so quickly.
Just as Hyuga Shinichi discovered the enemy and before he could retreat, he was captured alive by this group of elite Iwagakure ninja.
As a member of the Hyuga Branch Family, Hyuga Shinichi was cowardly at heart.
But he knew that even if he confessed, these ruthless Iwagakure ninja would never leave him alive.
Since he was going to die either way, why should he bear the reputation of a traitor before his death?
Moreover, the damn ‘Caged Bird Seal’ cursed seal on his forehead had already sealed his fate.
Living, he was a dog of the Hyuga Clan; dead, he was a ghost of Konoha.
“Stubborn, aren’t we? Since you want to die, I’ll fulfill your wish!” The bald Iwagakure ninja completely lost his patience and drew the Kunai from his waist, preparing to deliver the killing blow.
“Lord Kurokawa!”
A hurried voice interrupted the bald man’s action.
The Iwagakure scout who had just been lurking on the outskirts of the Konoha outpost emerged from the ground and knelt on one knee before the bald giant.
“Did you find them?” The bald Iwagakure ninja named Kurokawa paused, turning to look at his subordinate, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
“I found them! In a hidden depression thirty kilometers to the west. I didn’t dare get too close for fear of alerting them.”
“But judging by the number of campfires and tents, there are at least a dozen Konoha shinobi. Even if they aren’t the ones who killed Lord Feng Lin, they are definitely Konoha’s main force!” The scout reported rapidly.
“Good! Excellent job!”
A cruel excitement flashed in Kurokawa’s eyes.
He casually threw Hyuga Shinichi heavily against the boulder like a piece of trash.
Bang!
Hyuga Shinichi was thrown so hard his head bled, and he didn’t even have the strength to scream.
His body slid down the rough stone surface, leaving a shocking trail of blood on the ground.
Kurokawa didn’t even spare him a glance.
He bit his right thumb, his hands moving so fast they became a blur.
“Summoning Technique!”
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke erupted.
A massive owl covered in grayish-black feathers appeared in the clearing.
“Yemaru, go find the Matsui squad and tell them the location of the Konoha outpost. Tell them to bring their team to meet up tonight immediately, and we’ll wipe out these Konoha rats together!” The source of this chapter is novelping dot com.
As Kurokawa gave the order, he quickly wrote down the coordinates on a tiny scroll and stuffed it into the owl’s sharp beak.
Lying in a pool of blood, Hyuga Shinichi stared intently at the owl that was preparing to spread its wings and fly.
So that was it.
No wonder these Iwagakure ninja could track him down so quickly in this complex forest; they were relying on this kind of summoning beast with excellent aerial vision!
He must not let this beast deliver the intel!
Once the two elite Iwagakure squads met up, Senju Ken and the others would definitely be surrounded and wiped out!
Hyuga Shinichi didn’t know where his strength came from, but he forced open his dried-up Chakra pathway, desperately gathering his last bit of Chakra into his palm.
Veins bulged around his eyes, and his vision was already blurry.
“Eight Trigrams… Vacuum Palm!”
Summoning every ounce of his strength, Hyuga Shinichi struck out with a palm toward the owl in midair!
A weak blast of Chakra shot out from his hand, flying crookedly toward Yemaru.
This was the first time in his life he had successfully used this secret Hyuga technique in actual combat, and it was also his last.
“You’re asking for death!”
Kurokawa snorted coldly.
His tall body instantly blocked the owl, and with a casual wave of his massive, fan-like palm, he shattered the weak blast of the Vacuum Palm.
*Screech—*
The owl Yemaru let out a sharp cry, flapped its wings violently, and in the blink of an eye, merged into the deep night, leaving no trace behind.
Hyuga Shinichi looked up at the night sky in despair.
He had failed.
He couldn’t save anyone, not even himself.
“I was going to let you live for another two minutes, but since you’re in such a hurry to die, I’ll send you on your way!”
Kurokawa was completely enraged by Hyuga Shinichi’s dying struggle.
He strode over to Hyuga Shinichi, raised his thick leg, and stomped down hard.
Crack!
The crisp sound of a neck snapping echoed through the mountain hollow.
Before Hyuga Shinichi could even feel the pain, his vision plunged into endless darkness.
In the final second as his consciousness faded…
The image of his father teaching him the Gentle Fist when he was a child, and his mother’s back as she busied herself in the kitchen, appeared in his mind.
How nice…
he didn’t have to live with this damn curse seal anymore.
Complete liberation.
“Tch, Konoha rats are so boring.”
Kurokawa stared at the lifeless Hyuga Shinichi on the ground.
The green, crossed mark on the corpse’s forehead was rapidly fading along with his life.
The Caged Bird Seal cursed seal not only locked away the Byakugan, but also erased all the secrets within the corpse.
Kurokawa spat on the ground in disgust.
“Since this kid is dead, the Konoha camp will definitely notice.
Notify all nearby hidden brothers to assemble at the depression outpost thirty kilometers to the west tonight!
We must root them out tonight!”
If Yemaru hadn’t brought the intel back in time to buy them a little extra time, those Konoha rats might have really slipped away.
“Understood, Lord Kurokawa!”
Several Iwagakure ninja took the order, their bodies quickly merging into the dark night.
With a few flashes of afterimages, they vanished without a trace.
…
Returning to the temporary Konoha outpost.
The narrow tent was filled with a faint scent of blood.
Rinya closed his eyes and dozed in the corner.
Beside him, Chiba Mai curled her body up, sleeping soundly from exhaustion.
Conditions on the battlefield were crude, and sharing tents between men and women was common.
The young girl’s breathing was steady, and the tattered cloth barely knotted across her chest could not hide her breathtaking curves.
The tight fabric rose and fell with her breath, squeezing out a deep, alluring, snow-white cleavage.
“Rinya, wake up, it’s your turn for watch.”
Captain Takagi lifted the curtain and walked in, patting Rinya on the shoulder.
Rinya instantly opened his eyes, his gaze clear, without a hint of sleepiness.
Having spent several days on a battlefield that was like a meat grinder, he had long since developed the instinct to stay alert at all times.
Taking off clothes to sleep?
That was simply asking for death!
Even his shoelaces had to be tied tightly.
“Understood, Captain.”
Rinya stood up, reluctantly drawing his eyes away from Chiba Mai’s alluring curves, stretched his limbs, and stepped out of the tent quietly.
With a few leaps, Rinya arrived at the sentry post on the perimeter of the outpost.
As soon as he landed, a deep male voice came from the dark bushes.
“Here for watch? Password! Who does Captain Senju like the most?”
Hearing this password, Rinya’s face went dark, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
What kind of embarrassing password was this!
What kind of sick humor did that thick-eyebrowed Senju Ken have in his head?
When Takagi had given him the password earlier today, he had almost drawn his Kunai to fight Senju Ken to the death.
Suppressing the urge to curse, Rinya gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, replying, “Captain Senju likes Uchiha… Uchiha Rinya the most! Now get your ass back to sleep, I’ll take over here!”
“Hehe, thanks for the hard work, Brother Rinya.”
The Konoha Chunin chuckled, gave Rinya a teasing wink, and then slipped back to the camp with a smirk.
Rinya spat hard on the ground as he watched the other man’s gloating figure walk away.
Senju Ken was definitely messing with him on purpose!
Blatant workplace bullying!
Too bad there was no proof!
Putting aside his frustration, Rinya formed hand seals, channeling Chakra into his eyes.