Although Anko hadn’t been a shinobi for very long, she had interacted with several Hyuga clan members before.
In her impression, while the Byakugan was great at scouting, wasn’t it absurd to see through miles of forest over ten kilometers away at night?
*Is something wrong with this Hyuga guy?* To this, Inaba could only spread his hands mentally: *A little wallhack doesn’t count as cheating.* That was the confidence of a Flawless Byakugan.
Confidence aside, he still had to deliver the intelligence.
“I can only see their combat Chakra signatures.
I can’t confirm exact numbers or affiliations yet.
It looks like one team is chasing another, but both are moving fast and seem quite strong!” Captain Tomoe frowned.
“According to Lord Orochimaru’s plan, nearby Konoha squads shouldn’t be approaching our route right now.” Rinfu Gekko gave a terse, direct response.
“Accidents happen.
Overthinking is useless.
Captain, decide quickly.” Captain Tomoe didn’t waste time reflecting on the cause.
“Conceal yourselves.
If they get within three kilometers, we strike.
Once we identify the enemy, eliminate them swiftly.
Leave no survivors!” During an important mission, Captain Tomoe preferred to avoid complications, but if the enemy got too close, they had no choice but to fight.
An enemy team might also have sensory-type shinobi.
If their presence was exposed, the risk to the rest of the mission would skyrocket!
So when it was time to act, they had to be decisive—extinguishing the threat in the shortest possible time!
Before this, Rinfu and Anko had already extinguished the warm campfire with practiced skill.
After rapidly clearing all traces of their camp, all three leaped into the trees, focusing their attention and waiting!
In reality, at such a distance, in the pitch-black night forest, Anko couldn’t see a thing.
She could only rely on Inaba’s real-time updates from high above.
“They’re still approaching!” “The Chakra from their battle is spreading over a massive area—looks like someone used the Hidden Mist Jutsu.
Be ready, at least one of these squads is definitely the enemy!” “I see Fire Style Chakra…
Initial judgment: the team being hunted is very likely from the Uchiha Clan.” “That suspected Uchiha squad is still heading straight toward us.
They don’t seem to care about our route at all.” “Three kilometers out!
They still haven’t changed course!
Give up any lingering hope, everyone—get ready to fight!” In just a few minutes, as the two squads drew closer in their chase, Inaba had analyzed the situation clearly.
The Uchiha were fleeing, and the Mist were pursuing.
Moreover, the fleeing Uchiha didn’t give a damn about Orochimaru’s setup, charging straight toward them.
They were total trouble magnets!
This put Inaba in a terrible mood.
On the flip side, his three teammates felt a wave of pleasant surprise.
Not because of the Uchiha, but because of Inaba!
This unconventional new Hyuga kid was unexpectedly reliable!
Yesterday before setting out, after witnessing Inaba’s swordplay and Lightning Style, they had assumed this rebellious Hyuga wasn’t proficient with the Byakugan, hoping only that he had standard sensory skills.
After all, he didn’t even practice the Hyuga Clan’s signature Gentle Fist, so no one expected much from his Byakugan.
Who would have thought he was this absurdly dependable in reconnaissance?
Nightfall and dense forests posed no obstacle to him.
Miles away, long before contact, he had used those white eyes to lay bare the enemy’s identity!
This was far more reliable than any sensory teammate they had ever worked with!
Captain Tomoe was already offering silent prayers of thanks in his mind.
*Thank you, Lord Orochimaru, for sending us such a precious gem when frontline reinforcements are so scarce!* *Thank you, Lord Orochimaru!* When the distance closed enough, Captain Tomoe and Rinfu spotted the enemies as well!
“Here they come.
Move!!” As the command was given, a flash of fire lit up the forest—the fleeing Uchiha ninja were repeatedly casting Fire Style Ninjutsu.
The instant the flames illuminated the woods, the chasing Kirigakure ninja felt a sudden surge of dread.
Before he could think, a dragon’s roar echoed through the trees!
The next moment, a roaring water dragon charged head-on, scattering the lingering mist and arriving before the Kirigakure ninja in a flash!
It was Captain Tomoe’s “Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu”!
As a descendant of the Senju Clan, Tomoe’s Water Dragon Jutsu was naturally the refined version passed down from the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju—the one requiring only seven hand seals.
*So fast!* That was the Kirigakure ninja’s first thought.
His immediate second thought was pure humiliation!
*Showing off Water Style in front of a Mist ninja?
Who are you looking down on?!* Behind him, his teammate finally shouted a warning: “Watch out!
Someone’s here!
The red-eyed bastards have backup!!” The gap between the two sides’ sensory capabilities was painfully obvious.
The Mist team only noticed new enemies when a Ninjutsu was slammed into their faces, whereas Tomoe’s squad had received precise coordinates from Inaba long before striking!
“Bastard!” Facing the water dragon head-on, the Kirigakure ninja cursed furiously.
Out of nowhere, he drew a bone blade and slashed violently, shattering the incoming water dragon into spraying mist!
Domineering as the move was, the force knocked him back several meters.
His feet plowed two deep trenches into the earth, and the high-speed water currents left numerous bloody gashes across his body.
Yet the Mist ninja didn’t care at all.
No one could show off Water Style in front of Kirigakure!
Before he could gloat, another figure charged at him at blinding speed!
In the dark night, the figure was hard to see clearly, but those pupil-less white eyes were striking and instantly recognizable.
“Heh!
A trash Hyuga!” The bone-blade-wielding Mist ninja laughed maniacally.
Behind Inaba, Captain Tomoe’s warning rang out: “Careful!
That’s a Kaguya with Shikotsumyaku!” Shikotsumyaku—the Kekkei Genkai inherited by the Kaguya Clan—was the ability to freely manipulate all the bones in one’s body.
It was widely held that the Kaguya Clan hard-countered the Hyuga Clan on the battlefield.
Their rapidly grown bone armor could effectively block Chakra point strikes, while their bone spikes shut down all close-quarters Taijutsu.
This was the source of the Kaguya ninja’s arrogance.
He had killed plenty of Hyuga kin in the past and looked down on this so-called Konoha noble clan!
Cackling wildly, the bare-chested Kaguya ninja rapidly grew pale exoskeletal armor across his upper body, guarding his vital spots and Chakra points with sharp spikes.
At the same time, he raised both hands, spread his fingers, and fired bullet-like bone fragments from his fingertips!
“Shikotsumyaku: Ten Finger Drilling Bullets!” Yet in the next instant, something completely beyond his expectation occurred— *Crackle!* Lightning flashed brilliantly through the dark, and a gleaming blade sliced through the night sky!