"Hizashi-sama, it's impossible for us to hold off the Cloud Ninjas on our own."
The man speaking had graying hair and a sorrowful face, with wrinkles so deep they could trap flies. He looked at Hyūga Hizashi with a desperate, submissive demeanor, practically begging for mercy, hoping Hizashi would grant the Hidden Hot Springs Ninjas (Yu-nin) a way out.
Being stationed in the Kusatsu Mountains to fend off the Cloud Ninjas seemed, to him, like a death sentence for the Yu-nin.
"Soruto, I never said you had to stop the Cloud Ninjas. Your mission is to delay them as much as possible. Besides, we don't even know when the Cloud Ninjas will attack. By the time they come, we may have already evacuated, and you can withdraw as well."
The man, Soruto, was the leader of the Yu-nin.
Hearing Hizashi's response, Soruto felt his heart drop into an abyss.
Despite all the words exchanged, the meaning remained the same: the Yu-nin must stay and guard the Kusatsu Mountains to buy time for the Leaf Ninjas to retreat. If the Cloud Ninjas attacked during that time, the Yu-nin were to hold them off at any cost.
Rage and frustration rose within Soruto. His breathing grew heavy, veins bulging on the back of his hands. Suppressing his anger, he once again pleaded, "Hizashi-sama, I..."
"Soruto, as long as the young and the children survive, the legacy of the Hidden Hot Springs Village will live on. And rest assured, the Leaf Village will never allow your village to disappear. Focus on completing your mission!"
Hizashi didn't even let Soruto finish speaking.
But upon hearing this, Soruto deflated, like a balloon that had been punctured, all his anger and resentment draining away.
Back when the Cloud Ninjas first started their invasion from the south, the Hidden Hot Springs Village had swiftly evacuated all women and children under the age of fifteen, sending them along with the nation's aristocracy into the Land of Fire. This was a tradition of the Land of Hot Water—each time war broke out, they would send people to the Land of Fire, their overlord, as a show of loyalty.
Thinking of his three-year-old son, Soruto let out a sigh of resignation. There was no way out. He had no choice but to face the situation head-on. As for why he didn't defect to the Cloud Ninjas to escape the pressure from the Leaf Village, the answer was simple.
Apart from the hostages they'd already sent, the Leaf Village was the kindest and most reasonable option. In the ongoing war between the Leaf and Cloud, the Yu-nin still retained most of their strength. But their northern neighbors, the Frost Ninjas, who sided with the Cloud, had lost nearly everything.
At the start of the war, the Cloud Ninjas had driven the Frost Ninjas into battle without hesitation. After only two major skirmishes, the Leaf had retreated, and the Frost Ninjas, who had spent the last six years rebuilding after the Third Ninja War, had been utterly crushed.
Of the Five Great Ninja Villages, the Leaf Village was truly the best option.
Moreover, given the geographic proximity between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fire, if the Yu-nin dared to switch sides and join the Cloud Ninjas, the Leaf Village would stop at nothing to destroy them and rebuild a new Hidden Hot Springs Village.
In the end, this was just the sorrow of small nations caught in the power struggles of the great ones.
Soruto lowered his head, accepting his fate.
Just as Soruto was about to leave, a Leaf Ninja from the communications unit rushed into the tent, shouting, "Hizashi-sama, the Cloud Ninjas! The Cloud Ninjas are attacking!"
The sudden report caused Hizashi's blood pressure to spike. He could feel the veins throbbing in his temples.
"Byakugan, activate!"
Hizashi immediately activated his Byakugan.
As the head of the Hyūga Clan and with a pure lineage, his Byakugan, honed through years of rigorous training, could see up to ten kilometers away. From inside the tent, he could clearly see the battle erupting on the frontlines, where ninjas wearing different headbands and vests of various colors were locked in combat.
Judging from the situation, the Leaf Ninjas were being pushed back, steadily losing ground.
The reason was clear: the half-transformed Two-Tails Jinchūriki had torn through the Leaf's defenses and was leading the Cloud Ninjas in a brutal advance, leaving the Leaf Ninjas with little chance to retaliate.
"Damn it!"
Hizashi's face turned ashen.
Jinchūriki were truly a nuisance. Hizashi couldn't help but curse the First Hokage's decision to distribute the Tailed Beasts among the major nations. Instead of bringing peace, it had only intensified the scale of war, resulting in three great Ninja Wars that had cost the Leaf dearly.
"How could they attack so quickly? Don't the Cloud Ninjas need to rest? Are they made of iron or something?"
Hizashi's frustration grew.
The Cloud Ninjas had attacked far earlier than expected.
Given the intense fighting and long marches they'd endured, the strategists led by Nara Clan Jonin had predicted that the Cloud Ninjas would need at least three days of rest before launching another assault. Yet, here they were, attacking on the second day.
Soon, Shibi Aburame and the others gathered. After a brief but intense discussion, they agreed not to change the retreat plan. However, they couldn't rely on the Yu-nin to hold off the Cloud Ninjas. It would now require sacrifices to retreat from the Kusatsu Mountains.
"I'll handle the Two-Tails Jinchūriki."
Shibi Aburame stepped forward.
"Defeating the Two-Tails Jinchūriki is difficult, but I should be able to hold them off for a while."
"Thank you, Shibi."
Hizashi knew this wasn't the time for pleasantries. He agreed to Shibi's offer and said, "If you're taking on the Jinchūriki, then I'll handle Darui!"
As a top-tier sensor ninja himself, Hizashi didn't need a report to identify the Cloud Ninjas' formations. He had already locked on to Darui and the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.
Darui and the Two-Tails Jinchūriki were the most dangerous opponents in this Cloud Ninja force.
After numerous clashes, both sides had gathered enough intelligence on each other. Darui, with his Storm Release kekkei genkai and mastery of Black Lightning inherited from the Third Raikage, was a rising star on the battlefield, rivaling the Two-Tails Jinchūriki in fame.
Otherwise, Hizashi wouldn't have volunteered to take him on personally.
Hizashi knew that he and Shibi were the only ones capable of stalling Darui. Any other ninja would need at least three or five to even slow him down.
In ninja warfare, victory or defeat often came down to the battles between the top-tier combatants.
It wasn't that the fights between Chūnin and Genin weren't important, but the outcome of the battle was heavily influenced by the strongest fighters. The Leaf's gradual retreat wasn't because their Chūnin and Genin were weaker than their Cloud counterparts; it was because Hizashi and Shibi couldn't match the Fourth Raikage or the Cloud's Jinchūriki.
With the upper echelon outclassed, the Leaf's lower ranks were inevitably overwhelmed by the Cloud's elite.
"Nara Saltwater, I'm leaving the command of the retreat to you."
With Hizashi and Shibi preparing to engage in battle, command of the forces was handed over to Nara Saltwater, a young man just over twenty. Despite his age, members of the Nara Clan were known for their maturity and wisdom beyond their years. Saltwater's performance during the campaign had earned Hizashi's trust in his abilities.
"Hizashi-sama, Shibi-sama, please return safely."
True to the Nara Clan's reputation for intelligence, Saltwater had already begun issuing orders even before Hizashi and Shibi set out. The camp's Leaf Ninjas and Yu-nin moved swiftly and orderly, executing the retreat plan with precision. Hizashi, reassured by Saltwater's competence, led a squad with Shibi toward the frontlines.
...
In the forest, a flash of black lightning streaked by.
"Ugh… ugh..."
A Leaf Ninja clutched his throat, trying to stop the blood gushing from the deep wound, but it was too severe. His hands quickly lost strength, and his eyes grew dim before his body fell lifelessly from the tree.
"Sorry, but please rest in peace."
The speaker was a young man standing atop a tree branch.
He had white hair, dark skin, bangs covering his left eye, and thick lips. His shoulders bore tattoos of the kanji for "thunder" and "water," and he wore the standard Cloud Ninja uniform. On his back was an empty sword sheath, the weapon currently in his hand.
Blood dripped from the tip of the blade.
He had just slain a Leaf special Jonin with a single slash.
"Captain Darui, Yugito-sama has advanced another 500 meters."
At that moment, a voice crackled through Darui's earpiece, delivering a report.
Darui twirled his wrist, causing the blade to vibrate, shaking off the blood as he listened to his subordinates' reports. He sighed helplessly, "Lady Yugito... rushed in too quickly!" What made it even worse was that both Yugito and Lady Two-Tails were his seniors, and Lord Raikage hadn't clearly designated who had more authority between them.
Even though Darui felt that Yugito's actions were overly aggressive, there was no way to stop her. On the contrary, he could only do his best to cooperate.
"I understand, I'll get there as soon as..."
Before he could finish his sentence,
Black lightning flashed again, and Darui's figure appeared at the top of another tree. The branch where he had been standing was shattered by an invisible attack.
Had he not reacted quickly, taking a direct hit would have cost him several broken bones, if not worse.
"Is this... the Hyuga Clan's Air Palm?"
Darui's eyes shifted as he traced the path of the attack and spotted the assailant.
Then—
"Sorry, tell Lady Yugito that I've encountered a big fish here. I can't make it over for now. Also, tell her not to rush in so fast. That's all."
With that, Darui turned off his communicator, focusing all his attention on Hiashi Hyuga, who had appeared among the trees.