After breaking through Kumo's encirclement, Hyuga Soushu—leading his unit into hiding—fell completely silent.
Apart from a daily report to the rear through Toshimichi Yamanaka, informing Sakumo Hatake—who had recently led his forces into the Land of Rice Fields and was waiting for the right moment to launch a full-scale attack—that headquarters remained safe, he stopped caring about anything else.
And it was precisely this extreme restriction on Ninjutsu and communication methods, combined with the power of the Hyuga Byakugan, that allowed them to evade capture. Even after two days of evasion, despite Kumo increasing patrols and chase squads, they still found nothing.
Even during their transfers, Soushu's jōnin unit passed within five hundred meters of Kumo's mobile patrol teams—sometimes close enough to touch—and remained undetected.
So, after several exhausting days, the Kumo ninja force assigned to this eradication mission began to doubt—had Konoha's infiltration team already left the country? Or were they operating somewhere else?
"Esteemed Jonin, should we expand our search area?"
Inside a wild cavern in southern Land of Lightning, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki stared at the map deep in thought, drawing a complete blank. One of his subordinates couldn't help but step forward with a suggestion.
"Do you have an issue with me?"
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki's eyes gleamed with eerie green light as he fixed a deadly stare upon this audacious ninja.
In truth, regardless of village affiliations, jinchuriki—being volatile beings capable of causing irreparable damage to their home villages—are naturally feared entities. Even Kumo, which has always emphasized unity as one, is no exception.
Therefore, upon hearing the suggestion from his subordinate, the Two-Tails' immediate reaction was: *he's defying me!*
"N-no! It's not like that at all, Two-Tails Jonin!"
The Kumo jōnin, who spoke out of personal experience and duty, instantly broke into a cold sweat under the Jinchuriki's death glare and stammered, "I merely believe that since this group of Konoha ninja includes someone possessing the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai from the Hyuga Clan, perhaps we should"
"They're still in the southern region; absolutely, they haven't left!"
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki declared decisively.
"But we've yet to discover any signs of foreign ninja activity whatsoever. Isn't it somewhat baseless to keep assuming that"
Another Kumo jōnin also couldn't help interjecting.
"You truly plan to disobey my orders?"
Without showing any intention of listening, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki directly threatened them with an even colder tone.
"We dare not!"
"We shall obey your will!"
Witnessing the blue flames beginning to flicker within the Jinchuriki's eyes, the previously speaking Kumo jōnin immediately swallowed back all explanations and respectfully bowed, showing complete submission.
Otherwise, who could tell if this demon-like Jinchuriki wouldn't openly kill someone?
The insistence of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, serving as commander, proved effective.
On the third day of the suppression operation, Kumo Ninja Forces first noticed an anomaly during their routine intelligence exchange— a unit had failed to respond. Then after dispatching elite forces to investigate, they discovered battle traces that had not yet been completely cleaned up.
This strongly suggested that Konoha ninjas were still operating in the south of the Land of Lightning. It was very likely that this Kumo unit had accidentally stumbled upon something and was ambushed and wiped out entirely.
Although no items identifying Konoha ninjas were found at the battlefield aside from numerous Kumo ninja corpses, by analyzing the widespread residual Fire Release traces and lingering chakra signatures, Kumo quickly deduced the identities of both parties involved.
"The two Kumo Jonin's assessment wasn't wrong,"
a Kumo Jonin inhaled sharply, "Have we underestimated these Konoha ninjas far too much?"
To silently eliminate a full squad-level ninja force without even allowing them to send out the simplest signal flare, and without nearby Kumo units noticing any abnormal chakra fluctuations—this was extremely terrifying.
Quite frankly, any lone Kumo ninja out of visual range is almost certain to get boxed in and wiped out.
"Let's report to the commander then,"
another Kumo Jonin licked his lips anxiously, "Perhaps this is an elite force rivaling the Anbu (Konoha's elite black ops unit)!"
The reason why Hyuga Soushu suddenly shifted tactics—from covert rear-echelon infiltration to full-on aggressive assaults—was because he received a battlefield report from Sakumo Hatake regarding Konoha's defeat in the Land of Rain. Although the Rain Country expeditionary force couldn't pursue due to a lack of command structure, Konoha Ninja Forces had begun withdrawing steadily since their central command structure had completely collapsed.
Most crucially, apart from the Sannin (Konoha's Legendary Three), specially honored disciples of the Hokage, nearly all other personnel within the expeditionary command were either killed or wounded by Sanshouo Hanzo's indiscriminate deadly poison technique. Without restructuring this core leadership, coordinated operations would become impossible for the ninja forces.
Although the Hokage's three apprentices survived the confrontation with Sanshouo Hanzo and were even granted the title of Sannin, the fact remained—they had lost the battle, period. No matter how many eloquent justifications one might conjure, they could never alter the reality or its consequences.
This complete defeat delivered a heavy blow directly upon the Hokage faction, leaving the F4 (being Konoha's top four elite shinobi) utterly bewildered and unsure of what steps to take next.
Therefore, following this setback in the Land of Rain, emergency measures were needed to reinforce and solidify the defensive lines there as soon as possible. Meanwhile, support previously destined for Sakumo Hatake's Northern Front forces was inevitably reduced.
After weighing pros against cons carefully, disregarding the potential risk of exposing his position, Sakumo Hatake immediately ordered Yamanaka clan's Jonin to establish forced communication via Mind Secret Technique with Toshimichi Yamanaka under Hyuga Soushu's command. After informing him about the current situation, he issued orders demanding immediate escalation of attacks on Kumo forces, intending to lure them southward into a prearranged battlefield!
As for the annihilated Kumo squad, they had the misfortune to set up camp for the night less than a kilometer away from Hyuga Soushu's ambush site, and were swiftly eliminated without hesitation!
"The second Kumo squad is approaching from the southeast, bearing 30 degrees off our left flank."
Right after finishing the annihilation operation, while rapidly relocating, Soushu's force quickly discovered another Kumo ninja unit. "About a hundred and ten in total — sixteen seem to be Jonin judging by their uniforms."
"Are there any other Kumo ninja squads behind us?"
Hyuga Soushu raised his eyebrows slightly and asked.
"There are no signs of movement indicating organized Kumo forces within our visible range."
A Hyuga Branch House Jonin scout answered.
"In that case, let's strike!"
Soushu activated his Byakugan for confirmation, then barked the command: "Since secrecy is already blown, let's just throw everything we've got at them!"
Immediately afterward, he dropped his chakra concealment and activated his Body Flicker Technique, charging straight into the enemy formation.
Mahiru Uchiha followed closely behind him, while the rest of his men fanned out to both flanks, forming a wide net swiftly enveloping the unsuspecting Kumo ninjas marching ahead.
"Honorable Lady Namiko! Massive chakra fluctuations detected!"
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki, who had been meditating inside her command cave, was snapped out of meditation by her subordinate's sudden exclamation.
"Where?"
"44 degrees south, approximately twenty-seven kilometers distance. The current units present in this area are—"
Before the Sensor ninja could finish speaking, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki had already flickered out of the cave, not even bothering to call upon her Jonin subordinates.
"Each commander, urge your unit to mobilize immediately!"
A senior Kumo Jonin swiftly took over command and began issuing orders. "Except for the guards at headquarters, everyone else will mobilize right away!"
"Communications unit, contact all deployed forces and converge upon the target area immediately! Sensor team, keep maintaining lock on targets!"
With a series of rapid commands given, chaos erupted among the Kumo ninjas as they scrambled toward the target area like startled birds.
"Lord Soushu, our position is most likely compromised now."
Within less than ten minutes after completely eliminating yet another Kumo ninja force, the Byakugan-wielding ninja under Soushu's command resumed battlefield surveillance again. "Three Kumo brutes are currently moving southward to encircle us."
"There also seems to be an ominous chakra presence rapidly closing in from the north."
Dan Kato added, "Judging from the chakra signature, it may belong to a Kumo Jinchuriki."
"They sure aren't holding back!"
Without further delay, Hyuga Soushu gave direct orders, "Jonin Toshimichi, notify headquarters immediately! Jonin Mahiru, launch the signal flare right away. All Tokubetsu Jonin should retreat first under Jonin Dan Kato's command!"
"At once!"
The Jonin unit wasted no time obeying every instruction from Hyuga Soushu without protest.
After separating all the weaker Tokubetsu Jonin, Hyuga Soushu still had thirty-nine Jonin under his command. Even though they'd lost more than half their numbers, they were still incredibly strong in battle. Unless surrounded, even a thousand-strong ninja force wouldn't stand a chance against Soushu's unit.
As for the Tokubetsu Jonin unit that had dispersed south earlier, it also included Hyuga Clan Byakugan users and remained equally formidable. Even facing a Kumo Ninja Force of about one hundred strong, they had complete confidence in victory. So Soushu didn't have to worry about them either.
"Listen up! Our mission this time is to lure the enemy south, not to fight to the death with monsters like Jinchuriki! Don't let your passion get the better of you during battle!"
As he used his Byakugan to watch the Kumo Jinchuriki rushing in from the north, Soushu warned: "Especially you guys, Uchiha Jonin! Your three-tomoe Sharingan might not be enough to handle a Jinchuriki, so don't try to act tough!"
"We'll follow your orders without question!"
The Uchiha Jonin grinned.
Once the Tokubetsu Jonin unit had moved far enough away, Soushu's Byakugan spotted the Kumo Jinchuriki racing toward their position at full speed.
"We'll relocate toward the eastern direction!"
Soushu was the first to Body Flicker ahead, guiding his forces in their planned withdrawal.
"Roar!"
At that moment, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, charging forward at full speed, saw the fleeing Konoha ninja and couldn't help but roar furiously. He deliberately weakened his body's seal even more and sped up again as Soushu's unit vanished beyond the horizon!
"That must be the Two-Tails' blue flames."
While retreating at maximum speed, Soushu turned his head to gaze toward the rapidly pursuing Kumo Jinchuriki.
"Two-Tails won't be too bad."
Mahiru Uchiha wasn't afraid at all—in fact, she looked excited.
Historical Uchiha records say that legendary Uchiha warriors during the Warring States era treated Tailed Beasts like obedient companions. So aside from Soushu, Mahiru—who was determined to outdo those legends—was also deeply fascinated by Tailed Beasts.
"They'll catch up with us in about four minutes."
An Uchiha Jonin interjected.
"The Tokubetsu Jonin squad has already broken through the Kumo Intercept Unit in the south, and there are no other Kumo ninja within seven kilometers in the eastern direction!"
A Hyuga Branch House Jonin quickly added.
"Remember our tactics!"
Soushu retrieved his Torch Pole weapon from a Sealing Scroll and began slowing down his pace while quietly regulating his Chakra reserves.
All the Jonin except Mahiru Uchiha spread out to either side and formed a crescent. The charging Two-Tails Jinchuriki happened to be caught right inside this formation.
Without hesitation, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki once again loosened the iron armor seal on his body and started drawing massive amounts of power from the Tailed Beast sealed within him.
"Katon: Gōka Messhitsu!" (Fire Release: Hell-Flame User Purging Creation!)
A massive blue fireball burst from the Jinchuriki's mouth and shattered into countless smaller flames, all aimed at the Jonin gathered there!
[Water Release: Wall of Water Formation!]
[Earth Release: Earth Wall!]
Prepared in advance, the Konoha Jonin immediately used defensive ninjutsu to intercept the Jinchuriki's attack. Even the Uchiha Jonin who were most skilled in Fire Release techniques joined the defense without exception — after all, Matatabi the Two-Tails wielded fire chakra itself. Ordinary fire techniques were like blowing warm air at a wildfire to the Two-Tails and its Jinchuriki!
At the same time, after blocking the Jinchuriki's initial assault, the Uchiha Jonin assembly immediately activated their Sharingan eyes and launched Genjutsu attacks from all directions against the formidable Jinchuriki.
[Genjutsu: Makyou Kaou Technique! (Darkness Binding Prison)]
Even the Jinchuriki who had drawn upon tailed beast chakra momentarily faltered under the layered Genjutsu assault of ten Uchiha Jonin.
[Counter Storm!]
[Jumping Slash!]
Hyuga Soushu immediately snatched up his Torch Pole and Body-Flickered forward, swinging it with all his might straight into the Jinchuriki's skull!
"Boom!"
A sickening thud followed as the blow connected with the Jinchuriki's head, but the one who took the heavy strike only bled heavily from the wound without showing any serious injuries.
[Counter Storm Second Activation!]
Hyuga Soushu then activated the second stage effect of the skill. Accompanied by rippling red waves, the already dazed Jinchuriki became even more unable to control its limbs under the combined assault of Genjutsu and the powerful head strike.
Then Hyuga Soushu delivered another massive hammer blow, sending the Jinchuriki flying!
[Good chance!]
Ten Uchiha Jonin stepped forward together and quickly formed hand seals.
[Fire Sealing Method!]
As ten scrolls unfurled and enveloped the Jinchuriki, the blue beast chakra covering its body began to thin out!
But if the Jinchuriki could be captured so easily, it wouldn't be considered the ultimate war weapon of an entire Hidden Village.
[Raaawr!]
With a furious roar, the sealing scroll runes wrapped around the Jinchuriki instantly cracked apart inch by inch. The beast chakra surged even brighter! Its head wound completely healed as well. Weird markings flared across its face, and its eyes burned pure white!
"It's partially transformed into a tailed beast!"
Hyuga Soushu quickly made the judgment: "Retreat gradually while fighting! Don't get stuck in battle!"
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