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Under the cover of night, murderous intent surged.
Countless Konoha shinobi moved swiftly through the forest, precisely targeting the scattered lightning release flashes.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Boom!
Wind fanned the flames, and the scorching flame bullet, propelled by the gale, instantly expanded into a sea of fire.
A lightning release flash, charging wildly, was instantly engulfed.
Electricity exploded, and the figure burst into a ball of light.
"It's a clone!"
"Next one! Three o'clock direction, pursue!"
Similar scenes unfolded simultaneously in every corner of the forest.
Konoha's shinobi were well-trained and had clear divisions of labor.
Sensory shinobi locked onto targets.
Nara clan members coordinated the teams and determined authenticity.
The main force attacked with the fiercest ninjutsu, holding nothing back.
The operation was highly efficient!
Hyuga Hiashi stood on a giant tree branch, his Byakugan scrutinizing the battlefield.
In his vision, the chakra light points representing the lightning release clones were extinguishing one by one.
His gaze pierced through the dense forest.
Deep within the forest, four clusters of chakra, more condensed than the clones, were being surrounded by dozens of Konoha shinobi's light points.
"They've been found."
Deep within the dense forest, one of the Kumogakure shinobi had just pierced a Konoha genin's chest with a lightning-infused kunai.
"We've been discovered!"
He didn't even have time to catch his breath.
Several kunai, rigged with explosive tags, had already sealed off all his escape routes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent explosions stirred up towering smoke and dust.
As the smoke and dust cleared, the Kumogakure shinobi was covered in blood, kneeling on the ground, severely wounded.
Just then, a pitch-black shadow spread from beneath everyone's feet, coiling around his body.
"Shadow Imitation Technique, successful."
A calm voice came from behind, as a Nara clan member formed hand seals.
"Damn it!"
The Kumogakure shinobi, bound by the shadow, stiffened, letting out a low growl from his throat, like a trapped beast.
He knew very well the consequences of being captured alive.
The Yamanaka clan's secret techniques would drain every secret from his mind.
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth fiercely.
The remaining chakra in his body surged violently towards his head in an even more berserk manner!
"No good! He's going to destroy his brain!" The Yamanaka clan member in the team's face changed drastically, exclaiming in shock.
Too late.
The Kumogakure shinobi trembled violently. A muffled thud came from inside his head, blood oozed from his seven orifices, and he slumped softly to the ground.
Death before disclosure!
On the other side, Dodai's situation was equally grim.
He faced a complete Konoha team alone, which also included a Hyuga branch family shinobi.
"Gentle Fist!"
The Hyuga shinobi's figure flickered, striking with his palms directly at Dodai's chakra points.
The flow of chakra within Dodai's body instantly became sluggish.
He roared, unleashing his last lightning release chakra, forcefully breaking through the blockade of his chakra points!
He retaliated with a lightning-infused hand blade, fiercely striking at his opponent!
"Rotation!"
The Hyuga shinobi spun rapidly in place. A blue sphere of chakra completely enveloped him, blocking the desperate attack.
The hand blade struck the Rotation, emitting a piercing friction sound, unable to advance an inch.
A moment's delay, and a fatal killing intent had already attacked from behind.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A mud dragon roared out of the ground, opening its wide mouth to engulf Dodai.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Armor!"
In a critical moment, Dodai unleashed all his remaining chakra, forming a layer of lightning armor on his body's surface.
This was not the perfect Lightning Release Chakra Mode like the Raikage's, but merely a weakened version developed by Kumogakure elites in imitation.
But this was his last hope!
Boom!
The mud dragon collided with the lightning armor, erupting in a huge roar.
Dodai burst out of the explosion, covered in blood, only to see an overwhelming barrage of ninjutsu already descending.
Fireballs, wind blades, water bullets... a dazzling fireworks display of death.
There was no fear on Dodai's face. He roared and charged towards the sky-filling ninjutsu.
"For Kumogakure!"
The next second, his body was torn by wind blades, incinerated by fireballs, and crushed by earth bullets.
Not even a handful of complete ashes remained. He was reduced to dust amidst the roar of ninjutsu.
"Dodai!"
In the distance, the remaining two Kumogakure shinobi witnessed everything, their teeth gnashing loudly.
They knew that next, it would be their turn.
"Bastards!"
One of the burly Kumogakure shinobi roared and clapped his hands together fiercely.
"Let's die together!"
The chakra within his body began to surge wildly, and dazzling electrical arcs burst from his body's surface.
This was a sign before self-destruction!
"No good! He's going to self-destruct!"
"Everyone retreat quickly!"
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
The Konoha shinobi surrounding them all retreated.
"Trying to leave? Too late!"
The other Kumogakure shinobi understood, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.
"Lightning Release: Ground Flash!"
He instantly formed hand seals, and blinding electrical light spread outwards from him.
His target was not the Konoha shinobi, but his comrade!
He wanted to use his ninjutsu to detonate and amplify his comrade's self-destruction!
To transform his last life into the most brilliant lightning!
"Madman!"
A nearby Konoha jonin's pupils contracted.
Boom!
A huge explosion shook the entire mountain forest!
A dazzling white lightning ball erupted, forming a giant spherical lightning flash that consumed everything within a ten-meter radius!
As the light faded, only a charred, smoking deep pit remained at the original spot.
Around the deep pit were three charred bodies of Konoha genin.
The other Konoha shinobi, though all wounded, managed to retreat from the explosion radius in time thanks to their teamwork, and survived.
And the Kumogakure shinobi who used Ground Flash was also thrown by the aftershocks of the explosion due to being too close.
Half of his body was charred, one arm was gone, and he lay on the ground, barely alive.
He was the only one of the four who was still alive.
His weak gaze, persistent, stared at the deep pit.
The two Kumogakure jonin, gambling their lives on mutual destruction, had achieved such insignificant results.
Is this... the strength of the shinobi world's greatest village?
Just then, Hyuga Hiashi quietly appeared beside him.
His face was grim as he looked at this last Kumogakure shinobi.
He darted forward!
His goal was clear—capture him alive!
This was the last one!
However, the Kumogakure shinobi seemed to sense his intention.
He struggled to lift his head, looking at Hyuga Hiashi, who was within reach, and a strange smile appeared on his face.
"For... Kumogakure..."
He used his last ounce of strength to utter a few blurred words.
Then, he gathered all his remaining lightning release chakra back into his body, compressing it wildly!
The moment Hyuga Hiashi was about to touch him, the Kumogakure shinobi's body suddenly burst with a dazzling electric light!
Sizzle!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a piercing sizzling sound.
Instantly, the Kumogakure shinobi's body rapidly carbonized in the electric light.
Then, he turned into a handful of black ashes scattered by the wind.
Hyuga Hiashi's outstretched hand grasped at empty air, his face growing even gloomier.
All four Kumogakure jonin had died before him, leaving no trace of their bodies.
Not a single living person who could be interrogated for information was left, not even corpses.
"Hiashi-sama..." A sensory shinobi stepped forward and reported. "We've wasted too much time... the target is probably..."
Hyuga Hiashi slowly retracted his hand, clenching his fists.
A vein throbbed on his temple, and his Byakugan was pushed to its limit, his gaze piercing through layers of dense forest.
All he saw was darkness.
The target had completely disappeared from the Byakugan's range.
"Damn it!" Hyuga Hiashi suppressed his anger. "Leave two teams to clean up the battlefield. The rest, pursue!"
"Yes!"
Watching the Konoha shinobi quickly depart, Hyuga Hiashi knew that after such a long delay, even if they pursued, it would likely be difficult to find them.
He could only do his best and leave the rest to fate.
Indeed, in less than an hour, the pursuing Konoha shinobi returned one after another, all empty-handed.
He had to admit, Kumogakure's strategy had succeeded.
They had paved the way for the main force's retreat with the lives of four elite jonin!
Not only did they fail to capture a single living person, but they also lost track of the real target!
Hyuga Hiashi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions.
"Report the situation here to the village!"
"Specifically state that the enemy is determined to die and has significant intentions!"
"Request the village to issue the highest alert!"
He paused, then gritted his teeth and said, "Mission... failed."
The last few words were practically squeezed out through his teeth.
The night wind blew, carrying dust and blood from the ground.
The forest, once again, fell into a deadly silence.