Chapter 209: When a Ninja Faces a Crisis of Trust
At the coastal border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
"Finally, it's time for the shift change."
A Hyūga clan ninja spoke with a look of anticipation on his face.
"That's rare—Captain, you don't usually look this eager, do you?"
Another Hyūga ninja, Hyūga B, who was following their squad captain Hyūga A, commented.
"Word from the village came a few days ago—Captain's wife gave birth to a baby boy at the Konoha Hospital."
Hyūga C, walking beside Hyūga B, explained.
"Really, Captain?!"
Hyūga B was genuinely happy for his captain.
"That's right."
Walking in front, Hyūga A nodded. At the mention of his child, a joyful expression lit up his face.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry back!"
Hyūga B suggested enthusiastically.
"According to protocol, we have to return with the rest of the team rotating out."
"Don't be so rigid, C. We've already completed the handover, and I'm sure the border officer will understand. Besides, I bet Captain's eager to get back to see his newborn too."
Hyūga B looked at Hyūga A as he spoke.
"You're just the one itching to get back to the village."
Hyūga A gave Hyūga B a side glance.
"Hehe..." Hyūga B scratched his head sheepishly. "Today's the release day for that new game, after all..."
"I knew it… But anything you can think of, I've already thought of too. Take a look at this!"
Hyūga A turned around and pulled out a slip of paper.
"A special authorization from the border commander?!"
A look of delight appeared on Hyūga B's face.
"Now we can head back early."
Hyūga A put the paper away after speaking.
"Awesome! Let's go, Captain!"
Hyūga B jumped with excitement.
—
In the forest path leading to Konoha Village.
Though it was a shortcut, it was also sparsely traveled—making it significantly more dangerous.
Still, times had changed. In this current era of peace, such forest routes were rarely dangerous. Moreover, the trio in question were Hyūga clan ninjas from Konoha.
Ambushing Hyūga ninja in a forest was no easy feat—and no one in their right mind would dare attack members of the Hyūga clan.
After all, the Hyūga clan were the in-laws of the current strongest Hokage in the ninja world.
"Captain, there are three old men up ahead."
Hyūga B pointed toward the three elders on the path ahead.
"Mhm."
Hyūga A nodded, but out of a ninja's habit, he stayed alert and instinctively activated his Byakugan. Only after confirming that there was indeed no chakra flow in the elders' bodies did he lower his guard.
"Grandpas, are you in some kind of trouble?"
Hyūga B stepped forward to ask.
"Hey, idiot, don't get that close!"
Hyūga C called out from behind.
Hyūga B quickly realized his mistake—no chakra flow didn't just mean ordinary civilians. It could also mean taijutsu users.
Although he instinctively stepped back to put some distance between himself and the three elders, he still stubbornly said, "We're in the Land of Fire—no need to be that cautious. And they're just old men with no chakra."
No chakra flow meant they couldn't use Transformation Jutsu, which also meant these really were just plain old men.
But suddenly, the old man at the front drew a blade hidden in his cane and drove it into Hyūga B's abdomen while he was turned around, speaking to Hyūga C.
Hyūga B looked down at his abdomen in disbelief, his body trembling in pain.
"B!"
Hyūga A shouted while rushing toward the three elders, activating Gentle Fist to try and rescue Hyūga B. Hyūga C followed closely behind, but the other two elders blocked their way.
"Disorganized attack patterns..." Hyūga A assessed as he fought, analyzing the old man's moves. "Who sent you?!"
He eventually concluded that they were assassins sent by an enemy faction. Though they were old men without chakra, that was precisely their advantage—no ninja would suspect that chakra-less old men could pose a fatal threat.
"..."
The old man fighting Hyūga A said nothing.
"So you won't talk. In that case, I'll just have to bring you back to the village! C, aim to take them alive!"
Although the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques could interrogate a corpse's mind, such techniques came with numerous limitations. The intel they could extract was usually fragmented—especially in the case of three elderly targets. It might not even work at all.
"Yes, Captain!"
The Gentle Fist style was perfect for subduing enemies without killing them.
Both Hyūga A and C grabbed the enemy's arms, preparing to use a capture technique from Gentle Fist.
But despite having their arms grabbed, the old men remained calm. Their hands morphed from fists into long blades, piercing through Hyūga A and C's hands.
Both Hyūga A and C cried out in pain and pulled back.
Staring at the blood dripping from his hand, Hyūga A fixed his eyes on the old man in front of him and said, "Looks like these aren't ordinary old men. C, give it everything you've got. Otherwise, we might not make it out alive today."
"Understood."
Hyūga C nodded.
"Captain... C... help me..."
Impaled through the abdomen, Hyūga B cried out for help.
"B…"
Though he wanted to save him, Hyūga A's years of experience told him that B was as good as dead.
But the seemingly touching moment was abruptly shattered by the old men's next actions. The lead elder pulled the blade out of Hyūga B's abdomen and, before B could even react, ended his life in an instant.
Hyūga B's severed head rolled to a stop at Hyūga A's feet.
"C, run. You must get this intel back to Konoha."
Despite witnessing Hyūga B's death, Hyūga A remained composed and chose the optimal tactical response.
"…Yes. Please be careful, Captain."
"Don't worry. I wouldn't be your captain if I didn't have a few trump cards."
Hyūga A gave a confident smile.
As Hyūga C fled, one of the three old men broke off to pursue him.
"Only one?…"
Hyūga A had great confidence in Hyūga C's skill and potential.
"Now I just have to stall the other two for as long as I can…"
Facing the two remaining old men, Hyūga A immediately assumed a defensive stance.
"Rotation!"
As the two rushed in with punches, Hyūga A began spinning rapidly. Chakra surged from his body, forming a protective dome that deflected the incoming blows.
The friction stripped skin from the old man's fist—but the damaged skin regenerated almost instantly.