Hyūga Shin's sudden appearance caused the restless attackers to freeze. Seeing that the person who arrived was an old man, they exchanged glances, their caution increasing.
They had already experienced the strength of the Hyūga clansmen on their way in. Facing the suddenly appearing Hyūga Shin, they felt uncertain.
It was true that even the strongest ninja experienced physical deterioration with age, but correspondingly, the longer a ninja lived, the more formidable they were considered. These old men had survived deadly wars; regardless of how they survived, they certainly had their methods.
"Captain, they probably won't be stalled for long. We still have a chance to leave..."
"What do we do now?"
Hyūga Shin's appearance did not seem to be part of the enemy's plan. A ninja whispered to the black-robed leader. The voice was very low, but in the relatively quiet environment, Shinichi and the others heard it clearly. The enemy seemed hesitant, lacking confidence?
Hearing their conversation, a flash of realization crossed Hyūga Shinichi's eyes.
He hadn't expected the enemy force that invaded the Hyūga compound to be so large, but it seemed the enemy hadn't anticipated the strength of the Main Family's defenses either. Not only were the Branch Family elites alarmed, but even his Great-Grandpa, who usually lived a secluded life, had been roused.
The enemy's operation had already failed at this point. Given the current situation, the previous lightning Jutsu that breached the guards had not only alerted the Hyūga Clan but also the Konoha Anbu.
This area will soon be surrounded by Konoha ninjas. Every extra second the enemy lingered here increased the risk exponentially. Unless they could defeat everyone present in one move, they likely wouldn't be able to escape Konoha successfully.
If this were a suicide assassination mission, they might attempt a desperate fight, but clearly, the enemy's goal wasn't that simple.
"Shut up!"
"You prepare the Heavenly Transfer Technique (Tensō no Jutsu). The rest of you, assist my action."
"As long as we send the target away successfully, our mission will be complete!"
A decisive voice came from the stout ninja leader. Although the information he revealed was minimal, Hyūga Shin and Kakashi immediately tensed up.
They didn't hear what the enemy intended to transfer, but seeing the leader staring intently at Hyūga Shinichi, who was protected by others, they knew what the enemy's target was.
As for Shinichi, the moment he heard the mention of the "Heavenly Transfer Technique," he immediately understood the enemy's complete plan and confirmed their identity.
The Heavenly Transfer Technique...
There was no possibility of an outsider impersonating this. This group was absolutely from the Cloud Village (Kumogakure)!
"I see..." Shinichi murmured softly and spoke:
"Great-Grandpa, they are Cloud ninjas."
"The Village has a celebration today to mark the arrival of the Cloud emissaries for the peace treaty signing."
"They might be those people. If possible, let's capture them alive."
Hyūga Shinichi warned, emphasizing the need to take them alive. He didn't want the Hyūga Clan to shoulder the blame for this incident again.
Although he didn't know why the Cloud ninjas would dare to do this during a seemingly strong period for Konoha, it didn't prevent him from making a decision. Konoha had seemingly completed the transition of power, and prominent figures included the Sannin and the Fourth Hokage, Minato.
However, the Cloud Village was still one of the strongest Hidden Villages in the world. They had the Fourth Raikage, two Jinchūriki, a Chakra Cannon, and Six Paths Tools... If a war were to break out with Konoha, whose internal factions were complex, the outcome would be hard to predict. Konoha was already suffering from the pain and deaths of war, and both the citizens and the ninja clans desperately needed a period of recuperation.
Shinichi wouldn't bet on the Fourth Hokage choosing to go to war with the Cloud Village for the sake of the Hyūga Clan. Conversely, the aggressive Fourth Raikage was indeed the type of person to start a war without hesitation.
To prevent accidents, capturing the enemy alive was the most prudent approach. Although frustrating, surviving in Konoha required caution.
While Shinichi was speaking, the enemy began to move. The ninja who had previously consulted the leader moved to the rear of the formation, quickly taking out several scrolls and arranging them on the ground in a pattern, seemingly setting up a "formation" in the courtyard.
The remaining three ninjas immediately split up. One charged directly at Hyūga Shin, and the other two flanked Shinichi's position.
On Shinichi's side, Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi fearlessly met the attack, intercepting the enemies mid-air.
The ninja charging at Hyūga Shin, however, instantly blurred into an afterimage, then was sent flying backward at a speed even greater than his assault, crashing into the compound wall.
"BOOM!!!!"
The enemy's body slammed into the wall, cracking the structure. With just one exchange, Hyūga Shin had struck the opponent in the abdomen, disrupting a portion of his chakra flow. In the blink of an eye, the fight was over...
The wind picked up the hem of Hyūga Shin's robe, and his silver hair fluttered in the air.
Hyūga Shinichi, who had witnessed Hyūga Shin's attack, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and praise:
"Worthy of Great-Grandpa. That was amazing!"
Although Hyūga Shin was old, the calm composure he displayed when faced with the attack, coupled with the decisive and ruthless counter-attack, hinted at his powerful strength in his youth.
The Cloud ninjas assigned to this mission should not be mere cannon fodder, right? However, the disparity between an ordinary ninja and a bloodline limit user was far greater than Shinichi had anticipated.
Glancing at the incapacitated Cloud ninja in the distance, Hyūga Shinichi relaxed his posture, looking toward the other two battles.
Unlike Hyūga Shin's instantaneous victory, the fight between Kakashi, Shisui, and the two remaining Cloud ninjas was much more intense.
The sound of weapons clashing echoed continuously, and the four figures flickered into the courtyard. As Shinichi predicted, the Cloud ninjas were not cannon fodder.
The young Uchiha Shisui had activated his two-tomoe Sharingan, but the insight provided by the Sharingan was insufficient to completely offset the difference in strength and speed with his older opponents.
Shisui appeared to be in a precarious situation, constantly on the verge of defeat.
On the other side, the 18-year-old Kakashi was much more stable. His strength and speed were equal to his opponent's. Although he only had a single Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the insight it provided allowed him to dominate the fight, completely suppressing his enemy.
Neither Hyūga Shin nor Shinichi intended to intervene in the ongoing battles. Recognizing the enemies' identity, the old man and the young boy tacitly decided to give the two guards sent by the Hokage a chance to "show their abilities."
Sensing Shinichi's thoughts, Hyūga Shin quietly looked back. He and his cheap great-grandson exchanged glances, a hint of a smile in both their eyes.
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