The black-robed, masked man held Zurui by the collar with one hand, turning him towards the convoy like a worn-out doll. The sunlight dyed the entire plain crimson, reflecting a scene of despair.
"Look closely. This is reality," the voice from under the mask was devoid of any warmth. "Even so, will you still resist stubbornly?"
Zurui's body trembled violently. In his vision, the nine terrifying Nine-Faced Beasts were unilaterally slaughtering the Cloud Ninjas.
Hokuto Sennin hovered in mid-air, a staff in one hand and forming a hand seal with the other. A purple array appeared on the ground, trapping the Cloud Ninjas within, rendering them immobile. As the phantom of a Death Scythe swept across, their Chakra rapidly depleted like a dried-up spring, and they all collapsed to the ground.
"Stop!!"
A Cloud Jonin roared and charged forward to rescue them, but he was entangled by the ribbons of the Heavenly Maiden and slammed heavily to the ground. After a dull thud, his body plowed a deep furrow in the dirt road, and the blood spewing from his mouth traced a dazzling arc in the air.
The remaining survivors were suppressed and unable to move—the Golden Serpent's body coiled around them, the White Tiger's sharp claws pressed against their chests, the Vermilion Bird's flying shadow encircled them, the Azure Dragon's body imprisoned them, and the Black Tortoise's gravity made their bones creak.
"Before I take your life..."
The black-robed man lifted Zurui to face him, "One last time—hand over the Byakugan willingly."
Cold Chakra flowed between them, and the scent of death assailed him. "Otherwise, the next move will bury all of you here."
"You... dream on!"
Zurui squeezed a hoarse roar from deep in his throat, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Even with his vital point clutched, his bloodshot eyes still burned with a 瘋狂 obsession.
"How could a guy like you... understand?!"
He gasped with difficulty, every word tinged with blood. "As long as we obtain the Byakugan... Kumogakure will gain the power to detect Chakra! Everything we do... is for the greater good of the nation!"
His voice rose, almost hysterical. "Come on! Kill me! But remember—for every Cloud Ninja you kill, the Raikage's wrath will increase! You and those behind you will pay the price for what you've done today!"
In that instant, Zurui felt the fingers gripping his throat tighten slightly. More terrifyingly, the Chakra emanating from under the mask suddenly turned chillingly cold, as if even the surrounding air began to freeze.
"Greater good of the nation..."
The black-robed man's voice was as deep as an echo from hell. "So your so-called greater good—"
"Is kidnapping three-year-old children?"
"Is forcing others to willingly sacrifice themselves?"
"Is devouring innocent people alive in this twisted world?!"
Each question struck like a heavy hammer. The black-robed man suddenly grabbed Zurui's hair, forcing him to look directly at his subordinates being ravaged by the Nine-Faced Beasts. The Heavenly Maiden's ribbons were lifting a resistor into the air, and the Southern Dipper's scythe was already at his throat.
"Don't think... that a few high-sounding words..."
"Can whitewash you as righteous!"
Zurui's body twitched uncontrollably. He felt a sinister power corroding his body, and under the shadow of death, he suddenly remembered the terrifyingly calm smile of Hyuga Hizashi, that branch family ninja, when he was being led into the prison cart.
"But..."
The black-robed man's tone suddenly became calm, "My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror, and everything I do is righteous?"
"I admire your resolve..."
"Farewell."
"Crack."
A crisp sound of bone breaking echoed across the battlefield. The black-robed man neatly twisted Zurui's neck, discarding his body like a rag. Almost simultaneously, the Nine-Faced Beasts' slaughter reached its climax—blood splattered in enchanting arcs, and screams and wails rose and fell.
When the last Cloud Ninja collapsed to the ground, the black-robed man suddenly raised his hand: "Leave one alive."
The Heavenly Maiden's ribbon, about to strike, suddenly halted, less than an inch from the young ninja's wide, terrified eyes.
The black-robed man's footsteps crossed the blood-stained plain. He approached the special prison cart at the end of the convoy, where Kumogakure's seal still remained on the heavy iron door.
"Boom—!"
A straightforward punch slammed into the lock. The steel-forged lock shattered like paper, the iron door twisted and deformed under the immense impact, and burst open with a crash.
Inside the prison cart, Hyuga Hizashi remained in a forced kneeling position, a black blindfold covering his eyes, and rough ropes dug deep into the flesh of his wrists. The sudden sunlight stung his eyes, which had not seen light for a long time, and even through the cloth, he could feel the change in the outside light.
What happened?
The sounds of fighting and screaming he heard gradually subsided, replaced by an eerie silence. Hizashi's heart rate uncontrollably quickened—the convoy had clearly been attacked, but it could not possibly be a rescue sent by Konoha.
If Konoha intended to save him...
He thought bitterly, how could he have been forced to the point of willingly sacrificing himself?
Could it be that other ninja villages had learned the news and came to contend for the Byakugan? As this thought surfaced, Hizashi felt his wrists lighten—the ropes that had bound him for so long were neatly cut. Immediately after, the back of his collar tightened, and he was lifted by an irresistible force, staggering and being dragged out of the prison cart.
When his feet touched the soft earth, the strong smell of blood assailed him. Even without seeing, Hizashi could tell from the pungent odor—a massacre had just taken place here.
The surviving Cloud Ninja sat slumped on the ground, the short sword in his hand trembling. His gaze swept across the battlefield; his comrades' blood dripped from the Death Scythe, the Heavenly Maiden's ribbons laid down twisted corpses, and the other summoned beasts trampled shattered bodies underfoot...
Why... why was I the only one left?
The answer was revealed quickly.
The black-robed man slowly approached, dragging Hyuga Hizashi, with the nine terrifying Nine-Faced Beasts encircling them like guards. The surviving ninja looked up, meeting the fox mask that gazed down at him.
"The Byakugan..."
A deep voice came from under the mask,
"I'll take it."
The black-robed man turned slightly, allowing the trembling ninja to see the "trophy" in his hand.
"Go back and tell the Raikage... if he wants revenge and to reclaim the Byakugan... come find me in the Land of Fire. I will be waiting for that brute."
Before he finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind rose from the ground! The survivor instinctively closed his eyes, and when he opened them again—
Only a field of corpses remained on the empty plain. The black-robed man, the summoned beasts, the Hyuga captive... all had vanished without a trace, leaving only the smell of blood and deep drag marks on the ground, proving the reality of everything that had just happened.
The surviving ninja stood stunned for a long time, then suddenly ran like mad towards Kumogakure, like a wild dog fleeing for its life.