Moonlight poured in through the window, casting a silver sheen across the floor.
Yugito's thin, slightly translucent nightwear accentuated her curves. With the bright moonlight filtering in, even a hint of red could be faintly seen beneath the fabric.
She turned her sharp gaze toward Ye Zi, who was dressed in all black. Her expression was cold as frost.
As a shinobi of Kumogakure, Yugito was well aware of the village's strict security. Yet, someone had managed to infiltrate her room, bypassing all those layers of defense.
There was no need to think, this was an enemy.
Without hesitation, she immediately activated her Tailed Beast Cloak.
There was no time to identify her assailant. The fact that he had slipped past all the guards to appear before her meant his strength was considerable, and his target was obviously her.
Mouse Hairball!
Shrouded in the ominous chakra of the Two-Tails, Yugito launched an attack at Ye Zi without a second thought.
A pale red sphere of Tailed Beast Chakra formed in her hand, which she immediately hurled toward him.
This technique was normally controlled with chakra strings, similar to how Sand Shinobi manipulated puppets, allowing the user to guide the sphere's movements and detonate it with explosive flames.
However, in this small room, there was no need for precision, there was nowhere for Ye Zi to dodge.
Her instant assessment and execution showed her outstanding combat reflexes.
The chakra sphere shot toward Ye Zi, radiating an overwhelming energy surge.
Ye Zi quickly formed hand seals, and a wooden wall erupted from the ground, blocking the attack.
Yugito's response was swift and decisive, he had no choice but to defend in the opening exchange.
That chakra sphere, similar to a Rasengan, was bound to cause a massive explosion.
Which meant...The entire village would be alerted.
He had to capture the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki before Kumogakure's forces could react. Otherwise, capturing the Eight-Tails later would become nearly impossible.
There was no retreat. The situation had immediately taken a bad turn.
Boom!
The chakra sphere collided with the wooden barrier, detonating instantly.
A powerful shockwave blasted through the room, fire and debris engulfing everything in its path. Furniture was blown apart, and shards of shattered glass windows were sent flying outside.
Yugito grabbed the jacket by her bed, using the explosion's force to propel herself out of the room. Landing barefoot on the ground outside, she quickly wrapped herself in the coat, covering her alluring figure, her icy gaze locked onto the burning wreckage of her home.
It didn't matter who this intruder was, anyone who dared to invade Kumogakure alone was courting death.
Inside the room, Ye Zi stood behind his unscathed wooden wall, his face darkening.
This is bad.
Zzzt…!
Black lightning flickered across Ye Zi's body.
"There's no choice now," he muttered. "I have to capture the Two-Tails Jinchūriki immediately and move straight to Cloud Lightning Gorge."
By this point, he was fully prepared to face all of Kumogakure.
Boom!
The house, left to Yugito by her parents, was completely destroyed as enormous tree limbs burst through its foundation, crushing it under their weight.
Standing atop the growing wooden structure, Ye Zi gazed down at Yugito, whose body was now cloaked in a pale red layer of Tailed Beast Chakra.
The bright moonlight illuminated everything, its cold, snowy glow adding an eerie chill to the scene.
Seeing her childhood home reduced to rubble, a faint killing intent flashed through Yugito's eyes.
Under the moon's glow, she finally got a clear look at her intruder's face.
She knew exactly who he was.
A notorious figure listed in every village's bingo book, one of the most wanted rogue shinobi.
Konoha's traitor. A member of Akatsuki. The man known as "Raiga"... Ye Zi.
For a long time, people in Kumogakure had compared Ye Zi to the Third Raikage, and Yugito had frequently heard discussions about him throughout the village.
Most of those conversations were filled with scorn, dismissing him as inferior to their Raikage.
But no one could deny that Ye Zi was incredibly powerful.
Especially after his infamous actions in Konoha, his strength had become undeniable.
Now, this man had come for her.
The explosion from her Mouse Hairball attack must have already alerted the rest of the village. Now, she only had to hold on until reinforcements arrived.
Yugito was proud, but against Ye Zi, pride meant nothing.
She knew she wasn't strong enough to face him alone.
So instead of charging in recklessly, she remained on the defensive, her body poised for battle.
If it were any other opponent, she would have already rushed forward to tear them apart.
Normally, after a failed sneak attack, the best choice would be to immediately retreat.
But for Ye Zi, failure was not an option.
He had to capture the Jinchūriki. There was no turning back.
Forming hand seals, Ye Zi manipulated the massive, living trees beneath him.
The tree trunks twisted and coiled like giant serpents, surging toward Yugito, ready to devour her whole.
The battle had begun.
....
Raikage's Residence
The explosion from the Mouse Hairball attack reverberated throughout Kumogakure, shattering the quiet night.
Inside the Raikage's mansion, both the Third Raikage and A (his son) were instantly awakened.
Their eyes snapped open the moment they heard the explosion.
In perfect unison, both men sprang out of bed, shirtless, their muscular physiques tensed for battle.
Without hesitation, they smashed through the walls of their rooms, meeting each other in the courtyard at the exact same time.
"Father."
A's expression was grave. Since he had been old enough to understand the world, this was the first time Kumogakure had ever been attacked, and during peacetime, no less.
The Third Raikage gave a small nod, his voice cold. "I'd like to see who has the guts to attack our village. Keep up."
An overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from his body, and brilliant blue lightning instantly enveloped him. In a flash of Lightning Body Flicker, he vanished from the courtyard.
Seeing this, A's body also became surrounded by crackling lightning, accelerating his cellular activation. Then, using the same Lightning Body Flicker technique, he rushed toward the explosion's origin.
Neither man bothered to put on a shirt. When they had heard the explosion, they had simply smashed through their walls and charged out wearing nothing but their sleeping pants.
They prided themselves on their near-indestructible bodies and had no hesitation about going into battle bare-chested.
....
Residential District: Ino-Shika-Chō's Quarters
In the densely packed residential district, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio was resting in their assigned lodgings.
Inoichi was on night watch duty. Before the explosion even reached their ears, he had already sensed the presence of two powerful chakra signatures locked in a tense standoff.
When the blast finally erupted, both Shikaku and Chōza were immediately jolted awake.
"What's going on?" Shikaku asked, leaping out of bed without hesitation.
Inoichi's voice was low and serious. "I'm not sure. It seems like someone is attacking Kumogakure, alone. Their chakra level is immense. Right now, they're facing off against someone else with a similarly high chakra level. All of Kumogakure's shinobi are already moving toward the scene."
Shikaku froze for a second.
Someone attacking Kumogakure alone?
Who would do something so reckless?
A moment later, one single name came to his mind, Ye Zi.
There was no intelligence to support this assumption.
But for some reason, his mind instantly conjured Ye Zi's image.
His eyes flickered with thought as he turned to Inoichi. Their gazes met, and in that instant, both men seemed to have reached the same conclusion.
"Should we check it out?" Chōza asked.
Shikaku and Inoichi fell silent for a moment before nodding.
"Let's go."
By this time, nearly all of Kumogakure's shinobi had been awakened by the explosion. Everyone was now rushing to the battle site at full speed.
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Currently on Chapter 550 - Nine-Tails Chakra Mode