The Hyūga brothers—and the entire Hyūga clan for that matter—can't really be called unfairly overpowered by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, one could even say they somewhat dishonored their bloodline and ancestors.
Yet even without considering the Byakugan's effects, the Hyūga held immense importance to Konoha. Their greatest value lay in their ability to consistently produce elite Jonin.
Take Hiashi Hyūga and Hizashi Hyūga as examples. It might've been asking too much to expect them to go up against top-tier experts. Yet under those exaggerated standards, these two actually became pretty much "invincible" after reaching maturity... In a certain sense, even elite Jonin could be instantly overwhelmed by them.
After Haseo split off to act alone, Konoha's Large Squad had been fighting while advancing toward Mist territory despite being vastly outnumbered. Thanks to having higher average individual combat strength than the enemy, Konoha's Large Squad finally arrived at the Mist village after Haseo's main body had fought there for quite some time.
The greatest loss during their march was two of Haseo's Shadow Clones—only one remained. Well, not much of a loss at all, really.
Still, defeating one of Haseo's Shadow Clones head-on wasn't easy either. Although Shadow Clones could only display part of the original's power, Haseo's usual combat capabilities were already formidable—throughout his battle within the Mist village, he hadn't even used power-level restricted techniques yet. Everything he'd done so far was quite standard.
Of course, Konoha's Large Squad arriving at the Mist didn't mean all the enemy ninja outside had been eliminated—that was impossible. In reality, they had constantly faced ambushes along the way here.
Once nearing the Mist village, Hiashi Hyūga looked through layers of obstructions using his vision range and spotted Haseo battling enemies in the village center.
Glinting blades, sharp silhouettes, and dazzling bursts from high-intensity elemental jutsu lit up the battlefield... Despite being deep inside enemy territory, Haseo seemed to hold the battlefield firmly in his grip.
Strangely enough, Hiashi couldn't help but feel that things unfolding like this actually made perfect sense.
Now that reinforcements had arrived, it was natural for Konoha to send support to Lord Haseo. However, just as Hiashi prepared to charge forward, another figure standing nearby—the other "Lord Haseo"—reached out and pressed a hand onto his shoulder.
"Hold on."
"Lord Haseo, shouldn't we move forward now?"
Being stopped by Haseo, Hiashi felt puzzled.
"Watch carefully what's happening over there. If I'm not mistaken, the area around my real body should have already been cleared out."
Experience just comes with time—youngsters still had a lot to learn. The intense battle at the center of the Mist had captured too much of Hiashi's attention. Only after Haseo reminded him did he begin observing the surrounding areas of the battlefield.
"You're right…"
Indeed, only Haseo, the Fourth Mizukage, and two other Mist ninja remained in that large central region of the Mist village. All other Mist ninja seemed to have withdrawn completely.
Why? Had they evacuated simply because they couldn't interfere with the highest-level combat?
"Don't rush. Whatever Mist is planning, their intentions will eventually be revealed... For now, don't blindly charge ahead. We'll just stay here and defend."
Following Haseo's clone's instructions, the Konoha team halted before rushing into Mist Village. Then they turned around to fight against numerous enemies once again, this time with their backs facing the village.
The scene had a darkly comic edge—Konoha ninja defending Mist Village against their own kind.
And right after Haseo's magical "self-narration," the battlefield finally changed.
Distracted by the Fourth Mizukage, Haseo barely had time to react before one of his arms was suddenly restrained by a Shikotsumyaku user.
Now both of Haseo's hands were occupied, making it impossible for him to form hand seals or activate any space-time ninjutsu to escape.
Fast as he was, Haseo was now a perfect target—if the next move hit a wide area.
Operation begin!
The Fourth Mizukage stood silently before him, lips pressed tightly together. But Haseo knew that Mist was now launching some kind of special offensive maneuver.
Sure enough, the next moment, he felt an unusually massive chakra surge appear behind him. As a rumbling sound reached his ears, buildings clearly collapsed under the sudden arrival of something huge.
Haseo tilted his head slightly to the side. Even through the fallen Earth Release statue lying on the ground between them, he could still see exactly what had appeared in the distance—exactly the Three-Tails he'd been practically *dreaming* about night and day.
Alive—and in its complete form.
Whether controlled by someone in Mist or by a specific jinchuriki—one who holds a Tailed Beast within them—regardless, the oversized Karasu, a massive, monstrous beast said to resemble a tailed crow, now quietly crouched atop a highland outside the village, then opened its mouth decisively toward the very center of the settlement.
Of course, Karasu wasn't opening its maw for a harmless display—it was gathering a massive amount of destructive chakra right in front of it, soon forming a still, dark sphere.
It didn't even need to aim carefully; one glance was all it took.
At the central battlefield, the Fourth Mizukage didn't even try dodging. In fact, his assault became even more ferocious at this point… His purpose was self-evident—to firmly pin down Haseo at all costs.
This must be their final plan. Although Haseo still thought the strategy was somewhat stupid, now he had to admit Yagura was indeed a qualified Fourth Mizukage—when decisions needed to be made, there was no hesitation. Haseo always admired ruthless people, regardless of how they manifested their ruthlessness.
This cherubic-faced kid—Yagura—actually turned out to be a real man.
A one-for-one trade-off, plus half a ruined village, sure, but definitely not a loss for Mist.
"You guys... did great."
As the pitch-black Tailed Beast Ball continued expanding behind him, Haseo couldn't help but praise his opponents.
There was something foolishly self-defeating about "I'll die to show you"—it reeked of impotent fury. Yet declaring something like "I'll go out with a bang" carried a sense of unwavering resolve.
["Breaking Without Reforming"], ["Better to Die than Surrender"], ["Truly Lamentable and Admirable"]—this somehow became a noble spirit of sacrifice.
In an instant, the Tailed Beast Ball struck the heart of the Hidden Mist Village. Accompanied by a thunderous roar, dazzling light burst forth like a falling sun, blinding everyone in an instant.
"Ha..."
Faced with this scene, Hiashi Hyuga instinctively wanted to shout loudly. But before he could call out, his gaze involuntarily glanced toward the "Haseo clone" beside him.
When Hiashi looked, he froze—because the "clone" seemed somewhat different.
"What're you yelling about? Keep it cool, kid."
As Haseo's voice fell, he mercilessly tossed a pitifully small figure onto the ground.
"This time can finally be called [Flying Thunder God], right? After all, I really flew."
Haseo silently gave a name to his recent [Position Replacement].
The Mist had contingencies and [Annihilation Plan], but Haseo also had countermeasures.
There wasn't just one Space-Time Ninjutsu. The strength of [Flying Thunder God] lay precisely in its ability to instantly jump between spatial nodes—no seals or other preparations were needed, only a "coordinate."
If [Flying Thunder God] required hand seals before activation, then the technique wouldn't be completely useless, but at least 99 percent of its power and threat would disappear.
No wonder it was developed by the Second Hokage. Haseo took pride in mastering such advanced techniques.
Just as Haseo was wholeheartedly praising the Second, a small black dot appeared in the sky, gradually growing larger in everyone's eyes.
That thing seemed to be flying straight from the epicenter, as if blasted away by the blast itself.
"Don't sweat it. That's just cannon fodder for my next move…"
As Haseo spoke, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki crashed straight into a house, causing it to visibly collapse under the impact.
Haseo not only brought along the Fourth Mizukage when using [Flying Thunder God], but even his Shadow Clone inside Mist managed to throw the Six-Tails Jinchuriki out just before the explosion—truly sacrificing himself for the happiness of many.
Ultimately, Haseo still possessed a kind heart. After all, the Fourth Mizukage was a hostage and the sole controller of the Mist, while the Six-Tails Jinchuriki could anytime become a massive bomb used for intimidation and coercion.
[Flying Thunder God]?
Haseo's [Position Replacement] could only guarantee his own safety. As for third parties forcibly shoved into the spatial passage… well, sorry—the pressure might leave them severely battered.
Or more accurately, if they survived at all, they'd better start praying to whatever god still likes them.
If Haseo could fly to such coordinates safely with others, that would mean he truly mastered this ninjutsu.
Lying on the ground, the Fourth Mizukage struggled to speak those three words. By this moment, without even needing Haseo's command, Konoha ninja had already moved in to restrain him.
"Exactly, exactly, exactly! Truly worthy of becoming the Fourth Mizukage—you've got incredible foresight and a sharp eye for things!"
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