"Clan Head, it seems… we're surrounded!"
A Jonin from the Kamizuru Clan, while manipulating a swarm of bees to fend off the attacking insect horde, spoke with a grim expression to his clan head beside him.
"Damn it, it seems we've been abandoned!"
Under Shibi Aburame's fierce offensive, the Kamizuru Clan Head, whose black robe was already tattered, could only barely maintain his current state, but defeat was only a matter of time.
As he resisted Shibi Aburame, he observed other battlefields, but his expression quickly darkened again. Not only himself, but also other Kamizuru members were also more or less at a disadvantage in their battles with Aburame members, barely able to resist.
Forget about winning; even if all members of the Kamizuru Clan went all out and defeated the Aburame Clan right now, there were still Konoha reinforcements surrounding the area from the outside. There was no chance of victory, and even their escape route was cut off.
Heaven wants to destroy my Kamizuru Clan…
Despair appeared in the Kamizuru Clan Head's eyes, and his mind wavered for a moment. Shibi Aburame, who had been fully immersed in the battle, would not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Secret Technique: Kikai Bug Orb!"
The Kikai Bugs manipulated by Shibi Aburame broke through the weak point of the bee swarm, and in a moment, the Kamizuru Clan Head's bee swarm was defeated, falling densely to the ground.
Although the Kikai Bugs suffered some losses, they flew at undiminished speed to both sides of the now-reacting Kamizuru Clan Head, rapidly closing in!
"Eh?!"
The Kamizuru Clan Head's expression changed drastically as he snapped back to reality. He was about to move and flash out of the insect swarm's encirclement, but it was ultimately too late. Tens of thousands of Kikai Bugs enveloped him, and soon after, wails echoed from within, reverberating across the battlefield.
"Clan Head!"
"Damn it! Go save the Clan Head!"
Nearby Kamizuru Clan members, seeing their clan head trapped, all tried to break free from their opponents to rescue him. However, their strength was already significantly inferior to the overall strength of the Aburame Clan, and coupled with the openings revealed by their anxiety, they began to fall one after another. Forget about saving their clan head; they couldn't even protect themselves.
"It seems the situation is decided."
Hyuga Hiashi and Ren, among others, were ambushed in the jungle and in the air on the outskirts of the battlefield, quietly observing the situation. Seeing the defeated Kamizuru Clan Head and the routed Kamizuru members, Hyuga Hiashi leaned against a tree trunk, his Byakugan open, and said in a deep voice.
They stayed here not only because they wanted to wipe out this Kamizuru team, but also because, as Shibi Aburame had said earlier, this was a battle between bug users, and it was inconvenient for them to intervene.
Of course, if the Aburame Clan were to fall into a disadvantage, they would certainly act. They were Ninja, not those stubborn samurai from the Land of Iron.
However, looking at the current situation, the Kamizuru Clan was clearly no match for the Aburame Clan, and defeat was only a matter of time. They just needed to support the Aburame Clan from the periphery.
"Ah!"
With the last scream, the Kamizuru Clan Head fell silent. Shibi Aburame calmly raised his hands and said softly.
"Explode!"
"Boom!"
The man-sized Kikai Bug Orb suddenly shrank, then paused in the air, followed by a low sound, and then the Kikai Bug Orb exploded with a roar!
...
Watching their clan head, whose body was completely gone, the ashen-faced Kamizuru members all gave up resisting and were successively swallowed by the insect swarms. Except for a few Kamizuru members who were still stubbornly resisting, most of the Kamizuru members had been captured. After all, why not keep living captives if possible? They were all useful for intelligence.
"Aburame Clan!"
The last Kamizuru Ninja was engulfed by the Kikai Bugs amidst a roar of anger. With this, the battle between the bug users concluded with the Aburame Clan's victory.
"Elder Aburame!"
Shibi Aburame, resting against a tree trunk, turned his head to look at Ren and Hyuga Hiashi, who were walking out of the nearby jungle. Behind them, hundreds of Leaf Ninja followed closely.
"All members of the reinforcement unit, form groups of three to five, and clean up the battlefield!"
"Yes!"
With Hyuga Hiashi's command, the Ninja divided into small groups and began cleaning up the battlefield. The ground was covered with dead bees and Kikai Bugs, making a squeaking sound when stepped on, which made one's scalp tingle.
The members of the Aburame Clan, having just gone through an intense battle, all withdrew from the battlefield to rest on the sidelines.
"Elder Aburame, are you alright?"
Hyuga Hiashi deactivated his Byakugan and asked with some concern.
"I'm fine."
Shibi Aburame nodded to the two. Although he had some dust on him, he seemed to be fine.
"That's good."
Hyuga Hiashi also relaxed. The three stood there watching the people cleaning up the battlefield, and Ren suddenly turned to Hyuga Hiashi, asking with some confusion.
"Elder Hiashi, how did you recognise me earlier?"
Ren thought for a long time but couldn't figure out when he had interacted with Hyuga Hiashi. At most, they had heard each other's names: one, the Hyuga Clan Head; the other, a disciple of a Sannin. Hyuga HiashHiashi'sgnising him aof t their first meeting indeed made him a bit curious.
"It's actually very simple."
Hyuga Hiashi showed a slight smile, turned around, pointed to his Byakugan, and then pointed to Ren's forehead.
"Hmm? Forehead… I understand, it's the Yin Seal!"
Ren was initially confused, but suddenly his eyes lit up, and he instantly realised.
It must have been when Hyuga Hiashi scanned the battlefield earlier that he saw the Yin Seal on his forehead. Plus, in the entire Ninja World, besides Lady Tsunade, there was no second person who had it.
Now, with one suddenly appearing, coupled with Ren's youthful appearance, Hyuga Hiashi could easily associate it with Ren after a little thought.
"Hahaha, that's right. After all, in the entire Ninja World, besides Lady Tsunade, there's no one else who possesses the Yin Seal."
Hyuga Hiashi looked at the two with a gentle expression. It was clear that the young him was not as rigid and serious as he would be in the future.
"Hizashi wrote to me some time ago and said you were good at Water Release. I confirmed it slightly and guessed it was you."
"Is that so…"
Ren scratched his head, not expecting that Elder Hizashi had mentioned him to his brother. He thought, "I haven't reached the point where everyone knows me, have I?" So, the Byakugan could be used like that.
"Almost. Let's go."
While they were chatting, the battlefield had already been cleaned up. Hyuga Hiashi and the others were preparing to return to Konoha. After all, their mission was just to repel the invading enemy, while Ren's goal was to return to the front lines.
"Then I'll take my leave first, Elder Hiashi, Elder Aburame."
Ren jumped onto a tree, turned around, and nodded to the two. After all, this place wasn't too far from the border, and if he hurried, he should be able to reach it before dark.
"Be careful on your way."
Shibi Aburame nodded to Ren. He still needed to take these clan members back and settle them before returning to the front lines again.
"Please say hello to Hizashi for me, Ren."
Hyuga Hiashi, standing at the front of the unit, waved to Ren.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely pass it on. Goodbye, everyone."
Ren nodded, turned his body, and disappeared from everyone's sight in a few Instantaneous Body Techniques.