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Chapter 23: Overwhelming Battle
The Kumogakure convoy thundered across the wide dirt road, wagon wheels grinding against gravel and sending up billowing clouds of dust in their wake.
Zurui sat rigid in the lead carriage, his fingers drumming an anxious rhythm against his knee. As the jounin commander of this mission, the weight on his shoulders had only grown heavier since leaving Konoha's gates.
'In the end, we couldn't secure the complete Byakugan bloodline limit...'
The memory of those negotiations made his jaw clench. Those hypocritical Konoha elders, sitting around their polished table with their sanctimonious expressions—they'd known exactly what Kumogakure wanted, yet still insisted on playing their little charade.
All that talk about "maintaining peace," only to turn around and try executing the Hyuuga branch member before the handover. If he hadn't pulled out that excuse about "Raikage-sama requiring personal judgment of the criminal," they probably wouldn't have managed to bring back even this living specimen.
The carriage jolted over a particularly rough patch, and Zurui's eyes drifted toward the rear convoy—where a reinforced prison wagon held their prize. Hyuuga Hizashi sat inside, blindfolded and bound, completely unaware of his true value.
'This is the first time we've obtained an intact Byakugan wielder.'
In previous wars, the main branch had been protected like precious gems, while branch members triggered their Caged Bird seals the moment capture seemed inevitable. Getting a living test subject was an unprecedented breakthrough.
He'd already warned Konoha against "unauthorized execution of the criminal" during negotiations. It was just diplomatic theater, but he genuinely worried they might try something underhanded.
'Once we reach Kumogakure...'
His eyes gleamed with anticipation. The village's research division had been salivating over the Byakugan for years. If they could crack the Caged Bird seal through experimentation, maybe even develop transplantation techniques...
'Raikage-sama would surely...'
The carriage lurched to an abrupt halt, shattering his thoughts.
"What's happening?" he barked, yanking aside the curtain.
"Zurui-sama! Unexpected situation! Possible enemy attack!"
The urgent shouts from his subordinates made Zurui's blood run cold. An attack? Here, in the middle of nowhere? Bandits and mountain thieves would never dare assault an official Kumogakure convoy. But if it was shinobi from another village...
'Don't they realize this would be tantamount to declaring war on Kumogakure?'
He leaped from the carriage to find the entire convoy at a standstill, every Kumo-nin in battle formation with kunai and shuriken already drawn.
Following their collective gaze, he spotted the source of their alarm. In the center of the road stood a solitary figure—black robes billowing around a lithe frame, face hidden behind an ornate fox mask that caught the sunlight with an eerie gleam.
'This doesn't look good...'
Zurui's hand instinctively moved toward the blade on his back before he caught himself. His primary mission was delivering the Byakugan safely to Kumogakure. No need for unnecessary complications.
"Identify yourself!" he called out, stepping forward with commanding presence. "This is an official Kumogakure diplomatic convoy! Regardless of which village you represent, this action constitutes a declaration of war against Kumogakure!"
The robed figure remained silent, slowly raising both hands to begin forming hand seals. As the movements began, the cloak behind him started rippling without any wind, snapping and fluttering ominously.
"Kyūmen Subaha."
The low voice carried across the plains with unnatural resonance. With each syllable uttered, corresponding giant characters materialized in the air above, pulsing with ethereal blue light.
"Ao... Byaku... Shu... Gen... Kū... Nan... Hoku... San... Gyoku."
Nine glowing symbols arranged themselves into a massive formation overhead, radiating chakra pressure so intense that several Kumo-nin involuntarily stepped backward.
"Kyūmen-jū!"
At the masked figure's command, nine distinct summoning beasts erupted from the formation with earth-shaking roars. Each creature radiated terrifying power as they arranged themselves in perfect formation on either side of their summoner, completely blocking the road.
The figure slowly raised one hand, pointing directly at the prison wagon.
"My demand is simple."
The voice from behind the mask carried no emotion whatsoever—cold as winter steel.
"Hand over the power of the Byakugan."
Zurui's face darkened like a thundercloud, veins bulging at his temples. His mind raced through intelligence files on every major village's elite shinobi. 'A ninja capable of simultaneously summoning nine different types of creatures? Impossible!'
'Who the hell is this guy?'
But there was no time for analysis. As an experienced Kumogakure jounin, Zurui made his decision in an instant, arm sweeping forward.
"All units! Full assault!"
His hands blurred through seals as his chest expanded. "Raiton: Gian!"
CRACK!
A brilliant spear of lightning erupted from his mouth, streaking toward the robed figure's chest. Simultaneously, the surrounding Kumo-nin launched their own attacks.
"Raiton: Raikyū!"
"Raiton: Jibashi!"
"Raiton: Rai Senbon!"
Dozens of crackling lightning techniques converged from all directions, completely engulfing the masked figure's position. Blinding electrical discharge lit up the entire plain, filling the air with the sharp scent of ozone.
But then—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A series of dull impacts echoed across the battlefield. To every Kumo-nin's shock and horror, their devastating lightning techniques—powerful enough to reduce boulders to dust—struck some invisible barrier several meters from their target, erupting in brilliant sparks before dissipating harmlessly into nothing.
"I see..."
The low voice drifted from behind the mask, carrying a hint of dark amusement.
"Faced with a reasonable request, you chose violence. Complete abandonment of any diplomatic solution... I respect your loyalty to your village."
The fox mask tilted slightly, as if studying them with predatory interest.
"Now then... crush them."
Nine massive forms launched forward like unleashed missiles, the ground trembling beneath their combined charge.
"Protect the Byakugan!" Zurui roared desperately, cold sweat beading his forehead as he stared at the approaching summons. His hands flew through defensive seals—
"Hey. Look over here."
An ice-cold whisper materialized right beside his ear. Every hair on Zurui's body stood on end as he whipped around to find that grotesque fox mask mere inches from his face.
*When did he—?!*
"You bastard—!"
Zurui's hand barely touched his blade's hilt before agony exploded through his abdomen. His eyes widened in shock as his body ragdolled through the air, tracing a perfect arc before crashing into the dirt.
"Zurui-sama!"
Panicked shouts from his subordinates were quickly drowned out by the roars of the nine beasts. The Kumo-nin fought desperately, but it was like ants trying to resist a tsunami—elite jounin-level summons against ordinary shinobi was nothing short of a massacre.
"Gah... cough..."
Zurui struggled to push himself upright, tasting copper in his throat. Before he could even get his arms under him, an iron grip clamped down on the back of his neck, grinding his face into the dirt.
'Impossible!'
His pupils dilated in shock. As one of Kumogakure's elite jounin, his taijutsu skills ranked among the village's finest. To be completely overwhelmed like this...
"You..." he managed to gasp, straining to turn his head toward his captor. "What... what are you?"
The fox mask loomed over him, reflecting his battered face in its polished surface. Behind that emotionless facade, Zurui caught a glimpse of something that chilled him to the bone—not hatred or anger, but the cold calculation of a predator who had already decided his prey's fate.
***
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