Under the cover of night, murderous intent surged.
Countless Konoha shinobi moved swiftly through the forest, locking onto the scattered Lightning Release flashes with precision.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet."
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
Boom.
Wind fanned the flames, and the blazing Flame Bullet, driven by the gust, instantly expanded into a sea of fire.
A streak of lightning charged wildly, only to be engulfed by the flames in an instant.
The electricity exploded, and the figure vanished into a burst of light.
"It's a clone."
"Next one. Three o'clock, pursue."
Similar scenes played out across the forest.
Konoha's shinobi were well-trained with clear divisions of roles.
Sensory Ninja locked onto targets.
Nara clan members coordinated and determined authenticity.
The main force unleashed their most powerful Ninjutsu without holding back.
The operation was highly efficient.
Hiashi stood on a tall tree branch, his Byakugan scanning the battlefield.
In his vision, the chakra light points representing the Lightning Clones were being extinguished one by one.
His gaze pierced through the dense forest.
Far ahead, four clusters of chakra, more concentrated than the clones, were being surrounded by dozens of Konoha chakra light signatures.
"They've been found."
…Deep within the forest.
"We've been discovered."
A Kumo shinobi had just pierced a Konoha Genin's chest with a lightning-infused kunai.
Before he could even catch his breath, several kunai laced with explosive tags had already sealed off every escape route.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Violent explosions erupted, sending smoke and debris high into the air.
When the smoke cleared, the Kumo shinobi was kneeling on the ground, covered in blood and severely injured.
At that moment, a pitch-black shadow extended from beneath everyone's feet, coiling around his body.
"Shadow Imitation Technique, successful."
A calm voice came from behind as a Nara clan member formed hand seals.
"Damn it."
The Kumo shinobi, bound by the shadow, stiffened, letting out a low growl like a trapped beast.
He knew very well the consequences of being captured alive.
The Yamanaka clan's secret techniques would rip every secret from his mind.
Thinking of that, he gritted his teeth.
The remaining chakra in his body surged violently toward his head in a chaotic flow.
"No good. He's going to destroy his brain." The Yamanaka clan member's face changed drastically as he cried out.
Too late.
The Kumo shinobi's body trembled. A muffled thud sounded from within his skull. Blood oozed from his seven orifices, and he slumped to the ground.
Death before disclosure.
On the other side, Doro's situation was just as grim.
He faced an entire Konoha squad alone, which included a Hyūga branch family shinobi.
"Gentle Fist."
The Hyūga shinobi's figure flashed as he struck at Doro's chakra points with his palms.
Chakra flow within Doro's body instantly stagnated.
He roared, forcefully unleashing the last of his Lightning Release chakra and breaking through the chakra blockade.
He counterattacked with a lightning-infused hand blade, slashing fiercely at his opponent.
"Rotation."
The Hyūga shinobi spun rapidly in place, forming a blue chakra sphere that completely enveloped him, blocking the desperate strike.
The hand blade clashed against the Rotation, emitting a sharp screech but failing to advance even an inch.
In that instant of delay, a fatal killing intent attacked from behind.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet."
A mud dragon surged from the ground, its massive mouth open to swallow Doro whole.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Armor."
At the critical moment, Doro poured all his remaining chakra into his Lightning Armor, forming a protective layer of lightning around him.
It wasn't the perfected Lightning Chakra Mode of the Raikage, but a weakened version developed by Kumo elites.
Still, it was his final lifeline.
Boom.
The mud dragon clashed with the lightning armor, exploding with tremendous force.
Doro burst through the explosion, drenched in blood, only to find a storm of Ninjutsu raining down upon him.
Fireballs, wind blades, water bullets. It was a brilliant display of lethal force.
There was no fear on Doro's face. He roared and charged into the hail of techniques.
"For Kumogakure."
The next second, his body was shredded by wind, incinerated by fire, and crushed by earth.
Not even ashes remained. He vanished into the roar of Ninjutsu.
"Doro."
In the distance, the remaining two Kumo shinobi watched everything unfold, their teeth clenched with hatred.
They knew their turn was next.
"Bastards."
One of the burly Kumo shinobi roared and slammed his palms together.
"Let's die together."
Chakra surged violently from within him. Arcs of lightning danced across his skin.
He was about to self-destruct.
"No good. He's going to blow himself up."
"Everyone retreat."
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall."
The surrounding Konoha shinobi began falling back rapidly.
"Trying to leave? Too late."
The other Kumo shinobi caught on. A ruthless light flashed in his eyes.
"Lightning Release: Ground Flash."
He instantly formed hand seals, and blinding electric light spread outward from his body.
But his target wasn't Konoha. It was his own comrade.
He intended to use his jutsu to detonate and amplify his comrade's self-destruction.
To turn their last breath into the brightest flash of lightning.
"Madman."
A nearby Konoha Jōnin's pupils contracted.
Boom.
A massive explosion shook the entire mountain forest.
A dazzling sphere of white lightning exploded, engulfing everything within a ten-meter radius.
When the light faded, only a scorched, smoking crater remained.
Three charred bodies of Konoha Genin lay around it.
The others, though wounded, had managed to escape the blast thanks to coordinated defense.
As for the Kumo shinobi who used Ground Flash, he had been caught in the explosion's shockwave.
Half his body was charred, one arm missing. He lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.
He was the last of the four to survive.
His gaze was dim, yet still fixed on the deep crater ahead.
Two Kumo Jōnin had gambled their lives on mutual destruction and barely inflicted any damage.
Is this the strength of the strongest shinobi village in the world?
Just then, Hiashi appeared silently at his side.
His face was dark as he stared down at the last Kumo shinobi.
He moved.
His goal was clear. Capture him alive.
He was the last one.
But the Kumo shinobi seemed to sense his intent.
With great effort, he lifted his head. Staring at Hiashi, who was already within reach, a strange smile formed on his face.
"For... Kumogakure."
He used his final ounce of strength to mumble.
Then, he gathered the last remnants of his Lightning Release chakra into his body, compressing it wildly.
The moment Hiashi reached for him, the Kumo shinobi's body erupted with brilliant electric light.
Sizzle.
There was no earth-shaking blast. Just the sharp, piercing sound of high-voltage discharge.
The Kumo shinobi's body began to carbonize in the intense electric light.
Then, he turned to black ash, scattered by the wind.
Hiashi's outstretched hand grasped only air. His face grew even darker.
All four Kumo Jōnin had died before his eyes, leaving no trace behind.
Not a single one was captured alive.
Not even a corpse remained.
"Hiashi-sama..." A Sensory Ninja approached and reported, "We've lost too much time. The target has likely..."
Hiashi slowly withdrew his hand, fists clenched tight.
A vein throbbed at his temple as his Byakugan activated to the limit, scanning through layers of forest.
But all he saw was darkness.
The target had completely vanished from his field of vision.
"Damn it." Hiashi growled, suppressing his fury. "Leave two teams behind to clean the battlefield. The rest, continue pursuit."
"Yes."
As the Konoha shinobi moved quickly to carry out the order, Hiashi knew in his heart.
After such a delay, even if they continued chasing, the chance of finding the target was slim.
All they could do now was try their best and leave the rest to fate.
Sure enough, within the hour...
All the pursuit teams returned, empty-handed.
Kumogakure's plan had worked.
Four elite Jōnin had paved the way for the retreat of their main force.
Not only had Konoha failed to capture anyone alive, they had completely lost the trail.
Hiashi took a deep breath, suppressing the anger boiling within.
"Report the situation to the village."
"Emphasize that the enemy was determined to die and had serious intentions."
"Request the village to raise the alert level to the highest."
He paused, then clenched his teeth and said, "The mission... failed."
The last few words were squeezed out through clenched teeth.
The night wind howled, carrying with it the scent of blood and scorched earth.
The forest returned to its deadly silence.
(To be continued.)