"Sakumo, Fugaku, there's a three-man squad ahead. They look like they're setting traps."
"Judging by the emblem on their clothing, they should be ninja from the Sarutobi clan."
"Based on their chakra signatures, it should be one jōnin and two elite chūnin."
The veins at Hyuga Hizashi's temples bulged as the scene several kilometers ahead came into crystal clarity within his Byakugan.
Uchiha Fugaku and Hatake Sakumo nodded, their expressions grave.
"Get us as close as you can."
"Understood."
With the Byakugan's overwhelming perception guiding them, Fugaku and Sakumo easily maneuvered to the vicinity of the Konoha three-man squad.
Fugaku spoke in a low voice, "I'll take care of the jōnin. Sakumo-senpai, you handle the remaining two chūnin."
Sakumo gave a silent nod. "Alright."
Hizashi lowered his voice. "Fugaku, I'll go with you. That Sarutobi jōnin is called Kiyokawa—he's considered quite formidable even among jōnin."
Fugaku waved a hand dismissively. "No need. I'm enough on my own."
With that, he nodded to Sakumo.
Understanding immediately, Sakumo drew his short blade. In the next instant, his body turned into a streak of violet lightning as he shot forward.
In the blink of an eye, the two Konoha chūnin clutched their throats and collapsed to the ground.
At the same time, Fugaku's dark eyes transformed into a crimson Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Amaterasu!"
Pitch-black flames erupted out of thin air, instantly engulfing Sarutobi Kiyokawa. The man barely managed a single scream before being reduced to ash by the inextinguishable black fire.
"Th-this… it's over already?!"
Hizashi stared in shock.
A squad composed of one jōnin and two elite chūnin was already considered top-tier.
What's more, all three were members of the Sarutobi clan—well-rounded in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and clan secret techniques.
Yet such a force had been wiped out without any real resistance, all within less than half a minute.
The result was nothing short of terrifying.
"Hizashi, we really owe this to you. The Byakugan's value on the battlefield is even greater than I imagined," Fugaku said, patting Hizashi on the shoulder when he saw him frozen in place.
Ninja were all high offense, low defense. In battle, victory often went to whoever struck first.
Now that Hyuga clan ninja had been assigned across various units, the Byakugan's formidable perception would allow the Cloud ninja to consistently seize the initiative in combat.
This alone would be enough to give Konoha a massive headache.
Hizashi smiled faintly. "Let's keep moving. Lord Yuzuru's order was to push the front line a hundred kilometers toward Konoha before dawn."
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"B, it's been a long time since we fought together. Today, let's slaughter to our hearts' content."
A slammed his fists together, blue arcs of lightning constantly bursting from his body.
Beside him, Killer B swayed and danced, shaking his head rhythmically. "The horn of war has sounded, the Killer B show is about to begin—perk up your ears, open your eyes wide, and watch your man carry everyone to victory!"
"Bakayaro, konoyaro~"
A punched B in the head and snorted. "Cut the singing. Let's tear open Konoha's defenses first."
Seeing the two preparing to charge, Tōdai hurriedly spoke up. "If you rush in like this, you'll expose our movements. We should first send Hyuga ninja to sense the enemy's positions, then move in quietly—"
Before he could finish, A cut him off impatiently. "What are you muttering about? I can't understand a word of it.
B, let's go!"
"Yo~"
A activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, while Killer B entered a partial tailed-beast transformation.
One wrapped in blue lightning, the other glowing red, the two shot forward like twin bolts and vanished into the night.
Tōdai shook his head helplessly, then waved to the forces behind him. "Attack!"
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Land of Fire.
Along the northern border, as brilliant signal flares exploded endlessly in the sky, Konoha's main command camp erupted into frantic activity.
Nara Shikaku sat at the head seat, frowning as he studied the map spread across the table.
"All ninja along the first northern defensive line have lost contact. Cloud Village has launched their attack."
"Even though I was mentally prepared, their strength still exceeds my expectations."
Shikaku let out a sigh, his brow heavy with worry.
The Land of Lightning had long since occupied smaller nations like the Land of Grass, Land of Waterfall, Land of Iron, and Land of Hot Water. As a result, Konoha could only deploy defenses along the Land of Fire's borders, making it extremely difficult to gather intelligence from within Lightning Country itself.
Despite extensive preparations in advance, the moment the Land of Lightning struck, the first defensive line fell almost instantly.
Yamanaka Inoichi spoke in a deep voice, "Shikaku, now isn't the time to sigh. What should we do next?"
After a moment's thought, Shikaku replied gravely, "Inoichi, you'll stay here with the Sensory Unit and Barrier Unit. Gather all battlefield information and ensure my orders reach every front as quickly as possible."
Inoichi answered immediately, "Understood!"
Shikaku then turned to Akimichi Chōza. "Chōza, lead the ninja of our three clans as a reserve force. Be ready to reinforce any battlefield at a moment's notice."
Chōza clasped his hands. "Understood."
Shikaku nodded, then shifted his gaze to Inuzuka Tsume. "As for the Inuzuka clan—"
Under Shikaku's command, Konoha's ninja rushed toward their respective battlefields.
In a single night, the entire Land of Fire was engulfed in war, flames rising everywhere.
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Yamabuki Ridge.
More than a thousand Konoha ninja were trapped on the mountain ridge, completely surrounded by Cloud Village forces.
"Konoha cowards! Get your asses down here! If you're men, fight us face to face!"
"Stop resisting! You have no chance of winning—surrender or die!"
"What, gone mute? Even my dog has more guts than you—at least it barks when it sees an enemy!"
The Cloud ninja hurled insults for a long while without getting any response. In the end, they could only shut up in frustration.
Seeing this, Samui spoke calmly, "Mabui, looks like your idea didn't work."
"Those Konoha ninja aren't coming down that easily."
"Then let's attack directly."
Mabui shook her head lightly. "Most of the Konoha ninja on that mountain come from shinobi clans. They have all kinds of secret techniques, ninjutsu, and explosive tags."
"A forced assault would lead to heavy losses."
Samui frowned. "Then what do you suggest?"
"Have the Hyuga clan ninja pinpoint the enemy's general positions first. Then Yugito will bombard them from a distance with Tailed Beast Balls."
"Once their numbers are thinned, we launch the assault."
Yugito Nii and Samui nodded at once. "Yes!"