The night of slaughter was far from brief.
Yet even with over a hundred enemies, the elite squad was not delayed for long. By the time the Kumogakure reinforcements arrived, the four had already vanished into the boundless darkness.
Only pools of blood and shattered corpses remained, silently testifying to the carnage that had taken place.
After a brief silence and mourning, the Kumogakure shinobi were consumed by fury.
They swore that this blood debt would be repaid in full to Konoha!
"This..."
Far away, when everything was relayed through the Byakugan into Hizashi Hyūga's mind, he was completely stunned.
That small squad had done something almost unimaginable.
They had launched a frontal breakthrough and struck deep into the Land of Lightning's territory.
Both the timing of their assault and their retreat had been executed with flawless precision.
"Konoha's spearhead...?"
"This spearhead is the pride of our village."
Hizashi muttered softly, still unable to recover from the shock.
Yet beyond the astonishment of their success, another storm raged within him—one born of horror at the sheer brutality of their methods.
That slaughter was nauseating.
It was hard to believe a child could commit such acts.
Decapitations. Bodies cleaved in half.
The blood spraying through the air seemed almost to exhilarate him.
Was he really just a child?
Through his Byakugan, Hizashi could see his face—twisted in the thrill of killing.
He was craving it.
"Hizashi-sama! Kumogakure is mobilizing forces—they seem intent on breaking through our defenses!"
At that moment, a messenger ninja rushed over, his voice strained with urgency.
Exactly as expected.
Regaining his composure, Hizashi nodded slightly. He had already seen their movements.
In truth, if Kumogakure had shown no reaction, that would have been the real surprise.
A blood debt can only be repaid with blood.
After losing over a hundred men in such a brutal fashion, it would have been strange if those hot-blooded warriors didn't erupt in rage.
But this time, Hizashi remained calm.
That squad had already infiltrated deep behind enemy lines. His duty was simply to hold out long enough—until Kakashi and the others had finished their mission.
Once the supply lines were cut, the pressure on the main battlefield would lessen drastically.
How far they could push that advantage would depend on how long that squad could endure.
"Relay my orders. Use traps and explosive tags to slow their advance."
"Hold the line!"
...
"Are you feeling unwell?"
On the main battlefield, the frenzied ninja of Kumogakure had begun their assault.
Meanwhile, deep within a dense forest behind enemy lines, Hakken supported the pale-faced Itachi and asked softly.
This kind of slaughter was still far too early for him.
In the original timeline, Itachi's rise began after the Chūnin Exams, when his strength surged rapidly. Even a prodigy had his limits—after all, no matter how one looked at it, he was still just a child.
Drained of chakra and stamina, Itachi could barely breathe, panting too heavily to speak.
"Get on."
Frowning, Hakken stepped in front of him.
Itachi blinked in confusion. "?"
"Stop hesitating."
Without another word, Hakken lifted him up and slung him over his shoulder.
At that moment, Itachi's face turned bright red—whether from exhaustion, embarrassment, or the side effects of chakra depletion, it was hard to tell.
"What now?"
Kakashi didn't look much better himself; his heart was still pounding from the close call. When they'd made their escape, he had already heard the distant rumble of Kumogakure reinforcements closing in.
It had been far too close.
But they'd made it out.
"Next stronghold," Hakken said, unfolding a map. "We push straight into the Land of Lightning, destroy the next outpost, then rest."
"Otherwise, the pressure on Hizashi Hyūga at the main front will be too much. I doubt he can hold out much longer."
His tone left no room for argument.
Another battle.
But by now, they'd grown used to it.
The crimson three-tomoe Sharingan in Shisui's eyes spun slowly.
He remembered Hakken's words—excessive mercy only endangers your comrades. As long as he held onto that, he wouldn't falter again.
Just from that look, Hakken knew—the Shisui of the Body Flicker, the man who once swept across the Third Shinobi World War, had returned.
"Let's move. Quickly."
Hoisting Itachi on his back, Hakken took a deep breath and started forward.
With his stamina, carrying someone posed little burden. By the time they reached the next stronghold, Itachi would likely be recovered enough to stand again. There was no need to worry.
At least, not for him.
But behind him, Itachi's gaze softened, his thoughts quietly shifting.
I'm still too weak.
Resting his head against Hakken's back, he slowly closed his eyes.
"From the very beginning... I just wanted to catch up to you, Ken-san."
...
"Hizashi-sama! Enemy forces have breached the fourth defensive line!"
The battle raged deep into the night.
Along the border, flames and explosions lit up the darkness—detonating tags erupting one after another, mingling with the screams of Kumogakure ninja falling into carefully-laid traps.
But this time, the sheer ferocity of the Kumogakure assault had far exceeded Hyūga Hizashi's expectations.
"Prepare to engage! We cannot let them cross the border!"
The fourth defensive line—also the fourth trap zone—was their final barrier.
There was no time to hesitate. Hizashi immediately ordered a full-scale counterattack.
Hold the line.
Endure this wave of madness, and dawn would bring victory.
The real battle had begun.
Ninjutsu clashed in bursts of light, Taijutsu struck with explosive force, and when chakra finally ran dry, it became a brutal struggle of blades and blood.
Crimson sprayed across the earth as both sides fought with every last ounce of strength.
Whoever endured to the end would claim true victory.
Comrades fell one after another, yet Hizashi clenched his teeth and pressed on.
No one knew how much time had passed.
When the faint light of dawn finally broke over the eastern horizon, the once-fierce Kumogakure offensive suddenly withdrew like a receding tide.
A Hyūga scout sprinted toward him, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Hizashi-sama! Kumogakure has received some kind of news—they're retreating!"
Retreating.
The reason was clear.
As the light of dawn spread across the land, its warmth touched every survivor, reminding them of the simple miracle of being alive.
"They did it!"