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*****
Hizashi Hyūga, currently engaged in combat with the mysterious masked man, felt his proud Gentle Fist techniques were like a mud ox entering the sea—completely unable to inflict any substantial damage.
After a mere dozen exchanges, Hizashi was inwardly terrified. Meanwhile, the opponent strolled along the courtyard wall with leisurely steps, intercepting his offensive with only a single hand.
The bright moonlight reflected off the white three-eyed fox mask with a cold glint. The mysterious man seemed to be scrutinizing him as if lost in thought.
Hizashi Hyūga activated his Byakugan, the veins around his temples bulging as he attempted to see through the enemy's true identity.
However, he found that beneath the white three-eyed fox mask lay something akin to profound darkness, swallowing all gazes that dared to linger, causing one to shudder!
An indescribable sense of dread welled up within him, causing Hizashi to lose focus for a split second.
Menma Uzumaki seized the opportunity. He clenched his fist, and with a punch wrapped in a piercing whistle, he struck Hizashi in the face, knocking him off the wall.
Hizashi tumbled in mid-air, twisted his body urgently, and landed staggeringly. Cold sweat poured down his face.
He looked up at the mysterious man still standing atop the wall; behind that mask, a pair of eyes seemed to be calmly evaluating him.
*Shoom—*
At the critical moment, Hiashi Hyūga moved like a white falcon gliding through the air, launching a direct attack on the masked man on the wall.
Hizashi Hyūga followed immediately. The two brothers used the Hyūga Clan's Gentle Fist techniques, combined with their telepathic coordination, to unleash various combo maneuvers.
Hiashi attacked head-on, chakra condensing in his palms as he shouted:
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Simultaneously, Hizashi understood immediately. He adjusted his stance to form a pincer movement with his brother, condensing chakra in his palms as he struck out repeatedly: "Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
The two utilized exquisite Gentle Fist combinations to weave what seemed like a net of chakra, attacking the mysterious masked man from both sides.
In an instant, three figures flickered and crossed paths atop the wall. The clash of chakra stirred up gusts of violent wind, forcing the surrounding Hyūga shinobi to cover their faces with their sleeves, struggling to resist the gale.
"Mini Spiralling Ring!" (Shō Rasenringu) Menma Uzumaki decided he had played enough. He curled his right hand, condensing a black Rasengan, and struck toward the one-degree blind spot missing from Hizashi Hyūga's defense.
In an instant, the sensation of mortal peril enveloped Hizashi.
Without any hesitation, Hizashi instinctively erupted the chakra from his tenketsu, forming a sky-blue chakra cyclone to protect himself.
"Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin!" (Hakkeshō Kaiten)
The Mini Spiralling Ring slammed hard into Hizashi's *Kaiten*. The violent dark chakra tore through the defense of the Heavenly Spin, sending Hizashi flying backward with heavy force.
*Pfft—*
A spray of blood erupted from Hizashi's mouth as his body was hurled several meters away!
"Hizashi!"
Hiashi's grief-stricken cry had not even finished when a cold voice suddenly sounded in his ear.
"Your turn."
The mysterious masked man had appeared before Hiashi in a flash, nobody knew when.
The masked man's hands were currently manifesting a massive amount of chakra; one could vaguely see that chakra taking the shape of ferocious lion heads.
"What! How do you—" Hiashi's hair stood on end as he tried to activate *Kaiten*.
However, the mysterious man's speed was a notch faster than before.
"Twin Lion Fists!" Menma Uzumaki swung both fists, striking Hiashi Hyūga heavily in the chest.
Hiashi fell from the high wall like a kite with its string cut.
"Lord Clan Head!" The other Hyūga shinobi rushed forward, surrounding the fallen Hiashi to protect him.
As the full moon hung high, Menma Uzumaki, wearing the white three-eyed fox mask, stood majestically atop the high wall of the Hyūga compound's gate. Cold eyes seemed to peer through the mask, surveying the clan's estate.
"Just who are you!" Hiashi Hyūga stood up from the ground. His chest injury was not light, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. He looked at the mysterious man on the wall with shock and alarm.
*Menma, a lot of shinobi are rushing here fast.* Inside the fur collar, the tiny Nine-Tails lay on Menma's shoulder, relaying the situation she sensed.
*Shoom—*
Menma Uzumaki flickered down from the wall and appeared beside the corpse of the dead Cloud Envoy.
"All the gifts of fate come with a price tag attached in secret," Menma Uzumaki said to Hiashi Hyūga, tilting his white three-eyed fox mask.
Then, he turned to look at Hizashi Hyūga, who had smashed a large crater into the ground.
"I will be back."
*Shun, shun, shun—*
At that moment, countless figures arrived at the Hyūga compound from all directions.
"Hyūga Head! The Anbu are here on orders to investigate!" An Anbu shinobi wearing a cat mask, with short white hair and a tantō strapped to his back, landed on a utility pole near the two Hyūga brothers.
However, the scene before him caused even the battle-hardened Kakashi to be inwardly shocked.
The Clan Head of the Hyūga was suspected to be seriously injured, and Hizashi Hyūga was lying in a crater, his life or death unknown.
The surrounding Hyūga Jonin guards were looking at the mysterious man nearby as if facing a great enemy.
"The bounty on this guy's head isn't small." The mysterious man grabbed the corpse on the ground.
Kakashi focused his gaze and discovered it was actually the Cloud Envoy!
"How is that possible! The Cloud Envoy was supposed to be..." An Anbu shinobi landed beside Kakashi and let out a cry of surprise.
They watched as the mysterious masked man grabbed the Cloud Envoy's body and flickered onto the high wall.
"What speed!" Even as an Anbu Captain, Kakashi felt this person would be troublesome.
But the opponent had no intention of continuing the fight. He moved swiftly and vanished into the night with a few flickers.
"Chase him!" Kakashi gave the order and was the first to charge out. Behind him, the Anbu shinobi gave chase to the mysterious man.
They absolutely could not let the opponent take the Cloud Envoy's body so easily. This was undoubtedly a slap in the face to the Hidden Leaf Village!
A slap in the face to the Lord Third Hokage!
Once the mysterious enemy had left and the Anbu had followed, Hiashi Hyūga clutched his chest and walked over to Hizashi, who was receiving medical attention.
"Brother..." Hizashi Hyūga gasped. His back had been torn by the dark-attribute chakra of the Mini Spiralling Ring; the wound was deep enough to see bone, and blood flowed freely.
To survive a direct hit from a Mini Spiralling Ring was already a stroke of luck.
As an S-rank ninjutsu comparable to the "Wind Style: Rasenshuriken," the single-target destructive power of the Mini Spiralling Ring was extremely potent.
"Don't speak! Hokuma, get Hizashi to the Konoha Hospital immediately!" Hiashi ordered sternly.
"Yes!" Hokuma Hyūga bowed slightly, hoisted Hizashi onto his back, and sprinted rapidly toward the hospital.
Looking at the Hyūga estate after the great battle, Hiashi Hyūga felt a lingering sense of dread.
If that mysterious masked man hadn't appeared, and he had killed the Cloud Envoy himself, he didn't know what kind of serious diplomatic incident it would have caused.
It might even have led to the war between the Cloud and the Leaf continuing for even longer, resulting in more casualties.
*But... that guy... how did he know the Twin Lion Fists!* Hiashi Hyūga felt the residual heat in his chest.
*That Twin Lion Fist strike...*
"Huh?" A young voice sounded nearby, interrupting Hiashi's deep thoughts.
He turned his head to see his daughter, Hinata, who had woken up at some point.
Seeing the mess around her, little Hinata's baby-fat face held a maturity that didn't match her age.
"Tch~" Little Hinata put a hand on her hip and curled her lip in disdain. "Old man, what are you doing dragging me out for a walk in the middle of the night?"
*Pffft—*
Hiashi Hyūga felt a tightness in his chest and nearly spat out another mouthful of blood.
*Oh no! The Young Lady's second personality has come out again!* A Jonin beside Hiashi, Kō Hyūga, felt as if he were facing a great enemy and silently took half a step back.
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(End of Chapter)