When red eyes opened in the darkness, even seasoned shinobi felt their souls freeze.
"All enemy sentries have been eliminated."
"Excellent."
After receiving confirmation from the Hyūga clan, Uchiha Fugaku nodded in satisfaction.
As expected—
Reconnaissance was best left to professionals.
The Byakugan truly lived up to its reputation as the ultimate scouting ability.
Every hidden Cloud sentry around the camp had been silently erased without raising a single alarm.
With the perimeter cleared, Fugaku led the main force to the edge of the Kumogakure camp effortlessly.
Inside the camp, Cloud shinobi were completely unaware of the approaching danger.
Perhaps they believed Konoha had only just arrived and would need time to rest.
Or perhaps they simply never imagined Konoha would dare to launch a night raid.
Either way—
Their vigilance was nonexistent.
Fugaku didn't hesitate.
"Divide into squads. Infiltrate from the outer perimeter and assassinate targets silently."
"Do not cause disturbances."
"If any squad is discovered, all units regroup immediately."
"Understood?!"
"Yes!"
At his command, the Konoha force scattered like shadows, slipping into the Cloud camp.
Slash.
"Y–you—gurgle—!"
In moments, the outermost Cloud shinobi were wiped out.
Some didn't even manage to finish a sentence before their throats were cut,
collapsing with bubbling, choking sounds full of unwilling disbelief.
It was as if the perimeter guards were nothing more than disposable cannon fodder.
They offered virtually no resistance.
Seeing how easily battle merits were piling up, Konoha's squads grew increasingly aggressive,
pushing deeper into the camp.
Further in, Cloud shinobi were noticeably stronger.
Silent kills became harder.
Yet squad after squad completed their missions flawlessly.
Inside her tent, Yugito Nii suddenly frowned.
Something felt… wrong.
She stepped outside and looked toward the edge of the camp.
Under the moonlight—
The camp was too quiet.
Unnaturally so.
She inhaled sharply.
And then, a voice echoed in her mind.
"Yugito, be careful. I smell blood."
"Your camp is under attack."
Her expression changed instantly.
"Damn it… we were careless."
"These Konoha bastards really know how to pick their moment."
She immediately fired a signal flare into the sky.
The Cloud camp snapped awake.
Remaining Cloud shinobi scrambled into formation.
Moments later, Killer B burst out of his tent.
After a brief exchange with Yugito, his face darkened as well.
When the survivors finally regrouped, the reality hit them hard.
The outer-ring genin—
Gone.
Most of the chūnin—
Gone.
Even several jōnin were missing.
"Damn it!"
"All units, stay alert! Watch every direction!"
They hadn't even officially entered battle yet—
And their forces were already gutted.
At the exact moment Yugito launched the flare,
Konoha's squads executed a flawless withdrawal.
Every unit regrouped smoothly.
Seeing the satisfied expressions on their faces, Fugaku knew—
The harvest had been bountiful.
"Hahaha… let's go."
"Before the Cloud's main force arrives—"
"We'll swallow their vanguard whole."
At his command, Konoha's army surged forward toward the center of the camp.
Soon, Cloud shinobi spotted them.
"North side—Konoha forces detected!"
"West side—enemy sighted!"
"East side too!!!"
Report after report slammed into the command center.
Yugito and Killer B grew increasingly grim.
Three-sided encirclement.
The southern route was deliberately left open—
Not out of mercy, but strategy.
Cornering Cloud forces completely would provoke desperate resistance,
and with two jinchūriki present, full tailed-beast transformations would be catastrophic for both sides.
Even so, confusion gnawed at them.
This level of planning—
This decisiveness—
Didn't feel like Sarutobi Hiruzen or Danzo.
And Konoha's publicly known high-end combat power shouldn't have been capable of this.
As they pondered, gasps erupted from the Cloud front line.
Several shinobi staggered backward in terror.
The formation wavered.
"What's going on?!"
"Hold the line—what did you see?!"
At Yugito's shout, the front-line shinobi shakily raised their hands, pointing ahead.
Some collapsed outright, legs giving way.
"It's… it's the Uchiha…"
Following their gaze—
Under the moonlit sky—
Uchiha Fugaku stood at the front.
Behind him marched a vast number of Uchiha clan members.
And every single one of them—
Had their Sharingan activated.
Dozens upon dozens of crimson eyes burned in the darkness,
locking onto the Cloud forces at once.
In that instant—
Even Yugito's heart clenched violently.
The pressure was suffocating.
Terrifying.
This wasn't just killing intent—
It was the weight of a clan that had survived countless wars.
"U–Uchiha…?"
"How is the Uchiha clan on the battlefield…?"
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