"Retreat? At this very moment? You aren't joking, are you?"
Rei Kaguya moved his shoulders and calmly looked at the gathered Konoha Anbu squad.
In those eyes, what Hyuga Munekata saw was not consideration over whether he should continue the mission.
It was something closer to the gaze of a predator sizing up prey it had taken a liking to.
That made his already grave expression darken further.
What is going on?
This Kaguya clan guy… Can he not see that he is at an absolute disadvantage right now?
"The two people you want to take away are my mission targets on this trip. If I let them be taken away by you people, who are currently hostile to Kirigakure, how am I supposed to go back and face the Third, who assigned me this mission?"
"Why don't you return Inoue-senpai to me? In that case, considering your numerical advantage, I can consider letting all of you flee safely back to Konoha. How about it?"
"What kind of joke are you making, bastard!?"
"You haven't recognized your current situation, have you, Kirigakure bastard?"
"Captain, why waste words with someone like him? If we all attack together, are we supposed to believe we can't subdue one man?"
"Exactly. If we can bring his corpse back to the village, that should be a great achievement for the village, right? That's Kirigakure's unique Kekkei Genkai, Dead Bone Pulse. The corpse research team would definitely be very happy to receive such precious material…"
"Captain, give the order!"
Listening to his subordinates behind him grow more heated with each suggestion, the steady and experienced Hyuga Munekata showed no intention of responding.
He merely activated his Byakugan and kept constant watch over every one of Rei Kaguya's movements.
"Tch. So you don't intend to reconcile?"
Rei Kaguya curled his lips. Unhurriedly, he formed the seals Ox, Snake, and Ram.
Then he closed his eyes and spoke in an indifferent voice.
"Then all of you can stay here."
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique."
Rei Kaguya's chest rose high.
Like a Dragon King spreading clouds and rain, he exhaled a massive amount of dense mist. The white fog, infused with an enormous amount of chakra, rapidly spread outward, shrouding the entire forest where everyone stood as well as the nearby ruins of Uzushiogakure.
Hyuga Munekata widened his eyes, trying to use the Byakugan's outstanding observational ability to break through the visual obstruction caused by the Hiding in Mist Technique.
But to his horror, within this thick fog that seemed as if it were about to turn into liquid, his Byakugan could not even see clearly beyond ten meters.
Just how much chakra did that Kaguya clan guy pour into this Hiding in Mist Technique!?
"Where are the shinobi skilled in Wind Release? Hurry up and blow this fog away!"
Based on Konoha's many experiences fighting Kirigakure shinobi, Hyuga Munekata quickly made a judgment and shouted toward an Anbu skilled in Wind Release who had been standing not far behind him earlier.
"I'm doing it, Captain Munekata! Wind Release: Great Bre—"
"Shimura!?"
Hearing that Anbu's voice vanish with terrifying abruptness, Hyuga Munekata's gaze sharpened. He immediately used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed toward the other man's location.
But when he arrived, all he saw was the cold corpse of Shimura Goro, whose throat and heart had been completely destroyed, along with his young face, which still held an expression of fear and incomprehension.
Too fast!
Hyuga Munekata decisively took out the Flying Thunder God kunai Minato Namikaze had given him and activated the chakra inside according to the method he had been taught.
Then he shouted loudly into the surroundings.
"Everyone, activate your Flying Thunder God kunai and stay where you are! If you discover anyone approaching, you may attack directly! That Kirigakure Anbu stole Shimura's mask and cloak. He may disguise himself as a comrade to approach you…"
"What are you talking about, uncle from the Hyuga clan?"
Silently, Rei Kaguya's blurred figure appeared behind Hyuga Munekata, wrapped in a light breeze.
He held a white bone blade in a reverse grip and stabbed toward Hyuga Munekata's heart without releasing any killing intent.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm… Guwah!"
Although Hyuga Munekata discovered his trace at the last moment and barely managed to strike backward with a palm, forcing Rei Kaguya to retreat, even so, that bone blade still stabbed into his lung.
A large amount of blood rushed inside, causing Hyuga Munekata's vision to darken and his breathing to become difficult. He nearly failed to maintain even the activated state of his Byakugan.
"Hmm. A Byakugan with a blind spot. You're from the branch family? That really is a bit regrettable. If it were the main family's Byakugan, I would have made a killing…"
Rei Kaguya's somewhat regretful voice came from the wind.
Then there was no more movement.
But this did not make Hyuga Munekata feel even slightly relieved.
Because he knew that if even he, the person with the strongest sensory ability in the squad, could not discover Rei Kaguya's surprise attacks from within the mist, then the Anbu under his command would only be slaughtered by the enemy without the strength to fight back.
They might not even know how they died.
Although Hyuga Munekata's ears were filled with silence at this moment, and he heard no screams from any of his subordinates in the thick fog, the extremely damp air he breathed had already gained a faint bloody scent.
It constantly reminded him that his subordinates were currently suffering a cruel, one-sided massacre.
Hurry and come, Minato…
No.
Lord Minato, please. You must arrive in time.
Please save my subordinates…
Hyuga Munekata prayed.
That was the only thing he could still do after being severely wounded by Rei Kaguya in one strike.
"Rasengan!"
Then, without any warning, in this silent forest, a young voice rang out like the embodiment of warm sunlight.
Along with the falling voice, a violent explosion shattered the silence in the dense mist.
The intense chakra blast whipped up a small typhoon, rapidly blowing away the surrounding fog. Hyuga Munekata's body was swept up by the storm and slammed into the trunk of another large tree, making him cough out another large mouthful of blood.
But at this moment, a trace of relief finally appeared on his face.
At last… he came?
Namikaze… Minato!
"Captain Munekata!? Are you… are you still alive?"
Hyuga Munekata struggled to raise his head.
He saw Sarutobi Chizuru carrying Inuzuka Seo on her back as she landed in front of him.
Inuzuka Seo's head drooped against her shoulder. He was breathing weakly.
After discovering that Munekata was still alive, Sarutobi Chizuru excitedly removed the mask from her face. While crying loudly, she began using Mystical Palm Technique to treat him.
"Chizuru… The others?" Hyuga Munekata endured the stabbing pain in his lung and asked with great difficulty.
"I… I don't know."
Sarutobi Chizuru cried uselessly. Her words were stammering, her thoughts chaotic.
"Seo blocked one attack for me and lost too much blood, so he passed out. When I was looking for you, I also saw several people's bodies…
"If Lord Minato had come even a little later, I probably would have been killed by that person too."
"I see… Is that so?"
Hyuga Munekata painfully closed his eyes.
Self-blame began wildly gnawing at his heart.
If he had been stronger.
If he could have held that man down and stopped him from attacking his subordinates at will.
If he had realized the opponent's danger earlier and activated the Flying Thunder God kunai ahead of time…
"N-no, it's all right."
Seeing Hyuga Munekata's breathing become dangerously rapid from his violent emotional fluctuations, Sarutobi Chizuru had no choice but to force herself to stop crying and comfort him instead.
"Lord Minato has already arrived. That Kaguya clan guy also took one of Lord Minato's Rasengan head-on. We don't have to worry about anyone else dying anymore…"
…
On the other side, Minato Namikaze, who had rushed over from the Land of Lightning front, looked at the figure standing back up inside the dust and smoke.
But the expression on his face was far from as relaxed and confident as Sarutobi Chizuru imagined.
"The feel of that strike just now… It should have landed completely. But why? Why can he still stand up so easily?"
"Hiss. The Yellow Flash, huh? Tch. When I heard that guy mention the Flying Thunder God kunai, I was already speeding up my attack. I didn't expect you to still make it in time…"
Rei Kaguya stood up from among a pile of fallen trees.
He looked at Minato Namikaze, who seemed to be facing a great enemy, then looked down at the skin and bone membrane on his chest. After taking a direct hit from Rasengan, it had twisted into a spiral shape and was now healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He exhaled with some lingering fear.
Good lord. One Flying Thunder God: Second Step into Rasengan from Teacher Minato actually shaved off five percent of my health bar!?
Damn it. Looks like the tankiness supported by Grasp of the Undying alone is still a little lacking.
Hopefully, this mission's reward can draw a rune related to health or resistance.
Rei Kaguya tore off the Konoha Anbu cloak on his body, which had already become little different from a rag, and thought so.