Ryō said, "I'll organize the retreat immediately."
Kaguya Ren also said, "I'll tell the Kaguya clansmen to obey your orders. I'll go kill them alone."
Hōzuki Sakuzuki said solemnly, "Good. I guarantee on my honor that the Kaguya clan's shinobi will walk ahead of the Hōzuki clan's shinobi."
With the discussion finished, the three giants immediately began moving.
Kirigakure's unique Hidden Mist Technique erupted once again. Very soon, the entire battlefield was covered. The screams of Kirigakure shinobi became quieter. The flames, smoke, and corpses filling the field could no longer be seen.
Most importantly, the Kirigakure shinobi were once again inside their most familiar environment. Their reason, which had been crushed into chaos, gradually returned.
At the same time, a sharp metallic striking sound rang through the sky.
Even inside the thick, sound-dampening mist, it could be heard clearly.
This was the retreat signal.
"We can finally retreat… we don't have to die."
"Gods bless me, I survived… Wuwuwu…"
"Bastards. The damned upper ranks finally recognized reality. I don't have to die."
"Seriously, we should've retreated long ago."
"Bastards. They finally admitted they were wrong."
"I just didn't want to die. Not only did they not help, they even cut me. I'll remember this grudge."
"On the way back, maybe I'll run into a lone Hōzuki…"
The Kirigakure shinobi were tearfully grateful, resentful, furious, even hateful.
But every shinobi who had survived the Bloody Mist's test was someone overflowing with the desire to live. Their hands and feet moved swiftly as they followed orders and retreated east, without the slightest impulse to stay.
Kirigakure's large-scale retreat created a huge disturbance.
Although the thick Hidden Mist Technique concealed it, Uchiha Yoru and the Tiger Unit still noticed.
After all, they were right in the middle of these Kirigakure shinobi.
They were even standing directly on the retreat path of quite a few unlucky ones.
As several Kirigakure shinobi who ran headfirst into the Tiger Unit were killed or captured, then interrogated through genjutsu, Yoru even grasped accurate intelligence about Kirigakure's retreat.
But he didn't dare do anything.
Because he couldn't understand why Kirigakure was retreating.
And since he couldn't determine where the enemy's Kage-level shinobi were, once he led the Tiger Unit into motion, the chance of running into a Kage-level Kirigakure shinobi would greatly increase.
He himself was confident in escaping from a Kage-level enemy.
If he joined forces with Miwa Masayo, he might even try defeating one.
But what about the Tiger Unit?
To protect the seeds he had planted as much as possible—
For the sake of a leisurely cultivation life in the future—
Yoru could only stay still and wait.
As the commander of the battlefield's key point, he lacked understanding of the overall situation. He could not comprehend what the four thousand casualties he had inflicted today meant in the wider Land of Hot Water battlefield.
At this moment, Yoru was shocked that Kirigakure's army still had not collapsed after suffering nearly half casualties.
They could even organize an orderly retreat.
In Yoru's understanding, this was nothing short of a miracle.
Logically, an army capable of creating such a miracle had to possess explosive discipline, morale, and fighting will.
But during the battle, he hadn't felt any of that.
Without question—
Yoru had once again encountered a conflict of worldviews.
He was painfully accepting reality's reshaping.
But his old understanding unconsciously made him overestimate Kirigakure's resilience.
Thus, he had no thought of pursuing them.
Once the enemy completely vanished from sight, he would lead the Tiger Unit back to Kubota Village.
After all, his mission was to hold Kubota Village.
At that moment—
Yoru's heart began pounding wildly.
Every hair on his body stood upright.
Cold sweat emerged drop by drop, dripping from the tip of his nose and chin. His back was the same, beads of sweat rolling down along his spine.
[Premonition.]
Yoru immediately realized—
An enemy had locked onto him.
The other party held the determination to kill him and possessed enough power to trigger his divine ability.
It could only be a powerful Kage-level shinobi.
He couldn't help complaining,
"Seriously… I haven't even prepared."
Miwa Masayo heard him and immediately asked,
"What happened, nya?"
"Another powerful enemy locked onto you, nya?"
"Yeah. No idea who it is. This is my first battle without any preparation."
"Retreat, nya?"
Yoru shook his head.
With his eyes, he told Miwa Masayo he didn't want to abandon the Tiger Unit behind him.
The tabby nodded, showing she understood.
But then she shook her head again.
"I don't believe you, nya. Fighting without any preparation isn't something Yoru would do, nya."
"Haha…" Yoru laughed guiltily.
"Hmph. So there really is something. What are you planning to take out this time, nya? Is it a secret even I don't know, nya?"
"How could that be? It's definitely a power Rika-chan knows."
"The problem is, I still don't know who the enemy is, so I can't decide which one to use."
"Ah…"
"The type of power relates to my core persona. It relates to how I'll present myself externally for a very long time in the future."
"I hate this kind of unexpected change the most."
Yoru truly was troubled.
But by now, he had already guessed who the enemy was.
Kirigakure was retreating on a large scale.
An enemy who still came to attack him now definitely wasn't motivated by survival, nor by Kirigakure's future.
After this battle, Yoru had already seen clearly that Kirigakure shinobi were extremely selfish.
If Konoha and Kumogakure had not squeezed them from both sides, Kirigakure would absolutely have erupted into internal conflict first.
The overall interests of Kirigakure simply did not exist among the current group of Kirigakure shinobi.
Of course, Kirigakure shinobi who cared about the village as a whole did exist.
For example, the Demon Zabuza, who killed all of his classmates.
For example, Terumī Mei, whom the elder Genji trained with all his strength.
For example, Karatachi Yagura, the carefully selected disciple of the Third Mizukage.
But most of them were still very young.
They had not yet become the core strength of Kirigakure.
Even their paths forward were firmly blocked by the three great clans. They could only struggle bitterly at the bottom.
So at this time, the only one who could come kill Uchiha Yoru—
Was someone driven by personal grudge.
Someone whose relatives or friends Yoru had killed, now coming for revenge.
Considering that among the Kirigakure shinobi he had killed, only Kaguya Gaiya had the background of a major clan, Yoru concluded that this enemy had to be from the Kaguya clan.
Against a Kaguya shinobi who mastered the Shikotsumyaku, there were two best methods.
Either become harder than him—
Or make it so he couldn't touch you.
Yoru hesitated between Lightning Release and Flying Thunder God, unable to decide which to reveal as his "main body's" power.
Suddenly—
He realized something was wrong.
[I've gotten carried away. I've definitely gotten carried away.]
[Facing an unknown opponent I might not even be able to beat, I'm actually thinking about identity issues? Thinking about preserving the Tiger Unit?]
[What am I thinking?]
[Of course I should go all out and fight him. If I can win, I'll kill him. If I can't, I'll run!]
Yoru's thoughts flashed rapidly, and he quickly understood the entire problem.
At once, his mind cleared.
The gloom that had been lingering before vanished completely.
He smiled and said,
"After only leading the little brothers through a few battles, my mind unknowingly gathered such a thick layer of dust."
"I actually let invisible shackles bind my hands and feet before going to fight a wild beast."
"This immortal path really is hard to walk."
Miwa Masayo listened in confusion.
"Yoru, what nonsense are you mumbling now, nya?"
"Nothing. I just figured out a few things."
After saying that, he blew the copper whistle.
He indicated that he would meet the enemy himself and transferred command to Uchiha Shigenobu.
By the time the answering whistle sounded, Yoru had already stepped forward, striding toward the direction of the enemy he sensed.
His shift in thinking happened in an instant.
Naturally, Miwa Masayo found it inexplicable.
But her trust in her servant had already reached an extremely high level, so she felt no nervousness.
The tabby placed her paws on his neck and felt his surging fighting spirit through her paw pads.
She smiled teasingly.
"Nya nya nya. You suddenly became so warlike, nya."
"My Dao companion, your heart changes so fast, nya."
Yoru laughed openly.
"The immortal path isn't easy."
"Not only must one explore carefully and preserve oneself as completely as possible, but at critical moments, one must also charge forward with courage."
"The balance between the two is a test at every moment."
"These past few days of consecutive victories gave me an overly cautious and stable mindset, while also making me greedy for merit and advancement."
"A contradictory state."
"Relying on my knowledge of the relationship between firepower and dense formations, I faced a charge of over a thousand shinobi and completely threw away the mobile warfare principles I had planned long ago."
"I actually led the Tiger Unit into a hard clash with Kirigakure."
Miwa Masayo tilted her head.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with that, so she asked,
"But you won, nya."
"And your battle record was so gorgeous. It'll definitely shock the shinobi world, nya."
Yoru smiled proudly.
Then he pretended to be modest and said,
"That was only applying knowledge from predecessors. It doesn't count for anything. Hahahaha."
After joking, he restrained his smile and said helplessly,
"Although I won smoothly, I took such a huge risk, but most of the gains belong to Orochimaru and Konoha."
"What I can obtain as an individual is very limited."
"How is that any different from working for free?"
"And if I go too far, there will be backlash."
"Look. Kirigakure is already retreating on a large scale, yet someone still specifically came to kill me."
At this moment, Miwa Masayo also sensed the intense killing intent and powerful aura.
She stood up and began moving around on Yoru's shoulder.
Each little paw opened like a plum blossom.
Each claw also popped out as she carefully checked whether they were sharp enough.
While checking, she said,
"Yoru's feeling was right. This really is a powerful shinobi, nya."
"But how are you sure he was drawn here because of the killing in this battle, nya?"
"Couldn't it be caused by some shinobi you killed earlier, nya?"
Yoru looked at Miwa Masayo in surprise.
"How did you guess that?"
Miwa Masayo froze.
Then shouted,
"You knew, nya?"
"You actually knew, nya!!"
"Liar, nya! Yoru, you liar, I caught you, nya!"
"You clearly said just now that you didn't know, nya!"
"Haha…" Yoru laughed guiltily.
"Octopus leg, nya!"
"No problem!"
"I want two, nya!"
"Uh… I can't promise that. That octopus probably hasn't grown them back yet. Soft, limp octopus legs don't taste good."
"…Is that so, nya. Then one, nya."
"Rika-chan is magnanimous!"
"Hmph. Don't lie to me again. Otherwise… otherwise I'll get angry, nya!"
"Good, good."
Miwa Masayo had caught Yoru's handle.
This round of bickering was a great victory for her.
Every condition she proposed, Yoru agreed to.
That made the tabby cat extremely happy.
The anger from being deceived had long since vanished like smoke.
This adorable little cat even forgot the matter of being tricked entirely.
The happy tabby only remembered one thing—
She had won.
Yoru was also very happy.
Because he clearly felt Miwa Masayo's generosity, and more importantly, her talent for forgetting bad things.
Only such a magnanimous cat sage could be a Dao companion capable of accompanying him through endless years.
If he chose a petty Dao companion, immortality would become torture.
Miwa Masayo cared deeply about her servant.
Even while so happy, she did not forget her question.
"Yoru, you still haven't explained why the enemy came because of the battle just now, nya."
Yoru explained,
"Although I don't know exactly how it developed to this point, the cause must be that I hit too hard. Kirigakure saw defeat ahead of schedule."
"I pushed them too far."
"That's why, even before leaving, they still want to bite me."
Miwa Masayo still didn't understand.
"If we hadn't fought so fiercely this time, this murderous enemy wouldn't come kill you, nya?"
Yoru nodded.
"Correct."
"If I hadn't fought this hard, he wouldn't have come kill me. At least not today."
"In such a large shinobi army, there are only a handful of Kage-level shinobi at the peak of the shinobi world. Each of them has their own position and responsibility. They cannot easily abandon their duties to come trouble me."
"Only if I destroy what he's responsible for can he be freed from that responsibility."
"Only then can he possibly come chasing after me."
"So that's it. I understand, nya."
Miwa Masayo suddenly understood.
She even drew an analogy.
"It's like Yoru now carrying the responsibility of leading the Tiger Unit. Even if someone slapped your face and ran away, you could only watch them escape, nya?"
"…"
The corners of Yoru's mouth twitched.
"That example… yes. That's right."
"Nya~~ I understand, nya. That murderous shinobi had his responsibility killed by you, so he became free. Then he came to kill you, nya."
"Exactly."
At this point, the two sages suddenly fell silent.
Because they heard the sound of wind stirred up by high-speed movement.
It was the sound created by a human body wearing wide sleeves and loose robes.
Exactly the outfit Kirigakure shinobi liked most.
But normally, shinobi favored secrecy.
Because of their fragile nature, they believed that avoiding discovery by the enemy was the strongest defense.
Only the hard-boned Kaguya clan, relying on their powerful defense, dared to display their presence without restraint, thus stirring such intense sound.
In the shinobi world, those who made such loud noises while moving were probably only the Kaguya clan of Kirigakure—
And Kumogakure's Third Raikage.
And the shinobi sprinting toward the Tiger Unit was undoubtedly a Kaguya clan shinobi.
Yoru discovered that his route and that shinobi's route did not overlap.
The two lines had a slight angular deviation.
That meant the enemy had not discovered him.
Perfect.
He could deliver a head-on blow.
Ambush was the battle method most shinobi preferred.
Yoru was no exception.
Because of cultivation, his foundation was the five spirits' natural energy.
But in battle, he still relied more on ninjutsu.
No helping it.
After the Sage of Six Paths spread chakra, ninjutsu had undergone more than a thousand years of evolution and accumulation.
Who knew how many geniuses had poured their talents into it?
Then, after being tested through a thousand years of war, the ninjutsu that still survived possessed power far stronger than the sage arts Yoru had developed himself.
So-called sage art also took chakra as its foundation and ninjutsu as its framework.
Natural energy was only an aid that amplified chakra's power.
Among the ninjutsu Yoru had mastered, the strongest single-target technique was Chidori—
Hatake Kakashi's signature technique, which he might not even have developed yet.
That technique focused on penetrating strikes.
Its power was immense.
Although controlling it was a bit difficult, for Yoru, it was still very easy.
The problem was—
That thing was too noisy.
It could only be used head-on.
Not for ambushes.
The ninjutsu second only to Chidori in attack power was Earth Release: Earth Spear.
At this time, it was still publicly recognized as a defensive ninjutsu.
Yoru was not certain whether Mister Kakuzu had already used this technique for offense.
But today, he planned to use this technique to remind the Kaguya shinobi of something.
A bloodline limit was not necessarily stronger than ninjutsu.
In the end, what mattered was the shinobi's own strength.
Yoru listened carefully to the wind stirred by the approaching enemy.
He mobilized natural energy to drive the chakra inside his body's cells.
After separating Earth-nature chakra, he hardened both fists.
Looking at his hands turning pitch-black, although it wasn't the first time he had seen it, he still couldn't help thinking of so-called Armament Haki.
He had to admit—
Visually, they really looked similar.
And the way they were used was similar too.
Yoru shook his head, pushing distracting thoughts unrelated to battle out of his mind.
Then he ran his chakra to the limit.
The black area rapidly spread across his entire upper body.
He closed his eyes and assumed the stance of a straight punch, focusing completely on listening to the enemy's approaching sound.
Suddenly—
Miwa Masayo leapt high from Yoru's shoulder.
At the same time, Yoru twisted his waist and turned, his pitch-black right fist swinging fiercely into the dense mist.
What was astonishing was this—
The movements of both sages were extremely violent, yet they controlled the airflow around their bodies with exquisite precision.
They made not the slightest sound.
Nor did they cause the dense mist to stir at all.
If someone were watching this punch from the side, the stillness of those reference points would surely create the illusion that Yoru's punching speed was also slow.
Just as Yoru's fist extended to its limit—
The dense mist ahead suddenly churned.
A face that looked roughly forty years old broke through the fog, appearing directly in front of the fist.
Kaguya Ren did not recognize it as a fist.
He only noticed a black shadow appearing in his field of vision without warning.
The discovery distance was far too short.
He couldn't react at all.
His nose collided directly with the black fist.
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