Chapter 16 — Hunt
Konoha's back mountain.
The forest was lush and overgrown, thick with tangled vegetation. Nine figures gathered in a tight circle.
"Three o'clock direction. Target at 500 meters."
Veins bulged around Hyuga Hiashi's eyes as he activated his Byakugan and reported calmly.
The Hyuga Clan are descendants of Otsutsuki Hamura and one of the founding clans that joined Konohagakure during the early days of the Land of Fire. Their bloodline limit is the Byakugan.
The power of the Byakugan depends on the purity of one's bloodline. As a member of the Main House of this generation, Hiashi and his younger brother Hizashi possessed the purest Byakugan.
However, Hizashi belonged to the Branch House and bore the Caged Bird Seal, which left his Byakugan with a blind spot.
The Byakugan is the Hyuga Clan's unique kekkei genkai and the ultimate eye for reconnaissance. As a member of the Main House, Hiashi could achieve a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision with no blind spots. He could observe the flow of chakra within a person's body to identify them, and most crucially, he could see incredibly far—possessing penetrating vision capable of perceiving targets up to a kilometer away.
The Byakugan could also see the opponent's tenketsu. Combined with the clan's Gentle Fist, it allowed attacks that destroyed from within, making it lethally effective.
"Impressive. As expected of Hiashi," Kinoshita Hikaru praised.
The nine of them had spent three months together, and their bond had grown much stronger. Today, they had come out for a camping trip.
At the moment, they were hunting a wild boar.
"Tch—" In contrast to Hiashi stealing the spotlight, Uchiha Shigeru turned his head aside and snorted coldly.
Damn it. When will I awaken those eyes?
Being in this genius class without having awakened his Sharingan put immense pressure on him. He had even asked the elders of his clan, but none of them gave him any useful answers.
"When you comprehend the true meaning of love, Shigeru-kun's Sharingan will awaken."
(ﾉ○Д○)ﾉ
He had stared blankly at them.
Did that mean he didn't love Mikoto-chan deeply enough?
That was too much!
"Minato, circle around and cut off its retreat—don't let it escape. Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi, suppress from the left flank. Mikoto-chan, Shigeru, Nawaki, hold the right flank. Hiashi, keep constant surveillance."
Kinoshita Hikaru issued orders swiftly, assigning roles with practiced ease.
"And what about you?" Uchiha Shigeru asked.
Hikaru grinned, then shot forward in a burst of speed.
"I'll take it head-on."
"Damn it! It's always like this."
Clearly, this wasn't their first hunt. The team's coordination was precise. Their objective: capture the wild boar.
In the ninja world, heaven and earth were infused with chakra, and even animals grew unusually large.
Their prey this time was a Boar King. It stood five meters tall, its bristles hard as iron. Two tusks jutted from its mouth like a pair of spears, gleaming with a cold, chilling light.
At this moment—
The Boar King was lowering its head, enjoying its meal. Suddenly, its hind leg tapped lightly against the ground. It sensed danger approaching.
Right then, the group reached their assigned positions.
Kinoshita Hikaru crouched on a tree branch, looking down from above, twenty meters away from the boar.
He pushed off with both feet and leapt into the air.
"Gomu Gomu… Pistol!"
His fist struck like a gale, smashing into the boar's head.
"Ghhk—!"
The wild boar took the heavy blow, its eyes bulging as it let out a shrill, pained squeal.
Hikaru landed without pause and threw another punch. From his small frame erupted boundless strength, his fists crashing into the boar again and again.
The intense pain drove the boar into a frenzy. Its bloodshot eyes burned red as its hind legs stomped into the ground. Lowering its tusks, it launched into a full charge.
Hikaru showed no panic. With a light leap, he sprang into the air like a spring, legs spread apart, narrowly evading the attack.
The boar did not stop. It continued charging forward, intent on escaping the area.
And the direction it fled was precisely toward the Ino–Shika–Cho formation.
"Ninja Art: Shadow Imitation Technique!"
Nara Shikaku unleashed his clan's secret technique, his shadow stretching out to connect with the boar.
"Choza, hurry!" Shikaku shouted. The charging boar carried tremendous momentum; restraining it was extremely taxing.
"Expansion Jutsu — Human Bullet Tank!"
Akimichi Choza's body rapidly enlarged. He began spinning like a top, barreling forward in an explosive charge that kicked up clouds of dust.
At the critical moment, Shikaku released his jutsu.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous crash, the boar was sent flying, sand and stones scattering in all directions.
Choza panted heavily, staring ahead. "Did we get it?"
As the dust slowly settled, the boar shook its head and suddenly bolted in a different direction.
These humans are too cunning. This pig is retreating first!
Seeing this, Uchiha Shigeru's eyes flashed with excitement. His hands quickly formed seals as he unleashed the Uchiha Clan's signature ninjutsu.
Snake — Ram — Monkey — Boar — Horse — Tiger.
Taste this, my ninjutsu! (｡ò∀ó｡)
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The C-rank technique roared to life, swelling with the wind into a massive two-meter-wide fireball that shot straight toward the boar.
"Roar!"
The thick-furred boar ignited instantly upon contact with the flames.
It screamed miserably, rolling on the ground to extinguish the fire. When the flames finally died down, its true state was revealed—its body charred black, white steam blasting from its nostrils, its fury reaching the absolute peak.
"The boar's gone berserk! Suppress it!" Kinoshita Hikaru shouted.
Senju Nawaki did not retreat but instead advanced. With a powerful leap, he rushed toward the boar, chakra gathering in his right fist.
Hikaru watched clearly, his heart shaking.
Could it be that Nawaki had already mastered the monstrous strength technique at six years old?
As expected of the Senju Clan.
Nawaki closed in and suddenly swung his right fist.
And then… there was no "then."
Senju Nawaki dealt absolutely no damage and was sent flying by the boar's tusks.
"Uh…"
Hikaru realized he had overestimated him. Nawaki didn't have any hidden trump card.
He was simply… reckless.
With a loud smack, Nawaki crashed into a tree. He rolled once on the ground and scrambled back up as if nothing had happened.
But his eyes were blazing with anger, clearly dissatisfied with his own attack.
"Damn it!"