In the dim tree hollow, there was no one in sight.
Yuzuru Hyuga had his Byakugan activated, watching the faint blue chakra patterns in the void as his fingers casually gestured a few times before him.
Kakashi did not look at him, only catching the changes in his fingers from the corner of his eye as he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Four to the front left.
Six to the front right.
Three behind.
Two at four o'clock.
And thirty-six above!?
The tomoe in Kakashi's Sharingan spun slightly faster beneath his mask, yet he could not catch sight of a single figure.
Had he made a mistake, or had I seen wrong?
No. Neither he nor Yuzuru could possibly make such a basic mistake.
Then, the enemies were invisible?
Before entering, Yuzuru had specifically asked about Wind Release. Clearly, he had discovered something with his Byakugan.
Perhaps—
His gaze seemed to catch a wisp of curling white mist.
Smoke!?
"Rotation!"
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Almost instinctively, as Yuzuru Hyuga spread his hands and began spinning violently, Kakashi exhaled flames toward the ceiling.
The high-speed airflow generated by Rotation swept up the flames, nearly creating a terrifying fire tornado. Just as the smoke was about to be drawn into the fire and terrified, piercing screams rang through the air, Yuzuru Hyuga suddenly stopped. Without the rapidly rotating airflow, the flames could not directly evaporate and tear apart the smoke. The swirling wisps scattered and fled to a distance from the two of them, revealing a crowd.
So many!
Kakashi's expression turned grave as he reached back and gripped the short sword on his back.
Yuzuru Hyuga also carried a ninja blade Shisui had given him, but he had no intention of drawing it. He simply watched the dozens of people who had suddenly appeared before him, his Byakugan gradually locking onto the solemn-faced man standing at the front.
"Are you Konoha ninja here to capture Lord Orochimaru?"
"Leave now, and we will not stop you. But if you insist on staying here... then we cannot guarantee what will happen!"
There was considerable goodwill in the man's words, but Yuzuru Hyuga was certain that if the two of them turned around and exposed their backs, smoke would emerge and restrain them. Perhaps they would spare his life out of consideration for his earlier restraint, but they certainly would not let them leave and report the news.
Although the high-speed airflow created by Yuzuru Hyuga's Rotation was extremely threatening, that technique had clearly not been designed to generate wind pressure in the first place. With proper precautions, it was not invulnerable against the Iburi Clan, who could turn their bodies into smoke.
It was only because he had shown mercy, along with the combat strength he had displayed earlier, that the fighting had temporarily been put on hold.
The ones blocking Yuzuru Hyuga's path were a peculiar group known as the Iburi Clan.
They were born with the ability to transform into smoke, but they could not control it. While in smoke form, a strong gust of wind could tear them in half, leaving them unable to return to human form before dying.
To avoid the fate of being blown to death by the wind, they had been brainwashed by Orochimaru and muddleheadedly became test subjects for Root and Orochimaru. Every one of them possessed Orochimaru's "youth trial version" Cursed Seal of Heaven, which was used to stabilize their forms and increase their combat power.
Orochimaru had deceived them by saying he would take their children away for "treatment," and that once the treatment was complete, they would no longer be scattered by the wind. The Iburi Clan had innocently believed this due to the effects of the Cursed Seal of Heaven and sent their descendants away as test subjects. According to the information currently known, they should all be dead.
Yet the Iburi Clan, utterly unaware of this, still wanted to provide cover here and protect Orochimaru's retreat.
"Kakashi, what an interesting fact. A group hiding in a tree hollow knows about Orochimaru's defection, something Konoha has gone to great lengths to conceal."
Kakashi glanced at him, unable to imagine how this kid could still calmly make trouble for him while surrounded by so many people.
Yuzuru Hyuga merely smiled and did something Kakashi could not understand.
He took off his mask.
His youthful face made the Iburi Clan members instinctively frown.
They had thought he was simply a short ninja. They had not expected him to truly be a child.
"I'm sorry. Orochimaru's human experiments were exposed, forcing him to defect. As ninja of the village, we have been ordered to capture Orochimaru."
Yuzuru Hyuga's leisurely words did not make the Iburi Clan think of anything.
"We will never let you succeed! Brat, leave now. I don't want to raise a hand against a child!" Gota Iburi, the Iburi Clan's leader, said with a sharp gaze.
He wore a small handlebar mustache, with a dignified face and a sturdy build. Though his clothing was somewhat simple, he still carried an imposing presence.
Kakashi was already prepared to fight, but Yuzuru Hyuga reached out and pressed down on his wrist.
"Perhaps we do not need to be enemies."
Yuzuru Hyuga looked at them calmly before saying, "My Byakugan can see the special cursed seals on your necks."
"If nothing unexpected happened, they were likely Orochimaru's work. You were controlled by them and had no choice but to stand here and stop us, correct?"
Yuzuru Hyuga's words drew a few laughs.
Such a naive idea. He really was a child.
Gota Iburi relaxed slightly because of this, but he remained wary. "Things are not as you think, brat. Leave quickly!"
Yuzuru Hyuga remained unhurried. He merely took out a pair of glasses from his pocket, put them on the bridge of his nose, and adjusted them. "I'm more used to this after all. In any case, judging by your reactions, it seems I guessed wrong."
Kakashi silently glanced at him. You actually carry those glasses around to switch forms, don't you?
"Then there is only one other answer."
"That cursed seal is tightly connected to your chakra. Combined with your unreliable yet highly unusual smoke transformation ability, may I assume that this seal serves to stabilize your forms?"
"Perhaps Orochimaru used that to gain your trust."
"But please allow me to state the truth—with what I know of Orochimaru, he never does pointless good deeds."
Yuzuru Hyuga's words, as expected, provoked public outrage.
"If you keep talking, then even if you are a child, we will still attack!"
"Once you put on a forehead protector, you are a ninja, right? We will not show mercy to ninja!"
"You don't understand Lord Orochimaru at all!"
"Utter nonsense!"
Faced with the agitated Iburi Clan, Kakashi cautiously tightened his grip around his sword hilt.
But Yuzuru Hyuga continued as though nothing had happened. "Assuming his goal was to earn your trust, then what did he ultimately want to obtain from you?"
His gaze slowly swept across the group before he said, "My Byakugan sees only two small chakra signatures hidden in the back. In other words, there are nearly fifty people in your clan, all still in the prime of life, yet only two children? No, judging from one of their chakra levels, that one is likely a ninja reporting information to Orochimaru."
"In other words, were children what he wanted?"
"That makes sense. When conducting human experiments, Orochimaru did indeed prefer using children. After all, they might be more receptive to various experiments, and it was easier to brainwash them afterward."
Yuzuru Hyuga's words suddenly sent a chill through the Iburi Clan's hearts.
Although they trusted and were grateful to Orochimaru because of the Cursed Seal of Heaven, they were not fools.
They had merely been coddled in sweet illusions before, and they had not dared leave the tree hollow for fear of being blown into pieces by the wind. That was why they had willingly lived in fantasy.
But now, Yuzuru Hyuga's cold words had undoubtedly torn apart their sweet dream and placed before them a harsh reality whose possibility was far from small.
"Stop talking nonsense! That... that's impossible!" A middle-aged woman roared as she turned into smoke.
Yuzuru Hyuga merely raised a hand coldly and adjusted his glasses. "Kakashi."
Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly. This bastard does not even call me senpai anymore?
But at this moment, he undoubtedly understood what Yuzuru Hyuga wanted to do and immediately reacted.
"Water Release: Water Wall!" Kakashi was not particularly skilled with this technique, but it was undoubtedly the best choice now. A wavering curtain of water rose up. Its power was not great, but the airtight water barrier blocked out the smoke and enclosed the two of them.
"Make it quick," he reminded him.
Yuzuru Hyuga nodded slightly, still unhurried. He knew what he was doing; merely from the crowd's expressions, he could tell that his words had already taken effect.
So confident was he that he even had the leisure to spare a thought for something else: Did the system forget to count one of my skills?
My Talk no Jutsu deserves recognition.
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