Ultimate Skill: Talk no Jutsu!

In the dim tree hollow, no one could be seen.

Yuzuru Hyuga's Byakugan was open, gazing at the faint blue Chakra patterns in the void. His fingers moved in front of him as if merely relaxing.

Kakashi didn't look at him, only catching the changes in his fingers with his peripheral vision, squinting slightly.

Front left 4.

Front right 6.

Behind 3.

Two at 4 o'clock.

There are 36 more above them!?

The tomoe in Kakashi's Sharingan under his mask spun slightly faster, but he couldn't catch sight of a single person.

Did I make a mistake, or did I see wrong?

No, neither he nor Yuzuru would make such a basic error.

Could it be that the enemy is invisible?

Before entering, Yuzuru had specifically asked him about Wind Release, and it was clear he had discovered something with his Byakugan.

Perhaps…

His gaze seemed to catch a wisp of curling white mist.

Smoke!?

"Rotation!"

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

Almost instinctively, as Yuzuru Hyuga spread his hands and began to spin violently, Kakashi spat flames overhead.

The high-speed airflow generated by Rotation, mixed with the flames, created a terrifying fire tornado. Just as the smoke was about to be engulfed by the fire, and a piercing, fearful scream echoed in the air, Yuzuru Hyuga suddenly stopped. Without the high-speed rotating airflow, the flames couldn't directly evaporate or tear apart the smoke. The swirling smoke scattered like it was fleeing and landed far from the two, revealing a crowd.

So many!

Kakashi's expression turned grim, and he reached for the short katana on his back.

Yuzuru Hyuga also had a ninja sword gifted to him by Shisui Uchiha on his back, but he had no intention of drawing it at the moment. He calmly watched the dozens of people who had suddenly appeared before them, his Byakugan gradually locking onto a man standing in front of everyone, his face solemn.

"You're Konoha ninjas here to capture Lord Orochimaru!"

"Leave now, and we won't stop you. But if you continue to stay here... the outcome cannot be guaranteed!"

The man spoke with apparent goodwill, but Yuzuru Hyuga was certain that if the two of them turned their backs right then, smoke would appear and control them. Perhaps they would spare his life out of consideration for his earlier actions, but they wouldn't let them leave to report back.

Although the high-speed airflow generated by Yuzuru Hyuga's Rotation was extremely threatening, it was clear that this Ninjutsu was not originally designed to create wind pressure. With precautions taken, it wasn't invincible against the Iburi Clan, who could turn their bodies into smoke.

It was only because he had held back and the combat power he had displayed that the battle was temporarily halted.

Currently blocking Yuzuru Hyuga was a peculiar group known as the Iburi Clan.

They were born with the ability to transform into smoke, but they couldn't control this ability. In fact, when they transformed into smoke, a strong gust of wind could tear them into two pieces, making it impossible for them to return to human form and thus killing them.

To avoid the fate of being blown away by the wind, they were brainwashed by Orochimaru and unwittingly became test subjects for Root and Orochimaru. Each of them possessed Orochimaru's "experimental youth version" Heavenly Cursed Seal, used to stabilize their bodies and enhance their combat power.

Orochimaru tricked them, telling them that their children were taken for "treatment" and that once the treatment was complete, they would no longer be scattered by the wind. The Iburi Clan, simply due to the effect of the Heavenly Cursed Seal, believed this and sent their descendants to be test subjects. The currently known information is that they should all be dead.

Unaware of this, the Iburi Clan still wanted to cover here and protect Orochimaru's retreat.

"Kakashi, what interesting facts. A group of people hiding in a tree hollow already know about Orochimaru's defection, which Konoha is desperately trying to conceal."

Kakashi glanced at him, unable to imagine how this kid could still find trouble for him while surrounded by so many people.

Yuzuru Hyuga, however, just smiled and made a move that Kakashi found difficult to understand.

He took off his mask.

His youthful face caused these Iburi Clan members to instinctively frown.

They had thought he was just a simple, short ninja, but they hadn't expected him to be a child.

"I'm sorry, Orochimaru's human experimentation was exposed, and he was forced to defect. As ninjas of the village, we were ordered to come here to apprehend Orochimaru."

Yuzuru Hyuga's leisurely words didn't make the Iburi people think of anything.

"We will never let you succeed! Brat, leave now, I don't want to attack a child!" The leader of the Iburi Clan, Iburi Ibuta, had sharp eyes.

He sported a mustache, had a stern appearance, and a sturdy build. Even though his clothing was somewhat simple, he exuded an imposing aura.

Kakashi was ready to fight, but Yuzuru Hyuga reached out and pressed his wrist.

"Perhaps we don't need to be enemies."

Yuzuru Hyuga looked at them calmly and then said, "My Byakugan can see that there are special Curse Marks on your necks."

"If nothing goes wrong, those are likely Orochimaru's masterpieces. You are being controlled by them, which is why you are here to stop us."

Yuzuru Hyuga's words caused some laughter.

Such a naive thought, just as expected of a child.

Iburi Ibuta also relaxed slightly because of this, but he still warned, "Things are not as you think, brat, hurry up and leave!"

Yuzuru Hyuga, however, remained unhurried. He simply took out his glasses from his pocket, put them on, and adjusted them on his nose. "As expected, I'm more used to this. In any case, judging by your reactions, it seems I guessed wrong."

Kakashi glanced at him silently. You actually carry glasses with you, using them to switch forms?

"Then, the answer must be something else."

"So, the Curse Mark is tightly connected to your Chakra. Combined with your not-so-reliable but very special mist transformation ability, may I guess that this Curse Mark serves to stabilize your forms?"

"Orochimaru might have used this point to gain your trust."

"But, please allow me to state the facts—from my understanding of Orochimaru, he never does anything out of sheer kindness."

Yuzuru Hyuga's words, as expected, incited the crowd's anger.

"If you continue speaking like this, even if you're a child, we will retaliate!"

"Wearing a forehead protector makes you a ninja! We won't hold back against ninja!"

"You don't understand Lord Orochimaru at all!"

"Utter nonsense!"

Facing the agitated Iburi Clan, Kakashi cautiously tightened his grip on his sword.

Yuzuru Hyuga, however, continued on his own. "Assuming his goal was to gain your trust, what did he ultimately want to obtain from you?"

His gaze slowly swept across them, then he continued, "My Byakugan only sees two small Chakra signatures hidden behind you. Meaning, out of your clan of over fifty people, all still in their prime, there are only two children? No, judging by the amount of Chakra, one of them is likely the ninja who tipped off Orochimaru."

"In other words, children are what he wants?"

"That makes sense. During his human experimentation, Orochimaru did indeed favor using children. After all, they might be more receptive to various experiments, and it would be easier to brainwash them afterward."

Yuzuru Hyuga's words sent a chill down the spines of the Iburi Clan.

Even though they trusted and were grateful to Orochimaru due to the Heavenly Cursed Seal, they weren't fools.

They had simply been coddled until now, and afraid to leave their tree hollows, fearing they'd be blown apart by the wind, thus living in their own fantasies.

But now, Yuzuru Hyuga's cold words had undoubtedly shattered their beautiful dream, presenting them with a chilling reality that was not unlikely.

"Stop spouting nonsense! This, this is impossible!" a middle-aged woman roared, transforming into smoke.

Yuzuru Hyuga simply raised his hand coldly and pushed his glasses up. "Kakashi."

Kakashi's mouth twitched slightly. This scoundrel doesn't even add 'senpai' anymore, does he?

But at this moment, he clearly understood what Yuzuru Hyuga intended to do and reacted immediately.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" Kakashi wasn't very familiar with this Ninjutsu, but it was undoubtedly the best choice at this moment. A water curtain shakily rose. It wasn't powerful, but the impenetrable water screen blocked the smoke, encasing the two of them.

"Quickly," he reminded.

Yuzuru Hyuga nodded slightly, still unhurried. He knew what he was doing and could tell from the expressions on people's faces that his words had taken effect.

He was even so confident that he had the leisure to ponder: Did the system shortchange me on a skill?

My Talk no Jutsu deserves to have its name.

PS: Weekly recommendation ticket activity goal of 1000 (completed), current cumulative explosive chapters after being put on shelves: 12.

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