At the same time.
Three figures entered the town's entrance.
One of them had a pair of white eyes.
Another had dark circles like he had stayed up all night.
The last one had a sturdy build.
They were Gekko Clan, Shinya Senju, and Hokuto Hyuga, sent by the Konoha High Command to form a specialized capture squad.
"According to the intelligence, this is the most prosperous town nearby."
"It is also our frontline supply point."
"Our Konoha companions are here. We'll meet up with them first, get in touch and assess the situation, then wait for the ANBU to arrive and support us before we act..."
The three of them confirmed their next course of action.
Hokuto Hyuga nodded, raised his right hand, and formed hand seals. "Byakugan!"
An invisible ripple swept past.
Veins bulged around his eye sockets.
Prominent veins appeared one after another.
Pupil-like shapes also emerged within his white eyes.
Having activated his Byakugan, Hokuto Hyuga immediately surveyed the area.
Besides telescopic vision, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan also possessed X-ray vision.
Its maximum observation range varied from five to ten kilometers.
Hokuto Hyuga easily encompassed the entire town within his sight.
Very soon, his expression turned grim as he discovered something unusual.
Hokuto Tsuchi said in a low voice, "Our companions... have been killed..."
Gekko Clan and Shinya Senju: "!"
Whoosh...!
The ceaseless rain from the sky poured down upon the Land of Rain.
Hokuto Hyuga and the other two swiftly crossed the road.
On the street.
Pedestrians were few and far between.
Among them, two figures wore raincoats.
One was tall, with a kind and benevolent face.
The other wore an indifferent expression, perhaps even a numb one.
Hokage Tsuchi and the other two passed them by.
The two sides simply passed one another.
Hokage Tsuchi and the others did not realize it.
The two people they had just seen were the culprits who had killed four of their Konoha ninja comrades.
Once the three figures behind them had quickly gone far away.
Shennong, who had not stopped walking, smiled. "A Konoha reinforcement squad? A member of the Hyuga Clan, a Senju, and one more..."
Considering that the Hyuga Clan had lost a Byakugan some time ago.
Their reappearance now.
Made it easy to guess their purpose.
Shennong said, "It seems the Konoha High Command intends to use the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan to precisely capture Hanzo's Granddaughter."
With their peerless perception, the Hyuga could easily avoid repeating the same mistake.
Clearly, the Konoha High Command had learned its lesson from last time.
And for the Hyuga, losing a Byakugan was no small matter. This operation in the Land of Rain was also an opportunity to redeem themselves.
"What a shame. Hanzo's Granddaughter really won't be able to escape now..."
Shennong shook his head, but looked at his disciple with an amused smile.
Mingren, who knew the plot of the Original Work, naturally understood.
Hanzo had reached an agreement with Konoha.
The Land of Rain ultimately became Konoha's ally, helping Konoha hold back Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
This allowed Konoha to ultimately win the Third Shinobi World War.
As for how exactly things would unfold, anyone could guess it with their toes.
"Don't try to provoke me."
Mingren looked at Shennong expressionlessly.
"Whether I choose to take out this squad has nothing to do with Hanzo's Granddaughter."
"Power... 8.4"
Reflected before his pupils was the power he had gained after killing those four Konoha ninja.
And clearly.
The three people they had just passed, including the Hyuga, were stronger.
That meant killing them could increase his Dark Chakra by an even more considerable amount.
Murder Case
An alley, the scene of the crime.
Hokuto Hyuga, Shinya Senju, and Gekko Clan stared at the scene before them.
The corpses of their four comrades darkened both their moods and expressions.
Taking a deep breath, Hokuto Hyuga stepped forward to examine them first.
"One had his neck directly broken by a punch."
He crouched down and stared at the deceased's swollen, bruised neck.
"One was struck in the chest. His ribs and heart ruptured at the same time..."
This comrade's entire chest cavity had caved in.
"The third had both arms twisted and broken, then died from a heavy blow to the head..."
Judging by the deceased's contorted expression, he had likely been resisting when both his arms were broken first.
Then Hokuto Hyuga came before the final corpse, ten meters away.
It was also near the entrance to the alley.
This body lay apart from the other three corpses.
"Judging from the fourth man's posture after being struck from behind, he clearly decided to retreat after realizing he was no match for the enemy. But the opponent threw an iron rod that pierced straight through his spine..."
Hokuto Hyuga rose to his feet, his face solemn.
The exceptional insight granted by the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan allowed him to immediately glean a great deal of information.
"All four were Chunin. Judging from the fist marks left on their bodies, the culprit is likely the person we're searching for..."
In other words, Hanzo's Granddaughter's guard and protector.
The murderer of Tetsuya Senju and Shikahide Nara.
"By himself, the enemy took down four of our comrades. Not only is his Taijutsu outstanding, his strength is also immense. Just as the intelligence said, even many of the Jonin cannot compare to him in strength."
In the ninja world.
Many people excelled in a particular specialty.
When one's strength was great enough and one's Taijutsu strong enough, it could become an exceptionally terrifying threat.
Might Guy's father had crippled the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure in a single battle.
It had left a deep impression on many people.
It was also because of Might Duy that many Konoha ninja began to restrain their contempt for Taijutsu specialists.
Judging by the time of death, we still have a chance... They died less than a few minutes ago..."
Hokuto Hyuga immediately activated his Byakugan.
He observed in every direction.
Gekko Clan stood quietly in the alley, leaving his companion to do his work.
In terms of reconnaissance, the Hyuga Clan was no inferior to himself, who possessed the Transparent Release Bloodline Limit.
Meanwhile, Shinya Senju wore a stern expression, suppressing his urge to avenge his younger brother.
Very soon.
Hokuto Hyuga identified several people through his search.
Then, by distinguishing the amounts of Chakra they possessed.
He immediately narrowed the targets down to the smallest possible range.
"It's those two!!!"
Hokuto Hyuga shouted.
They were precisely the two people who had passed them earlier.
Because they had focused only on the corpses before and paid no attention to others, they had overlooked them.
But now that he looked with the Byakugan...
"The Chakra of these two far exceeds that of ordinary people! It has to be them!!"
If.
An ordinary person's Chakra was a spark.
And an ordinary ninja's Chakra was a torch.
Then... the Chakra of those two was as dazzling as the sun!
"..."
Gekko Clan and Shinya Senju exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's find the murderers immediately!"
Perhaps they could take the opportunity to find Hanzo's Granddaughter as well.
"But..."
Hokuto Hyuga hesitated slightly.
"Didn't our superiors say we should wait for the designated ANBU companion to join us before taking action..."
Their superiors had assigned an ANBU agent.
Naturally, Hokuto Hyuga and the other two did not know that it was Kakashi Hatake.
After all, ANBU identities were kept secret.
The newly appointed Kakashi had spent some time handling his ANBU procedures.
That was why he would arrive late.
"There are only two of them. We can take them down first and interrogate them for information..."
Before you continue