On Konoha's Eastern Battlefield.
Thick smoke obscured the eastern sky, and the stench of blood permeated the scorched earth.
Hyuga Sakon's white robe had been soaked through with blood. His Byakugan was fixed on the Kirigakure assassination force surging toward them like a tide.
Beside him, the Inuzuka Clan Head knelt on one knee. Ninja Hound Daikemaru's abdomen had been pierced by a kunai, and it let out pained whimpers.
"Why are there so many of them?!"
A sense of helplessness rose in Hyuga Sakon's heart.
He had originally wanted his clan members to fight, to shine brilliantly in the Shinobi World and make the Hyuga name known everywhere.
He wanted to win more honor for the clan in Konoha.
Things had gone fairly smoothly at first. Against Kirigakure's ninja, the Byakugan had held every advantage.
But who could have expected...
Kumogakure to send so many elite ninja as reinforcements.
And they came one after another, utterly fearless of death.
On top of that, Kirigakure had also deployed its elites.
The two villages had joined forces, combining their strengths.
Konoha's situation on the Eastern Battlefield had swiftly plummeted from an advantage into a disadvantage.
Especially after that ambush by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen...
Nearly twenty elite members of the Hyuga branch family had sacrificed their lives just to hold them back.
They had barely managed to preserve the life of Hyuga Sakon, their Clan Leader.
"Clan Leader Sakon, the defensive line can't hold any longer!!"
A Shimuro Clan ninja roared, his right arm charred black by Lightning Release.
"If this keeps up, we'll all die here!"
Konoha's battle line was collapsing across the board.
Cloud's Lightning Release Unit tore open gaps like raging thunder, while Kirigakure's silent killing techniques harvested lives from the shadows...
An air of despair spread through