The Sorrowful Caged Bird, Killing Hizashi Hyuga!

The Three Ninja Swords looked extremely grim. They had never expected Konohagakure's ninja to arrive so quickly.

And in such overwhelming force!

Not only had one of the Three Sannin, Jiraiya, personally led the team, but everyone who had come with him was an absolute elite.

"Uchiha Clan Head Fugaku, known as the Fierce Eyes of the Uchiha; Hizashi Hyuga, the younger brother of the Hyuga Clan Head."

Suikazan Fuguki gripped Samehada tightly. As the head of the Mist Intelligence Division, he was naturally well acquainted with these Konohagakure elites. Yet precisely because of that, fine beads of cold sweat had begun to form on his forehead. "And Aburame Clan Head Aburame Shibi, Yamanaka Clan Head Yamanaka Inoichi, as well as an elite of the Nara Clan..."

"Have you gone mad? You moved all your main forces here—aren't you afraid we'll seize the chance to break through your front lines?!"

"Suiton!"

"Kirigakure Technique!"

Pipa Juzo formed hand seals at once.

A vast cloud of dense mist spewed from his mouth, instantly shrouding everything around them and completely obscuring their vision.

"Trying to use the Kirigakure Technique to limit the Sharingan's scouting?"

The moment the mist spread, the Three Ninja Swords merged directly into it. Yet the Konohagakure side was not worried in the slightest.

The Kirigakure Technique Pipa Juzo had cast was exceptionally powerful. Even a Three-Tomoe Sharingan could not see through the mist, even if its wielder was the "Fierce Eyes."

But Konohagakure had not brought only the Sharingan this time!

"Pipa Juzo, wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, is five meters to Lord Jiraiya's left. Raiga Kurosuki is eighteen meters ahead of Inoichi. Suikazan Fuguki... Lord Fugaku, watch your left!"

The veins around Hizashi's eyes bulged as his all-seeing white eyes opened, effortlessly reporting everyone's positions.

Hidden in the darkness, the Three Ninja Swords clenched their teeth. With the Byakugan present, they could not even retreat.

At the same time.

The sound of wind splitting the air rang out.

A heavy punch came smashing toward Suikazan Fuguki.

A dull collision sounded. Fortunately, Suikazan Fuguki raised Samehada in time to defend himself. Samehada's spikes tore through its wrapped bandages and devoured the Chakra Jiraiya had gathered, preventing him from suffering any serious injury.

"Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!"

"Suiton! Water Dragon Bullet!"

The fireball collided with the water dragon, and the mist that had just been blown away was once again filled with vapor. Pipa Juzo gripped the Kubikiribōchō and slipped into the fog, taking the opportunity to slash at Fugaku's neck.

The Three-Tomoe in Fugaku's eyes spun, allowing him to see through every part of Pipa Juzo's attack.

"Bang!"

A kunai blocked the Kubikiribōchō, and the two immediately began fighting within the dense fog.

"This won't work. If we don't deal with that Byakugan, we won't even be able to escape." Raiga Kurosuki's expression was grave. Chakra wrapped around the Lightning Blade in his hand, electricity flashing as surging lightning howled toward Hizashi.

"Secret Technique! Kikaichū!"

The swarm of insects flew forth, and Aburame Shibi perfectly blocked the incoming lightning attack.

All Three Ninja Swords had encountered opponents!

Seeing that all Three Ninja Swords had been held back, Hizashi, who had been somewhat tense, finally relaxed and continued using the Byakugan to lock onto their positions.

"If all Seven Ninja Swords were here, the outcome of this battle would truly be hard to say. After all, Suikazan Fuguki with Samehada can restrict Lord Jiraiya to a certain extent, and the other ninja swords each have their own abilities."

"But now there are only three ninja swords, and no one can restrain us. Suzaku, Inoichi, and I can all fight freely!"

Hizashi was brimming with confidence.

Killing that Blade of the Bloody Mist with its bizarre techniques at the start had already determined the outcome of this battle. Hizashi understood very clearly just how much of an impact clans with secret techniques, free to unleash them, could have on a battlefield.

They had won this battle!

"Inoichi, Suzaku, you... Inoichi?!"

"Squelch!"

Yamanaka Inoichi had somehow collapsed unconscious on the ground, while an extra section of blade now protruded from Nara Suzaku's chest.

His heart had been pierced through!

"How is this possible?!"

Staring at that familiar young face, Hizashi Hyuga's face was filled with shock.

"What's impossible? That I'm still alive, or that I could evade your Byakugan?"

Yoru tossed aside Nara Suzaku. As he listened to the system notification in his ear, a cold smile appeared on his face.

Konohagakure's ambush had indeed been terrifying. Yoru had been locked onto before he even had a chance to use Utsusemi.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, he decisively exchanged Points for a Gigai from the system shop, narrowly escaping disaster.

That was right.

What the swarm had completely devoured was not Yoru's actual body, but his Gigai!

That had cost a full ten thousand Points!

"And the reason I could evade your ambush and still avoid your Byakugan..."

Shunpo erupted, and in the blink of an eye, Yoru appeared before Hizashi Hyuga. The Asauchi in his hand slashed upward. Hizashi instinctively leaned back to evade, but the forehead protector tied around his brow was flicked away by Yoru's blade.

The ugly Caged Bird Cursed Seal was revealed.

"It wasn't because my concealment methods were so extraordinary. It was because of you, a member of the Hyuga Branch Family."

"W-what?!"

Yoru sneered.

Because of the Caged Bird curse, the Byakugan of the Hyuga Branch Family had restrictions. There was a one-degree visual blind spot extending backward from the first thoracic vertebra. It was by exploiting that blind spot that Yoru had avoided the Byakugan's detection.

Looking at Hizashi Hyuga, his hair disheveled and the ugly seal exposed on his forehead, a trace of pity surfaced in Yoru's eyes.

The only value of someone trapped in a birdcage was to become Yoru's Points balance!

"Pshk!"

The blade rose and fell. A bloody gash appeared on Hizashi Hyuga's face, running straight up from his neck and splitting the Caged Bird seal cleanly in two.

Hizashi Hyuga's eyes widened, as though he could not believe this would be his end. The commotion here also drew the attention of the others.

"Wind Release! Great Breakthrough!"

A howling gale, infused with dense Chakra, forcibly blew away the surrounding mist.

Jiraiya and Uchiha Fugaku happened to witness Yoru finishing Hizashi with a single slash.

Then they saw Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Suzaku, already devoid of life at Yoru's feet. Both Jiraiya's and Uchiha Fugaku's expressions darkened completely.

Even Aburame Shibi, who had always been stern and taciturn, showed a huge emotional shift.

"Nicely done, Yoru!"

Suikazan Fuguki was overjoyed. He exerted force through Samehada and forcibly widened the distance between himself and Jiraiya.

Pipa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki were likewise beaming.

Without the Byakugan, their movements could no longer be tracked, and they could retreat at any time.

And without members of the Yamanaka Clan and Nara Clan, their upcoming battle would no longer be hindered by outside interference.

In other words...

They could even try to leave these people here for good!