Follow me immediately to kill the mastermind

"Enemy attack! It's Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Genma Shiranui exclaimed, the senbon in his mouth nearly falling out.

"How is this possible? Where did they even pop out from?"

Hyuga Ginka's face turned deathly pale; her Byakugan had clearly seen nothing just a moment ago.

This sudden attack felt like a resounding slap to the face, shattering her absolute confidence in the Byakugan!

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Kakashi reacted with lightning speed, completing the hand seals almost the instant the water dragon appeared.

He slammed both palms onto the ground.

BOOM!

A thick wall of earth surged up from the ground, blocking the water dragon by the narrowest of margins.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The water dragon slammed into the earth wall repeatedly, emitting dull, thunderous roars as water splashed everywhere and dirt flew into the air.

The earth wall shuddered violently, developing cracks, but it ultimately managed to withstand the surprise assault.

"Even at a time like this, he doesn't forget to do that..."

Kiyohara noticed that the earth wall had actually been carved with several dog heads!

Only a dog lover like Kakashi would bother decorating an earth wall like that.

Kiyohara then spoke up:

"Everyone, be careful. There is likely a barrier or Kekkei Genkai nearby capable of interfering with or even masking Byakugan perception... It's the Kurenai!"

In the original story, there were many possibilities for how the Byakugan could be stolen: betrayal by a branch family member, the Byakugan squad being surrounded, or the main family being careless...

But the fact that Hyuga Ginka had scanned the area with her Byakugan and found nothing abnormal made Kiyohara's initial deduction seem increasingly likely.

In the ninja world, the methods capable of interfering with the Byakugan are few and far between; the original lore only explicitly mentioned special barriers on the moon and a few rare abilities like the Kurenai.

Kiyohara immediately shouted a warning, using the process of elimination to conclude that it was highly probable the enemy possessed the Kurenai.

"Kurenai?"

This was the first time Kakashi had ever heard of such a Kekkei Genkai.

"I haven't heard of it either."

Nohara Rin frowned slightly.

Regarding ocular jutsu, aside from the Sharingan and Byakugan, she had only heard of something called the "Ketsuryūgan," but that was only in historical texts; it was no longer active in the current ninja world.

In the distance, hiding in the rear and observing the situation, Ao saw through his Water Mirror Technique that Kiyohara had pinpointed the key, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"This brat... he actually knows about the existence of the Kurenai?"

How could a young Konoha chunin know about intelligence that was extremely rare even in the Land of Water and classified as top secret by Kirigakure?

Or could it be that Konoha had already obtained their intelligence?

"What a sinful man. With a face like that, I can't bear to strike him down."

Mei Terumi looked at the reflection of Kiyohara on the water surface with her emerald eyes, feeling a deep sense of interest.

She was a sucker for good looks, and she found Kiyohara to be the most handsome person she had ever seen.

Ao glanced at Mei Terumi. Although she was a young genius of Kirigakure, he was the commander now, so he said:

"Do not show mercy to any enemy. Everyone else, follow the original plan: split up and surround them. Prioritize attacking the medical ninja and the Hyuga clansmen first!"

As the order was given, the Kirigakure offensive suddenly became much more organized.

"Damn it, how dare they look down on the great Hyuga clan!"

Hyuga Nobuhiko's face turned livid. He realized that while his Byakugan vision showed nothing, the enemies were appearing out of thin air one after another, making him feel as if he were being toyed with.

He let out a roar, intending to use the Gentle Fist to prove the strength of the Hyuga clan.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams..."

However, just as he rushed out a few steps, the surrounding mist became incredibly thick, to the point where he could barely see his own hand!

The next moment, he found his vision filled with chaotic imagery, which only left him dizzy and disoriented.

Without the Byakugan, he was practically blind in this thick fog!

"Haha, trash of the Hyuga, what do you have left without your Byakugan?"

An arrogant voice came from the mist. Chitai, a tall Kirigakure jonin with a scar on his face, lunged out from the fog.

The kunai in his hand pierced straight toward Hyuga Nobuhiko's chest with a sharp whistling sound.

Hyuga Nobuhiko barely managed to parry, but having lost the insight and vision provided by his Byakugan, he immediately fell into a passive state, forced to endure Chitai's fierce onslaught.

At the same time, other Kirigakure ninja launched attacks from all directions, using the cover of the thick fog.

Their target was clear: Nohara Rin, who was wearing the uniform of a medical ninja!

In the midst of battle, prioritizing the elimination of the enemy's numbers was of the utmost importance.

And a medical ninja was, without a doubt, the softest target.

Only top-tier medical ninjas like Tsunade possessed the talent to balance both medical duties and combat.

"Protect Rin!"

Arcs of electricity flickered in the hands of Kakashi as he instantly clashed with two Kirigakure chunin, lightning flashing around them.

Genma Shiranui and Kurenai Yuhi also engaged their respective opponents.

Nohara Rin became the primary focus, and in an instant, three Kirigakure ninjas broke through the perimeter and lunged toward her.

"Rin, fall back!"

Kiyohara moved!

Clang!

He drew the newly forged ninja sword from his back with a reverse grip, the blade tracing an arc in the dim light.

With a shift of his feet, his figure appeared in front of Nohara Rin.

"Ao... he is nearby. I can sense his chakra, in that direction."

The young Kiyohara suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a clear sense of rage.

Damn it, he never waited until the next day to take revenge when he was alive.

He wanted to chop off Ao's dog head immediately to serve as his own tribute!

"I know, let's deal with the trouble in front of us first."

Kiyohara's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly steadied the young Kiyohara.

Regardless of anything else, Ao still possessed real strength.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been qualified to transplant the Byakugan in the original story and enjoy that honor.

The next moment, facing the ninja sword slashing toward him, Kiyohara no longer held back, combining the fundamental swordsmanship understanding inherited from the young Kiyohara with his own reflexes.

He sidestepped the direct slash, simultaneously flicking his own ninja sword upward.

Ssh!

The blade precisely sliced across the first Kirigakure ninja's wrist; the opponent let out a miserable cry as his weapon slipped from his hand.

Almost simultaneously, the second Kirigakure ninja's kunai was already stabbing toward his ribs.

Kiyohara exerted force from his waist and abdomen, his body drifting back half a step like a willow catkin. While dodging, he flipped his wrist and thrust his sword back toward the opponent's throat.

Pfft!

Clean and efficient!

The Kirigakure ninja's eyes widened as he clutched his spurting throat and collapsed to the ground.

Seeing this, the third Kirigakure ninja's eyes flashed with shock, and his movements involuntarily stalled.

Kiyohara seized this momentary gap, his chakra erupting beneath his feet!

"Body Flicker Technique!"

His figure flashed, appearing beside the opponent as if teleporting, his ninja sword slashing horizontally!

The E-rank Body Flicker Technique was considered the most basic of basics among ninjas, and Kiyohara had learned it in the past.

Unfortunately, it consumed too much chakra, so Kiyohara rarely used it.

Crack!

Accompanied by the sound of shattering bone and splashing blood, the third Kirigakure ninja was also instantly dealt with!

In just a few breaths, the three chunin surrounding Nohara Rin had been cut down by Kiyohara.

"Kakashi, after we finish off these Kirigakure ninjas, follow me immediately to kill the mastermind. There is a commander behind them, which is why they are so organized."

Kiyohara said.

After the Seven Swords Convergence, the first priority was definitely to kill Ma Sanniang.

Right now was the best opportunity; if it really came down to it, he could even let the young Kiyohara take over the fight.

As the saying goes, enemies are red-eyed when they meet; Kiyohara believed that the young Kiyohara would certainly be happy to find a way to deal with Ao together.

His own foundation was decent now, so he wouldn't be in such a predicament as when Renegade Kiyohara possessed him.

"Alright."

Kakashi was stunned for a moment, feeling that Kiyohara's swordsmanship was much more profound than it had been last time.

Could it be his imagination?

He shook his head, feeling only that Kiyohara was gradually revealing his true strength.