Advantages and Disadvantages

"Dodge quickly!"

Upon hearing Hyuuga Nen shout that he had thrown a flashbang, Kakashi yelled while swiftly darting behind a tree to avoid the impending blinding light.

The sphere landed in front of Kakashi and his team, rolling a few times, but nothing happened.

Hyuuga Nen possessed the Byakugan; he hated flashbangs more than anything, so why would he carry a weapon that could potentially harm himself? He had only said that to trick Kakashi and his team into exposing a weakness.

While throwing the sphere, Hyuuga Nen had used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing instantly before the weakest Anbu member, knocking him down in a few swift moves and pinning him.

"Let my teammate go!" Seeing Hyuuga Nen gripping his subordinate's throat, Kakashi shouted a warning.

Hyuuga Nen held the Anbu member by the throat and retreated slowly, using the Gentle Fist to strike several points on his body, sealing his major chakra points and rendering him immobile.

Watching Hyuuga Nen openly use the Gentle Fist against his subordinate, Kakashi's brow furrowed deeply. "Are you provoking us?"

Hyuuga Nen looked at Kakashi and replied, "You misunderstand. I have no intention of provoking you; I am simply trying to buy some time."

"What?" Hearing this, a sense of foreboding rose in Kakashi's heart.

"Captain, look out! That sphere is strange!" Itachi Uchiha, standing not far away, shouted anxiously.

At Itachi Uchiha's warning, Kakashi's eyes widened. He saw the sphere in front of him suddenly begin to hiss, swell violently, and explode.

I've been played! This was the thought that flashed through Kakashi's mind the moment the explosion occurred.

Hyuuga Nen had first deceived Kakashi and his team with a fake flashbang, then, after seizing his subordinate, lured them out. In reality, the sphere had been packed with a Delayed Detonation Tag!

Kakashi was sent flying backward, but at the last second, he managed to avoid the brunt of the blast, suffering only from the shockwave. Even so, it was a painful blow.

Seeing this, Hyuuga Nen immediately dropped the Anbu member he was holding and charged toward Kakashi, hoping to finish him off as quickly as possible.

"Take this, flashbang!"

At that moment, Itachi Uchiha's voice rang out as he pulled out a sphere and hurled it at Hyuuga Nen.

Hearing it was a flashbang, Hyuuga Nen didn't dare risk checking if it was real or fake. He retreated rapidly, ducking behind a tree while closing his eyes.

Itachi Uchiha's sphere hit the ground and released a cloud of smoke; it wasn't a flashbang at all, but a Smoke Bomb.

"Now is our chance!"

Seeing Hyuuga Nen close his eyes and retreat behind the tree, Kakashi gritted his teeth against the discomfort and began forming hand seals rapidly. Amidst a puff of smoke, a clone appeared beside him, though the seals Kakashi had used did not seem to be the Shadow Clone Technique.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Itachi Uchiha ran to his teammate and carried him to a safe distance, away from the battlefield.

Hyuuga Nen emerged from behind the tree, his expression sour at having been tricked by the same method he had used.

"Itachi, use the Shadow Clone Technique to provide saturation coverage."

Kakashi spoke to Itachi Uchiha while launching an attack on Hyuuga Nen, ensuring Itachi Uchiha wouldn't be affected by Hyuuga Nen's movements.

Hearing Kakashi's command, Itachi Uchiha immediately began forming seals, created a shadow clone, and attacked alongside it.

Kakashi's tactics were indeed sound. Against an enemy like Hyuuga Nen, who possessed the Byakugan, almost all feints and deception tactics were useless. To defeat him, one had to be faster and stronger, or use overwhelming force.

Kakuzu, who had fought Hyuuga Nen in the past, belonged to the latter category, and Hyuuga Nen had indeed been pushed into a bitter struggle against him.

As Itachi Uchiha attacked, the three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, seemingly attempting to find a flaw in Hyuuga Nen's defense.

His strength and speed are both greater than mine and Captain Kakashi's, and our ninjutsu can barely land a hit on him. Finding a weakness is incredibly difficult. Furthermore, his chakra reserves are several times larger than Captain Kakashi's—more than our entire squad combined. If this drags on, we will lose!

Close-quarters combat with him is too dangerous. One mistake and I'll be defeated instantly. To beat him, I must use genjutsu! Itachi Uchiha concluded.

But why is he immune to my genjutsu? Although he is of the Hyuga Clan, I don't feel his ocular power exceeding mine. There must be another reason he can resist my illusions.

Suddenly, Itachi Uchiha thought of sealing techniques. Upon considering this possibility, he focused his attention, the tomoe in his eyes spinning even faster as he tried to detect any seal patterns on his enemy.

Nothing? There are no seals on him. Could I have guessed wrong? Even through the Sharingan, Itachi Uchiha could find no trace of a seal on Hyuuga Nen.

Although the Sharingan could see the flow of chakra, it could only perceive chakra on the surface of the body.

Hyuuga Nen had inscribed the seal within his own body—a feat only possible for someone of the Hyuga Clan—which was why Itachi Uchiha could not detect the seal pattern.

Itachi Uchiha attempted to use genjutsu on Hyuuga Nen again, hoping to discover how he was immune. However, just as their gazes were about to meet, Hyuuga Nen shifted his eyes away.

He avoided my gaze.

Itachi Uchiha thought to himself. Of all the battles he had fought, this was the most frustrating.

Some of his ninjutsu had been sealed, and his genjutsu was ineffective. His strength, speed, and chakra were all inferior to the enemy's, and under the gaze of the Byakugan, none of his tactics could take effect.

How can I defeat him? Every enemy has a weakness, but I can't find his. Yet, in his eyes, our weaknesses are so obvious! Thinking this, Itachi Uchiha felt a surge of anxiety.

The anxiety on Itachi Uchiha's face, though fleeting, was captured by Hyuuga Nen.

Throughout this battle, Hyuuga Nen had not used his full strength, choosing instead to wear Kakashi and his team down.

After all, his goal was to defeat them all. If they realized they couldn't win and tried to flee, it would be quite troublesome for him.

Seeing the condition of Kakashi and his team beginning to deteriorate, Hyuuga Nen decided it was time. He slowed his pace, intentionally leaving a gap in his defense for them to exploit.