Many Against One

Many Against One

Deep in the dense forest lay three or four ninja corpses. Not far away, Hyuga Yuto was locked in close combat with an enemy.

The veins around Hyuga Yuto's eyes bulged as his Byakugan easily caught the gleaming white chakra flowing through his opponent's body.

The Hidden Cloud ninja fighting him was tall, dark-skinned, and powerfully built.

Bang!

The Hidden Cloud ninja suddenly threw a punch. Hyuga Yuto raised his right arm to block, and tremendous force crashed into it. His body swayed, but he was not driven back.

This brat... Shock flashed through the Hidden Cloud ninja's mind.

After all, most ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village were combat-oriented fighters skilled with swords and ninja taijutsu. They placed greater emphasis on physical strength than the other ninja villages.

The brat before him was clearly still underage. Though the Hyuga Clan also valued taijutsu, he had actually matched him in a pure contest of strength...

Shock and hesitation struck at the same instant.

To be fair, the towering Hidden Cloud ninja was a qualified warrior. Though panic churned within him, he maintained his fighting stance well, and the silvery-white Lightning Release wrapped around his hands still radiated formidable power.

Yet in Hyuga Yuto's field of vision, the enemy's chakra had already fallen into disorder at that instant. The "stream" that had flowed orderly through his chakra pathways was now filled with countless tiny whirlpools.

For a ninja, chakra was the clearest indication of their physical and mental state.

This brief hesitation was difficult even to notice. Seizing it to launch a surprise attack was harder still; only experts could do it.

Hyuga Yuto was such an expert.

He stamped heavily with his leg and charged forward even faster than before. His fierce force struck the ground, instantly leaving behind a small crater.

They had already been fighting at close range. With this burst of speed, Hyuga Yuto slipped into the enemy's guard in an instant.

The Hidden Cloud ninja was greatly alarmed and instinctively leaped backward, trying to open up the distance. But his mind had wandered just moments ago, and his chakra mobilization was a beat too slow.

Hyuga Yuto had already fully entered his guard.

Within that cramped space, his battle-hardened palm slammed viciously into the Hidden Cloud ninja's chest.

Hyuga chakra poured forth, blasting through the Hidden Cloud ninja's skin. Flesh, chakra pathways, internal organs, acupoints, nerves... all of it was crushed and shattered.

Gentle Fist!

"Uwaaah..."

The Hidden Cloud Village ninja let out a pained scream and flew backward, only stopping after crashing into a large tree.

At the instant he hit the tree, Hyuga Yuto Body Flickered in front of him. He extended a finger and tapped the Hidden Cloud ninja's left chest. Chakra erupted again, shattering his heart.

"Puh..." The Hidden Cloud ninja's groan grew weaker. At death's door, he raised his head to look at the Hidden Leaf ninja who had taken his life and said faintly:

"At this age... you're Hidden Leaf's... Hyuga's Jade... Heh... your reputation truly isn't undeserved..."

Hyuga Yuto watched him calmly until the Hidden Cloud ninja drew his last breath.

Once he confirmed that the enemy was dead, he immediately deactivated his Byakugan. The veins around his eyes receded, and his eyes returned to snowy white.

He braced himself against the tree and gasped for breath, looking exhausted.

Though the Byakugan consumed less than the Sharingan, keeping it active for a long time still burdened the body.

Ten minutes had passed since Sugisaki Tetsujiro's initial assault, the chaotic clash between both sides, and their eventual separation into one-on-one fights.

Three enemies had already died at Hyuga Yuto's hands, including the elite Hidden Cloud Village chunin from just now.

Although Hyuga Yuto had never slacked in his training, and his close-combat skills were considered the best among his peers, allowing him to complete many missions flawlessly and even earn the title of "Hyuga's Jade,"

he was only twelve years old and had yet to fully grow. His body could not endure a prolonged battle.

"Whew..."

He took several deep breaths, pulled a few soldier pills from the small pouch at his waist, and stuffed them all into his mouth.

"I can't rest here. If their jonin frees up his hands, I'll really be in trouble..."

Hyuga Yuto muttered. Without time to deal with the corpses of the Hidden Cloud ninja and his Hidden Leaf companions, he quickly ran toward the left front.

When he reached that battlefield, Hyuga Yuto did not reveal himself immediately. Instead, he first hid himself, activated his Byakugan, and observed carefully.

Sugisaki Tetsujiro and a Hidden Leaf genin stood back-to-back. Five Hidden Cloud ninjas surrounded them, while ninja corpses lay strewn across the ground, devoid of breath. One of them even wore a Hidden Leaf forehead protector.

At this point in the battle, only Hyuga Yuto, Sugisaki Tetsujiro, and the genin Sato Mahiro remained on the Hidden Leaf side. The Hidden Cloud side had five left.

Hyuga Yuto did not choose to jump out right away. Instead, he patiently circled around from behind, kept his distance, and moved to the Hidden Cloud jonin's flank.

He was extremely careful, moving lightly. While he was still sneaking forward, the two sides facing off resumed their battle.

Lightning Release: Earth Walk!

The Hidden Cloud jonin rapidly formed hand seals and pressed both hands to the ground. Silvery-white lightning surged from his palms, covering dozens of meters of forest floor ahead. Countless arcs of electricity writhed like nimble little snakes, ferocious and deadly.

Sugisaki Tetsujiro and the Hidden Leaf genin leaped up at the same time, landing in the trees.

This is bad. Hyuga Yuto, watching from nearby, frowned slightly.

Sure enough, the instant the two Hidden Leaf ninjas jumped, everyone on the Hidden Cloud side charged forward.

Amid flashing lightning, the Hidden Cloud jonin crazily entangled Sugisaki Tetsujiro, while the other four Hidden Cloud genin attacked the remaining Hidden Leaf ninja.

Their attacks were vicious, trading wounds for wounds. In just a few blinks, several bloody gashes appeared across the Hidden Leaf ninja's body.

They meant to end this swiftly with thunderous force—first eliminate the weaker enemy, then gather all five of their strength to besiege Sugisaki Tetsujiro!

Sugisaki Tetsujiro's face darkened as if water could drip from it. He no longer spared chakra and desperately unleashed attack after attack at his enemy, but they were jonin of comparable strength. No victor could be decided in a short time.

While his side remained deadlocked, that Hidden Leaf ninja was already in grave danger. One against four was nearly a certain death sentence for an ordinary ninja.

"Ah...!"

Sure enough, a Hidden Cloud genin spotted an opening. Gripping the hilt of the ninja blade in its sheath, he suddenly burst forward with a samurai's signature quick-draw technique and viciously severed the Hidden Leaf genin's left arm.

The Hidden Leaf ninja screamed in terror, his agonized cries echoing through the forest.

Sugisaki Tetsujiro clenched his teeth hard, but there was nothing he could do.

The Hidden Cloud jonin facing him was delighted. He knew his four subordinates would soon kill their enemy and join him in surrounding this troublesome Hidden Leaf jonin.

Yet just as joy surged through him and he relaxed slightly, a sudden change occurred.

A concealed whistle of breaking air sounded from behind his head—the shriek of a kunai cutting through the air.

Then came the rapid, fierce double fists of a handsome youth, along with the venomous, ruthless chakra coating them.

Hyuga Yuto had seized another opportunity.

Just like the Hidden Cloud Village, Hyuga Yuto believed that eliminating the other side's key figure was the key to victory.

As long as he killed this sole jonin, the Hidden Cloud side would have no ability to resist!