To Black Wolf, the Hyuga Branch Family's Eight Trigrams Palm was riddled with openings.
But at Jing Xiu's prompting, he still blocked two strikes and took another two. The blood at the corner of his mouth was enough to prove the valor of Black Wolf the samurai.
The Hyuga Branch Family Genin gave Black Wolf the samurai a smug look. "You pass, I suppose. But don't let looking after a child interfere with important business!"
"Any single item in this shipment is worth your lives. Some of them are worth so much that even your lives would barely cover a fraction of their value!"
As he spoke, he flicked Jing Xiu hard on the forehead.
Jing Xiu exercised all his restraint to keep from dodging.
The arrogant Hyuga roared with laughter and headed back to his tent in high spirits.
Jing Xiu and Black Wolf exchanged a glance, golden light flashing repeatedly in both their eyes.
I never expected an extra windfall on this trip, Black Wolf thought.
What neither of them knew was that the Hyuga Clan were no fools either. They, too, had seen through the Senju Clan's reasons for abandoning Riverbend Valley and Greenleaf Cliff.
In secret, the Hyuga had also prepared to face the Uchiha.
The caravan Black Wolf and Jing Xiu had joined was a logistics and supply unit the Hyuga Clan had assembled specifically to evade Uchiha spies.
They traveled in fits and starts. The Hyuga Jōnin in command had even disguised himself as a wealthy gentleman, riding in the carriage at the very center of the caravan.
"Captain, Gale Gorge is just ahead. Once we pass through it, we'll reach the Land of Rain after another three thousand li."
A Hyuga Chunin disguised as a steward came to the luxurious carriage at the center of the procession to report.
"This alliance with the Land of Rain is a crucial part of whether our clan can force the Uchiha back."
"Tell our clansmen to rein in their arrogance. If your conceit causes this mission to fail, I might be willing to spare you, but the Caged Bird Seal won't!"
"If we successfully secure the alliance, I'll certainly put in a good word for you with the Third Elder. You may all get a chance to learn Eight Trigrams Sixteen Palms."
At the mention of the Caged Bird Seal, a chill ran through the Hyuga Branch Family Chunin's entire body. But when he heard the subsequent mention of the palm technique, he grew excited.
He withdrew respectfully, unable to keep himself from admiring his superior. Lord Kiyomei is becoming more and more like a true leader. If he becomes clan head, perhaps I'll have a chance to rise further and become one of the Branch Family's elders.
Gale Gorge was called a gorge, but it was as broad as a lake.
Raging winds filled the gorge, dispersing the dark clouds drifting over from the Land of Rain and cutting off communication between the two countries. Outside the gorge, however, the wind died and the clouds stilled, leaving everything quiet and harmonious.
Without their various ninjutsu and ninja tools, even ninja would have been unable to cross Gale Gorge.
"We'll rest for the night. At sunrise tomorrow, when the Gale Tides weaken, each squad will take charge of an Armored Carriage. Aim to cross Gale Gorge before noon."
Hyuga Kiyomei prioritized caution and did not force the pace. Although Gale Gorge was less dangerous than the endless desert surrounding the Land of Wind, crossing it unscathed still required quite a few transport carriages forged from pure iron.
To Jing Xiu, these transport carriages were still exceedingly crude-nothing more than horse-drawn carriages encased in a layer of iron armor.
"Hey, brat! Get over here and massage my feet!"
A Hyuga Genin's eyes lit up when he spotted Jing Xiu.
He ordered Jing Xiu to serve him without the slightest courtesy. As far as he was concerned, both Jing Xiu and Black Wolf the samurai were merely dogs kept by the Hyuga Clan.
Giving Jing Xiu a chance to wait on him was a blessing the boy must have spent countless lifetimes earning.
Jing Xiu looked at the Hyuga, then at Black Wolf a short distance away.
Black Wolf understood what Jing Xiu meant. He simply wanted him to confuse the man with genjutsu and resolve the matter.
But why should I help you?
Black Wolf folded his arms and watched Jing Xiu with interest.
He wanted to see how Jing Xiu would handle this.
The moment Jing Xiu saw Black Wolf's gesture, he knew what the man was thinking.
He turned back and stared expressionlessly at the Hyuga Genin before him.
As he approached the Hyuga Genin and bent down, a short blade appeared in Jing Xiu's hand once again. As expected, he plunged it straight into the Genin's crotch.
He said nothing more, nor could he be bothered to.
Before Black Wolf or the other guards watching the spectacle could react, Jing Xiu had already charged into their midst. With a short blade in one hand and a kunai in the other, he killed four or five samurai guards.
Black Wolf the samurai swore viciously. "I actually thought he'd put up with being mistreated! I must have been blind!"
Though he cursed, his hands never stopped moving.
Black Wolf activated the Body Flicker Technique. The commotion had only just reached the central tent when the Hyuga Chunin, intending to investigate, lifted the flap-and found himself facing Black Wolf's wind-swift Uchiha Style Swordsmanship.
Hyuga Kiyomei lived up to his rank as a Hyuga Clan Jōnin. Before Black Wolf could make his next move, the force of an Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm struck the Hyuga Chunin in the back.
Black Wolf was sent flying several meters along with the Hyuga Chunin's corpse.
"Byakugan!"
Although Hyuga Kiyomei was still inside the central tent, his Byakugan, with its complete, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree field of vision, had already seen everything outside.
Even everything happening throughout the camp lay exposed to his sight.
Such powerful chakra. The attacker is at least a Jōnin. Could I be his target?
When he saw the chakra pathways inside Uchiha Black Wolf's body, he could not help feeling shocked.
Though both were Jōnin, a Uchiha Clan Jōnin with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan possessed considerably more chakra than a Hyuga Clan Jōnin.
Moreover, Black Wolf had trained with Jing Xiu for quite some time. His chakra had become more condensed, improving in quality even though its total quantity remained unchanged.
"Who are you? I am Hyuga Kiyomei, son of the Hyuga Clan's Third Elder."
"If there is anything you need, feel free to take it. But if you insist on making trouble, the Hyuga Clan is no easy prey!"
Jing Xiu raised an eyebrow at Hyuga Kiyomei's words. This Hyuga Kiyomei has some talent. In just a few sentences, he mixed conciliation with a threat.
If I really were a wandering ninja killing for money, I might stop here. After all, no one wants to offend one of the Warring States' two great ocular-jutsu clans. Unfortunately...
At Hyuga Kiyomei's words, a crazed look spread across Black Wolf's face. "Hahaha! Heaven really is on my side!"
"Since you belong to the Hyuga Main Family, killing you will count as avenging Ryosuke and his mother!"
Hyuga Kiyomei froze for an instant at those words, but quickly noticed the change in Black Wolf. He's actually from the Uchiha Clan! Have they already discovered our clan's plan?
Before he could think any further, Black Wolf charged into the central tent, longsword in hand.
The entire caravan had only one Jōnin, Hyuga Kiyomei, and just five Chunin, but more than twenty Genin.
This must be a large mission unit formed from one Hyuga Jōnin squad and four Chunin squads.
As Jing Xiu analyzed the intelligence, he slaughtered every enemy he could see.
A Hyuga Genin blocked Jing Xiu's path. "Let me show you the secret art of Hyuga taijutsu. Eight Trigrams Four-"
Before he could finish shouting the name of his move, a kunai pierced his throat.
This Genin was none other than the arrogant Hyuga who had flicked Jing Xiu's forehead while testing Uchiha Black Wolf.
Shouting your moves in the middle of a fight-isn't that just asking to die?
Jing Xiu grumbled inwardly, his hands never slowing.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just as Jing Xiu finished clearing out a Chunin squad and more than a dozen samurai guards and was about to examine the Hyuga's cargo, he heard sharp blades cutting through the air behind him.