Shinobi who carry out dark and secretive missions are often equipped with a mask.
It serves to shroud their expressions, conceal their emotions, act as a symbol, and strike fear into others. An ordinary ninja seals their feelings behind that mask; no matter how anxious they might be internally, they maintain an air of cold ruthlessness on the surface.
Terai was a prime example.
At this moment, Terai silently sensed the distance. There, battered by the backlash of a Wind Style technique and falling like a torn sack into the circle of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, was... Hyuga Yu.
Yu appeared to have completely lost the ability to move. His limbs had been shattered by the counter-shock of that Vacuum Sword, yet even so, as he slipped into unconsciousness, the muscle memory etched into his body drove him to release chakra. He clung to the surface of the water like a hideously struggling insect, completely disregarding the six predatory Ninja Swordsmen surrounding him. In that moment, he threw his head back and glared with eyes devoid of pupils—veins bulging in a frantic Byakugan—toward the position where the Hyuga Main House member had appeared.
His limbs were broken, and he could not release chakra through them. Thus, he chose to open his mouth, and a howling gale gathered within his throat!
Every drop of chakra in his body was mobilized to that single point. Then, before Hyuga Yu's snarling, open maw, a spinning green sphere appeared!
This sphere of extremely concentrated chakra rotated violently, glowing with a pale azure hue, while a turbulent vortex of green chakra erupted around its perimeter.
"Wind Style: Rasengan... Ringu!"
Then, driven by his Byakugan: Wind Style Chakra Mode, he constructed a "gravity slingshot" around the Rasengan to rapidly increase the pressure. The head-sized Rasengan was frantically compressed—smaller, tighter, and tighter still!
Finally, it transformed into a sphere no larger than a fingernail.
The moment this tiny orb solidified, the surrounding mist was violently pushed away by the swirling winds, instantly clearing the battlefield's vision.
Seeing this, Terai's expression changed drastically. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he leapt from the shadows of the cliff and landed behind an elderly man who exuded an ominous, cold aura. Terai dropped to one knee. Though his heart was racing with anxiety, he reported in a calm, emotionless tone:
"Lord Danzo."
"Hyuga Yu has lost consciousness."
"If he releases this attack, he will suffer a violent backlash just like before."
"Based on the current scale of the Wind Style chakra... this time, the counter-shock will directly crush his head!"
Danzo tilted his head slightly, casting a cold, indifferent glance at the youth in the bird mask kneeling on the ground. It was merely a glance; Danzo's face remained devoid of emotion, as if Hyuga Yu's life or death meant nothing to him. He turned back, looking toward the battlefield with total composure.
He gave a single, curt command: "Continue reconnaissance."
A master shinobi has no need for a mask because their face can be written with any emotion they desire. In fact, they are often harder to read than those who hide behind physical porcelain.
Terai could see nothing in Shimura Danzo's expression.
He gritted his teeth, his fingers pressing into the ground until the pebbles beneath his fingertips were crushed into powder. Ultimately, he had no choice but to turn his gaze back to the battlefield.
At that moment, 300 meters away, the beam of azure light shot forth. It took less than a second to reach the Hyuga Main House member who had appeared on the field.
Along its path, the beam shredded the thick mist, carving out a cylindrical tunnel three meters in diameter and revealing the true face of the Main House member to everyone present.
It was an old man with bulging Byakugan eyes. His features were symmetrical but his expression was grim, his face lined with deep wrinkles. He wore a black bodysuit under a brownish-yellow overcoat. Facing the incoming gale-force blade, he let out a roar:
"Hah!!"
In an instant, he displayed a level of agility completely unbefitting his age. Like a martial arts master, he maintained the seal for the Caged Bird with one hand while the other struck out in a Gentle Fist stance. "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
With a single palm strike, compressed chakra formed a violent blast of wind to intercept the azure blade!
However—Zap!
Sharper and more piercing than the Vacuum Palm, the azure wind blade sliced right through the palm wind and the expelled chakra, continuing forward with undiminished force.
Splat!
"Agh!"
The old man was forced to break the Caged Bird seal to clutch his pierced and bleeding shoulder. His expression flickered, but seeing Hyuga Yu fall into the encirclement of the Mist Ninja with broken limbs after the attack, the elder hesitated only for a second. Gritting his teeth, he dashed toward the spot where Yu had fallen, using his one functional arm to once again form the seal for the Caged Bird!
He had to ensure Hyuga Yu died right before his eyes!
Simultaneously—Whoosh!!!
The surrounding mist surged as a figure in a green jumpsuit, radiating a terrifying storm of green chakra, tore through the fog and leapt directly over the Hyuga Great Elder.
Close behind him, a sleek, agile figure wearing a Chunin vest adorned with the Uchiha clan crest arrived via Body Flicker!
It was Might Duy and Shisui Uchiha!
Seeing this, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who had been hesitating on whether to finish Hyuga Yu, all paled. "Not good, Leaf reinforcements!"
"Why is that Hyuga guy attacking the kid?"
"And what the hell is that kappa-looking thing?"
"Wait, the one behind him... is that 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' from the Leaf?!"
In that heartbeat, their target, Hyuga Yu, seemed to be charging a massive bomb capable of killing everyone in the vicinity. Meanwhile, a string of bizarre "reinforcements" from the Leaf were arriving, and it wasn't even clear whose side they were on.
Fuguki Suikazan felt goosebumps erupt all over his skin. Driven by an instinctive sense of danger, he glanced with horror at the green-suited "kappa" flying toward them at high speed.
In the next breath, he swung Samehada. Racing to get ahead of the Leaf shinobi, he reached Hyuga Yu's side and thrust the blade down!
No matter what, they had to retreat to save their lives. But first, he had to neutralize the bomb sitting by the Hyuga brat's mouth and take the boy with them... Even if he only brought back a corpse, it would count as completing the mission.
Puchi!
Samehada pierced through Hyuga Yu's body as he lay on the water, and blood sprayed into the air!
The three Leaf shinobi reacted differently. Might Duy's eyes widened to the size of saucers, his entire body trembling. He opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry he couldn't make a sound.
The Hyuga Great Elder sensed Hyuga Yu's rapidly fading chakra through his Byakugan and let out a small sigh of relief.
As for Shisui Uchiha, he stared at the highly concentrated sphere of azure chakra near Yu's mouth. His expression froze, and his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
At that moment, Fuguki Suikazan, who had just stabbed Yu with Samehada, felt something was wrong. He blinked in confusion. Samehada... couldn't absorb the brat's chakra?
No, it wasn't that it couldn't absorb it; it was that... there was no chakra left in his body?
In the next instant, Fuguki's face twisted in terror. He spun his head toward the azure pearl sitting in front of Hyuga Yu's "corpse"—the sphere had suddenly stopped spinning.
His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Without even trying to retrieve Yu's body, he kicked off the water and leapt away!
As he jumped, he roared in desperation:
"Move! Everyone, retreat now!"
Crack!
It sounded as if something had fractured. For a split second, the very wind in the world seemed to stand still.
On the distant cliff, Danzo Shimura's motionless gaze narrowed for a moment. Then, frowning, he looked down at his own abdomen.
He seemed lost in thought.
Then, a wave of azure light swept outward!
Cracks appeared on the surface of the azure chakra sphere, and it began to expand!
A sliver of wind, compressed to the absolute limit, leaked from the cracks. In the next heartbeat—BOOM!!!
A spherical explosion of wind expanded violently, instantly engulfing a ten-meter radius. Pushed by the "gravity slingshot," a terrifying orb of wind capable of shredding organic matter at the molecular level roared toward the Hyuga Great Elder!
Faced with such overwhelming power, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen could only scatter in a panic. The Hyuga Great Elder could only stare with his Byakugan as the massive sphere ground toward him, inch by inch.
And then, a green giant rose from the nameless forest!
Watching this, Terai opened his mouth, wanting to urge Danzo further. But after completely losing the sensation of Hyuga Yu's chakra signature, he lowered his head in a sense of helplessness.
Before him, Danzo Shimura, who had taken in the entire scene, narrowed his eyes. Upon seeing the green giant withstand the azure sphere, he couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
He turned, leaning on his cane, and began walking steadily down the mountain path.
Noticing Terai still kneeling there, Danzo's brow furrowed, and he barked:
"What are you still doing there? Follow me!"
Terai blinked, confused, but asked with the deference of a Root ninja:
"Lord Danzo, what is our next objective?"
"Terai... I know you. You are the boy who discarded his family name to protect the Leaf," Danzo said, casting a brief glance at him. "Starting today,"
"You are being transferred out of Aburame Ryoma's squad. You will join a new unit."
"A new unit?"
Danzo looked at him with an indifferent gaze and spoke slowly: "A team consisting of you, Kinoe, and Shin. You will carry out the highest-level missions."
Hearing the other two names, Terai was stunned. "Kinoe" was Root's highest-level secret; no one had seen him, only that he was young and had been personally raised by Lord Danzo.
Meanwhile, "Shin" and Terai were directly under Ryoma's command, being groomed as future management for Root. They possessed unique secret techniques and a status different from ordinary members.
Now, Lord Danzo was grouping three youths who, while young, were considered the "future" of the organization into one squad. What was he planning?
But quickly, Terai thought of a more crucial question and asked:
"Lord Danzo, who will be the captain of this squad?"
Hearing this, Danzo's eyes narrowed. He turned his head one last time to look at the ravaged battlefield and the azure sphere that had struck with such finality toward the Hyuga Main House. After several seconds of thought, he coldly uttered a new name:
"Ten'nin."
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