Outside the Kumogakure camp.
Yugito Nii had already led over a thousand shinobi in a silent detour, slipping behind Hyuga Hiashi's force without causing the slightest disturbance.
However—
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
While Kumogakure was on the move, Uchiha Yusuke had already led his men in a reverse encirclement.
Yugito planned to crush Hiashi's unit with a pincer attack from front and rear.
Yusuke, on the other hand, locked his sights directly onto the Kumogakure main force under her command.
Just as the successfully flanking Kumogakure troops prepared to strike, six or seven shuriken suddenly shot out from the grass ahead.
Two black figures moved like startled hares, bursting out of the bushes and fleeing the moment Kumogakure hesitated.
"Jōnin?"
"So there were hidden sentries behind us too?"
"Konoha really is cautious."
Watching the two silhouettes vanish at high speed, Yugito frowned slightly.
They had been extremely careful along the way, yet their movements were still exposed.
Konoha was right in front of them. Even with their cover blown, Yugito had no intention of retreating.
Although they failed to achieve complete surprise, Kumogakure had already formed an encirclement.
With a front-and-back assault, Kumogakure still held the advantage.
"On my command—full assault!"
Yugito shouted, charging forward at the head of her troops.
Five hundred meters wasn't far for shinobi. A few body flickers, and they were there.
After receiving the warning, Hyuga Hiashi reacted immediately.
He pulled the Hyuga forces responsible for the frontal attack back to reinforce the rear.
Moments later, Yugito's Kumogakure army crashed into them.
The instant the two sides met, sparks flew.
Taking advantage of the rear assault, Kumogakure unleashed a storm of shuriken from all directions!
But Hiashi had already anticipated this. Dozens of Hyuga shinobi lined up and instantly deployed their defense.
"Eight Trigrams Formation—Rotation!"
With a chorus of clanging sounds, Kumogakure's shuriken attack was almost completely blocked.
Rotation's defense was extremely powerful—ordinary kunai and shuriken couldn't break through at all.
So Konoha was prepared?
Damn it!
Killing intent surged in Yugito's eyes. At this point, there was only one option left—head-on collision.
Kumogakure had always been known for valor and ferocity. Even in a frontal clash, they feared no one!
Yugito took a deep breath to steady herself and continued issuing orders.
"Charge! Kill them!"
On the battlefield, ninja tools flew like goose-feather snow, while multicolored ninjutsu erupted one after another.
Both sides quickly broke apart, fighting in small squads.
Kumogakure shinobi generally excelled in blade combat and taijutsu—but against the Hyuga, masters of close-range combat, they were at a disadvantage.
Sure enough.
Not long after the fighting began, Kumogakure's vanguard was already being crippled by the Hyuga's Gentle Fist.
Kumogakure relied on brute force, while the Hyuga specialized in using softness to overcome hardness.
"Damn Hyuga—just you wait!"
With her assault stalled, Yugito cursed angrily.
The Konoha unit in front of her was a rock-hard bone, extremely difficult to chew through.
Still, no matter how strong the Hyuga were, human stamina and chakra were ultimately limited.
Kumogakure held a numerical advantage and was attacking from two sides—wiping out Hiashi's force was only a matter of time.
Yugito also noticed something was off with Konoha's numbers. There were likely other forces hidden nearby.
If she couldn't finish off the Hyuga quickly, once Konoha's reinforcements closed in, things would turn ugly.
With that thought—
Yugito clenched her teeth and went all in.
"No matter the cost—grind them down!"
Facing Kumogakure's frenzied assault, Hyuga Hiashi's expression grew grim.
He had completely entrusted his back to Yusuke. If Yusuke didn't send reinforcements, they would eventually be wiped out.
Of course, Yusuke never intended to abandon his allies.
The moment Yugito launched her offensive, he sent Uchiha Shisui to lead Inabi, Tekka, Yashiro, and the others straight into Kumogakure's rear.
"Uchiha Shuriken Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
"Body Flicker Technique!"
While Yugito was busy encircling the Hyuga, an attack suddenly came from behind.
"It's the Uchiha!"
"Everyone, be careful!"
The instant Uchiha Shisui appeared, Kumogakure went on full alert.
They had long received intelligence—the Uchiha were the core of this Konoha allied force.
The Uchiha name resounded throughout the shinobi world. Even Kumogakure treated them with fear.
Back when Sasuke went to capture the Eight-Tails in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, a single clan crest had frightened Kumogakure jōnin into hesitation.
The deterrent power of the Uchiha was obvious.
A cold glint flashed through Yugito's eyes.
So the Uchiha finally showed themselves?
Perfect timing.
Before Yugito could counterattack, another urgent report came from the flank.
"Lady Yugito, the Ino–Shika–Chō clans have been spotted on the right!"
"We're surrounded by Konoha!"
A surge of frustration welled up in Yugito's chest.
She had planned to ambush from the rear—yet now she herself had become the prey.
Yugito cursed aloud.
"Well played, 'Flame Demon' Yusuke."
"You really got me this time."
Even trapped in encirclement, Yugito remained calm.
Konoha's overall numbers weren't much greater than Kumogakure's. Even surrounded, she wasn't necessarily going to lose.
The only problem was the terrain—it was too cramped. If she transformed into the Two-Tails here, she'd easily injure her own allies.
After a brief moment's thought, Yugito made her decision.
"All units, follow me—break through from the left!"
With that, she charged forward at the very front.
Yugito was confident.
Once they reached open ground, she alone would be enough to give the Konoha alliance hell.
With the Uchiha and Ino–Shika–Chō joining the fight, the pressure on Hiashi's forces dropped sharply.
Hyuga Hiashi calmly took command of the battle.
"Reinforcements have arrived! Hold them down and buy time for the allied forces!"
Charging in was easy—retreating was not.
Just as Kumogakure tried to pull back, Hiashi's men clung to them like glue, impossible to shake off.
"Damn it!"
"Again with the Hyuga's Gentle Fist!"
"Watch your openings!"
Gentle Fist chakra-point strikes could instantly strip someone of combat capability.
On the battlefield, having your chakra sealed was no different from waiting to die.
As Hiashi's forces entangled Kumogakure, the Ino–Shika–Chō clans closed in as well.
Shadow Possession and Mind Transfer struck without warning, while massive fists and Human Boulders crashed down from above, throwing Kumogakure into chaos.
Yugito badly wanted to unleash the Two-Tails, but being surrounded by her own people made it impossible to go all out.
Hyuga in front.
Uchiha behind.
Ino–Shika–Chō harassing from the sides.
The stalemate was pointless. Yugito decisively chose to retreat.
With her—an elite Two-Tails jinchūriki—clearing the way, breaking through Konoha's encirclement shouldn't be a problem.
And yet—
At that moment, Uchiha Yusuke strolled forward, sword in hand, unhurried and relaxed.
"Yo, little Two-Tails girl."
"Let me be the one to play with you."
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