Outside the Kumogakure camp—
Yugito had quietly led over a thousand shinobi around to the rear of Hyūga Hiashi's forces. Along the way, they had made almost no noise.
But while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole waits behind.
As Kumo moved, Uchiha Akihito led his own forces in a counter-encirclement.
Yugito intended to crush Hiashi's unit in a pincer attack.
Akihito, however, had set his sights directly on the Kumo main force under her command.
Just as the flanking Kumo troops prepared to strike, six or seven shuriken suddenly flew from the grass ahead.
Two black figures shot out like startled rabbits, retreating at top speed while the Kumo shinobi hesitated for a split second.
"Jōnin?"
"They even set rear sentries."
"Konoha really is cautious."
Yugito frowned slightly.
They had been extremely careful on the approach—yet their movement was still exposed.
But with Konoha's forces right before them, Yugito had no intention of retreating.
Even if the element of surprise was lost, they had already completed the encirclement.
With pressure from both front and rear, Kumo still held the tactical advantage.
"At my command—charge!"
Yugito shouted and surged forward.
Five hundred meters was nothing for shinobi. A few Body Flickers, and they were upon the enemy.
Receiving word, Hiashi reacted swiftly, pulling the Hyūga assault unit back to guard the rear.
Moments later, Yugito's forces crashed into them.
At first contact, sparks flew.
Taking advantage of the ambush position, Kumo unleashed a barrage of shuriken from all directions.
But Hiashi had prepared for this.
Dozens of Hyūga formed a line.
"Eight Trigrams Formation—Rotation!"
With a flurry of metallic clinks, the incoming projectiles were deflected.
Rotation's defense was formidable—ordinary kunai and shuriken stood no chance.
So Konoha was ready.
Damn it.
Killing intent flashed in Yugito's eyes.
There was no choice now but a head-on clash.
Kumogakure prided itself on martial prowess.
Even in direct combat, they feared no one.
Taking a steadying breath, Yugito barked orders.
"Advance! Take them down!"
On the battlefield—
Ninja tools filled the air like falling snow, and multi-colored ninjutsu erupted in waves.
Both sides fragmented into smaller squad-based skirmishes.
Kumo shinobi excelled in kenjutsu and taijutsu, but against the close-quarters mastery of the Hyūga's Gentle Fist, they quickly found themselves at a disadvantage.
As expected—
Before long, Kumo's vanguard was writhing under precise chakra-point strikes.
Kumo's style was fierce and direct.
The Hyūga countered with softness overcoming strength.
"Damn you, Hyūga!"
"Just you wait!"
Frustrated, Yugito cursed aloud.
This Konoha unit was a hard bone to chew.
But stamina and chakra were finite.
Kumo still held a numerical advantage—and attacked from two sides.
Wearing down Hiashi's forces was only a matter of time.
Yugito also sensed something off about Konoha's numbers.
It felt like additional troops were hidden nearby.
If they didn't finish the Hyūga quickly, Konoha reinforcements could surround them instead.
Her jaw tightened.
"Spare no cost. Exhaust them!"
Hiashi's expression grew grave.
He had effectively entrusted his back to Akihito.
If reinforcements did not arrive, they would eventually be overwhelmed.
But Akihito had no intention of abandoning allies.
The moment Yugito launched her assault, he dispatched Uchiha Shisui with Masato, Tetsuya, Yashiro, and others to strike from behind.
"Uchiha Shuriken Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Body Flicker Technique!"
As Yugito focused on crushing the Hyūga, her rear was suddenly attacked.
"It's the Uchiha!"
"Stay sharp!"
The instant Shisui appeared, Kumo shinobi grew tense.
They already knew—the Uchiha were the core of Konoha's force.
Even Kumo held respect—bordering on wariness—for the Uchiha name.
Their reputation across the shinobi world was no exaggeration.
A cold gleam flashed in Yugito's eyes.
So the Uchiha finally showed themselves?
Good.
Before she could counterattack, another report arrived from the flank.
"Lady Yugito! Ino–Shika–Chō forces detected on the right!"
"We're surrounded!"
Her chest tightened.
She had intended to hunt.
Now she was prey.
"Well played, 'Flame Demon' Akihito."
"You've outmaneuvered me."
Even so, Yugito remained calm.
Konoha's total numbers were comparable to Kumo's.
Even surrounded, it did not mean defeat.
The only issue was terrain.
Transforming into the Two-Tails here would risk injuring her own troops.
After a brief calculation, she decided.
"All forces—break through to the left!"
She took the lead, charging forward.
Once in open ground—
She alone would be enough to turn the tide.
With Uchiha and Ino–Shika–Chō joining the fray, the pressure on Hiashi's forces eased dramatically.
Hiashi commanded steadily:
"Reinforcements have arrived! Hold them here and buy time!"
Charging in was easy.
Withdrawing was not.
As Kumo attempted to retreat, Hiashi's unit clung to them like adhesive.
"Damn it!"
"Hyūga Gentle Fist again!"
"Stay alert!"
Chakra-point strikes could disable a shinobi instantly.
On the battlefield, sealed chakra meant certain death.
As the Hyūga entangled Kumo's forces, Ino–Shika–Chō pressed closer.
Shadow Possession and Mind Transfer struck unpredictably.
Meanwhile, giant fists and Human Bullet Tanks descended from above, throwing Kumo into chaos.
Yugito desperately wanted to unleash the Two-Tails—
But allies surrounded her.
Front—Hyūga.
Rear—Uchiha.
Flank—Ino–Shika–Chō interference.
Prolonging the stalemate was pointless.
She chose withdrawal.
With her leading the charge as the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, breaking through Konoha's encirclement should not be difficult.
But at that moment—
Uchiha Akihito stepped forward, sword in hand, unhurried.
"Yo, little Two-Tails girl."
"Why don't I play with you for a bit?"
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