Chapter 28 — Psychological Warfare
Hokage Building.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at the crystal ball, monitoring every movement within it, his expression grave.
At that moment—
The Hyuga clan head arrived, followed closely by the heads of the other major clans.
"You're all here. Sit."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was sharp, a flicker of anger rising in his eyes.
All of them showing up together—what was this supposed to mean?
Forcing his hand?
He drew deeply from his pipe. The smoke obscured his face as he spoke, "Clan Heads, what brings you here?"
"Third Hokage, we heard that a spy infiltrated Konoha. Has the spy been captured?" the Hyuga clan head asked.
The others looked at him in surprise. His son was on the verge of losing his eyes, yet he still had the composure to circle around the issue. Such restraint—truly worthy of one of Konoha's noble clans.
"A spy? What spy? There was a spy in Konoha?" Hiruzen feigned ignorance. "Uchiha Clan Head, under the Uchiha's management, could a spy really infiltrate Konoha?"
Uchiha Kagami's lips twitched as he shot a glare at the Hyuga clan head.
Old fox.
He remained composed. "The Uchiha will never spare anyone who seeks to harm Konoha."
The others: ???
So what does that mean?
Is there a spy or not? After saying so much, you've said absolutely nothing.
And that was precisely the effect Hiruzen wanted. Right now, all he needed was to stall for time. The Uchiha's response played perfectly into his hands.
Though the clan heads were anxious, they restrained themselves. No one dared to pierce the thin veil of pretense.
If they openly questioned him, they would lose the moral high ground.
Your son disappears for less than an hour, and you already know—not only that, you've even identified a spy.
If you knew, why didn't you stop it? And now you come to Hiruzen for what?
Seeing Hiruzen's calm and confident demeanor, the clan heads gradually relaxed. Instead of pressing the matter, they began exchanging pleasantries, waiting quietly for the outcome.
...
Meanwhile—
Iruzhen's face was flushed red as he restrained Kushina, a kunai gripped tightly in his hand.
He warned himself not to commit the fatal mistake of losing composure on the battlefield. But whenever he thought about the Byakugan, he simply couldn't control himself.
In contrast to Irujie's earlier poor performance, the jōnin Iruwa Yoshi displayed the true caliber of an elite ninja.
His gaze widened to maximize his field of vision. Fully alert, he scanned the forest while standing back-to-back with Iruzhen, minimizing blind spots.
"They're coming," he warned.
A rustling sound arose from the forest.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
A barrage of shuriken tore through the air.
"Pathetic."
Iruwa Yoshi remained calm. His kunai whirled into afterimages, deflecting most of the incoming shuriken. His legs moved with remarkable agility, dodging the rest by mere inches.
Kinoshita Hikaru burst out from the trees, rushing forward at high speed. Midway, he leapt into the air, chakra gathering in his fist like rumbling thunder.
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
Enhanced with Wind Release, the punch shot forward like lightning.
Iruwa Yoshi smirked sinisterly. Iruzhen stepped forward in a flash, raising Kushina in front of him with a triumphant grin.
"Bastards!"
Hikaru abruptly retracted his right fist, stopping mid-strike, his face filled with anger.
"Brat, why'd you stop? Go on—hit me. Aim right here." Iruzhen laughed wildly, pointing at Kushina.
"Let Kushina go, and you can leave."
"Leave?" Iruzhen stared at Hikaru in disbelief, then burst into uproarious laughter, bending over from the force of it.
"A brat is still a brat. You don't understand the situation at all. I've got a hostage—why would I leave? If I'm not mistaken, that's some kind of new bloodline ability. Not bad… but we're not after you. Hurry up and have the other brats come out. Otherwise…"
Iruzhen pressed the kunai against Kushina's neck, sliding it lightly up and down.
Hikaru said nothing, his expression stubborn as he glared at the two men.
"Captain, look—this brat's about to cry. Aren't we being a little too cruel?" Iruzhen mocked.
Iruwa Yoshi's expression turned vicious. "Brat, I'll count to three. If they don't come out, I can't guarantee what my subordinate might do."
"Yeah, what might I do? …How about cutting off her limbs… haha!" Iruzhen jeered.
Hikaru understood.
This was how ninja fought—using every means possible.
The moment Iruwa Yoshi realized that his opponents were merely children, he immediately resorted to psychological tactics, aiming to shatter their mental defenses.
Knowing that was one thing.
Remaining unaffected was another entirely.
Especially for Namikaze Minato. Before Iruzhen could even finish speaking, he rushed out.
"Don't hurt Kushina!"
A trace of triumph flashed through Iruwa Yoshi's eyes, though he remained silent.
"Brat, are you deaf? I said all of you—all of you come out. Especially that Hyuga brat!" Iruzhen roared, pressing the kunai harder against Kushina's neck.
"Don't worry about me…" Kushina's eyes brimmed with tears as she forced the words out through clenched teeth.
Iruzhen punched her hard in the stomach. "Stupid brat, don't interfere."
"If you still don't come out, I'll cut off her arm."
"Don't!"
Minato shouted, tears welling in his eyes. "Everyone, come out! Or Kushina will be in danger!"
"Minato, you—" Kinoshita Hikaru stared at him in shock.
"I'm sorry, Hikaru. I can't let Kushina get hurt."
Leaves rustled loudly as everyone stepped out from the forest.
"Minato, you're being reckless."
"This is the enemy's trap."
"Even so, I cannot stand by and watch a comrade be harmed."
When they saw Hiashi's smooth forehead and pure white eyes, even the battle-hardened Iruwa Yoshi trembled with excitement, his mind racing.
Uchiha. Hyuga. Ino–Shika–Chō. Senju.
What an enormous achievement this would be.
At this moment—
The two sides faced off. Nine stood shoulder to shoulder—Kinoshita Hikaru on the far left, Hyuga Hiashi on the far right.
Iruzhen held Kushina in front, while Iruwa Yoshi stood behind him. Seizing the opening in their blind spot, he swiftly formed hand seals.
"Caw!"
The white hawk let out a piercing cry, sharp as thunder. Instinctively, everyone looked up—
Their eyes instantly turned vacant as they fell into genjutsu.
Iruwa Yoshi had absolute confidence in his illusion techniques. The Land of Lightning was filled with towering mountain ranges and endless thunder plains.
This white hawk was a unique ninja beast of the Land of Lightning. It dwelled among thunderous peaks year-round, its cry capable of shaking the heart and drawing an enemy's gaze. Combined with his genjutsu, the two-pronged approach was nearly unstoppable, dragging opponents into illusion in an instant.
Iruwa Yoshi stepped forward, his hand curving into a claw crackling with lightning. Like a hunting hawk seizing its prey, he radiated a chilling killing intent.
A flicker of regret crossed his eyes. If he could bring the Byakugan back to the Land of Lightning intact, Kumogakure would gain a new bloodline clan.
But some things required compromise. One could not have everything.
Capturing a suspected orphan who mastered Uzumaki secret techniques—and obtaining a pair of pure Byakugan eyes—what more could he ask for?
In a flash of lightning, he arrived before Hiashi, his claw striking toward those pale eyes.
Rip—
Blood splattered.
Staring at the Byakugan in his hand, Iruwa Yoshi felt as if he were dreaming. He bared his teeth in wild laughter.
He laughed maniacally. Though he had prepared himself mentally, achieving it for real still sent overwhelming excitement through him.
The others remained glassy-eyed. Tears of anguish streamed down Kushina's face.
"No!"
Iruzhen grinned wickedly, stepping forward to admire the Byakugan up close.
"Poof!"
The Byakugan turned into smoke and vanished—along with Hyuga Hiashi.
Iruwa Yoshi's face froze, as if his throat had been seized. His complexion shifted from red to pale, from pale to red again, and finally to a purplish hue.
He had been deceived by a Shadow Clone.
His expression twisted into something demonic. The immense surge of exhilaration was instantly replaced by crushing disappointment, the emotional whiplash wreaking havoc on his mind.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, he hurled three shuriken.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Uchiha Mikoto, Senju Nawaki, and Uchiha Shigeru all dispersed into white smoke.
"Not good!"
Compared to Iruwa Yoshi, Iruzhen fared even worse. His eyes widened in despair, overwhelmed by the crushing reversal.
At that moment—
One of the scattered shuriken on the ground burst with a poof, transforming into Uchiha Shigeru, his crimson eyes glowing with an eerie light.