Chapter 1: Konoha Year 47
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The moment his toes touched the branch, chakra gathered in his legs. The branch only bent slightly before the young man shot out more than ten meters.
Like a gust of wind, the young man zipped through the dense forest.
He was young, with a handsome face, dressed in a black bodysuit and a green standard flak jacket. His thick black hair was tied at the end with a red string, and his temperament was gentle and calm.
If a stranger were to see him, they would certainly notice the two distinct identifying features of the young man:
First, the metal forehead protector bearing the Konoha symbol on his forehead.
Second, his pair of snow-white eyes without a trace of color!
—This was a member of the Hyuga clan from the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire!
With their powerful ninja village and the practical bloodline limit, the Byakugan, the Hyuga clan had always been a force to be reckoned with.
"Fifteen kilometers to the border of the Land of Fire..."
Hyuga Yuto calculated the distance as he ran.
"Too dangerous."
Hyuga Yuto's footsteps paused, and he stomped heavily on the trunk of a tree, coming to a stop in an instant. From rapid movement to stillness, his strong and flexible physique was revealed.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Four figures quickly gathered around him, back to back, in a standard tactical formation.
"What's wrong, Hyuga Yuto? Did you find something?"
A middle-aged man with short hair and an indifferent face spoke softly.
Hyuga Yuto nodded.
"Senior Tetsujiro, there are shoe prints in the forest... women's style."
A breeze blew through the forest, and the other three Genin subconsciously gripped their kunai.
The team led by Jonin Sagizaki Tetsujiro consisted of one Jonin, one Hyuga Chunin, and three civilian Genin. It was a temporary wartime formation with no women at all!
"So, it's the enemy?" Sagizaki Tetsujiro said, his tone still calm. "Good job, Hyuga Yuto. We can go around... Forget it." Sagizaki Tetsujiro pulled out his kunai and rubbed the sharp blade. "Since those guys can block the end of this road, other places may also have ambushes. Let's charge through. We have the Byakugan."
The three Genin breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Sagizaki Tetsujiro and Hyuga Yuto with respect.
The thousand-year history of the ninja world had proven that the Byakugan's reconnaissance ability was trustworthy.
"Yes, Lord Tetsujiro." Hyuga Yuto said respectfully.
He put his index and middle fingers together, placed them in front of the tip of his nose, and formed a "seal."
Chakra gathered in his optic nerves almost instantly. Veins bulged around Hyuga Yuto's eyes, and faint blue pupils appeared in the center of his eyes.
His vision changed abruptly, and a unique 360-degree view unfolded. The flow of chakra, meridians, small birds hiding behind trees, wild animals drinking water several kilometers away...
X-ray vision, ultra-long-distance vision, everything was revealed in detail under these eyes.
Hyuga Yuto put down his hand.
Although "opening" the Byakugan only required focusing chakra, the Hyuga clan members liked to use various "seals" to stimulate their minds. Over time, it became a family habit.
Seeing that Hyuga Yuto was ready, Sagizaki Tetsujiro took the lead and rushed out. Hyuga Yuto followed closely behind, and the other three Genin protected him in the middle in a semi-circular formation. The five of them sprinted forward again.
This time, however, every nerve in their bodies was completely tense.
In Hyuga Yuto's vision, everything became a bland black and white, and the semi-transparent grass and trees quickly receded behind him. He observed his surroundings while moving at high speed, not letting go of any suspicious place.
Finally, while sprinting, several thin "water flows" suddenly appeared in front of Hyuga Yuto's eyes.
Those were the chakras flowing in the meridians!
"Found them..." Hyuga Yuto let out a breath of turbid air, tapped his fingers together, and secretly signaled his teammates. Finally, he picked up his speed and came to Sagizaki Tetsujiro, who was at the front, and told him this information.
Although Hyuga Yuto was very fast, after finishing a series of actions, their distance from the enemy was only less than four hundred meters.
The ninjas, who lived under the shadow of war, had better combat literacy.
Although it had not been established for a long time, Hyuga Yuto's team tacitly maintained their speed as if nothing had happened.
Until Jonin Sagizaki Tetsujiro, who was at the front, came within twenty meters of the first enemy.
Twenty meters, for a Konoha Jonin... was almost a "face-to-face" distance.
Bang!
Hyuga Yuto's eyes blurred. When he caught sight of Sagizaki Tetsujiro again, the Jonin had appeared directly above the enemy who was ambushing underground.
Sagizaki Tetsujiro's kunai pierced the ground. He suddenly let go of his hand and stomped hard with his foot. Screams and blood came out of the ground at the same time.
The basic Body Flicker Technique, coupled with the precise information provided by Hyuga Yuto, allowed him to instantly kill one enemy.
However, the Konoha Jonin's attack did not end there.
He ignored the roars and whooshing sounds coming from elsewhere and calmly formed seals.
Although using his foot to kick the kunai was an unconventional operation, this small risk was worth it. It successfully freed his hands, giving Sagizaki Tetsujiro more time to form seals.
Ox-Monkey-Hare-Rat-Boar-Rooster-Ox... 44 hand seals were formed accurately.
The Jonin's chakra surged and rolled in his body in a specific route. At the peak, Sagizaki Tetsujiro suddenly opened his mouth.
—Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
Tons of water gushed out of Sagizaki Tetsujiro's mouth, turning into a water dragon thicker than a large tree in the air, and slammed into the ground.
Rumble…
The enemies under Sagizaki Tetsujiro were crushed into blood mist. The huge water flow overturned the ground and toppled trees. Countless chains, explosive tags, and iron hooks were washed away, and the traps were completely destroyed under the powerful water release.
It was unwise to fight in a trap set by the enemy for a long time. The experienced Sagizaki Tetsujiro destroyed the terrain of the battlefield in the first place.
Hyuga Yuto and the three Genin rushed to Sagizaki Tetsujiro's side, ready to fight.
When the water flow dispersed and the dust could no longer affect their vision, several ninjas walked over from the opposite side.
The five Konoha ninjas' hearts sank at the same time.
There were... too many of them. There were six who walked out openly, and according to ninja habits, there should be at least three hiding in the dark.
The leader of the enemy ninjas was a tall man with dark brown skin. He walked silently at the front with a forehead protector bearing the Hidden Cloud symbol.
After a brief silence, the two groups of people in the dense forest rushed towards each other at the same time.
There was no communication, not even verbal probing for information.
In the current year of Konoha 47, the enormous pressure of war loomed over the daimyos and ninja village leaders of various countries. Border frictions continued, and the tight string could break at any time, erupting into a world-wide ninja war.
In the dense forest, the ninjas of Konoha and Hidden Cloud collided. In an instant, someone lost their life.
However, no one mourned for their companions. Kunai flashed with cold light, and dazzling ninjutsu never stopped. They took each other's lives, colder than the iron in their hands.
—Those who gave their lives for sufficient or insufficient reasons.
They were ninjas.