2 Chapter 1: Konoha, Year 47
Boop—
With a tap of his toes on the tree branch, chakra gathered into his legs, causing the branch to bend ever so slightly as the young boy propelled himself more than ten meters away.
In the blink of an eye, he darted through the dense forest like a gust of wind.
He was young, with a handsome face, dressed in a tight black suit with a green standard-issue vest armor over it. His thick black hair was tied at the ends with a red string, and his demeanor was gentle yet serene.
If a stranger were to see him, they would surely notice two distinct features!
Firstly, the metal headband engraved with the symbol of the Leaf Village worn on his forehead.
Secondly, his pair of snow-white eyes, devoid of any hint of color!
—He was a member of the Hyuga clan, from the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire!
As a powerful ninja village, with the formidable Kekkei Genkai "Byakugan," the Hyuga clan had always been a force to be reckoned with.
"We're about fifteen kilometers from the border of the Land of Fire."
Running through the forest, Hyuga Yuto calculated the distance.
"It's too dangerous."
Yuto halted his steps, firmly planting them on the tree trunk. In an instant, he went from rapid movement to complete stillness, showcasing his robust and flexible physical abilities.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
Four figures quickly closed in around him, back to back, forming a standard tactical formation.
"What's wrong, Hyuga Yuto? Did you find something?"
A middle-aged man with short hair and an indifferent expression spoke softly.
Yuto nodded.
"Senior Tetsuro, there are traces of shoes in the woods... they seem to belong to a woman."
A gentle breeze blew through the forest, and the other three lower-level ninjas instinctively tightened their grip on their kunai.
The team led by Jounin Sugisaki Tetsuro consisted of one Jounin, one Hyuga Chunin, and three civilian lower-level ninjas, assembled temporarily for reconnaissance during wartime.
"So, are they enemies?" Sugisaki Tetsuro said calmly.
"Well done, Hyuga Yuto. We can bypass them— Never mind, forget it." Sugisaki Tetsuro drew his kunai and ran his finger along its sharp edge.
"Since they can block us at this path's end, they might have set ambushes elsewhere. Let's charge through; we have the Byakugan."
The three lower-level ninjas breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Sugisaki Tetsuro 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 Tetsuro," Yuto said respectfully.
He placed his index and middle fingers together, and held them in front of his nose, forming a "seal."
Chakra almost instantly gathered around his visual nerves. Veins around Yuto's eyes turned greenish, and his faintly blue pupils appeared in the centre of his eyes.
His field of vision suddenly changed, with a peculiar 360-degree perspective unfolding. The flow of chakra, meridians, birds hiding behind trees, wild animals drinking water several kilometers away...
X-ray vision, ultra-long-distance vision, everything was crystal clear under those eyes.
Yuto lowered his hand.
Although activating the Byakugan only required focusing chakra, the members of the Hyuga clan preferred to use various seals to stimulate their spirits, which had become a family habit over time.
Seeing that Yuto was ready, Sugisaki Tetsuro immediately dashed forward, followed closely by Yuto, while the other three lower-level ninjas formed a semicircular formation around them, all five sprinting forward once again.
However, this time, every nerve of theirs was stretched taut.
In Yuto's field of vision, everything became dull black and white, with semi-transparent grass and trees rapidly receding backward. He observed his surroundings at high speed, not missing any suspicious spots.
Finally, during their swift movement, several faint "streams" abruptly appeared in front of Yuto. Those were chakra flowing through meridians!
"Found it..." Yuto breathed out heavily, giving a few subtle signals to his teammates, and finally, he accelerated to reach Sugisaki Tetsuro, who was at the forefront, and informed him of this intelligence.
Although Yuto's speed was fast, after a series of actions, the distance between them and the enemy was less than four hundred meters.
Ninjas living under the shadow of war possessed superior combat skills.
Although the team led by Yuto had not been established for long, they tacitly maintained their speed as if nothing had happened.
Until, the foremost Jounin, Sugisaki Tetsuro, arrived less than twenty meters from the first enemy.
Twenty meters, for a Jounin... was practically a "face-to-face" distance.
Bang!
Yuto's vision blurred for a moment, and when he once again caught sight of Sugisaki Tetsuro's figure, this Jounin had already appeared above the enemy lying in ambush underground.
Sugisaki Tetsuro's kunai plunged into the ground, and with a fierce kick, he released it, simultaneously emitting a scream and blood from the ground.
With the basic Body Flicker Technique combined with Yuto's precise intelligence, he instantly killed one enemy.
However, this Leaf Village Jounin's attack didn't end there.
Ignoring the roars and the sound of air being torn from elsewhere, he calmly formed hand seals.
Although using the soles of his feet to kick the kunai was an unconventional move, this small risk was worth it, as it freed his hands, allowing Sugisaki Tetsuro more time to form seals.
Ox → Monkey → Hare → Rat → Boar → Bird → Ox → Horse...
44 seals were executed accurately.
The Jounin's chakra surged through specific pathways in his body, and at the peak, Sugisaki Tetsuro suddenly opened his mouth.
—Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
Tons of water gushed out from Sugisaki Tetsuro's mouth, forming into water dragons thicker than trees in the air, crashing down to the ground.
Boom...
The enemies under Sugisaki Tetsuro were crushed into blood foam, the massive water flow overturned the ground, toppling trees, and countless chains, explosive tags, and iron hooks were washed away in the distance, traps disappearing under the immense power of Water Release.
Fighting in traps set by the enemy for a long time would be unwise; experienced Sugisaki Tetsuro immediately destroyed the battlefield's terrain.
Yuto and the three lower-level ninjas rushed to Sugisaki Tetsuro's side, ready to fight at any moment.
When the water flow dissipated, and the dust no longer obscured their vision, several ninjas walked over from the opposite direction.
The hearts of the five Leaf Village ninjas sank simultaneously.
The number of enemies was... too many, with six openly walking out, according to ninja customs, there must be at least three hiding in the shadows.
The leading ninja on the enemy's side was a tall man with ancient brown skin, silently walking at the forefront, wearing a headband with the symbol of the Hidden Cloud Village.
After a brief silence, the two groups of people in the dense forest rushed towards each other simultaneously.
There was no communication, not even verbal probing.
In the current year 47 of Konoha, the immense pressure of war loomed over the daimyos of various countries and the leaders of ninja villages, border frictions were constant, and the taut string could snap at any moment, leading to the outbreak of the great ninja world war that would engulf the world.
In the dense forest, ninjas from Konoha and the Hidden Cloud collided. In an instant, lives were lost.
However, no one mourned for their comrades, kunai shimmered with cold light, and dazzling ninjutsu never ceased. They deprived each other of life, colder than the iron in their hands.
—For sufficient, or insufficient, reasons, people sacrificed their lives.
But then again...
That's what it meant to be a ninja.
__________________
Read Chapters Ahead on Patreon!
Patreon.com/MyriadTL
