The flying dust gradually settled.
Thick and large tree trunks emerged, intertwining with each other and turning the original forest into a mess.
The expressions of the forty Hyuga clan ninjas changed drastically.
Fear naturally welled up like wild weeds.
Wood Release was almost the iconic [Kekkei Genkai] of Konoha Village.
They never thought they would see Wood Release again one day.
No, not only see it, but also experience it firsthand.
For a moment, they were in a daze, as if they were in Genjutsu.
But their immobile bodies reminded them that this was real.
Shimon Hiruko shouted and screamed.
This was in sharp contrast to the silent Hyuga clan.
"Damn it! Lord Tanzo will surely kill you!"
Shimon Hiruko's eyes were bloodshot, looking like a gambler who had lost everything. He didn't want his life to end here.
But he clearly felt his [Chakra] being absorbed by the tree trunks.
"Tanzo?"
Hyuga Kusanosuke's expression suddenly tightened.
He looked at Haruki, who was wearing a mask and dressed as a Cloud Ninja, and calmly asked, "Sir, what do you want?"
"You're quite calm."
Haruki smiled. He knew this person.
He is one of the more outstanding [Jonin] in the Hyuga clan.
"Just wait for me a moment."
Haruki turned to Shimon Hiruko and said, "Shimon Hiruko, your [duties] end here."
"[Duties]? What [duties]? Bastard, let me go right away!"
Shimon Hiruko struggled violently. The loss of [Chakra] made his sense of security fade away.
"The [duties] of being a guide."
Haruki took out a [Kunai].
"What do you want to do?"
Shimon Hiruko trembled all over and shouted angrily, "How dare you kill me? I have a deal with Lord Tanzo. You can't kill me! No! Don't come near me!"
Haruki scratched his ear.
"Do you have to scream like a pig being slaughtered?"
"Space–Time Ninjutsu?!"
Hyuga Kusanosuke was quite shocked. Looking at the place where Shimon Hiruko disappeared, he blurted out.
"Who on earth are you?"
Haruki casually made [Hand Seal]. After a puff of smoke, he turned into Shimon Hiruko.
"I'm Shimon Hiruko."
Hyuga Kusanosuke was stunned for a moment and said in a dull tone, "Do you think I'm blind?"
"With such big [Byakugan], it does seem a bit like it."
"..."
"Enough with the small talk. Let's get down to business."
Haruki pointed at the ninjas hanging on the trees and said, "There are so many of them. They should be worth a fortune, right?"
"Money?" Hyuga Kusanosuke asked in surprise, "You want money?"
Come on, Big bro. You caused such a big commotion just for money?
You should have said so earlier. The Hyuga clan may not be good at other things, but they have plenty of money.
"More or less."
A smile appeared on Haruki's face. "I'll let you go back and tell your clan leader my conditions."
"How much?" Hyuga Kusanosuke let out a sigh of relief. Things that could be solved with money weren't too troublesome.
"A pair of [Byakugan]."
"Absolutely not!" Hyuga Kusanosuke blurted out subconsciously.
"Whether it's possible or not isn't up to you. Think it over. There are forty members of your [branch family] here. Do you think your main family can be so heartless?"
Haruki waved his hand, and the branches on Hyuga Kusanosuke's body untied.
He deliberately raised his voice so that everyone could hear him.
"Well, I guess I'm just out of luck. But I feel sorry for you guys. A bunch of Jonin being treated like dogs, or rather, like discarded trash."
Hyuga Kusanosuke's face suddenly turned extremely pale.
He couldn't imagine what the consequences of this might be.
If the clan head didn't agree... His body trembled. He must agree!
"How can I find you?"
Hyuga Kusanosuke forced himself to calm down.
"Follow this river to its source."
Haruki took out a Kunai and said with a smile, "Do you need me to give you a ride?"
"Thanks."
Hyuga Kusanosuke didn't refuse. Who knew if this guy would change his mind.
"Have a good journey."
Suddenly, Hyuga Kusanosuke felt the world spinning. After a bout of dizziness, he opened his eyes.
The face of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was staring at him.
"The Hokage Rock?"
He couldn't help swallowing hard.
As a Jonin, he had some knowledge of Space–Time Ninjutsu.
Being able to teleport such a long distance not only proved that the jutsu used was of a very high level, but also that the ninja who cast it had an incredibly high amount of Chakra.
Hyuga Kusanosuke suppressed his fear and rushed towards the Hyuga clan.
Haruki took out another Kunai and turned to look at Sakumo Hatake and the others.
"Shimon Hiruko?"
Sakumo Hatake exclaimed in shock when he saw his appearance.
After noticing this forest from afar, their group quickly recognized the Wood Release.
After approaching cautiously, they were surprised to find Shimon Hiruko.
It was as absurd as a failure suddenly growing nine tails and becoming a tailed beast.
"Lord Hatake, you're a bit late."
Haruki shrugged, "As you can see, the cleanup work is already done."
"Why?"
Sakumo Hatake took a deep breath. The Wood Release made him wary. After all, the fame of the First Hokage was well - known to everyone.
"I'm just following orders."
"Whose orders?" Sakumo Hatake pressed on.
However, the next moment, a white light flashed, and the person in front of them seemed to have never existed.
Sakumo Hatake stared wide - eyed. What the hell, he had never heard of this guy before.
He could use both Wood Release and Space–Time Ninjutsu.
"This is gonna be a real headache."
Haruki walked up to Sakumo Hatake with a serious expression. "Forty Hyuga clan ninjas are missing. This is bound to cause a huge stir."
"This matter must be reported to the Hokage."
Sakumo Hatake came to his senses and said, "It's hard to hide what happened today. Sunagakure will definitely take action. I can't leave, so I have to send the Anbu to deliver the message."
"No." Haruki shook his head. "The situation's still up in the air right now. There might be an insider. Let me go. I'm in disguise and also a Medical Ninja. It's normal for me to go back to the village to replenish medicine."
"But..."
"Don't be such a wuss."
Haruki interrupted him. "Moreover, this matter is too big. The Hokage will be more likely to believe me."
"Then be careful." Sakumo Hatake thought for a while and nodded.
"You're in more danger now.
Haruki's eyes twinkled. "I have a suggestion regarding the battle against Sunagakure."
"What's the suggestion?"
"Break the Whole into Parts. Dispatch all the ninja squads separately, hide the Konoha insignia, blend in with the mountains and rivers, and disguise as animals, bandits, civilians, or even Cloud Ninjas or Sand Ninjas."
Seeing a look of confusion on Sakumo Hatake's face, Haruki said with a smile,
"We're weaker than them, so I think there's something wrong with our current way of fighting. There's no need to fight them head - on. Fight when you can win, retreat when you can't, and carry out a harassment strategy."
"This... this method has never been used on a large scale."
Sakumo Hatake was hesitant. What Haruki suggested seemed more like the work of an intelligence team.
"Give it a try. We can't fight them face - to - face right now. Besides, we're ninjas, not samurais."
Haruki patted him on the shoulder. "Do you want to adhere to your samurai spirit and lead to more sacrifices of our comrades?"
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