76-77

Chapter 76: The Intruders 

"Ahhh—haaa!" A yawn escaped as tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. 

Hagane Kotetsu rubbed his eyes and looked up at the sky. 

The evening glow dyed the sky red, like a slow-moving river of fire threatening to swallow the distant blue sea. 

No matter how beautiful the view is, you get sick of it when you see it every day. 

"Still not time yet? I just wanna go home already." 

Kamizuki Izumo, leaning against Konoha's rust-stained gate, looked up with a single tired eye. His whole posture exuded defeat and weariness. 

Even his mild case of OCD had been cured by the monotonous life of gatekeeping. 

"Five more minutes," Kotetsu replied without hesitation—he’d checked the time just a minute ago. 

"Sigh~" 

Both sighed in unison, raising their heads to appreciate the sunset together. 

Ever since the old gatekeeper retired and disappeared off somewhere to enjoy his days, they’d been stuck covering the job without rotation, all thanks to staff shortages. 

No one knew when this dreary cycle would end. 

"After our shift, how about coming over to my place for drinks and cards?" 

The moment Kotetsu mentioned cards, the sleepiness vanished from his eyes, replaced by a bright gleam. 

Izumo knew his friend all too well. "Drinks are fine, but skip the cards. You lose control once we start, and we end up going too late." 

"It's the weekend tomorrow! What's the big deal?" Kotetsu muttered, clearly itching for a game. 

Izumo tuned him out, solely focused on finishing the shift. 

A game with Kotetsu meant an all-nighter—worse than pulling an extra shift. And with tomorrow off, he wanted nothing more than to relax at home. 

BEEP BEEP BEEP! 

Suddenly. 

The radio on Izumo’s belt began to blare. 

The two exchanged glances and instantly stood up. 

Kotetsu’s drowsy expression sharpened, becoming serious in a flash. 

Izumo straightened, flipped on the comm: 

"Alert! 

Three chakra signatures not registered in our database have breached Konoha’s barrier. All appear to be Jōnin-level. They're about one kilometer from the main gate. Seal the gate and hold them off. 

Reinforcements are on their way and should arrive before the enemy!" 

As the voice from the comm finished, both men fell silent. 

"Main gate here—copy that!" Izumo responded. 

"How long until backup?" he asked, eyes fixed on the horizon, voice hoarse. 

"At least three minutes," Kotetsu answered, his gaze locked ahead. 

At the far end of the dirt road beyond the gate, bathed in the blood-red sunset, three figures streaked toward them, electric light dancing around them like deadly spears. 

Three minutes until help arrived. 

But the enemy was already here. 

Just the two of them—Special Jōnin—were tasked with holding back three full Jōnin for at least three minutes. 

“...Understood.” 

BEEP. 

The comm’s light went dark. 

Two lone figures stood before the gates of Konoha. 

"Izumo, looks like drinks will have to wait." 

"Can’t be helped!" 

"Here we go!" 

"Yeah!" 

And then— 

Blinding lightning came crashing toward them. 

No more words. 

They drew their kunai and charged forward without hesitation, colliding head-on with the incoming storm. 

A furious clash erupted. 

Sparks exploded. 

Torrents of water and raging thunder clashed like wild beasts. 

Behind them— 

Konoha, glowing beneath the setting sun. 

Lights flickered to life in every tower and window. 

At the same time... 

On the other side of Konoha— 

East of Training Ground Zero, beyond the iron fencing... 

KRKKKRKK— 

The sound was like a paper shredder in action. 

Nearly a thousand kikaichū insects crawled over a scroll, devouring its intricate glowing seals within seconds. 

The scroll began to vanish. 

Aburame Shino pushed up his sunglasses with one finger as small, terrifying insects emerged from beneath his eyelids. 

"Is there anything else on her?" 

Hinata activated her Byakugan. 

"Hmm... A big pouch of medical powder in her bag, a whistle in her left pocket, perfume and money in the backpack lining. Outside, she has rations, water, medicine, and some winter clothes. 

Oh! She’s got poison hidden in her back molar. 

And two short daggers tucked in the edges of her boots." 

As Hinata casually listed everything, Sawada Fūka’s face turned darker and darker with each word. 

Byakugan is disgusting... 

No wonder Kumogakure was so obsessed with it. 

This was Fūka’s first time facing a Hyūga directly, and now she finally understood Kumogakure’s desperate desire for the Byakugan. 

Seeing the scroll dissolve in Shino’s hand, despair clouded her eyes. 

She’d failed the mission given to her by Kumogakure and lost three Jōnin in the process. 

Now exposed within Konoha’s grasp, all that awaited her was interrogation by the Anbu and a life sentence. 

She thought of the old man she had thrown into prison—and the miserable fate he met. 

Her jaw tightened. 

She bit down hard, ready to crush the poisoned molar in her mouth. 

BOOM! 

A sudden burst of blinding white light exploded in front of Fūka. 

Hinata and Kiba reflexively shielded their eyes. 

The blinding flash disappeared as quickly as it came. 

And then, through the fading light— 

A towering figure began to emerge, like a massive iron tower. 

CRACK-CRACK 

Blue-violet lightning arced through the air, sketching the outline of a humanoid figure with electric brushstrokes. 

The only one unaffected by the flash—Shino—lifted his gaze to watch the two-meter-tall figure slowly approach. 

Its massive shadow loomed over them. 

Was it... an old man? 

Short silver hair spiked upward like steel needles. 

A massive body, heavier and broader than a mountain. 

Lightning crackled across his skin like a cloak of pure blue chakra. His dark brown skin was covered in rippling muscles that pulsed and writhed like roots of a massive banyan tree. 

By now, Hinata and Kiba had recovered from the flash. 

They stared in horror at the figure now standing in front of Fūka, trembling as they instinctively stepped back. 

No chakra sensing was needed. 

Just looking at the man told them everything. 

They couldn’t beat him. 

"Someone with a dog, bugs, and the Byakugan, huh? This sure brings back memories." 

The old voice of Yorugetsu Yū carried a trace of nostalgia. 

He looked down at the trio with eyes full of mixed feelings. It seemed everything had changed... yet also stayed the same. The only thing lost to time was himself. 

"But… the scroll was destroyed..." 

Kiba's voice trembled. The air around them reeked of danger so strong, it paralyzed him. 

Sometimes... 

Fear can reach such heights that even running away requires courage. 

Expose your back to a monster like this—and you’d be dead in an instant. 

He couldn’t even flee. 

"That was just a location beacon," Yū replied as he rolled his stiff neck. 

Using the Heaven-Sending Technique took a huge toll on the body. Even with his Raiton Chakra Mode, the damage couldn’t be completely nullified. 

But the plan had succeeded—halfway. 

Using a space-time ninjutsu to bypass the barrier’s chakra detection, he infiltrated from the rear before Konoha had a chance to respond. 

The plan was simple: take the Kyūbi and the Byakugan. 

Then blow the bone whistle— 

And summon the elephant bird waiting high above to escape Konoha with everyone. 

That was Kumogakure’s entire mission. 

Yū slowly turned his head, neck muscles creaking as they bulged and sparked with lightning. His glowing eyes locked onto the stunned Sawada Fūka: 

"I’ve seen the Byakugan... 

Now tell me— Where is the Kyūbi Jinchūriki?" 

Chapter 77: Wind and Thunder 

As soon as she heard the words “Byakugan,” Hinata’s mind reacted instinctively. 

So… was she the real target all along? 

She remembered something similar happening when she was a child—when her Byakugan had indirectly caused Neji’s father’s death. And now… how many people would die because of these same eyes? 

Looking at Kiba and Shino beside her, an overwhelming sense of guilt consumed her, like a heavy fog creeping into her soul. 

In contrast, Sawada Fuka, who had narrowly escaped death, looked ahead at the figure crackling with lightning and stood tall, eyes filled with relief: 

“The Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki is with that girl. As for the Byakugan—” she turned her gaze to Hinata, “this young lady from the Hyūga main house… is quite the unexpected bonus.” 

Yoruichi nodded without saying much. 

Kumogakure only needed the Byakugan—the source didn’t matter. That rogue Byakugan user hadn’t revealed themselves, so it was hard to tell if they were real. Hinata, on the other hand, was a sure thing. 

“Summon the Elephant Bird and load her up. If time allows, take all of them.” 

“Yes!” 

Sawada Fuka pulled a bone whistle from her pocket and placed it in her mouth. 

Fweeeee— 

The sharp whistle echoed through the air. 

Zzzzzap— Electricity crackled around Yoruichi. 

Without them realizing, some kikaichū (parasitic insects) had crept up beside him, but were instantly charred black. 

Yoruichi didn’t even glance at Aburame Shino. 

Once he entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the Yoruichi Clan became nearly invincible—not just externally, but even his muscles, organs, and cells were saturated with lightning. 

The Aburame clan’s insect-based jutsu was completely suppressed. Their kikaichū couldn’t even get close, and even if they did make it into his body by chance, the lightning would instantly break them down. 

Their powerful devouring ability was meaningless against such high-voltage power—it would just kill them faster. 

Yoruichi was the ultimate nemesis of the Aburame. 

This had been true since the Warring States Era, and nothing had changed even now. Even if it were Shino’s father standing there instead, the outcome would be the same. 

Moments after the whistle sounded— a massive shadow suddenly loomed overhead. 

The three looked up. 

Bathed in crimson twilight, a giant bird appeared on the horizon. 

Its entire body was gray-brown, resembling a normal bird in shape but so massive it seemed like a thundercloud had taken wing. 

No one could think of any words to describe it. 

The Elephant Bird grew ever larger as it descended. 

Whoooosh! Its massive wings stirred a hurricane through the forest. 

BOOM! 

Its brown-gold claws struck the ground. It flapped its wings twice to ease the impact. 

In an instant, a towering creature now stood among the trees. 

Shino, Kiba, and Hinata stared up at the bird’s dinner-plate-sized golden hawk eyes, throats tightening in fear. 

The Elephant Bird was so massive that even in the open forest, it felt cramped. Its wingspan alone was easily over 20 meters. 

One Yoruichi was already too much for them. And now, they had backup. 

Despair— pure, crushing despair—swallowed the three of them. 

“What do we do, Shino?!” Kiba couldn’t stay calm anymore. 

His family’s Beast Mimicry techniques gave him an intense sense for danger. He could clearly feel how outmatched they were—there wasn’t even a sliver of hope. 

Shino recalled the teachings of the clan elders: 

“When sensory-type ninja are cornered, they must sacrifice themselves to pass on enemy secrets. 

The first technique you learn won’t be attack or defense—it will be transmission. Record everything in your insects. Pass on enemy intel. And finally—trust your comrades!” 

Bzzzz! 

The kikaichū crawled from beneath his shoes, burying themselves in the earth. 

Old men from Kumogakure, a bone whistle, a mysterious woman, a giant bird—the bugs recorded it all, flying from Shino’s body and dispersing like sonic waves. 

Secret Technique: Bug Cry. The only sound made by bugs born in darkness. Not a call for help, nor a wail of sorrow— but a signal, a lifeline for their comrades. 

It was known as the Aburame clan’s final song. 

“Their target is Hinata! Kiba, take her and run! We can’t let them steal the Byakugan!” Shino barked, calm and reliable as ever. 

“But what about you?!” 

Kiba, with Akamaru on his head, stood frozen. 

Shino saw the info-carrying insects resting on Akamaru’s head. Hidden behind his dark glasses, his eyes were both gentle and firm: 

“I’ll always be with you.” 

“None of you are going anywhere!” 

Yoruichi’s body surged with lightning as he strode toward them. 

As they spoke, Sawada Fuka was already on the Elephant Bird’s back. 

“Go—now!!” 

Shino roared, snapping Kiba back to his senses. 

Kiba, eyes red with emotion, shouted and pulled Hinata with him, dashing toward Training Ground Zero. 

If they could just find Kurenai-sensei, maybe—just maybe—they’d survive this. 

Wait for me, Shino! 

Secret Technique: Bug Sphere! 

Seeing his friends flee, Shino unleashed a swarm of bugs from his sleeves, black and dense like a wave of smoke, blocking Yoruichi’s path. 

“Child’s play!” 

Yoruichi barely even glanced at it. Lightning crackled around his body as he charged toward Hinata. 

Zzzzzt! 

Charred bugs rained down. 

Shino poured every ounce of chakra into the Bug Sphere, but it didn’t slow Yoruichi down at all. 

Screech! 

Lightning release chakra condensed, sounding like chirping birds. 

In a flash, Yoruichi was right behind Hinata. His hand, crackling with electricity, shot toward the back of her neck. 

“FANG OVER FANG!!!” 

At the last second, Kiba spun his body violently. 

He yanked Hinata out of the way, dodging the lethal strike. Spinning like a drill, he wrapped Hinata in his cyclone and tried to break through toward Training Ground Zero. 

Yoruichi reached for a kunai infused with lightning release. Instinct told him to throw it—but he held back. 

His mission was to capture her. If he accidentally killed her, the Byakugan would be wasted. 

Even so, Lightning Release speed was leagues beyond Kiba’s. 

In less than a second, a panting Kiba was already blocked by Yoruichi again. 

Meanwhile— Shino had just started gathering chakra. His next batch of bugs hadn’t hatched yet. He couldn’t stop Yoruichi in time. 

Their desperate struggle was meaningless in the face of overwhelming power. 

It’s over. 

Yoruichi’s eyes were cold as lightning surged through his hand, aiming for their heads. 

WHUMMM! 

The air trembled. 

A Vacuum Blade shot out from Training Ground Zero, heading straight for Yoruichi’s back. 

Too fast to dodge. 

BOOM! 

Wind-style chakra collided with lightning, creating an earsplitting blast. 

Whoosh whoosh whoosh! 

Three figures leapt from the forest. One of them formed hand signs, eyes glowing emerald with killing intent. 

It was Kazama-sensei—rushing to help after seeing Hinata’s signal flare. 

“It’s Kazama-sensei!” Kiba shouted with joy. 

Kazama-sensei was the strongest fighter at the academy— they were saved! 

Shino let out a sigh of relief and ran to reunite with Hinata and Kiba. 

ZZZZZT— 

Lightning and gale winds clashed. Wind-style chakra tried to cut into Yoruichi’s back, but only produced a grating, metallic screech—like a saw grinding steel. 

CRACK! 

Yoruichi’s Lightning Armor shone brilliantly. 

Even the powerful Wind Release shattered like glass upon impact. 

Shards of chakra scattered, slicing the ground beneath his feet. 

BOOM! 

Dust erupted, only to be swept away by wind. 

The cloaked elder stood amidst the storm— his back like a beast’s, carved with muscle, wreathed in wind and thunder. 

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