191-195

Chapter 191: The Boy Who Cried Wolf  

"Still, I’ve learned one thing…" Yugito scanned the group and said, "Having someone like you as an enemy sends chills down my spine. It’s downright despair-inducing!"  

"Even with such a small force, you’re this formidable!"  

"If you had equal numbers, I doubt any hidden village could stop your advance."  

"Honestly, I don’t see a single village standing a chance against you!"  

Hearing this, Zabuza and Kisame Hoshigaki couldn’t help but nod in agreement.  

Kisame grinned, "You’ve convinced me of one thing—there really are freaks of nature in this world."  

"Heh, I can’t wait to see how the shinobi world reacts when news spreads that you’ve taken on all four great villages…"  

"Now that will be entertaining!"  

The others nodded again, sharing Kisame’s amusement.  

"Come on, it’s not that big a deal," Yoru shrugged. "I’m just an ordinary guy who happened to figure out a strategy for fighting at a disadvantage. Don’t make me out to be some genius."  

"Besides, if I had equal numbers, I wouldn’t need to play these mind games—I’d just crush them head-on! Who wants to skulk around when you can overpower them directly?"  

His tone was casual, as if it were all just common sense.  

As for his words? Well, Yugito and the others might’ve believed the latter half.  

But the first part? Yeah, right.  

An ordinary guy? If he was ordinary, then no one in this world was. If every "ordinary" person had his skills, the world would be in chaos!  

"Alright, pass the order—everyone rests for two hours. Then, we strike the Konoha shinobi again."  

The ANBU immediately relayed the command.  

Now, if anyone else had given such an order, there would’ve been backlash. Some might’ve even called the commander an idiot.  

After all, the enemy was right there—they should’ve been on high alert. Ordering a rest? That sounded like madness.  

Only a fool would make such a call.  

But since it came from Yoru? No one questioned it.  

The Kirigakure forces trusted him completely. Even if they didn’t understand the reasoning, they never doubted him.  

There had to be a deeper meaning.  

To them, Yoru was a god of war. His decisions never failed.  

"Are you sure about this?" Yugito frowned. "The enemy’s right there. If they attack while we’re resting, we’ll be wiped out."  

Even though she knew his plan, the order still felt reckless.  

"Relax," Yoru said calmly. "Konoha won’t move for a while. Right now, they’re too busy staying on guard—and that’s exhausting. In about an hour, their vigilance will drop, and they’ll start scouting."  

"But the traps we set along the way will slow them down. By the time they reach us, we’ll be ready to strike again."  

"And until their scouts report back, the main Konoha force won’t budge."  

"So, we’ll have well-rested fighters against an army running on fumes. Even if we’re outnumbered, we’ll drain them even further—mentally and physically."  

"By dawn, they’ll be completely spent, while we’ll still have energy to spare."  

"I’ll admit, their battlefield experience dwarfs mine. But in terms of strategy? I’m not losing to them. Just wait—victory’s coming."  

Yugito studied him for a moment, then smirked. "Such a confident little man."  

With that, she leaned against a tree and closed her eyes to rest.  

Was Yoru’s Judgment Wrong? 

Not at all.  

Back at the Konoha camp, the atmosphere was tense. No one dared relax—but the strain was taking its toll.  

Their nerves were frayed.  

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood guard at the rear, watching for Yoru’s movements.  

Time crawled by.  

Every rustle in the distance made Hiruzen’s frown deepen.  

This uncertainty… it unsettled him.  

One hour passed.  

Then an hour and a half.  

Then two.  

By the two-and-a-half-hour mark, the Konoha forces were visibly worn down.  

Waiting for nothing? It was agony.  

"BANG!" 

A brilliant flare shot into the sky—the signal of an attack.  

Hiruzen’s fatigue vanished instantly. His gaze sharpened like a beast’s.  

"Prepare for battle!"  

ANBU swiftly spread the order.  

The Konoha camp roared to life, their killing intent surging like an unsheathed blade.  

They were ready. If Kirigakure dared attack, they’d make them pay.  

But…  

They waited.  

Ten minutes.  

Twenty.  

Thirty.  

…Not a single enemy appeared.  

No shinobi. Not even a fly.  

Instead, their scouts returned—confused.  

"Where are the enemies?"  

"Was it a false alarm?"  

Even Hiruzen was baffled.  

The scouts had sent the signal—so where was the attack?  

Seeing their equally bewildered faces, Hiruzen’s expression darkened.  

"You’re certain you encountered the enemy? This wasn’t a mistake?"  

"Hokage-sama, we swear on our lives—we saw them!"  

Their conviction was unshakable. No hesitation. No lies.  

"Troublesome," Hiruzen muttered.  

"Shiroi Kōsen is playing ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’—trying to wear down our judgment."  

"That boy… How does a twelve-year-old strategize like this? If his strength alone wasn’t enough, now he’s got this level of cunning?"  

It was one thing for Yoru to be the strongest at his age.  

But to also possess this kind of intellect?  

That was terrifying.  

It meant his potential was limitless—and with an enemy like that lurking in the shadows?  

The entire shinobi world would lose sleep over him.  

Chapter 192: Can We Even Rest Properly?  

"We can’t be sure if he’ll really attack next time!"  

"If this keeps up, our mental state will collapse. It’ll ruin our combat effectiveness!"  

"We need a way to stop this!" The Third Hokage’s face was heavy with worry.  

"Actually, the solution isn’t too hard—divide the troops into shifts so we can respond even if he attacks," Nara Shikaku suggested immediately. "But the real problem is we still don’t know if Yoru has other tricks up his sleeve."  

"Worse, we still can’t track their movements. That’s our biggest issue—it means we’re stuck playing defense!"  

Not knowing the Mist ninja’s location was their greatest disadvantage, the root of their frustration.  

"How the hell does Yoru keep his position hidden while always knowing ours?" Yamanaka Inoichi muttered in frustration.  

Being completely outmaneuvered by Yoru was infuriating.  

"Do they have an insanely powerful sensor-type ninja?" That was the only explanation he could think of.  

"But even the strongest sensors shouldn’t have a range beyond five kilometers!"  

"Then why can’t we find him?" Shikaku’s brow furrowed.  

In his experience, the maximum sensory range was about that distance—and even then, it required multiple elite Hyūga working together. This uncertainty left him deeply unsettled.  

"So, what now? Keep guarding or finally rest?" Inoichi asked.  

The troops were exhausted. If they didn’t rest soon, they’d collapse—many were already at their limit.  

But if they let their guard down, who could guarantee Yoru wouldn’t strike? If he did, they’d be caught off guard, suffering devastating losses—maybe even more than the Third Hokage could afford.  

Hearing the question, Shikaku grimaced, torn between two terrible choices.  

"Is there really no trace of the enemy?" The Third Hokage, noticing Shikaku’s hesitation, turned to Hyūga Hiashi.  

Hiashi sighed. "Nothing. They must be outside our detection range. But if they attack, they’ll have to move in—and once they do, we’ll spot them immediately."  

"Even if the Mist has an elite sensor, they can’t attack from five kilometers away!"  

The other leaders nodded in agreement.  

Hiashi added, "My guess is that ‘super sensor’ is the Mist’s Ao. He has one of our Byakugan. If we get the chance, we must retrieve and destroy it."  

"Ao the Byakugan thief… That makes sense," Shikaku mused. "If he’s using a Byakugan, that would explain their long-range recon and why we can’t track them."  

With that, he made his decision. "Hokage-sama, we should rotate shifts. That way, everyone gets some rest while maintaining maximum alert."  

After a moment’s thought, the Third agreed.  

"Then the watch is in your hands, Hiashi-sama," Shikaku said. Hiashi gave a firm nod.  

When the shift rotation order was announced, the Konoha forces collectively sighed in relief.  

The army split into three groups based on exhaustion levels. Many collapsed into sleep instantly, and soon, the camp echoed with snoring.  

Meanwhile, Far Away… 

"Think you can sleep? Think again."  

Yoru smirked like a demon. "Let’s teach them a lesson."  

For harassment, he didn’t need a full army—just himself and Yugito.  

So, when two-thirds of the Konoha forces were asleep…  

"Raiton: Raijin Tatsu!" (Lightning Release: Falling Thunder Array!)  

Bolts of lightning shot into the sky before crashing down onto the Konoha camp.  

"ENEMY ATTACK!!"  

The entire camp jolted awake—no scouts even needed to sound the alarm.  

But when the sensor teams rushed out… nothing. No enemies in sight.  

Even stranger—they had set up ambush lines beyond their perimeter. Any attacker should’ve been detected.  

Yet, the ambush teams hadn’t seen a single shadow.  

"Are you telling me our ambush units found nothing?" Hiashi demanded, glaring at the squad leaders.  

"Nothing at all."  

And the leader was one of his most trusted elders—no chance of negligence.  

The Nightmare Continues… 

"Enemy attack!" 

"Where?!" 

"Enemy attack!!" 

"Who’s attacking?!" 

"Enemy attack!!" 

"…Is this another false alarm?"  

This cycle repeated all night.  

But no matter how many times they scrambled, Konoha found no trace of the enemy.  

It was like fighting ghosts—attacks came from nowhere, yet never within their detection range.  

By now, rest was impossible. The constant panic left them even more drained than before.  

"Maybe they’re just trying to scare us. If they were really attacking, they’d have done it by now."  

Morale plummeted. Exhaustion made soldiers irritable, straining unity.  

Without the Third Hokage’s personal intervention, the army might’ve collapsed into mutiny.  

The shift system backfired—those who rested were still exhausted, and those on duty were pushed beyond their limits.  

Konoha’s combat readiness was crumbling.  

The worst part? No one had the energy to stay alert anymore. They just wanted to sleep.  

But their captains refused to let them.  

"Why won’t they let us rest? It’s not like the enemy’s actually attacking!"  

"Yeah, with their numbers, they can’t possibly launch a real assault anyway!"  

"What’s the point of guarding if it’s useless? What are the captains even thinking?!"  

Resentment festered. Vigilance waned.  

Chapter 193: The Uneven War  

Faced with this situation, the captains dared not crack down too harshly—they feared pushing these men into outright rebellion.  

The consequence? The defensive perimeter shrank to less than two kilometers, and security forces were reduced by 60%.  

"Heh. Perfect. Just what I wanted."  

Watching from five kilometers away, Yoru couldn’t help but smirk.  

"Dawn’s almost here. Time to end this battle. Yugito, you holding up?"  

Yoru, still brimming with energy, glanced at Yugito beside him.  

"Tch. What do you think? You dragged me out to take over her body—you really think she’s had a chance to rest?"  

The voice that replied wasn’t Yugito’s but a haughty woman’s.  

"Ah, come on, it was an emergency. Thanks, Matatabi," Yoru said with an apologetic grin.  

That’s right—the one currently controlling Yugito’s body was the Two-Tails, Matatabi. The real Yugito was resting in her soul form.  

"Still, you’re way too energetic. After all this time, you’re not even tired?"  

Matatabi clicked her tongue in disbelief. "Whatever. I’m going back to sleep. Good luck out there."  

With that, Yugito’s body slumped cross-legged to the ground, her eyes closing before she leaned limply against a tree.  

A moment later, Yugito stirred, rubbing her eyes. "Is it time?"  

"Yeah. Win or lose, it all comes down to this."  

Yoru’s expression turned serious. Even after exhausting the Konoha forces, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.  

Behind him, the Kirigakure troops roused from their rest, assembling in silence at his back.  

"This is the final battle against Konoha."  

"If we win, we crush the Four Great Shinobi Villages, make our mark on the world, and step into a new era."  

"But if we’re stalled? That’s no different from losing."  

"The Mizukage and Kirigakure could fall. We’d be left as drifters, hunted by every other faction."  

"So this fight? We win. No other option."  

"Everyone—ready?" His voice was low, deadly earnest.  

"One battle to end it all. Victory or death!" The soldiers’ resolve was ironclad.  

"Good. Let’s move out."  

Yoru raised a hand. "Kisame Hoshigaki, Ameyuri Ringo, Yugito—time for another catastrophe-level strike."  

"Heh. Now we’re talking," the three replied with bloodthirsty grins.  

Yoru nodded, then smirked. "Konoha really thought they could hide moving their camp from me?"  

"Their sensor ninja might as well be blind where I’m concerned."  

"Bet they’ll still be clueless when our attack lands."  

Two hours earlier, after another round of harassment, Konoha had secretly relocated.  

But to mask their movements, they’d left their scouts and sensor teams in place—a feint to mislead him into attacking an empty position or walking into a trap.  

No doubt, Nara Shikaku wouldn’t pass up such a golden opportunity to set an ambush.  

Too bad for Konoha—Yoru had tracked their every move.  

"Yugito, you take the first shot." He gestured to her, providing precise coordinates.  

"Bijūdama!!!" 

If there was one attack with unmatched range, it was the Tailed Beast Bomb.  

Yugito might not rival the Ten-Tails’ ability to fire across nations, but hitting a target over five kilometers away? No problem.  

And its speed? Unreal.  

By the time Konoha’s sensors detected the threat and sounded the alarm, it was already too late—the Bijūdama was upon them.  

"Impossible!!"  

Nara Shikaku’s face twisted in shock—not at the attack itself, but at its terrifying accuracy.  

After enduring Kirigakure’s relentless harassment, he’d ordered the camp moved under the cover of unchanged patrols.  

No enemy scouts had spotted them. By all logic, the enemy shouldn’t have known their new location.  

So how?  

"…Could they have sensed us the whole time?"  

A chill ran down his spine.  

But right now, survival took priority.  

"Earth Release users—NOW!"  

The Third Hokage himself took charge, rallying every earth-style ninja.  

"Earth Release: Earth Core!" 

Against a Bijūdama, direct defense was futile. Only the earth itself could shield them.  

A massive sinkhole swallowed the entire camp just as the bomb detonated—  

BOOM!!!  

Thunderous fury. Blinding fire. The earth screamed as the shockwave obliterated everything above.  

Rocks rained down into the pit, forcing another layer of defenses. The night sky turned to day.  

"ENEMY ATTACK!!!"  

The sensor team’s warning was drowned in the chaos.  

"Our turn."  

Kisame grinned. "Let’s ride the tide, boys."  

"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!" 

A tsunami erupted from his mouth, flooding the landscape in an instant.  

The resulting tidal wave surged forward with such force that even Yoru felt a prickle of dread.  

"Go!"  

Once the waters stabilized, the Kirigakure forces—perched atop trees to avoid the flood—leapt into action.  

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!  

Shinobi flashed across the water, charging toward Konoha’s camp.  

Konoha’s Outpost 

"What’s that noise?"  

Hyūga Hiashi stiffened as the ground trembled. A deep, ominous roar grew louder.  

"Wait—this sound…"  

"Byakugan!"  

His eyes flared with veins. Then his face paled.  

"Flash flood! SCATTER!"  

"Signal the Hokage—NOW!"  

His orders came rapid-fire: evacuate and warn the main camp.  

Chapter 194: The Bloody Dawn  

BOOM!  

The flash flood moved too fast—there was no time to sound the alarm.  

Even Hyūga Hiashi’s swift reaction wasn’t enough. The raging waters caught them in an instant.  

One moment, they stood firm. The next—gone.  

Only a few choked screams echoed before silence swallowed them whole. The survivors shuddered.  

"The final hour is here."  

A cold voice cut through the chaos.  

Yoru stood atop the floodwaters like a vengeful god, hands outstretched.  

"Lightning Release: Gratitude Wave!" 

CRACKLE—ZZZT!  

Electricity spiderwebbed across the battlefield, shredding the earth for hundreds of meters.  

"AAAGH—!"  

Konoha shinobi convulsed as lightning seared through them before the torrent dragged them under.  

"Tch."  

The survivors scrambled back, but Yoru’s voice froze their blood.  

"You think I’d let you escape?"  

"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" 

His hands blurred. Razor-thin water jets erupted from the flood, crisscrossing like a net of death.  

THWIP-THWIP-THWIP!  

Bodies jerked as high-pressure streams punched through flesh. Blood geysered. Men collapsed, riddled with holes.  

"RUN!"  

Panic erupted. But where could they go?  

"NO—!"  

Another wave of screams. More corpses hit the mud.  

"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!" 

Hiashi roared, chakra flaring. His spinning barrier deflected the onslaught—  

CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!  

—but the shield shuddered under the assault.  

Yoru flashed in, blade gleaming.  

"Too slow."  

A single slash split the Rotation open.  

"Genjutsu: Paralysis Jutsu!" 

Hiashi’s muscles locked. His mind screamed—  

"MOVE! MOVE!"  

—but the blade was already piercing his chest.  

SCHLICK.  

Blood bloomed. A chop to the neck dropped him like a sack of rice.  

Yoru hauled the unconscious Hyūga leader away, tossing him to Kiri’s ANBU for sealing.  

The few escaped Konoha scouts? Let them run. Their warning flares meant nothing now.  

Konoha Camp 

"Cough—! Damn it…"  

The dust from the Bijūdama cleared. Thanks to the Third Hokage’s quick thinking, casualties were minimal.  

But before they could breathe—  

BOOM.  

The earth quaked. Emergency flares lit the distant sky.  

"BRACE!"  

Sarutobi Hiruzen’s roar sent earth-users slamming hands down.  

"Earth Release: Earth Core!" 

The ground surged upward, forming a fortress-like plateau—just as the tsunami hit.  

CRASH—!  

The floodwaters shattered against the earthen bulwark.  

"Heh. Not bad."  

A voice dripped with amusement.  

Konoha’s forces whirled. Riding the waves—Kiri’s army.  

At the front, Ameyuri Ringo licked her blades.  

"Let’s dance."  

"Lightning Release: Lightning Fang!" 

Her twin swords clashed.  

ZZZAP!  

A storm of lightning rivaling Yoru’s earlier attack rained down.  

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"  

ANBU barriers rose—  

—just as Yoru’s fingers flicked upward.  

"Lightning Release: Thunderfall Array!" 

A bolt lanced into the clouds.  

CRACK-BOOM!  

A pillar of lightning thicker than a tree trunk obliterated the Hokage’s position.  

"GAAH—!"  

Bodies flew. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air.  

"AGAIN!"  

The sky vomited thunder. Konoha’s forces scattered like rats.  

"Now."  

Yoru raised his sword. Behind him, a hundred water clones materialized.  

"Show them hell."  

Yugito’s body erupted in black-red chakra, morphing into a monstrous, two-tailed wraith.  

Yoru? He moved like the wind itself—a flicker of steel, a spray of blood.  

Step. Slash. Dead.  

Konoha shinobi broke ranks, fleeing the reaper in their midst.  

"Run all you want."  

Yoru’s blade hummed.  

"Death’s faster."  

SLASH-SLASH-SLASH!  

Bodies dropped. None could match his speed.  

"WHITE FLASH! YOU WON’T ESCAPE!"  

Hiruzen’s bellow shook the battlefield. From the rubble, the Monkey King’s staff extended—  

"EXTEND!" 

—spearing toward Yoru’s heart.  

The Kiri leader didn’t flinch. His sword met the strike head-on.  

CLANG—!  

Sparks exploded. The shockwave flattened nearby fighters.  

"Water Release: Water Gun!"  

Yoru’s left hand flicked. Bullet-sized droplets shot at Hiruzen’s face.  

The Hokage spun his staff like a propeller, deflecting the shots—  

Chapter 195: What It Means to Be Unrivaled  

"Suiton—!"  

Yoru seized the moment to press his attack, but—  

"Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique)!"  

Nara Shikaku's voice cut through the chaos. A dark shadow slithered toward Yoru’s own, ready to bind him.  

"Pathetic trick!"  

With a single leap, Yoru dodged the creeping shadow and, mid-air, slashed a blade of compressed air straight at Shikaku, forcing him back.  

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu (Partial Expansion Jutsu)!"  

But before Yoru could land, a colossal palm—big enough to crush the air itself—slammed down at him.  

"You think this can—?!"  

Just as he raised his sword to cleave through it, another voice hissed behind him:  

"Shinranshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Disturbance Technique)!"  

A violent psychic force invaded his mind. His body locked up.  

BOOM!  

The giant hand smashed him into the earth with enough force to split the ground.  

"Chōza, MOVE!" The Third Hokage’s command rang out.  

Akimichi Chōza barely had time to leap back before the Sandaime sucked in a breath, his belly swelling with chakra—  

"Katon: Karyū Endan (Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb)!"  

A white-hot inferno erupted from his mouth, roaring toward Yoru’s crater.  

"Shit—!" Yugito’s eyes widened, but before she could move—  

"You’re not interfering." Shikaku’s shadow pinned hers. Sweat beaded on his brow—restraining a Jinchūriki was no easy feat.  

Chōza didn’t waste the opening. His fist, now a massive hammer, hurtled down for the kill.  

"Hmph. You think a half-baked mind jutsu can hold me? BREAK!"  

A tsunami of chakra exploded from Yoru’s body. The sheer pressure made the Sandaime flinch.  

Yamanaka Inoichi gasped, blood trickling from his lips as his technique shattered.  

But even as Yoru broke free, the flames were already upon him—  

Or so it seemed.  

"Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Release: Water Wall)."  

The air itself condensed into a raging torrent, crashing against the fire.  

HISSSSS—!  

Steam engulfed the battlefield, a thick fog swallowing everything within 30 meters.  

"Fall back!" The Sandaime’s order was unnecessary—Shikaku was already retreating.  

No sane man would stay in that mist against Yoru.  

"Raiton: Kangekiha (Lightning Release: Shockwave)!"  

Lightning tore through the fog, lashing at the Sandaime, Chōza, and the others. The Third barely had time to substitute with a log before the bolt struck where he’d stood.  

"Katon: Gōryūka (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire)!"  

The Sandaime emerged from the earth behind Yoru, spewing a fireball the size of a house.  

Yoru dodged—but the moment his feet touched ground, a golden blur shot toward his ribs.  

The Nyoi-bō (Monkey King Staff).  

"This ends now, brat!"  

The air itself warped under the staff’s force—this was the same blow that had repelled the Kyūbi. A direct hit would shatter bones.  

Yet instead of flesh, the staff passed through water.  

Yoru’s body liquefied, reforming instantly as he grabbed the staff and began weaving seals.  

"Kuchiyose: Bakufū no Jutsu (Summoning: Explosion Technique)!"**  

The Sandaime hurled a barrage of explosive kunai. The detonation sent Yoru’s watery form splattering in all directions.  

"What kind of freakish jutsu—?!"  

The Hokage’s shock lasted only a second before he recalled the Nyoi-bō and spat:  

"Katon: Endan (Fire Release: Flame Bullet)!"  

Yoru’s reforming body twisted away, solidifying just in time to raise a hand—  

"Raiton: Raichūheki (Lightning Release: Thunder Pillar Wall)!"  

A hexagonal barrier of lightning crackled to life. The Nyoi-bō recoiled, electricity searing the Sandaime’s hands.  

"Suiton: Suiryūdan (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet)!"  

The Sandaime barely dodged the high-pressure blast. In that split second, Yoru seized control of the fight.  

"Kagemane no—!"  

Shikaku’s shadow lunged again—  

"Do you know what light is?"  

One moment, Yoru stood meters away.  

The next, his breath was on Shikaku’s neck.  

"Huh—?!"  

Shikaku’s blood turned to ice.  

Then—light.  

A flash. A cold sting.  

His vision flooded red.  

To the others, it was simple: Yoru blurred past Shikaku. A geyser of blood erupted from the Nara’s chest.  

"SHIKAKU!"**  

Inoichi, Chōza, and the Sandaime screamed in unison.  

But Yoru was already behind Shikaku, his blade sliding free.  

The Nara collapsed, a pool of crimson spreading beneath him.  

Against Yoru, anyone weaker died in an instant.  

Even a genius like Shikaku.  

No mercy. No hesitation.  

That strike had pierced a vital point.  

Two hours. That’s how long Shikaku had left without immediate aid.  

"YOU BASTARD!"**  

Chōza’s roar shook the battlefield.  

"Baika no Jutsu (Expansion Jutsu)!"  

His body ballooned into a titan. A black staff the size of a tree trunk swung down—