Naruto: Hyuga Warlord

After Might Duy, radiating a crimson aura, charged into the formation of frenzied Guardian Ninjas and smashed two of them to death one after another, Hyuga Soushu seized this opportunity to break free from encirclement and brutally cut down the immediate enemies!

"Go!"

Without hesitation, Hyuga Soushu gripped Might Duy's shoulders, spotted a gap in the chaos, spun his body with all his might, and flung him clear of the battlefield, warning, "Don't look back. Leave now!"

"Understood!"

Though somewhat reluctant, Might Duy was self-aware—he could already feel a noticeable sense of energy depletion after his earlier burst. Retreating at this moment was indeed the right choice; otherwise, stubbornly staying would only burden his master unnecessarily.

"What should we do?"

The Guardian Ninja who had taken command felt anxious but had no time to adjust their formation. Hyuga Soushu, adhering to the principle of capturing the leader first, was already charging straight toward him!

[Blood Slash!]

Rippling waves of red energy surged outward as the Guardian Ninjas attempting to surround him were knocked back and scattered. Meanwhile, Hyuga Soushu swiftly activated another skill targeting the second Guardian Ninja Leader!

[Power Strike!]

[Jumping Slash!]

Executing a fluid WQ combo sequence, Hyuga Soushu instantly eliminated the second Guardian Ninja Leader!

To intimidate the remaining Guardian Ninjas, he grabbed both shoulders of the headless corpse and tore it apart with brute force—splitting it cleanly in half!

Silence...

As expected, all the Guardian Ninjas froze in shock.

In terms of brutality and ferocity, none among them had ever witnessed such carnage before!

"A bunch of spineless weaklings!"

Hyuga Soushu licked his lips and stepped forward again.

"Yikes!"

The trembling Guardian Ninjas instinctively retreated together.

Hyuga Soushu felt assured inwardly.

Clearly, their fighting spirit had been utterly crushed! Even though dozens remained, they were nothing more than terrified lambs awaiting slaughter!

He quickly glanced at the notification in the System Interface and saw that each defeated enemy granted fifty Coins—an amount equivalent to one-sixth the value of a Jonin!

If he killed enough foes, he'd gather sufficient Coins to synthesize the Rebirth Armor [Guardian Angel]!

Thinking thus, the previously slightly fatigued Hyuga Soushu immediately regained vigor and once again surged forward, injecting chakra as he plunged back into the chaotic group of Guardian Ninjas.

"Hey! Somebody!"

Meanwhile, Might Duy sprinted desperately through the forest, shouting frantically, yet wherever he went remained eerily silent without even a response.

"What's going on?! Where is everyone?!"

Sweat dripped from his forehead as panic set in. Right now, he regretted most not being good at Sensor Ninjutsu, leaving him unable to locate anyone to talk to.

"Wait..."

Suddenly, Might Duy recalled his Earth-element Scroll. If he tore it open, it would mean surrender, and examiners would appear to retrieve him.

Looked at another way, this move could work like an emergency signal!

Thus, Might Duy decisively turned around and reached into his Ninja Tool Pouch for the Earth-element Scroll!

But as his right hand reached back, Might Duy immediately froze!

His hand felt as if it had sliced through empty space—it passed directly through the ninja tool pouch behind his hip without any resistance!

And this sensation was something he'd experienced before—that emptiness during resistance training when Mahiru Uchiha used Genjutsu on him!

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Might Duy abruptly stopped on a thick tree branch. His breathing came fast and ragged, as if he were gasping for every breath—clearly pushed to the edge of his limits.

At the same time, while feigning fatigue by bending forward to catch his breath and steady his pulse, he quickly scanned his surroundings with his eyes and quietly disrupted his internal chakra.

However, this common method for breaking illusions proved useless. Wherever he looked, everything still appeared eerily lifeless, and a sense of unease and surrealism grew stronger within him.

"Hello there, young Genin."

Suddenly, a gentle voice spoke up from behind Might Duy: "Is there anything I can assist you with?"

"Eh?"

Instantly, sweat poured down Might Duy's face. His neck creaked slowly, like a rusted screw, turning around inch by inch.

What met his gaze was an Anbu ninja wearing a mask covered in strange patterns—an unexpectedly kind-looking figure. Though he couldn't see the man's face, something about his presence just screamed gentleness and amicability.

"This feeling is beyond description..."

Even though Might Duy might have been ignorant at times, he knew well enough that his current senses couldn't be trusted!

From what Mahiru Uchiha once mentioned during her occasional Genjutsu resistance training sessions, aside from direct physical pain, all sensory input originating from the mind couldn't be controlled under illusion influence!

Hiss!

With a fierce grimace, Might Duy dug his left fingernails into his own cheek!

Blood instantly flowed from the fresh wound!

At last, his right hand successfully touched the ninja tool pouch behind him!

"But this isn't completely breaking the Genjutsu effect yet."

Though his hand had indeed entered the pouch, upon retrieving an item, Might Duy realized with shock that instead of the Earth-element Scroll, he was holding nothing but a dull training kunai!

That meant his tactile perception remained flawed!

"You truly are a remarkably persistent Genin."

After silently watching Might Duy fruitlessly struggle for quite some time, the masked Anbu finally murmured, "Although in terms of overall Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu balance, you don't even qualify as a decent Genin; from a pure combat capability standpoint alone, you could already rival an experienced Chunin!"

"Honoring me too much," Might Duy grinned, raising the training kunai across his chest into a defensive stance.

Despite being just a Genin, he wasn't stupid—not in the least. In fact, Might Duy's level of insight and awareness surpassed most people's. It's just that, normally, his muscles occupied the majority of his brainpower.

The so-called ANBU operative before him radiated an aura unlike the usual composed and solemn air of standard ANBU members. What he displayed was extreme indifference toward life—both his own and others—as if carrying a decaying, deathly stench.

Might Duy had once heard from his teacher, Hyuga Soushu, that individuals bearing such a decaying aura belonged to Konoha's most detestable group—Root, the dark maggots dwelling in shadows!

Beyond this knowledge, Might Duy was also very certain about one thing: his teacher, Hyuga Soushu, had serious conflicts with these despicable worms lurking in darkness and their leader.

Combined with the Genjutsu trap he'd just fallen into, there was no way Might Duy would ever trust this guy!

"Teacher, I'm afraid I might disappoint you."

Although he still tightly gripped a Kunai in hand and wore a stubborn, unyielding expression, Might Duy's heart grew increasingly heavy.

No matter how confident he was, he knew better than to think he could last more than three moves against a Root ninja who stood there calmly, watching him like a vulture eyeing a helpless chick.

Moreover, the strength of his Eight Gates had completely faded. His entire body ached immensely, and stopping only intensified the exhaustion. If not for this condition, he wouldn't have resorted to using a Kunai—a weapon of little use—in the first place.

But he couldn't collapse!

Might Duy gritted his teeth inwardly, doing everything he could to keep standing and buy time.

"What a predictable green-suited brat."

With a crooked head tilt, the gray-clad Root member chuckled, raising his hand to deliver the killing blow.

"You're one of Jonin Hyuga Soushu's apprentices?"

Suddenly, a voice coldly pierced through from behind the gray-cloaked Root agent.

Though the words were aimed at Might Duy, the Root ninja felt as if hundreds of deadly presences had locked onto every vital spot on his body. One slight movement might trigger an instantaneous thunderous strike.

"Who are you?"

At this moment, Might Duy also noticed the middle-aged Jonin who had suddenly appeared behind the gray-cloaked Root member. Although they'd never met, judging from the Root ninja's wary stance and the new arrival's demeanor, Might Duy sensed that this mysterious Jonin might be on his side!

"I am Jonin Unit Councilor Koryo," the newly arrived Jonin stated, "and a colleague of Jonin Hyuga Soushu."

Koryo kept his gaze locked on the gray-clad Root agent's exposed back. Yet, he turned a calming smile toward Might Duy, who trembled slightly but still clung tightly to his Kunai.

Relief instantly flooded Might Duy's heart, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Then came a series of swift Body Flicker movements—*whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*—as multiple figures surrounded them.

Among them, Might Duy recognized familiar faces—Yamanaka Toshimichi and Mitotou Kousuke, both Jonin he had previously served alongside in the same squad.

"How bold of you!"

Suddenly, the gray-clothed Root agent snickered coldly. With a slight flick of his finger, he used a unique Secret Jutsu to signal his subordinates still hiding nearby.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

In response, twelve more Root ninjas, clad in black robes and wearing eerie masks, appeared in flashes of Body Flicker, encircling Jonin Koryo and the others in retaliation!

"When did worms like you get the nerve to show up here?"

Koryo Jonin remained unfazed, glancing over the twelve Root members encircling him. However, he could find no distinguishing features among them—their bodies and sword stances were identical, as if cloned from a single mold.

Only the Root Division, a place that had stripped its members of all humanity, could produce such lifeless, soulless human weapons!

"Jonin Koryo has misunderstood."

The gray-clad Root member estimated the time and realized that the five-minute concealment window had already passed its two-minute mark. In other words, the battle involving Hyuga Soushu was no longer something they could keep hidden from Konoha's ever-vigilant ninja clans. Therefore, the current top priority was no longer how to eliminate that Branch House Hyuga Jonin who had drawn deadly attention from both the Hokage and the advisory elders.

What mattered most now was how to retreat swiftly with the elite Root forces under his command after missing the chance for a covert withdrawal.

"We arrived only after detecting abnormalities in Death Forest. Please, Jonin Koryo, don't misunderstand us."

The gray-clad Root member raised both hands and showed his empty palms, signaling he bore no intent for combat. At the same time, he quickly gestured with his fingers, ordering the twelve elite Root ninja under his command to withdraw from another direction while he himself stayed behind to stall Koryo and others.

At that moment, the previously silent forest suddenly erupted with an intense chakra surge. The Tower at the forest's heart burst into view like shattered glass, emerging from the genjutsu and barrier jutsu that had concealed it!

"The special barriers left behind by the Sealing Team after their withdrawal have also been completely shattered by the chakra surge."

Even without turning around, the gray-clad Root member knew exactly what was happening on the previously hidden battlefield.

The duration of the special barrier maintained by the Sealing Team outside the core operation relied solely on their chakra reserves. Additionally, given that the Uzumaki Clan, known for their vast amounts of chakra, was nearly extinct, it was already impressive for an ordinary Konoha sealing ninja team to maintain a specialized barrier for five to ten minutes—there was no point in blaming them.

If someone really needed to be made the scapegoat, then those Guardian Ninjas would have to take the blame—after all, they brought it upon themselves by meddling in matters beyond their skill.

"The central Tower has collapsed!"

A somewhat clueless Toshimichi of the Yamanaka Clan cried out excitedly.

Slightly surprised, Jonin Koryo turned his head to gaze into the depths of Death Forest, where the Tower had crumbled and chakra waves kept surging chaotically.

Though the chaotic chakra surges revealed little detail, one thing was certain—Hyuga Soushu's overwhelming and merciless chakra was obliterating everything unchecked!

"You all go and provide support first!"

After hesitating briefly, Jonin Koryo ordered Toshimichi Yamanaka and the other Jonin proctors to rush toward the Tower to reinforce Hyuga Soushu, who was locked in fierce combat.

"Great!"

Meanwhile, Might Duy, unaware of the full situation, was overwhelmed with joy, tears welling up in his eyes. The practice kunai tightly held in his palm quietly slipped from his fingers, and his tense body, previously sustained purely by sheer willpower, immediately relaxed.

"Hey! You brat!"

Koryo Jonin realized the situation was deteriorating. Without hesitation, he abandoned his fixation on the gray-clad Root member—another thorn in his side—and immediately used Body Flicker to catch Might Duy just as he began falling lifelessly from the tree trunk.

The gray-clad Root member didn't hesitate either, immediately activating Body Flicker the moment he felt the threat behind him vanish. He bolted in an empty direction at full speed.

Inside the Hokage Tower's office, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi ended the crystal ball transmission and slowly closed his eyes.

Honestly speaking, aside from Hyuga Soushu unexpectedly managing to completely evade the Iburi clan's assassin ninjas' ambush, the entire plan had proceeded without a hitch.

Even the sheer fighting spirit and courage shown by the Guardian Ninjas were enough to shift how people viewed these so-called elite warriors serving the Daimyo.

But here's the thing: the ninja world is brutal and blood-soaked. There's little room for unnecessary sympathy or empathy.

Bad means bad. Being bad is original sin!

And when someone is both weak yet insists on playing anyway, their fate will be like these Guardian Ninjas right now—slaughtered so thoroughly that they've lost their courage completely.

"Surrender! We surrender!" The Guardian Ninjas squawked like quail as Yamanaka Toshimichi and others arrived on the battlefield. The already demoralized forces instantly deflated like balloons losing air, their last ounce of fighting spirit drained away.

They immediately discarded their weapons and, before Hyuga Soushu and the others could respond, kowtowed begging for mercy.

"Squad Leader Soushu, what should we do?" Mitotou Kousuke cautiously approached Hyuga Soushu with a slightly nervous tone. "May I ask if we can accept their surrender?"

He dared not make this decision for Hyuga Soushu.

Leaving aside his previous feelings of admiration, the sight of Soushu drenched in blood with corpses of Guardian Ninjas littering the ground around him was simply too terrifying.

"Tie them up—first thing." Hyuga Soushu twisted his neck and wiped some of the blood off his face before casually giving the order. "You know, I'm actually quite merciful—I just can't stand watching people beg."

"Understood!"

Mitotou Kousuke immediately signaled to everyone to apprehend these Guardian Ninjas who had voluntarily surrendered. He diligently retrieved a handkerchief from his possession to offer to Soushu for tidying himself up.

"Phew."

After wiping his face clean and removing bone fragments and flesh stuck to his body, Hyuga Soushu once again pulled out the sealing scroll soaked in blood from his ninja tool pouch.

This time, as chakra coursed into it, the sealing scroll immediately released the torch pole weapon stored inside.

[Boom!]

With the heavy sound of the torch pole striking the ground, everyone—including the prisoners—couldn't help but shiver involuntarily.

Hyuga Soushu, wearing an expressionless face, dragged the torch pole and strode toward the Guardian Ninjas who were tightly bound.

He had already mentioned—he was filled with compassion, unable to bear seeing people beg for mercy, let alone suffer through torture.

So what better solution than sending them straight to death?

Besides, their deaths would conveniently earn him sufficient coins to further enhance his strength!

"Squad Leader Soushu..."

Although Mitotou Kousuke and others felt uneasy about what was happening, seeing the torch pole reflecting cold light in Soushu's hands made them decide to be wise individuals who recognized the situation for what it was.

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>