Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 23 Overwhelming Battle

The convoy from Hidden Cloud Village sped along the wide dirt road, its wheels crunching over gravel and kicking up clouds of dust.

Zrui sat in the foremost carriage, his fingers tapping incessantly on his knees, his brow furrowed. As the Jonin in charge of this operation, his mood was even heavier than when he arrived.

In the end, I still couldn't obtain the complete Byakugan bloodline limit...

Recalling the hypocritical faces of Konoha's high-ranking officials at the negotiating table, Zruid couldn't help but grit his teeth. They certainly knew the true purpose of Kumogakure, yet they still put on a show.

He said it was "for peace," but then he turned around and wanted to execute the Hyuga branch family before handing them over... If he hadn't brought up the excuse that "Lord Raikage wants to personally judge the murderer," he probably wouldn't have even been able to bring back this living Hyuga clan member.

The carriage jolted slightly, and Zruid's gaze involuntarily drifted to the back—there was a specially made prison cart there, inside which Hyuga Hizashi was imprisoned with his eyes covered.

This is the first time someone has obtained a Byakugan in perfect condition.

In past wars, the Hyuga main family was protected impenetrably, while any branch family member captured would be immediately executed by the main family using the Caged Bird Seal. Bringing back a live specimen this time is an unprecedented breakthrough.

At the negotiating table, he had already issued a warning to Konoha—that no one should execute "sinners" without authorization. Although this was just a formality, he was genuinely worried that Konoha might do something underhanded.

As long as I return to Kumogakure...

A glint of fanaticism flashed in his eyes. The village scientists had long coveted the white-eyed bird; if they could unravel the mystery of the caged bird through human experiments, or even find a way to transplant white-eyed birds…

Lord Raikage will definitely...

Suddenly, the carriage jerked to a halt, interrupting Zruid's thoughts. "What's going on?" he shouted, yanking open the curtain.

"Lord Zruid! Something unexpected has happened! It might be an enemy attack!"

The urgent shouts of the Cloud Village ninja made Zruid frown. An enemy attack? On this plain? Bandits and mountain thieves would never dare attack a regular Cloud Village convoy, and if it were ninjas from other villages...

Don't they know that this is tantamount to declaring war on the Hidden Cloud Village?

They jumped off the carriage, and the caravan had come to a complete stop. All the Cloud Village ninjas were in battle mode, with kunai and shuriken in their hands.

Following the crowd's gaze, in the very center of the road, stood a figure draped in a black robe and wearing a fox mask. Sunlight cast a cold halo on the mask, obscuring the expression beneath.

They seem to have ill intentions...

Zruid's hand unconsciously reached for the ninja sword on his back, but he quickly let go. The most important task now was to safely deliver the Byakugan back to Kumogakure; there was no need to create unnecessary trouble.

"Who's up ahead?" He stepped forward and shouted in a loud voice, "This is the convoy of the Hidden Cloud Village delegation! No matter which village you're from, this is tantamount to declaring war on the Hidden Cloud Village!"

The man in black robes did not answer, but slowly raised his hands and began to form hand seals. As he moved, the cloak behind him suddenly moved without wind, fluttering loudly.

"Nine-faced Suvaha."

A deep voice echoed across the plains. With each word uttered, a corresponding gigantic character appeared in the air, shimmering with a ghostly blue light.

"Blue, White, Vermilion, Black, Void, South, North, Three Jade."

The nine characters formed a massive array in the air, radiating a suffocating chakra aura. The Cloud Village ninjas unconsciously took a few steps back.

"Nine-faced Beast!"

At the command of the man in black robes, nine enormous spirit beasts of various shapes roared forth from the formation. Each one exuded a terrifying aura. These spirit beasts lined up neatly on either side of the man in black robes, completely blocking the entire road.

The man in black robes slowly raised one hand and pointed towards the prison cart.

"My request is very simple."

The voice coming from behind the mask was cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Hand over the power of the Byakugan."

Zruid's face instantly darkened, veins bulging on his forehead. His eyes were fixed on the black-robed, masked figure ahead, his mind racing through information on the strongest ninjas from the various villages of the ninja world—a ninja capable of summoning nine different summoning beasts simultaneously? Unheard of!

Which village is this guy from?

But now was not the time to think. As a seasoned Jonin of Kumogakure, Zruid acted decisively, his right hand flashing out. "Everyone! Attack with full force!"

His hands instantly formed hand seals, his chest bulging high: "Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

"boom--!"

A blinding beam of lightning shot from his mouth, heading straight for the black-robed man's chest. Almost simultaneously, the surrounding Cloud Village ninjas began forming hand seals.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"

"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"

"Lightning Release: Lightning Thousand Bones!"

Dozens of lightning-fast ninjutsu, crackling with blue and white electricity, attacked from all directions, completely enveloping the location of the black-robed man. The blinding lightning illuminated the entire plain, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of ozone.

However— "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of dull thuds rang out. What happened next left all the Cloud Village ninja speechless: those lightning release ninjutsu, powerful enough to blast rocks into dust, vanished without a trace just meters away from the black-robed man, as if they had hit an invisible wall. After exploding with dazzling sparks, they all disappeared without a trace!

"I see..."

A deep voice came from beneath the mask, tinged with a playful sigh.

"You chose to take action when faced with demands? Completely abandoning the possibility of negotiation... I salute your loyalty to the village..."

"Now...crush them!"

Nine enormous figures shot towards the Cloud Hidden camp like arrows released from a bow. The ground trembled beneath their feet.

"Protect the White Eyes!" Zruid roared hoarsely, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He stared intently at the charging Nine-Headed Beast, his hands rapidly forming hand seals in preparation for a counterattack—

"Hey, look here."

A cold voice suddenly rang in his ear. Zruid's hair stood on end, and he whirled around to find the eerie fox mask right in front of him!

When?!

"Your place...!"

Zruid's hand had just touched the dagger on his back when a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. His eyes widened as his body flew backward like a rag doll, tracing an arc through the air.

"Lord Zrui!"

The terrified cries of the subordinates echoed from afar, but were quickly drowned out by the roar of the Nine-Faced Beast. The Cloud Village ninjas hastily prepared for battle, only to be easily crushed like ants—an elite Jonin-level summoning beast against ordinary ninjas was a one-sided massacre.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Zrui struggled to get up, a metallic taste rising in his throat. But before he could even prop himself up, a hand pressed down on the back of his neck, shoving him firmly into the ground.

How is that possible?!

Zruid's pupils contracted sharply. As an elite Jonin of Kumogakure, his taijutsu skills were among the best in the village, yet he was being completely overwhelmed?!

"You bastard..." He struggled to turn his eyes, trying to make out the person pressing down on him, "Who exactly is this?!"