aircannonsinc Chapter 286
Chapter 286
Chapter 286 (Final Chapter)
On the high seas.
While the three Hidden Mist Jonin not far away were still in shock, the thirty-meter-tall water sphere was rapidly shrinking.
Taiichi was manipulating the seawater to drain out quickly. Once the water prison shrank to a certain size, the Hozuki clan ninja would truly have nowhere to escape.
"Damn it, send the signal now! This guy's water-style techniques are beyond our capabilities. Call for backup!"
The shout finally brought the other two to their senses. One of them quickly pulled out a signal flare and fired it into the sky. Then the three of them rushed straight toward Taiyi.
Regardless, the Hozuki family ninjas still need to be rescued, otherwise it will be difficult to explain even if they escape back. Besides, four people are more likely to win than three.
The commotion naturally attracted the attention of Taichi and Hozuki Ninja. Seeing that the enemy's reinforcements were about to arrive, Taichi became somewhat anxious.
For no other reason than that Hyuga Yuuki was in the hands of the other party, Taiichi would be hesitant to make any moves. But he couldn't care less about that now, as he didn't have the ability to maintain such a large water prison under the attack of three Jonin.
His right hand, inserted into the water, slowly clenched into a fist, and from his right hand as the starting point, the seawater slowly froze into ice.
This terrified the Hozuki ninja in the water prison. Ice Release? How could he know Ice Release? This was a perfect counter to his Water Transformation Technique.
The terrified Hozuki ninja was only thinking about escaping. He had originally wanted to bring back a living Hyuga ninja, but now he couldn't think about that anymore.
Blood gushed from Hyuga Yuuki's eyes as Hozuki ninja gouged out his Byakugan. Protecting an eye is easier than protecting a living person.
After having his eyes gouged out, Hyuga Yuuki convulsed violently for a while, and then lost his life shortly after being thrown out of the water beast's body by the Hozuki ninja.
The Hozuki ninja was decisive. After obtaining the Byakugan, he did not hesitate at all and used a secret technique to sacrifice most of his body in exchange for a powerful burst of energy, transforming into a water arrow and breaking free from Taiichi's water prison.
Taiichi's face immediately darkened. Damn Kirigakure ninja, do you really think I can't do anything to you? If I didn't care about Hyuga Yuuki's life or death, I wouldn't let you jump around like this.
Taiichi clenched his right hand tightly, and the huge water sphere, along with Hyuga Yuuki's corpse inside, instantly turned into an ice ball and crashed into the sea.
Immediately afterwards, Taiichi's eyes emitted eerie blue flames, and his Soul Vision was activated, instantly revealing the fleeing soul of the Hozuki ninja.
Taiyi instantly moved forward, gathering a massive amount of Lightning Release chakra in his right hand, and punched the sea surface. The azure lightning surged into the seabed along Taiyi's fist, and even with the seawater spreading it, the area within a radius of two thousand meters immediately turned into an ocean of lightning.
Among them, the water-transformed Hozuki ninja was directly electrocuted by the lightning release, his eyes rolling back as Taiichi controlled the water flow and captured him.
Taiyi grabbed the man by the neck with one hand and searched his body with the other. Soon he found the white eyes that he had gouged out.
Lightning crackled in his hand, and the Hozuki ninja convulsed until he emitted a meaty aroma. Only then did Taiichi fling him away and throw him into the sea.
Only then did the three Hidden Mist Jonin who had come to the rescue arrive, belatedly.
Watching the Hozuki ninja slowly sink into the sea, the three unconsciously swallowed hard, but even so, they did not run away.
They had just clearly seen that the Hozuki ninja, who was focused on escaping, had no chance to struggle against Taichi.
They might as well cheer up; maybe they can hold out until the Hidden Mist's rescue arrives.
Taiyi looked at the three approaching and a wicked smile appeared on his face. He hadn't finished venting his anger yet, so he decided to take it out on them.
He accelerated in an instant, his hands constantly forming hand seals.
Water Release: Water Chaos Waves.
Thin jets of water shot out with each step Taiyi took on the sea, their target the leading Kirigakure Jonin.
The man was sensible; knowing he was no match for him, he didn't dare to confront him head-on. He dodged while forming hand seals, and the water on the sea surged, forming a water dragon that crashed towards Taiyi.
Just as he was about to call on his companions to attack, the other two Jonin turned around and fled without looking back, one to the left and one to the right.
Good heavens, they were just ready to die for each other, determined to hold off Taiyi until reinforcements arrived.
Now, however, he runs without the slightest hesitation.
Their thinking was actually quite simple. Simply running away would indeed result in Taiichi killing them instantly, as they had foreseen beforehand. However, having someone restrain them made a difference; at least a Jonin could still exchange blows with Taiichi.
This amount of time was enough for them to escape a certain distance. In addition, after Taiyi finished off one person, he could only chase after the other one first, which bought them even more time.
Therefore, it seems that at least one of them will be able to escape Taiyi's pursuit.
The idea is wonderful, and normally, this is indeed how things would develop.
However, they seemed to have forgotten that if the difference in strength was too great, even shadow clones could temporarily restrain them.
After Taiichi finished off the enemy in less than a minute, the two Kirigakure Jonin were still within his chakra perception range.
Without much thought, Taiyi created a shadow clone, one to the left and the other to the right, launching a simultaneous pursuit from both sides.
And so, by the time the Konoha ninjas caught up from behind, Taichi had already dealt with the two fleeing Mist Ninjas and turned back to the ball of ice.
At this moment, the group of Hyuga ninjas were helplessly surrounding the ice ball. They had seen through their Byakugan that their elder was frozen inside the ice ball. Although he was dead, they still wanted to take his body back.
"Lord Taiichi, look—" It was Hinata Ryota who stepped forward to speak. He pointed to the huge floating ice ball and looked at Taiichi with a troubled expression.
Taiyi didn't hesitate. He took two steps forward and stood on the ice ball. He touched the ice ball with one hand, activated his chakra, and the huge ice ball immediately changed, quickly turning back into seawater in everyone's eyes.
"It really is Ice Release. Taiichi actually knows Ice Release." A Konoha ninja who came to provide support muttered to himself.
Taiyi didn't take it seriously. With his current strength, it wouldn't matter if people knew he knew Ice Release, but no one dared to cause him trouble at this time.
At this moment, the Hyuga ninja who was examining Hyuga Yuuki's body couldn't help but let out a gasp.
"The elder's eyes are gone!"
Upon hearing this, Ryota and Ryosuke Hyuga's faces immediately darkened. Just as they were about to step forward to check, they heard Taiichi's words behind them.
"Don't bother looking anymore, I've already gotten his eyes back." With that, Taichi took two eyeballs out of his ninja tool pouch and handed them over.
Ryota reached out, carefully took it, checked it to make sure it was correct, and then let out a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the Byakugan was not lost, and Hyuga's bloodline limit was preserved.
"Lord Taiichi, thank you for your help. The Hyuga clan will always remember your kindness."
Ryota bowed deeply to Taichi at a 90-degree angle, and Ryosuke and the other Hyuga ninjas behind him did the same, bowing solemnly at a 90-degree angle to express their gratitude.
"We're all Konoha ninjas, we're all comrades, this is what I should do. It's a pity I still couldn't save Elder Hyuga. That Hozuki ninja killed him while escaping."
Taiyi was a shrewd man; since people were giving him face, he explained in a polite and courteous manner.
"Lord Taiyi, there's no need to blame yourself. It's already a blessing that the clan's disdain hasn't been dispelled. We will also report this matter to the clan."
This sounds a bit strange. It's the Hyuga clan that lost an elder, but now they're the ones comforting Taiichi. Taiichi himself feels embarrassed listening to this.
"Now that things are over, let's hurry back to camp. We also need to report this incident to Lady Tsunade so she can take precautions. I heard that the head of your Hyuga clan has also come to the front lines."
Ryota Hyuga's expression changed immediately upon hearing this. This attack was clearly premeditated, and its purpose was quite clear: to obtain the Byakugan from the Hyuga main family.
Once a precedent is set, there will inevitably be a second one, so the Hyuga clan must take precautions early.
After discussing their plan, the group immediately headed towards the Konoha camp.
Half an hour after they left, another group of people appeared at sea. If Taiichi were here, he would recognize that the leader of this group was none other than the three people, including Suigetsu Hobutsuki, who had escaped earlier.
The group went to the place where the signal had been sent and searched carefully, but found nothing.
It's not their fault. The vast ocean erases any traces. If Taiyi's ice ball were still there, they might have made some discoveries. Unfortunately—
"It seems your cousin's mission failed. Four Jonin died so easily. I wonder if Asuka Mizuki will still call us Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist when she finds out."
Suigetsu Hozuki laughed as he spoke to Hozuki Mugetsu beside him, his tone full of mockery.
"Why bring up that idiot? I clearly warned him before the mission not to underestimate the ninjas of Konoha, but he actually mocked me for being scared out of my wits by Konoha. He really deserves to die."
Suigetsu Hozuki didn't expose Hozuki Mugetsu's hypocrisy, knowing that Mugetsu and his cousin had a good relationship, and was probably just feeling disappointed in him.
Although the war with Konoha was still in its initial probing phase, he inexplicably lost confidence in the battle after his seven-man group was scattered by two Konoha members.
However, he is now powerless and has no say in this battle. He can only take things one step at a time.
Ignoring the infighting within Kirigakure, Taichi and the others returned to their camp and immediately met with Tsunade. Naturally, since this matter involved the Hyuga main family, Hyuga Hiashi was also summoned to listen in.
In fact, Hiashi came to the front line specifically to deal with Hyuga Yuuki.
Yuuki Hyuga's actions on the front lines were naturally reported to him, the clan leader, by the branch family ninjas protecting him.
He didn't think much of it at first, but when Tsunade's letter also arrived in his hands, the situation changed. It was a clear expression of dissatisfaction from the frontline commander.
In her letter, Tsunade stated directly that Hyuga Yuuki had seriously affected her personnel management and hoped that the Hyuga clan leader would transfer him away as soon as possible.
This was the first time since the start of the Third Shinobi World War that the Hyuga clan had been criticized in this way by the frontline commander. There were also members of the main clan on the other three fronts, but they performed very well and cooperated very well with the commanders.
Clearly, this Hyuga Yuuki is one of the most conservative members of the Hyuga family, a minority member who puts family honor above all else, which is why things have come to this point.
Hiashi Hyuga came here to replace Yuuki Hyuga, which would show respect for Tsunade and also take care of Yuuki Hyuga's feelings.
But they were too late. Hyuga Yuuki died at the hands of Kirigakure, and even his Byakugan was almost taken away by Kirigakure.
"Lady Tsunade, Clan Head, that's how it is. In the end, it was Taiichi who took back the Byakugan all by himself."
After finishing his story, Ryota Hinata handed the Byakugan, which he had preserved in a container, to Hiashi Hinata. Now, he just had to wait for his family's punishment.
"How does Hyuga clan leader think this matter should be handled?" Tsunade looked at Hyuga Hiashi, both asking for his opinion and indirectly putting pressure on him. Hyuga Yuuki was a cautionary tale; what should he, as clan leader, do next?
"Lady Tsunade, you are the commander. Now that I'm on the front lines, I will naturally follow your orders."
As for Ryota and the others, although their protection was inadequate, considering that it is wartime, let them atone for their mistakes by performing good deeds. I wonder what Lady Tsunade thinks?
Hiashi Hyuga was considered one of the few enlightened individuals in the Hyuga clan, so he naturally followed Tsunade's wishes at this time.
"Good!" Tsunade clapped her hands, also very happy. With such an understanding Hyuga clan leader, her command of the Hyuga clan members would be much more effective.
"Hiashi, after this incident, you should know how disadvantaged the Hyuga clan is when facing Kirigakure, especially when facing Hozuki ninja who can use water transformation techniques."
"I hope you can restrain your clansmen. Next, I will meet with the Hyuga and Uchiha clans to form a combined force. Only by fully utilizing the strengths of both clans can we deal with the Hidden Mist ninja."
It's no wonder Tsunade was happy. In previous groupings, although most clans cooperated well, the mixed groupings always went very wrong when it involved the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
With the clan leader Fugaku keeping them in check, it's easier to talk to the Uchiha.
Yuuki from the Hyuga clan is a complete kinsman and strongly opposes mixing with the Uchiha clan. With him leading the way, the other Hyuga clan members naturally follow suit.
This is also why Hyuga Yuuki was able to lead a team composed entirely of Hyuga clan members on missions—it was purely his own doing.
Hiashi Hyuga was also a little embarrassed, but as the clan leader, his embarrassment was only momentary. "Don't worry, Lady Tsunade, I will set an example. Please arrange an Uchiha clan member as my teammate."
"Good, Hiashi, you certainly didn't disappoint me."
Tsunade was overjoyed. The conflict between the Uchiha and Hyuga could be resolved, allowing the eastern camp to unleash its full potential. Now it was Konoha's turn to take the initiative.
"Taiichi, haven't you found Kirigakure's camp yet? This isn't going to be fast!"
Taiyi scratched the back of his head, offering no explanation. "Give me two more days, and I'll definitely dig them out."
He had made up his mind; it seemed he would have to use some special methods, otherwise it would be really difficult to find them on this vast ocean.
After the report was finished, Taiichi left the central command tent, and Hyuga Hiashi quickly walked a few steps to catch up with Taiichi.
"What's going on with the Hyuga clan leader?"
Unexpectedly, without saying a word, Hiashi Hyuga immediately bowed deeply.
Then, with a face full of gratitude, he said, "Taiyi, thank you for helping my clan reclaim the Byakugan. After this war is over, please do me the honor of visiting my home so that I can properly entertain you."
Taichi was surprised by Hiashi Hyuga's politeness. After thinking about it, he readily agreed. As a powerful clan in Konoha, although he looked down on some of their clan rules, it was still necessary to maintain a good relationship with them.