Chapter 163: Yagura: Huh? The Kaguya Clan Fled?

"What?" Kaguya Raizo leaned over to look. On the piece of bark in Hizashi’s hand, the words "Enemies are present" were clearly written. A warning?! He was immediately alert, but then his expression turned slightly strange. Hizashi hadn’t left at all, yet the bark appeared directly in front of him, and judging by its freshness, it must have just been peeled off. Furthermore, the other party could see the situation around his clan’s territory. Space-time ninjutsu? This was one of the most difficult types of ninjutsu to master. In the shinobi world, those who could master such space-time ninjutsu were few and far between, and the fact that this person was lurking nearby without his clan detecting anything was telling. Hizashi quickly explained, "Clan Head Raizo, my companion has no ill intentions." "I know." Kaguya Raizo came back to his senses. He gave Hizashi a deep look. He could be certain that the one hiding in the shadows was an absolute master! Namikaze Minato? Or was it that young genius who has been rising in fame in recent years? Kaguya Raizo couldn’t guess. He thought for a moment and said, "I’ll go slaughter those bugs first, then consider other things." "I’ll go with you. The Byakugan can help you find their hiding places, and..." Hizashi was about to make a move, but then he paused slightly. "It might not be necessary anymore." "Why?" Kaguya Raizo was stunned for a second, then he understood the reason himself. "Your friend... has taken care of the enemies?" "I think so." Hyuga Hizashi nodded. In his Byakugan’s vision, one chakra signature after another was disappearing, and the one moving was doing so at an extremely fast speed, like a phantom. The ultimate Body Flicker Technique, combined with the Flying Thunder God, was truly unpredictable. Even for the Hyuga clan... the Byakugan’s long-range perception sometimes couldn’t keep up with the opponent’s pace. Moreover, even if the eyes could see, the body’s reaction might not be able to follow. Kaguya Raizo was even more astonished. "All of them are taken care of?" "Should be. At least all the ones I can see are dead. There might be some outside my range; he has already gone after them," Hyuga Hizashi said. Kaguya Raizo was silent for a long, long time. Those people were definitely from Kirigakure’s assassination unit, each one an elite among their ninjas, with considerable strength. Even the elite of his Kaguya clan, as warlike and valiant as they were, wouldn’t dare claim to have such an ability. After all, from the time the warning was sent to when Hizashi said they were all dead, only a short while had passed. Such a person could not possibly be unknown. "Namikaze Minato or Ryoho Kyohiko?" The only people he could think of were these two from Konoha. Besides them, no one else should have such an ability. "I don’t know either. He only escorted me to the Land of Water. I just found out he came along as well," Hizashi replied. Raizo was silent for a moment, then said, "Can I meet him? After all, a part of my clan will be going to live in Konoha." After hearing this, Hizashi felt the request was not at all unreasonable; it was very fair. Given the Kaguya clan’s traditions and personality, the attitude Kaguya Raizo had shown so far was already quite amiable and considerate. "Of course... but currently, I have no way to contact him." Hizashi had a bit of a headache. He had Kyohiko’s Flying Thunder God formula, so the other could contact him, but he had no way to contact him back. "This..." Kaguya Raizo fell silent. Hizashi gave a dry laugh. "How about this, I’ll go out and look. Maybe I can find him. Besides, Kyohiko-kun’s perception is also very powerful; he will definitely be able to sense my situation and should come over then." "That’s the only way." Kaguya Raizo nodded. Then, he said sincerely, "Hizashi, I’ve always been straightforward and don’t know how to beat around the bush, but this matter concerns the future of my clansmen." "Rest assured, I will do my best." "Thank you!" --- In the forest, Kyohiko and his wood clones returned from various directions. "Have all the bodies been dealt with?" "There won’t be any problems." The wood clones nodded lightly. After recalling his clones, Kyohiko got the gist of the situation. They had deliberately used Wood Style to imitate the effects of the Shikotsumyaku, and most of the traces of the bodies had been cleaned up. Soon, he sensed Hyuga Hizashi emerging from the Kaguya clan’s territory and heading towards him. The Byakugan was truly useful. But what did Hyuga Hizashi want with him? Had he settled things with the Kaguya clan? Kyohiko pondered for a moment, gathered his chakra, and instantly teleported with the Flying Thunder God. In the woods. Hizashi was tracking Kyohiko’s position when, the next moment, Kyohiko vanished from his sight. Then... "Looking for me?" "!!!" Hyuga Hizashi shuddered. Even though he was mentally prepared, he was still startled. After a few seconds, he calmed down. "Kyohiko, weren’t you waiting in the Land of Fire? Why did you follow me here?" "The situation in the Land of Water has changed beyond my expectations. I wasn’t at ease. And if you succeeded, it would be difficult for you to bring them back alone," Kyohiko said. Hizashi was touched and expressed his thanks, then stated his purpose. The Kaguya clan head wants to see me? Kyohiko was a bit surprised. Then, he glanced at Hizashi, his mouth twitching slightly. "Hizashi-senpai, even the head of the Kaguya clan could see through your disguise?" "Ahem, he has met the family head many times and has some understanding of him, so... alright, I admit I didn’t act well enough," Hizashi gave a helpless smile. He had underestimated Kaguya Raizo. He originally thought that since the Kaguya clan was straightforward, they would be the careless type. He hadn’t expected Kaguya Raizo to be meticulous despite his rough exterior, and see right through him. He then explained the situation. After listening, Kyohiko seemed lost in thought, then smiled. "I understand. You and Hiashi-senpai have different personalities. Although you tried your best to imitate him, there would still be slight differences. Raizo has met Hiashi-senpai several times; it’s not difficult for him to notice something unusual based on intuition." "That’s right." Hizashi was helpless. So, he felt this matter wasn’t his fault. Besides, as the head of the branch family, he had no other choice but to visit the Land of Water in Hiashi’s place. The current situation might even be better for the children’s future lives—if it weren’t for the next generation, why would they fight so hard? Hizashi fell silent. Kyohiko sensed the change in his emotions and changed the subject. "Senpai, you go back first. When you reach the previous location, I’ll use Flying Thunder God to go over." "Alright." --- At the Kaguya clan’s territory. When Kaguya Raizo saw Hyuga Hizashi return alone, he thought Kyohiko was unwilling to see him, and an irrepressible look of disappointment appeared on his face. But not long after, he sensed a fluctuation of chakra. Space-time ninjutsu! In an instant, the person appeared before him. Wearing a mask and Anbu attire, he looked like someone from the Konoha Anbu. However, if the person wasn’t using a transformation jutsu, judging from his build, he shouldn’t be very old, at most twelve or thirteen. A young genius! Kaguya Raizo didn’t dare to be negligent. In the shinobi world, strength speaks, especially for the Kaguya clan, who believe even more in respecting strength. The young man before him was too strong, and more importantly, this concerned his clansmen. He was worthy of respect. "Raizo-senpai." The other party showed him respect, and Kyohiko wasn’t arrogant, but was equally polite. However, their attitudes were still different—Raizo was pleading with Konoha and Kyohiko, so his posture was naturally lower. "Kyohiko-kun, regarding my clansmen, I’ve already discussed it with Hizashi. I just don’t know what Konoha’s attitude is, and also..." He hesitated for a moment. He didn’t know much about Ryoho Kyohiko, only knowing of his existence and having a general idea of his strength. As for whether he was smart, what position he held... he was completely in the dark. "You can trust Kyohiko’s wisdom. He makes the final decision on many matters," Hizashi whispered in his ear. Kyohiko naturally heard it, but being praised for being "smart" by others was still a bit... He chose to pretend he hadn’t heard. After hearing this, Raizo’s eyes widened, needless to say, he was shocked. He had originally thought Kyohiko was at most just powerful, but from Hyuga Hizashi’s words, it seemed Kyohiko also participated in many major decisions. This... a mere boy has such ability! A hint of awkwardness and embarrassment appeared on Raizo’s face. As the head of the Kaguya clan, to have him bow his head and plead with a child... Before this, he definitely would have been unwilling. But the other party was too formidable to be judged as an ordinary child. Besides, only he and Hyuga Hizashi were here; no one else knew of Kyohiko’s arrival. He couldn’t help but feel fortunate. Luckily Kyohiko chose to use Flying Thunder God to come here, otherwise, he really wouldn’t have been able to make up his mind at this moment. "Kyohiko-kun, do you have any suggestions for our clan?" Kaguya Raizo asked in a low voice. Then, he reiterated his thoughts. "The Kaguya clan has lived in the Land of Water for hundreds of years. We have no intention of moving, and most of our clan members would not be willing to leave. Otherwise, our bones would be gone." The Kaguya clan stood on battle, their might known throughout the world. To decide to move the entire clan to Konoha... even if Konoha was willing and dared to take them, most of his clansmen wouldn’t agree. "If Hizashi-senpai and I weren’t here, what would you have done?" Kyohiko asked. Kaguya Raizo smiled. "Of course, we’d fight! Is Kirigakure so great?" Hyuga Hizashi was speechless. Raizo’s thinking was indeed in line with the Kaguya clan’s traditional mindset. What Kirigakure, what Mizukage. We’ll fight first and talk later! From this, it could be seen that they weren’t brainless, just that they preferred to solve problems through battle. Hizashi looked at Kyohiko—he was out of ideas. Kyohiko’s brain was also working. He wasn’t surprised by Kaguya Raizo’s choice at all; after all, in the original timeline, they had charged straight in. Then, they never came back, with only Kimimaro left of the Shikotsumyaku bloodline. The rest were never heard from again. It was a tragedy! However, these stubborn bones were beyond saving. Perhaps... change the way of thinking. Kyohiko’s eyes darted. "Clan Head Raizo, you and the Yuki clan have both become Guardian Shinobi, right?" "Yes, those Daimyo and nobles recently came over talking about some Guardian Shinobi. I don’t understand it, I just know there’s such a thing," Raizo nodded. Kyohiko explained, "Guardian Shinobi are essentially to protect the safety of the Daimyo and nobles. So, what you need to do now is to go to Kyoto with the Yuki clan first." "Go to Kyoto?" Raizo pondered. Two seconds later, he looked up. "Isn’t that running away?" "This isn’t called running away," Kyohiko immediately explained. "This is called fulfilling your duties. Otherwise, why would the Daimyo and nobles give you money?!" Raizo scratched his head. He felt something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. It felt like... the other party was taking advantage of his unwillingness to use his brain, trying to fool him, but it also seemed to make some sense. Hizashi nodded repeatedly. "No need to think too much. Go to Kyoto, get the money to arm yourselves first, so you can fight better, right? Besides, when Kirigakure attacks you, are they really attacking you?" "Aren’t they?" Kaguya Raizo didn’t see the problem. Kirigakure just wanted to fight them! Hizashi said, "This is to deal with the Daimyo! The Daimyo just said he wanted to make you Guardian Shinobi, and they immediately got angry and started monitoring you, wanting to make a move on you. Isn’t this hostility towards the Daimyo?" "..." Kaguya Raizo was straightforward, but not completely stupid. With Hizashi putting it like that, how could he not understand? This was telling him to go to Kyoto and let the Daimyo protect them. This... honestly, he wasn’t very willing in his heart. But Kyohiko added another sentence. "I’ve been to the Yuki clan and gave them the same warning, but their clan doesn’t have many members either." "Then I’ll go try." Raizo didn’t fear battle or death, but he didn’t want his clansmen to go to their deaths. At least—for some of his clansmen, he had to find a way out. After that, if Kirigakure came again, he would fight them to the death! A fierce light flashed in Raizo’s eyes. --- In Kirigakure, Yagura leaned back in his chair, casually picking up documents to approve. Just then, an Anbu ninja appeared in a body flicker. "Mizukage-sama!" "Speak." Yagura didn’t look up, his pen writing steadily. The person said, "The Kaguya clan has fled!" "Huh?" Karatachi Yagura looked up, his youthful, doll-like face showing confusion and shock. His expression... was as if he hadn’t heard clearly. "Say that again." "I went to the Yuki clan to set up surveillance. When I returned, all my subordinates had been killed, and the Kaguya clan had moved out en masse, with great momentum," the Anbu captain said. The air fell silent. Yagura stared at him, motionless. "The Kaguya clan, how could they possibly run? How could they run!" This was the Kaguya clan. Even if the Anbu ninjas were discovered... the Kaguya clan would most likely treat Kirigakure as the enemy and charge towards them. At that time, he could occupy the moral high ground and have something to say to the Daimyo. He had planned it all out. As a result, the plan that was supposed to be a sure thing had taken an unexpected turn. The Kaguya clan had fled! In the past, there were only Kaguya who died in battle, never Kaguya who fled before a fight. That’s why, although the Kaguya clan’s Kekkei Genkai was very powerful, they died one by one on the battlefield, with only a few dozen left now. This was also why Kirigakure didn’t pay much attention to the Kaguya clan. They were too stubborn! If they had listened to orders just a little, the Kaguya clan’s status in Kirigakure would be much higher. And now, after siding with the Daimyo, this bunch had learned to use their brains? Yagura’s mentality crumbled a little, his face flickering between clear and overcast. After a long while, he looked at the Anbu captain. "Where are they now?" "I heard they’ve rendezvoused with the Yuki clan and have sent people to Kyoto. They’ve already arrived in Kyoto, and someone might be there to receive them." ??? Yagura tilted his head and looked at the Anbu captain. Is this something the Yuki and Kaguya clans are capable of doing? His face turned cold. "This isn’t their style. Someone must be pulling the strings from behind." "Then..." "Konoha, it must be Konoha!" Yagura stood up, his tone certain, but his face carried a trace of excitement. He looked at the Anbu captain. "Check for me, who is in charge of the Konoha Anbu now? It feels a bit like Orochimaru’s style, but not quite the same." "Yes, sir!" The Anbu captain instantly disappeared. A slight smile touched Yagura’s lips. "It should be that kid, right? It seems Konoha has produced someone interesting."