Naruto: Hyuga Warlord

"Honorable Soushu?"

Dazed, Hyuga Soushu heard a wavering, faint voice by his ear: "Just relax, Soushu-sama. Close your eyes for a moment and everything will feel much better."

The hypnotic voice, combined with an overwhelming sense of fatigue rising from deep within his body, made Soushu's head feel heavier and heavier. His eyelids drooped heavily, trembling as if trying to stay open.

In fact, Soushu even felt this was simply a natural bodily reaction. If not for the System Interface flashing urgent red warnings, Soushu might have given in to the drowsiness and fallen asleep right there.

"Oh right, what was your Anbu code name again?"

With one hand braced against the surveillance console and the other pressing hard against his temples, Soushu didn't turn around, but his Byakugan had already activated and locked onto the Anbu Communications Officer standing merely a step away.

"Ah, Honorable Soushu, you must be very tired. Why don't you stop worrying about these trivial matters and rest properly first?"

The Anbu officer's voice carried a hypnotic charm, drawing Soushu deeper into a trance, intensifying his drowsiness.

"Genjutsu."

Soushu took a sharp breath, hoping the cold air would clear his mind — but it only made the dizziness worse.

"Or perhaps some special secret medicinal potion?"

If he still couldn't realize he'd been secretly attacked now, Soushu might as well just die.

"How about a combination of both genjutsu and secret medicine?"

The Anbu officer's voice grew stranger by the second. Instead of stepping closer, he began retreating slowly back to his original spot in the corner.

"Is that so? Remarkable genjutsu and secret medicine indeed!"

Soushu tried reaching behind his back into his ninja tool pouch for the antidote pill stored inside, but his hand flailed through empty space for quite some time without ever finding the pouch fastened tightly against his hip bone.

"Of course. After all, it's a gift from the Daimyo's court — to none other than the mighty and revered Honorable Soushu."

A chilling giggle echoed unnaturally through the room, shifting between male and female tones like a phantom moving through the shadows.

Under this strange auditory assault, Soushu's sense of impending unconsciousness intensified rapidly.

"Hmph. You're still not making your move yet?"

Soushu ceased his futile search, his voice beginning to deepen: "So it seems you belong to the Daimyo's Guardian Ninjas!"

A low, eerie laughter filled the air...

The figure of the enigmatic Anbu officer suddenly scattered like ashes caught in a gentle breeze, dispersing upward from below. These swirling ashes transformed into several gray whirlwinds hurtling straight toward Soushu.

"I used to read ninja novels—I never understood why the villains always talked so much."

Although his lower body had completely turned to ashes, the Anbu Communications Officer's voice continued echoing: "But now I get it—it's all about buying time. After all, both Secret Medicinal Potions and Genjutsu need time to take effect."

"Especially when facing a formidable opponent like Hyuga Soushu, one must invest countless efforts just to stand a chance!"

"But thankfully, perseverance pays off. The illustrious rising star of Konoha's Martial Faction will fall into my hands today!"

"Oh right, you probably don't know how much your head is worth on the black market?"

"Actually I don't. May I ask how much it is worth?"

Hyuga Soushu suddenly straightened his posture, and his voice started becoming clear.

"Well, it's a pretty big bounty. But wait—what's going on?!" 

The arrogant Anbu Communications Officer was about to answer when he suddenly sensed something wrong!

Looking up, he noticed that Hyuga Soushu's body still seemed unable to stop trembling. Instantly relaxing, he reassured himself.

"So it's just bluffing! You really scared me for a moment there!"

From the physical features displayed by Hyuga Soushu, although he seemed to have suppressed the effects of both genjutsu and secret potion through some chakra manipulation techniques, he hadn't completely broken free yet. Therefore, he should still be under control.

"Fine, no need to imitate those brainless villains anymore."

Chuckling ominously, the Anbu Communications Officer whose lower body had entirely dispersed into ash began slowly forming hand seals with his remaining upper body, preparing to finish the job quickly and enjoyably with a Secret Jutsu.

"From this day forward, no one in the Ninja World will dare look down on our glorious Iburi Clan again!"

As the deadly genjutsu neared completion against a famous Jonin, the Anbu Communications Officer couldn't contain his excitement, even revealing his previously concealed true identity!

"Iburi? That clan capable of turning their entire bodies into smoke?"

Hyuga Soushu asked again, "Do you really think you can continue living within the Land of Fire, or even the Ninja World, after offending the Hyuga Clan?"

"Heh! This is the Daimyo's decree. Even the Hokage of Konoha cannot defy it!"

As the final seal completed, the remaining upper half of the Anbu Communications Officer transformed into smoke, forming a small gray whirlwind rushing toward Hyuga Soushu.

[Purify!]

Hyuga Soushu inhaled deeply once more, silently activating the summoner skill he had long been readying!

As a glow only visible to himself flickered, all discomfort from his body vanished instantly!

"What?!"

The Iburi ninja disguised as an Anbu officer who originally believed victory was certain suddenly felt as if struck by lightning. His smoky form attempting to infiltrate Soushu's body abruptly froze mid-air!

Then, his previously semi-vaporized upper body gradually solidified, taking on the texture of living flesh!

Yet for an Iburi ninja with special abilities, this was pure catastrophe. Especially while performing the clan's signature secret technique, this reversal caused immediate backlash upon his physical form!

"No no no!"

"This is impossible!"

The Iburi ninja let out a cry of horror.

It made no sense at all!

How could someone possibly dispel the Iburi Clan's most advanced secret assassination technique—one that incorporated the pinnacle of illusion arts from the Fire Daimyo's guardian ninjas—in just a single breath?

This was neither Ninjutsu nor related to Chakra! It was simply beyond comprehension!

"What's so impossible about it?"

Hyuga Soushu raised his hand, gathering Chakra in his palm using the Gentle Fist technique, aiming directly at the Iburi ninja who had restored his upper torso. "I wonder, when your upper body gets destroyed like this, will you vanish into thin air—or scatter into a bloody storm?"

"No! Honorable—"

*Puff!*

Before the terrified Iburi ninja could finish speaking, Hyuga Soushu unleashed a blast of Chakra, turning him instantly into a pulp of flesh and blood.

Somewhat unexpectedly, his semi-levitating physical form exploded into a crimson burst across the sky like shrapnel from a blood-soaked bomb, then transformed midair into streams of black smoke that vanished without a trace.

Though eerie, that kind of death fit the Iburi Clan's traits perfectly—they were known to fear Wind Release techniques.

"Your clan has already invited its own doom."

Hyuga Soushu muttered a declaration that nobody would hear.

From his Byakugan perspective, dozens of figures were now rapidly approaching the central tower in the Death Forest where he stood. Although they tried hard to suppress their chakra presence, each individual's chakra aura was at least as solid and refined as those Special Jonin renowned for their jutsu skills.

"Hmph."

Soushu took a deep breath and pressed on his microphone and earpiece.

As expected, both had stopped functioning!

This wasn't just the Daimyo's Guardian Ninjas using the Chunin Exams as cover—someone in Konoha was behind this too, or else these devices wouldn't have been so easily jammed.

If the communications equipment of a major ninja village were truly this easy to infiltrate, then where was the secrecy? Where was the security?

Furthermore, communication equipment was linked to internal units like the Sealing Team and Barrier Unit—these were deeply tied to the Senju bloodline and passed down strictly through the Hokage line—outsiders had almost no chance of interfering.

Hyuga Soushu pulled out a sealing scroll from the scroll pouch strapped across his chest, intending to unseal and deploy the torch pole weapon stored inside as a means of defense.

But just as expected, once he unfurled the scroll, nothing happened at all—as if the sealing characters inscribed on it were either fake or had somehow become ineffective.

"So they're really set on killing me!"

Hyuga Soushu grinned bitterly, his killing intent growing even sharper.

He still couldn't understand it—what had he done besides being arrogant, disrespectful toward superiors, and defiant of authority on multiple occasions? At most, those were the crimes he'd committed. Thinking carefully, none of that should amount to a capital offense. Why did everyone keep targeting him like this, treating him as someone unworthy of life itself?!

"Danzo! This has got to be Danzo's doing!"

Hyuga Soushu easily shifted the blame onto Danzo, following the fundamental principle that whenever something goes wrong, it must be Danzo's fault. After all, even if he personally came out unscathed afterward, it was likely that Darkness Maggot (the one often blamed) would end up taking the fall anyway. So why not pin everything on him now and get him used to taking the blame?

"?! What?!"

For Danzo, who was hiding in the shadows and eavesdropping through an archaic wire transmission device, his immediate reaction upon hearing Hyuga Soushu's fierce accusation was sheer shock!

How could this be possible?!

Given how carefully his Root Division and the Daimyo's Guardian Ninjas always acted, there was no way they could've been discovered so soon with solid evidence, right?

But then he quickly reconsidered.

"There's got to be a trick here!"

Danzo smashed the eavesdropping tube to the ground furiously, cursing, "Dares to frame me openly?! That brat has signed his own death warrant!"

Whether Soushu had deduced the truth from existing clues or was simply making false accusations didn't matter—one thing was certain: Danzo would definitely play a major role in what happened next!

Furthermore, regardless of whether Soushu lived or died afterward, the various ninja clans of Konoha would surely seize this opportunity to target Danzo. So instead of hesitating, better to make a firm decision now—abandon any hope of capturing him alive and go all-out to ensure no witness remains behind!

"Honorable Danzo, shall we take action?"

A gray figure silently emerged from behind him.

"Not yet. Let us first see what these guests from the Daimyo's court are capable of."

Danzo hesitated briefly but shook his head.

The idea of cooperating with a group of daimyo's directly commanded ninja forces, who held opposing views against him, just to deal with a single Konoha Jonin still felt slightly unacceptable deep down.

Of course, only slightly—this wouldn't hinder his intent to kill Soushu in the slightest.

"Based on current conditions, it seems Jonin Soushu has already neutralized the effects of the Iburi Clan's secret jutsu through some unusual method."

The cloaked subordinate from Root reminded him cautiously.

"I know."

That very fact was what troubled Danzo the most.

In the entire operation plan, the Iburi ninja—who possessed the ability to transform into mist and infiltrate another person's body to control them—were a crucial component. Whether or not they fully succeeded in controlling Hyuga Soushu, their impact would be significant.

Even without full control, causing some sort of interference should have been enough!

But now, this individual—the strongest living member of the Iburi Clan, the sole inheritor of their secret techniques, and a master assassin who'd integrated illusion techniques—had perished under Soushu's bizarre and unexpected methods, reduced to nothing but ashes and scattered remains.

"Is the Sealing Team still maintaining the barrier formation?"

Danzo suddenly asked.

"Yes. All sealing scrolls and space-time ninjutsu have been completely locked down, ensuring they remain unusable!"

The cloaked Root subordinate answered immediately: "Also, we clearly observed earlier that when Hyūga Sōshu tore open the sealing scroll, nothing happened. This confirms that the sealing barrier is indeed effective!"

"That should be manageable."

A hint of unease crept into Danzo's mind, but he ultimately held back from intervening personally or directly sending Root ninja. "Also, have the Body Disposal Squad's special handling unit ready. They must erase all traces of battle within one minute after the fight ends!"

"If we count this, the Guardian Ninjas must finish their battle within nine minutes."

A gray-clad Root member figured the timing.

"No, there're only seven minutes left."

Danzo shook his head and picked up the fallen listening device from the ground, placing it against his ear to continue eavesdropping on the Tower monitoring room's sounds while saying, "If they act fast enough, five minutes should do it!"

"Then, shall I make some extra preparations?"

The gray-clad Root member asked subtly.

"Prepare eight squads. Afterward, be sure to eliminate those Guardian Ninjas completely without leaving any trace of trouble."

Danzo made a downward cutting hand gesture.

The gray-clad Root member immediately understood, bowed respectfully, then promptly stepped back to begin making arrangements.

Although those vengeful Guardian Ninjas, eager for retribution, were secretly invited by Danzo himself; although the secret medicinal potion used by Iburi Ninja also bore Root's contribution; even the current Sealing Technique barrier resulted from his temporary command over the Sealing Team squad—regardless of Danzo's numerous misdeeds, deep inside he believed himself to be a good Konoha ninja.

So whether it's for duty or revenge, those who killed Konoha's ninja must not be allowed to live!

"Just one final step remaining."

Danzo quietly listened to the static coming through the receiver, filled with anticipation.

He didn't believe that Hyuga Soushu could still perform at full capacity after breaking free from both the effects of the Secret Jutsu and the Genjutsu. Furthermore, with the Sealing Team's barrier blocking all Space–Time Ninjutsu usage, his nearly short-range [Flying Thunder God] technique certainly wouldn't work either!

In that case, was Hyuga Soushu actually capable of breaking through an encirclement formed by dozens of Guardian Ninjas?

He didn't believe a word of it!

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

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

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