Bab 168: **Chapter 167: Confrontation**
Blood flowed on the ground.
The nobles hung their heads low, their faces filled with terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
They had gone mad!
They were losing their minds!
Terrifying!
So terrifying!
As they stared at the pile of flesh that was once a noble, the others began to sweat uncontrollably, their faces pale, completely devoid of color.
At that moment, if someone shouted, they might just die from fright.
Just yesterday, they were indulging together in debauchery and lawlessness.
They thought they would live like that forever.
Though dull and uninteresting, they had accepted it.
But who knew?
In the blink of an eye, their companion was torn apart.
At least eighteen pieces. Damn, not even enough to piece back together.
Blood was everywhere—was there even a drop left in the body?
Who wouldn't be scared? Who wouldn't be worried that they might be next?
Did they think about running away?
Wrong!
From the beginning, they never gave up the idea of escape.
But...
Could commoners outrun them? What about the ninjas?
What are ninjas best at?
Assassination, tracking...
And they had so much wealth and power—how could they just leave it all behind?
If they ran, they couldn't take much with them.
So, they stayed, surrendering immediately, hoping that this leader of the Hidden Wood would be merciful.
And what happened?
They were forced to sign that damned declaration.
Could they refuse?
They had no choice! Refusing meant death.
Now, they only hoped that after signing, they'd be allowed to keep their lives.
The nobles were filled with bitterness.
The declaration quickly spread, as expected, causing an uproar.
But!
Those who become leaders of villages are all people of strong will.
The Leaf Village still sent 5,000 ninjas to the Hidden Fire Village.
And.
They arrived in the shortest time possible.
"We didn't go to Ground City; we're heading to the Hidden Fire Village!"
...
The Hidden Fire Village!
At this moment, the entire village had fully entered battle mode.
Itsuki had gone to torment the nobles of the Fire Nation, taking 1,000 ninjas and most of his Anbu force with him.
As for elite fighters, there was only Gekkō Hayate left.
Even though everyone knew Itsuki's strength, the Hidden Fire Village was still concerned. So they had Pakura quietly follow behind him.
Thus!
Shisui took over as acting leader, with Itachi as his secretary.
Fugaku was also in the Hidden Fire Village, though now he was merely the head of the Uchiha clan.
The Uchiha were the top ninja clan in the village, but officially, they were just another ordinary clan.
At least, on the surface!
In addition to them, there was also the Hyūga clan.
No distinction between the main family and the branch family—just Hyūga.
Hyūga Ryūmaru was the clan leader!
These were all top-tier fighters.
Facing the aggressive Leaf ninja forces, they remained unconcerned.
1,000 ninja troops, several Kage-level fighters, and the presence of the Two-Tails—
They couldn't possibly lose!
So when the leaders of the Hidden Fire Village held their meeting, the atmosphere was relaxed.
"Advisor!"
Hyūga Ryūmaru smiled, "The Leaf is trying to take advantage of time, hoping to end the fight before Lord Itsuki can return."
Fugaku chuckled, "They seem to underestimate us."
"Haha!"
Shisui, a bit worried, said, "It doesn't make sense. Five thousand ninjas... The Two-Tails alone could take out half of them with a few Tailed Beast Bombs. What are they thinking?"
"They must have come prepared."
Someone said, "Including countermeasures against Lord Itsuki's Flying Thunder God."
As the strongest village, the Leaf had even absorbed some of the Uzumaki clan's techniques.
Who knows how much they're hiding?
Fugaku shook his head, "I don't believe they can counter the Flying Thunder God, Susanoo, and the Two-Tails all at once. They're neither Hashirama Senju nor Madara Uchiha. What can Sarutobi Hiruzen do? He's nothing."
Eventually, all eyes turned to Shisui.
Itsuki had left, appointing Shisui as his deputy.
He had even directly named him as the village's advisor.
Everyone understood what Itsuki meant.
He had more faith in Itachi Uchiha.
But—
The current situation was unstable!
The Hidden Fire Village had just been established, and there were too many unpredictable factors. Testing Itachi under these circumstances could lead to disaster if something went wrong.
So, Itsuki chose Shisui.
He was Itsuki's older brother!
His strength was also formidable.
While Itsuki was away, the others would give Shisui some respect for Itsuki's sake.
"Itsuki once asked me a question!"
Shisui suddenly said, "He asked if it's right to knowingly walk into danger."
Everyone became interested and asked, "What did you say?"
Shisui shrugged, "I said, unless there's no other choice, why would you willingly walk into danger?"
"Our current situation is the same!"
"If we know the enemy is targeting us for a reason, why should we fight head-on?"
Shisui stood up, "Yugito."
"Yes?"
Yugito smiled.
Itsuki was her brother-in-law, so she also saw Shisui as a brother.
As his only living relative, Shisui held a special place in Itsuki's heart.
Itsuki: *How do I not know this? Where did you get that idea?*
"Use the Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Shisui instructed, "Stand on the wall and keep launching Tailed Beast Bombs at them. Everyone else, switch to defense."
"Understood!"
The group exchanged puzzled looks but complied.
...
The Leaf Village ninjas advanced in a dense fan-shaped formation toward the Hidden Fire Village.
But—
The Hidden Fire Village shut its gates tight, showing no intention of engaging.
Danzo frowned.
This wasn't what he expected!
"Danzo-sama, how should we attack?"
A ninja asked in a deep voice.
The enemy had over a thousand ninjas, including more elite fighters than they did. Storming the village wasn't a good idea.
Danzo opened his mouth to speak.
*Clap!*
From the village walls, Tenzo clapped his hands together.
"Wood Release!"
*Pop! Pop! Pop!*
Trees sprouted up, intertwining.
"Earth Release!"
Several Earth-style Jonin began weaving signs.
Eventually—
A massive platform, a mixture of Wood Release and Earth Release, appeared before them.
Yugito stood atop it.
"Nice view!"
The platform stood taller than the village walls.
It was about 30 meters long and 25 meters wide.
Yugito stood on top, looking down at the Leaf ninjas below.
They, in turn, stared back, bewildered.
Clearly, they didn't understand why a platform suddenly appeared.
A lookout tower?
They were already so close—what use was that?
"Hehe!"
Yugito smiled, her eyes narrowing into slits.
"Meow!"
A sharp cat's cry echoed.
Yugito transformed into the Two-Tails!
"Damn it!"
Danzo reacted quickly, shouting, "Defend! Everyone, prepare your defenses! Special sealing units, get ready! Damn it, they're planning to bombard us with Tailed Beast Bombs!"
As he finished speaking—
Yugito had already gathered a purple-black Tailed Beast Bomb.
"It's coming!"
*Boom!!!*
The Tailed Beast Bomb shot toward the Leaf ninjas.
(End of Chapter)
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone