CHAPTER 24 - Iwa Nin

Following the map's guidance, Hyuga Mirai and Kurenai Yuhi carefully arrived at the Konoha intelligence gathering outpost. When they were about 1.5 kilometers away, Hyuga Mirai immediately activated his Byakugan.

"Four of them, their chakra levels exceed yours by quite a bit, Kurenai."

"Mirai-kun!" Kurenai Yuhi puffed her cheeks in displeasure, glaring at Hyuga Mirai. However, the next moment, she remembered what Akimichi Fuu had said.

"Four? Mirai-kun, shouldn't there only be three people at an intelligence outpost?"

Hyuga Mirai nodded, responding, "That's right. So, there's a good chance half of them are enemies. Kurenai, you stay here and keep an eye on things. Go inform the captain right away."

With his Byakugan, he could monitor the situation from afar, making it the best option to have Kurenai Yuhi follow the markers Akimichi Fuu had left behind to report. As for tracking the markers, they had practiced that plenty of times at the Ninja Academy.

"Then you be careful, Mirai-kun," Kurenai Yuhi said, her expression softening slightly.

"Don't worry. Hurry and be discreet so you don't get spotted."

Kurenai Yuhi nodded in understanding before turning to head back, looking for the markers Akimichi Fuu had left behind.

Meanwhile, Hyuga Mirai kept his Byakugan activated, closely observing the four individuals at the outpost. 

The Byakugan of the Hyuga clan was known for its powerful capabilities, with distant vision being just one of its abilities. The Byakugan could also see through obstacles, and although Hyuga Mirai wasn't particularly strong yet, if he were a member of the Hyuga Clan's main house, he might have been able to clearly see the faces of those at the outpost from a distance of 1.5 kilometers. However, achieving that level of clarity would be difficult, even for the elite Jonin.

The further the distance, the weaker the Byakugan's abilities. Within fifty meters, Hyuga Mirai could see the characters on a scroll through a wall. But at a distance of 1.5 kilometers, he could only make out the chakra signatures of four human-shaped figures and could barely make out their meridians.

"The Sharingan is the ultimate expression of Yin Release, so the Byakugan, being one of the three great ocular jutsu, must have something to do with Yin Release as well. If I use Yang Release chakra to nourish my Byakugan, it might enhance its limits."

Hyuga Mirai silently thought to himself. While this was merely a hypothesis and had not been tested, he figured that nourishing the Byakugan with Yang Release chakra probably wouldn't harm him.

"Let's give it a try."

Hyuga Mirai immediately formed the necessary hand signs and began channeling Yang Release chakra into his body. With his precise chakra control, he guided the Yang chakra through the meridians and pressure points around his eyes.

Soon, he felt his eyes being enveloped by a gentle warmth, and the sensation coming from his eyes was incredibly soothing.

"Let's see how far I can push the Byakugan."

Hyuga Mirai looked up, and the lines around his eyes had faded considerably, no longer as harsh as they had been when he first activated the Byakugan.

"This is further than before, probably around three kilometers. I didn't expect Yang Release chakra to really enhance the Byakugan. It feels great, like a warm bath."

A slight smile curled at the corner of his lips as he thought. He could already tell that regularly using Yang Release chakra around the eyes would benefit his Byakugan greatly.

The Yang Release chakra not only improved his Byakugan's ability to see further, but it also allowed Hyuga Mirai to barely make out the faces of the four individuals at the outpost.

"Indeed, they're Iwa Nin. It looks like they've already taken out the intelligence gathering team."

All four wore the Iwa village headbands, but Hyuga Mirai didn't see any bodies of Konoha ninjas. After observing for a while, he deactivated his Byakugan. 

It was quite draining; around five minutes of use was equivalent to casting a powerful ninjutsu. Even a Chunin wouldn't be able to last long. 

Moreover, within the Hyuga clan, those with slightly better talent usually focused on refining their Gentle Fist techniques, not like Hyuga Mirai who took the initiative to study medical ninjutsu.

Since there might be a fight soon, Hyuga Mirai didn't keep the Byakugan activated and instead stayed in the distance, observing. Every once in a while, he would use the Byakugan to check the situation at the outpost.

Before long, he sensed someone approaching from behind. Through his Byakugan, he could tell it was a familiar chakra signature. Even so, he didn't lower his guard until Akimichi Fuu came close and exchanged a signal. Only then did Hyuga Mirai relax and put away his kunai.

"Good vigilance," Akimichi Fuu praised him after getting close. He then asked, "What's the situation here?"

"They're Iwa Nin," Hyuga Mirai responded firmly. "A short while ago, one of them came out wearing the Iwa headband. From the chakra signatures, it looks like all four of them are at least Chunin level."

Akimichi Fuu nodded and turned to Hyuga Kiyo. Hyuga Kiyo activated his Byakugan and confirmed the information by checking the outpost. After a moment, he gave a subtle nod, signaling that Hyuga Mirai's assessment was correct.

"Four Chunin," Akimichi Fuu muttered. The situation in the Land of Grass was complicated. While it was officially neutral, both the Land of Fire and Land of Earth treated it as a buffer zone, and both Konoha and Iwa regularly planted spies in the area. 

One thing was clear: the intelligence gathering teams from Konoha had all been wiped out by Iwa nin. The question now was how much information they had gathered.

"Hyuga Mirai, Hyuga Kiyo, use your Byakugan to circle around the outpost. Be careful of any traps. Once we engage, I'll take care of two of them quickly. Kiyo, hold one back, and Mirai and Kurenai, you two hold the other."

Akimichi Fuu thought for a moment before setting out the battle plan.

Hyuga Kiyo had always shown the strongest skill, his Gentle Fist being both refined and powerful. In close combat, even Chunin would quickly be overwhelmed by his strikes if they weren't prepared.

Meanwhile, Kurenai Yuhi and Hyuga Mirai were a good combination, one focusing on long-range and the other close combat. Their goal wasn't to kill the enemies, but to delay them long enough for Akimichi Fuu to deal with them and come to assist.

"Understood!" The three of them responded in unison and began spreading out to prepare. They had to check for any traps and ambushes from Iwa nin, which would only be possible using their Byakugan.

Hyuga Mirai and Hyuga Kiyo quickly swept the five-kilometer area, and after a quick signal to Akimichi Fuu, they got ready for combat.

At this point, the Iwa Nin inside the outpost still hadn't noticed anything. Perhaps they didn't expect Konoha to react so quickly, especially after they had just wiped out the intelligence team.

Akimichi Fuu silently moved toward the outpost, then quickly formed hand signs.

"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Collapse!"

As his hands touched the ground, a series of powerful tremors shook the earth. The ground split open, and the intelligence gathering outpost collapsed into the fissures.

"Enemy! Get out and fight!" The Iwa nin inside quickly reacted, calling to their comrades to rush outside.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bomb!"

Seizing the opportunity, Akimichi Fuu cast a Fire Release jutsu, splitting the Iwa nin squad into two. At the same time, Hyuga Mirai and the others rushed forward to engage the two closest Iwa nin.

(End of Chapter)