Chapter 77: The Hunt Continues

The night was silent—the kind of silence that only came before something terrible.

High above the Land of Lightning, the moon bathed the rugged cliffs in silver light, casting long, jagged shadows across the terrain. The wind was sharp and thin, whispering through the trees like a warning.

A predator was on the move.

And its prey had no idea.

The Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails

By the river's edge, Nii Yugito knelt, cupping cold water in her hands. She let it run through her fingers, watching the ripples distort the reflection of the moon.

The tension in the air had been suffocating these past few weeks. War loomed over Kumo like a storm cloud, and their enemies—Konoha, Iwa, Suna—were all sharpening their blades.

She exhaled, trying to ease the unease in her chest.

Then—a whisper.

Her golden eyes snapped upward.

The air shifted.

Without hesitation, she twisted to the side just as a kunai embedded itself where her throat had been a second earlier.

Someone was here.

In a blur, she leapt backward, landing on a tree branch, eyes scanning the darkness.

Nothing.

Just the rustling of the wind. The whisper of leaves.

Then—a flicker.

Yugito moved instinctively, twisting in midair to dodge the hand that slipped past her throat, missing by a hair's breadth.

Her feet touched the ground, and she spun, ready to attack.

That's when she saw him.

A man stood in the moonlight, his silver hair gleaming like frost.

His golden Byakugan glowed like the eyes of a god.

She knew who he was before he even spoke.

"…Ōtsutsuki Ryūsei."

The name left her lips like a curse.

He tilted his head slightly. "You know me."

Her muscles coiled. "I make it a point to know my enemies."

Ryūsei smiled faintly. "Then you should also know that resisting is pointless."

Yugito didn't waste breath on words.

Her hands blurred through seals as a blue inferno erupted around her.

The Two-Tails had awakened.

And the hunt began.

A Dance of Fire and Moonlight

The night exploded.

Yugito became a streak of blue flame, tearing through the air with terrifying speed. Her claws, wreathed in chakra, ripped through the darkness toward Ryūsei's throat.

But he was faster.

With a single step, he vanished.

Yugito's claws sliced through nothing but air.

Then—he was behind her.

A sharp strike to her wrist. A flick of his fingers against her ribs. A tap at her shoulder.

A single heartbeat passed.

Then her chakra twisted.

Her flames faltered.

Her vision blurred.

"What—?!"

Ryūsei's voice was calm. "Gentle Fist. But perfected."

Her eyes flashed with fury.

Her body flared with power once more as she forced her chakra into a frenzy, reigniting her flames.

She twisted, preparing to burn him to ash—

But it was already too late.

A golden sphere of chakra expanded from Ryūsei's palm.

The flames vanished.

Absorbed.

Her stomach twisted. "You—"

Before she could react, he was gone again.

Then—pain.

A single strike to the base of her skull.

The world tilted.

Then—darkness.

Aftermath

Ryūsei caught Yugito's unconscious form before she hit the ground.

Her body was still warm, her breath coming in soft, shallow exhales.

For a moment, he simply studied her.

Tsunade's voice crackled in his earpiece. "Done already?"

He smirked, lifting Yugito onto his shoulder. "She was strong. But reckless."

Tsunade snorted. "Typical Kumo."

Ryūsei was about to respond, but then—a thought struck him.

Kumo had not sent reinforcements.

They hadn't been watching her.

His Byakugan flickered as he scanned the village from afar.

No heightened patrols. No unusual activity. No signs of a missing Jinchūriki.

A slow, sharp grin spread across his lips.

"They don't know," he murmured.

Tsunade's voice sharpened. "What?"

Ryūsei's eyes gleamed. "They don't know we already have the Eight-Tails."