Chapter 101

Dear Readers,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your continued support and understanding. As you may have noticed, there have been some delays in the release of chapters recently, and for that, I apologize.

To make up for the missed schedule, I am excited to announce that I have prepared some extra chapters for you today. These chapters are my way of saying thank you for your patience and loyalty. I truly appreciate each and every one of you, and I am grateful for your continued support.

I understand how important it is to stay connected with you all and to provide you with the content you enjoy. Rest assured, I am committed to delivering high-quality chapters regularly, and I am working diligently to ensure that future releases are on time.

Once again, thank you for your understanding and support. I hope you enjoy the extra chapters, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you in the days to come.

Warm regards,

[Silent_stiele]

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"So, Kazuki, do you think you can intercept all these Hyuga squads before they cause any harm?" Tsunade questioned, curious to know if her prodigy had any more tricks up his sleeve.

Under the mask, Kazuki couldn't help but roll his eyes. What did his sensei think? He was already stretching himself to the limit just to maintain more than forty Shadow clones, and now she wanted him to restrain these Hyuga.

"Hokage-sama, I am not yet capable of such a feat, but I was able to pinpoint how the Hyuga were able to bypass the ANBU. It was because quite a few of the ROOT dissidents and Fire Daimyo spies are collaborating with the Hyuga main branch. With your permission, if you allow it, I can raise the new village barrier and trap everyone within the village with no way to escape. Especially because only your ANBU hold the identification tags and are freely able to enter and exit certain areas according to their ranks. With the barrier active, I can isolate the battle in areas surrounding the Hyuga compound. Even if the outside factions want to intervene, they will just become sitting ducks without the identification tags," Kazuki proposed.

He was someone who embraced the Nara code, so he was well-prepared after realizing the possibility of a Hyuga coup. This was one of the primary reasons that Tsunade had sped up the deployment of the new barrier. A barrier created by a Fuin Grandmaster was no joke; even Kage-class ninja would be humbled in front of such an apex-level barrier.

Tsunade absorbed all the information that her student shared and was planning the best counteroffensive to keep the chaos within the village to a minimum. However, by her side, Kakashi's back was drenched with cold sweat.

Originally, he had thought Kazuki only held such status and power because he was Tsunade's student with unparalleled talent. Although earlier he had an inkling that Kazuki had some deep connection with the Fuin Grandmaster, especially after he helped him find a solution for his Sharingan, the current conversation between the student and teacher turned his worldview upside down. Kazuki was the hidden grandmaster.

How old was the kid? Kakashi was sure that the young Nara had yet to hit double digits in age. He couldn't help but unconsciously gulp after realizing such a huge secret, but he knew the student-teacher duo wouldn't have discussed such an important matter in front of him if they did not trust him. His earlier shame was a bit mellowed down now that he realized the extent of trust the Hokage placed in him. So, he resolved himself again not to make such a blunder in the future.

"Kakashi, notify my Sensei to mobilize his personal ANBU and have him secure Naruto's safety. Also, pass down my orders to have him personally subdue the Hyuga squads out there. Mobilize every Leaf Shinobi and have them secure their vicinity. Once the barrier goes up, they will be restricted to a certain area, as none have identity tags. My Sensei's ANBU team already has access, so they should be able to move freely." Tsunade turned to Kakashi and relayed her new orders, then eyed Kazuki and questioned, "Kazuki, do you have a way to track these Hyuga teams or areas within the barrier where the commotion will happen after the barrier is erected?" She knew that the little demon would have come prepared, so she couldn't help but ask. Having such information would put an end to the Hyuga threat with minimal casualties.

Kazuki simply gave a quick nod and pulled out a red scroll, placing it on the ground. With a series of handsigns, the scroll multiplied, creating more than two dozen copies. "Hokage-sama, these scrolls will direct the holder to places where an enemy is trying to breach the barrier or start a conflict. However, only ANBU with identification can use them," Kazuki explained.

He had based this on a technique that he had used to track the Kumo Shinobi back during the time when they had come to Konoha in the name of a peace treaty. Once the new village barrier was raised, Konoha's security and safety would be raised to unprecedented levels, and the upcoming Hyuga coup was going to be used as the trial run for the new barrier's deployment.

With a gesture from Tsunade, Kakashi picked up these scrolls to distribute them among the ANBU captains. When he was about to pass a scroll over to the Hokage from the pile, Kazuki raised his hand and pulled out a much more exquisite black scroll, passing it to the Hokage. "This scroll has complete access. It's meant for Hokage-sama only," Kazuki stated, while Kakashi quickly, understandingly, stood up to carry out the Hokage's orders.

"Oh, and Kakashi, remember, except for those who are being controlled and innocents, I don't want anyone from the Daimyo faction spared. Especially those rats who are hiding in the dark, waiting to cause chaos. I want every last one of them slaughtered. I want no prisoners. And for those who are stupid and cowardly enough to surrender, have them transferred to the torture and interrogation team. After you extract every ounce of information, kill them! Kill them all!" Tsunade's tone was soft, but her words carried so much killing intent that even Kakashi, famed for being cold-blooded, could feel a chill run down his spine. Kakashi realized tonight that Konoha was going to be bathed in the blood of its enemies, and those poor fellows had no idea that they had already trapped themselves within the jaws of the devil.

The Hokage's eyes, normally filled with compassion, now gleamed with a fierce determination that sent shivers down the spines of even the most hardened ANBU that lay within the shadows. It was a side of Tsunade rarely seen, the side that reminded everyone why she was known as the Legendary Sannin, feared and respected in equal measure.

"Kazuki, how long do you need to activate the barrier?" Once Kakashi left, Tsunade turned to her student, wanting to know how long it would take. Although all the preparations were completed beforehand, activating such a permanent barrier, especially one of such monstrous proportions, was no easy task.

"I will need half an hour, Hokage-sama, and I need to know where you would like me to lay the core. Please be advised, once the core is laid, moving it would not be an easy task," Kazuki gave a timeframe. Now that the Hyuga had already started to move, Tsunade couldn't wait for too long; she had to act quickly. After a brief thought, she looked around the village.

"Why don't we just place the core here, behind the Hokage mountain itself? This place has been abandoned since the village was established. It's isolated, and in the future, we can dedicate the surrounding areas as a restricted zone and move the barrier team to operate from this new area. Will you be able to add additional barriers surrounding the area because it may as well become the heart of the village after the core is laid?" Tsunade suggested, knowing that laying the core in any other area would lead to relocating other citizens, especially if they wanted the core near the current Hokage office. It was simply best to lay the core in this place, which was wasted and could be reshaped into a restricted zone. Although people would still be able to access the Hokage mountain, they would be denied access to the area behind it.

"Understood, Hokage-sama," Kazuki responded briskly, dispelling his shadow clones to conserve his chakra. With the ANBU tracking the Hyuga squad, he focused solely on his task.

Swiftly, Kazuki began constructing the core. With Tsunade's Mokuton aiding him, the process was remarkably smooth. Within minutes, a colossal core structure, adorned with intricate fuinjutsu symbols, took shape. Following Tsunade's directives, the ANBU dispersed throughout the village to activate the nodes previously laid out.

The core itself resembled a massive crystalline structure, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly brilliance. Embedded within its translucent form were countless seals, etched with precision to control the flow of chakra, nature energy and maintain the barrier's integrity. Runes of protection and containment adorned its surface, weaving a complex web of defensive measures to repel any intruders and safeguard the village within.

Surrounding the core, a network of smaller nodes and conduits branched outward, extending throughout the village like a vast web of energy. Each node acted as a point of connection, linking the core to various locations within the village and facilitating the barrier's activation and maintenance.

As Kazuki immersed himself in activating the new barrier, within the Hyuga compound, tensions escalated. Hiashi, fully geared for battle, stood alongside the Hyuga elites, fortifying their position to safeguard the remaining clan members, including non-shinobi Hyuga, under a tight perimeter.

"Brother, are you sure there's no way to negotiate with the Grand Elder and his faction? Despite everything, they're still Hyuga," Hizashi ventured, his concern evident in his voice. Despite being from the branch family, Hizashi hesitated to engage in conflict with their own kin.

"Are you blind, Hizashi? After everything that's happened, do you really think the main family will show us any mercy?" A Hyuga main family member who was loyal to Hiashi retorted sharply, disdain coloring his tone.

"Hizashi, if the main family had their way, they would have already used the curse mark to subdue all of you. Only Hiashi's presence here is keeping them in check," Hizashi's father, a former clan head from the main family, interjected. Despite his lineage, he was not naive enough to believe that the Grand Elder's faction would spare them.

"But Father, there are innocent children and women among them. Are you suggesting we slaughter our own kin?" Hizashi's emotional response reflected the internal conflict within the Hyuga clan.

"If it's for the survival of our clan, then we have no choice. Our own Hyuga betrayed Konoha first, and we should be grateful that Hokage-sama is offering us a way out. In the days of the Second Hokage, the entire clan would have been wiped out alongside the traitors, sparing no one, not even the children and the innocent," the old medic ninja remarked, his words reflecting the harsh realities of their history. Tsunade's offer of a way out was seen as a generous opportunity for survival.

As tensions rose during the discussion, Hiashi, standing at the center, suddenly reacted to a Kunai aimed at his chest from behind. Simultaneously, many from the branch family moved, aiming their weapons at the main family Hyuga members loyal to Hiashi. The sudden ambush caught most of the Hyuga elites off guard, but a few reacted swiftly. Elite Jonin from the branch family instinctively moved to protect the main family members, a reflex ingrained in their very beings.

"[Hakkeshō Kaiten]" (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven), Hiashi launched a defensive attack, covering most of the main family members who were targeted by the surprise assault. Despite Hiashi's quick reaction and the efforts of a few elite Jonin from the branch family, the attack claimed the lives of two main family members and half a dozen branch family elites who had moved to intercept the sneak attack.

As everyone gathered themselves to identify the attackers, it became clear that they were Jonin from the branch family. However, upon closer inspection with their Byakugan activated, it was evident that something was amiss with these attackers. Their chakra paths were chaotic, indicating they were under some form of control.

The rest of the Hyuga members quickly retreated, creating a safe distance from those being controlled. Once they regrouped, Hizashi couldn't contain his fury as he witnessed a tanto blade piercing his brother's back, the attacker being one of the main family members whom Hizashi had protected moments earlier.

"Tch, Hiashi, you're more resilient than I thought. I aimed for a clean kill, but you managed to dodge despite the circumstances," the main family member who stabbed Hiashi remarked casually, standing amidst the Hyuga Jonin who were under control.

With the onset of the clash within the Hyuga compound, chaos erupted. The ANBU swiftly moved in, engaging the Hyuga from the Daimyo faction and those under control.

"You traitorous scum! What have you done to these branch family members?" Hiashi's expression paled as he questioned amidst the chaos of battle.