Chapter 62: Night of Annihilation

Blood spurted as Yuto tore out Shinosuke Hyuga's jaw along with his entire tongue.

Due to the excessive force, the teeths sank into Yuto's fingers, but the youth felt no pain. His blood and chakra boiled together, roaring viciously within his body.

Yuto grinned silently. He gripped Shinosuke's blood-drenched jawbone tightly and, with brute strength, smashed it into his face. Shinosuke's right cheek caved in, and his eyes rolled back as he collapsed helplessly.

"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

At this moment, Shinosuke's loyal guards finally activated Revolving Heaven.

As dedicated defenders of the main family, these guards were trained in techniques like Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven for defense. They coordinated meticulously, with two chakra shields spinning at high speed from left and right, converging right where Yuto stood.

Bang!

Yuto was sent flying, spinning in the air to reduce the impact. By the time he landed, he had been flung more than ten meters away.

Several branch family guards' faces turned extremely grim.

This enemy with a Hannya mask was too adept at countering Revolving Heaven, as if he knew the technique himself.

More importantly, he was incredibly fast.

Fast enough to grab Shinosuke's collar just before the two Revolving Heavens connected, using him as a shield to withstand the impact.

Yuto landed steadily, tossing the unconscious Shinosuke behind him and then sat on his body, calmly assessing the guards.

Lacking high-speed advancement, a mere mask couldn't hide from the Byakugan's vision. The face under the demon mask was clearly visible to the branch family guards.

With his right hand wrapped in black bandages, his handsome face, and being Tsunade's disciple and a Jonin at a young age, Yuto was not only famous but also very recognizable.

"Yuto Hyuga..."

Among the branch family guards, the only Jonin, Takuya Hyuga, spoke with deep fear and confusion:

"What are you doing?"

Yuto first tapped the rough horn of his Hannya mask, then his left hand naturally fell onto Shinosuke's shoulder, a gentle gesture as if meeting an old friend.

Crack.

Yuto snapped Shinosuke's collarbone with one hand.

The young main family member groaned but did not wake up.

"Yuto, you've gone mad... Attacking the main family, you'll be executed by the clan..."

Crack.

"Yuto! Stop! I warn you, Minato-sama could return any moment..."

Crack.

No one dared to speak again.

They watched Yuto sit silently on Shinosuke, a chill rising in their hearts. As seasoned shinobi, they understood Yuto's message clearly.

—There is nothing to discuss between us.

Cold sweat broke out on Takuya's back. As a guardian, if Shinosuke were harmed, none of them would survive.

'Although I don't know his exact motives, he's holding the main family hostage. To prevent us from reporting his attack, he must intend to kill us... Yes, he's recovering chakra and gathering strength, torturing Shinosuke to keep us at bay!'

In a flash of insight, Takuya realized the critical point.

He signaled, and a female subordinate understood, sprinting away without looking back.

The remaining guards, including Takuya, all charged at Yuto.

"Yuto... Since you need Shinosuke-sama as a shield, you can't kill him easily. We'll surround you; you can't kill us all at once. Even if you defeat a few, Rurina will have time to alert the clan of your betrayal! You can't win..."

Thoughts raced through Takuya's mind as he rushed to within five meters of Yuto.

But the next moment, he stopped abruptly, like a chicken grabbed by the neck, uttering a choking sound.

Yuto twisted Shinosuke's neck.

Then, with a green glow of medical ninjutsu, he calmly gouged out Shinosuke's unsealed Byakugan.

Thump, thump.

Yuto pulled out two small bottles from a hidden pouch at his waist, placed the Byakugan in a preserving solution, shook it twice, and smiled contentedly.

True despair filled Takuya's heart. He knew he had made a fatal mistake. He misjudged Yuto's chakra recovery speed and his ruthless killing intent.

—This wasn't "hostage-taking". Yuto's goal from the beginning was to annihilate Shinosuke and all the guards!

Takuya's ingrained belief that the branch family wouldn't kill the main family made him completely misinterpret Yuto's intentions.

In the shinobi world, one wrong step leads straight into the abyss of death.

"Scatter! Run separately!" Takuya shouted, making the first correct decision in this dense forest.

But it was too late.

Yuto stood up, stretched his neck, and his right arm once again formed the Lion's Fang Bite armor.

From start to finish, he hadn't spoken a single word.

...

"Ha, ha..." Rurina Hyuga clutched her abdomen, pressing on her wound. Even without the Byakugan, she knew her internal organs were badly damaged.

"Damn You!..." she muttered through gritted teeth, her consciousness fading.

As the frontal battle neared its end, both sides formed small combat units. Acting alone was extremely dangerous. The moment she saw the Kumo shinobi, there was no time for words, only combat.

After several close calls, Rurina finally escaped. Her condition was dire, but the Hyuga kunoichi pushed through the pain, heading towards the Konoha vanguard's temporary base.

"Yuto Hyuga... I must inform the clan head of your atrocities..."

She murmured softly, driven by vengeance, struggling through the dark forest.

Finally, seeing the large Konoha emblem, her legs gave out, and she collapsed.

"There's a situation over there! It's a Hyuga!"

"Quick! Get a stretcher!"

"She's severely injured... Where's the medical team?"

"Not enough personnel... too many wounded..."

Lying on the stretcher, the strong scent of medicine filling her nostrils, Rurina felt warmth and happiness despite being unable to move or speak.

She knew she had reached the safest place.

"Damn it! Too many wounded... All medics are busy, who else knows..."

"Think of something! Huh? Is that... Tsunade-sama's disciple? Great!"

Rurina's lips trembled. She opened her eyes in horror but found even blinking difficult.

"Yes, I'm Yuto. Medical ninjutsu? Of course, I'm Tsunade-sama's disciple."

"Such a pitiful state... As a fellow Hyuga and village member, I'll save her."

"But her injuries are severe. Medical ninjutsu isn't magic. I can't guarantee full recovery. Alright, give me a room, I'll perform surgery."

Rurina's body began to shake. Her strong will to live granted her a bit of strength. She tried to rise and shout out Yuto's betrayal.

But a strong hand pressed on her abdomen, using hidden force that no one else could notice, suppressing all her movements and cutting off her hope.

"Don't worry, trust me. Our meeting here is fate."

Yuto's voice was warm, like a gentle breeze, "It's okay... You'll be fine."

This was the last sentence Rurina Hyuga ever heard.

(End of Chapter)