126. Divine Might Severs an Arm, Kind Words of Persuasion

In the woods.

The Konoha patrol team, led by Might Guy, had successfully routed the scouts from Kirigakure and taken them prisoner.

Half a year ago, ever since Might Guy defeated Kakashi at the training grounds, this perennial genin of Konoha had finally embarked on a path of rise. He first participated in the Chunin Exams, crushing his competition to take first place and receive a promotion, earning personal commendation from the Third Hokage. Following that, he performed brilliantly during the Third Shinobi World War, racking up meritorious deeds with his formidable taijutsu, allowing the title of the "Blue Beast of Konoha" to spread across the battlefields. Now, Guy had come to Kirigakure to participate in the war, aiming to accumulate enough credit to be promoted to jonin in one fell swoop—and to catch up with Kakashi once again.

"Bringing these guys back means more merit, hehe." Guy wore a simple, honest smile as he deftly tied the Kirigakure ninja together and gave a light shout: "Up!" With a surge of strength, he hoisted the captives onto his back as if they were nothing more than bundles of firewood.

Just as the three of them were preparing to return to the main base, a sudden, eerie gust of wind erupted from the depths of the forest, rushing toward them.

"More enemies? Get behind me!" Guy frowned and shouted to his two companions. With a thud, he dropped the captives to the ground, crossed his arms to shield his chest, and stood his ground as if his feet were rooted, unmoving against the force of the wind. Shiranui Genma and Ebisu, sheltered by Guy, remained unharmed.

"Who is it?" The three pairs of eyes locked onto a figure emerging from the woods: a man clad in red armor, carrying a large fan as tall as a person. The gust of wind had clearly been generated by that fan.

What truly shocked the three, however, was—

"Look at his eyes! What’s going on?" Ebisu exclaimed, noticing that the stranger’s eyes were, strangely, a Byakugan of the Hyuga clan and a Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.

Ignoring the confusion, Might Guy shouted, "Dynamic Entry!" and launched a flying kick straight at the enemy's face.

Whoosh.

The mysterious enemy—Kisame—flickered, dodging the kick. But Guy’s offense was relentless, immediately launching a series of follow-up attacks. The two traded blows in a blur of motion, their movements fast as lightning, dazzling to behold.

"Too slow. Is that all the speed you have?" Kisame, utilizing his insight, calmly dodged every strike while mocking his opponent. Just as he finished speaking, he caught a lapse in Guy’s defense and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying backward with a muffled groan.

Guy landed and skidded back a dozen meters, finally caught by his two companions.

"Guy, are you okay?" Genma and Ebisu asked with immense concern.

"This guy is strong. His power and speed both suppressed me." Guy looked surprised, but not fearful; rather, he grew more excited. Rubbing his chest, he said, "Step back. It looks like I have to get serious."

"Are you going to use the Eight Inner Gates?" The two were shocked and quickly retreated a significant distance. They had seen Guy open the gates before; in that state, he was the true Blue Beast, a force that could only be described as "invincible."

Just as Guy stared at Kisame, striking a pose to open the gates, a shout rang out: "Guy!"

A figure in an identical green jumpsuit rushed from the woods to join them. It was Might Duy, Konoha’s first and only eternal genin—and Guy’s father.

"Let your useless old man fight by your side, Guy." Duy stared at his son, fists clenched, burning with passion.

"Father!" Guy felt his nose sting, tears welling up instantly. The eccentric duo hugged tightly, chanting slogans about "youth" and "burning" spirit. Genma and Ebisu looked at each other, speechless.

*Whoosh!*

A massive boulder, several meters high, flew from the distance toward them. The father and son instantly turned serious, leaping in perfect sync to deliver a kick. "Konoha Whirlwind!" With a collective shout, they shattered the boulder into countless fragments that scattered in all directions. Landing gracefully, they stood side-by-side, one hand behind their backs, the other pointing forward, beckoning Kisame with a synchronized finger gesture.

Kisame, however, was in no mood to continue playing with these two clowns. He put away his Gunbai fan and said meaningfully, "Let me, as a kind soul, give you a warning: don't go to Kirigakure to stir up trouble, or you will surely regret it."

To Kisame, the greatest threats among the five-thousand-strong Konoha army were not the Uchiha or the Hyuga, but the Might duo—especially Duy. This man, who had spent over twenty years as a genin, appeared to be mere cannon fodder, but in reality, he could open the eighth gate of the Eight Inner Gates, unleashing power exceeding that of a Kage. In the original history, Duy had opened the Gate of Death to save his son, taking on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist alone, killing four and wounding three, shaking the entire shinobi world. Kisame’s warning was not out of fear, but a flicker of pity. If Duy insisted on his path, Kisame would not mind beating him to death.

Unfortunately, the hot-blooded duo did not take his words to heart.

"Guy, let's go!" Duy shouted, and together with his son, they erupted with a powerful surge of chakra. Instantly, green energy radiated from their bodies.

The Eight Inner Gates: Open.

"Sigh." Kisame sighed and stopped holding back. The three-tomoe pattern in his left eye spun rapidly, morphing into a Mangekyo shape.

The next second, a violent wave of ocular power erupted from his eye, and Kamui was activated. A line of blood trickled down his cheek as he locked his gaze onto Might Duy—specifically, Duy’s left arm.

*Huh?*

Duy, having just opened the fifth gate, suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of crisis. He was just a split second too slow, and a sharp, twisting pain tore through his left arm.

*Crack.*

Under Kisame’s sneak attack, a micro-spatial vortex twisted Duy’s arm off and sent it into another dimension. This was the terror of Kamui. As an extremely rare space-time ninjutsu, its unique, bizarre method of attack possessed an overwhelming "first-strike kill" capability.

"Hiss!" Duy gasped, clutching his severed arm, cold sweat pouring down his face.

"Father!" Guy was horrified, scrambling to bandage his father’s wound.

*Heh.*

Kisame watched the scene with a disdainful smile, flashed backward, and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

"Stop!" Guy, consumed by rage, chased after him like a madman, but after searching every corner of the woods, he could not find a trace of Kisame. With no other choice, he returned to tend to his father.

"Father, I'll take you to the rear to recover immediately." Guy said anxiously.

"No, Guy. As patrol members, we must return to the main base to report this. An enemy ninja possessing both the Sharingan and the Byakugan is far too dangerous. As for the wound, we'll deal with it later." Duy endured the agonizing pain, commanding his son. As a qualified ninja, completing the mission was always the top priority. Even as an eternal genin, Duy never forgot this.

"Understood." Guy gritted his teeth and carried his father toward the Konoha camp.

Meanwhile, at the Konoha camp, inside a tent marked with the red and white fan crest of the Uchiha, the thirty-year-old clan head Uchiha Fugaku was confronting the Hyuga brothers, Hiashi and Hizashi, who had come to demand an explanation.

Prompted by Hiashi, the Hyuga survivor described his encounter.

"You're saying that an Uchiha jonin snuck up on your unit, killed everyone, and stole the Byakugan of a branch elder? What a joke." Fugaku folded his arms, frowning with disdain.

"Clan Head Fugaku, are you implying... that our people are lying?" Hiashi’s expression darkened. He immediately produced a portrait and handed it to Fugaku. "According to the survivor, this is what the Uchiha ninja looked like."

Oh?

Fugaku took the portrait with skepticism, but as he examined it, his expression turned to one of profound shock. He frowned deeply, pointing at the Gunbai fan in the image, and asked the Hyuga clansman solemnly, "Did the Uchiha ninja you saw really carry this weapon?"

After receiving confirmation, Fugaku shook his head repeatedly, muttering, "Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

"Clan Head Fugaku, what is impossible? Please explain yourself." Hiashi, noticing the change in Fugaku, pressed him aggressively.

"This fan is the Gunbai, a treasure of the Uchiha clan, but it was taken away decades ago by Uchiha Madara when he defected from Konoha." Fugaku explained slowly, pointing at the face in the portrait to reveal something even more shocking. "Furthermore, this person’s appearance is that of Uchiha Madara in his youth."

"What? That’s impossible!" Hiashi regained his composure and said firmly, "Uchiha Madara was killed by the First Hokage long ago. Even if he were alive, he would be over seventy years old. How could he look like this?"

"That is why I say someone is deliberately impersonating the long-dead Uchiha Madara to provoke internal strife between us. As for his Sharingan, I suspect it, like the Byakugan, was stolen. What do you think, Clan Head Hiashi?" Fugaku made this judgment decisively and countered.

"Your words alone are not enough to convince me." Hiashi shook his head, not intending to let the matter drop.

"Let’s do this." Fugaku pondered for a moment. "Our immediate priority is to lead our armies and work together to conquer Kirigakure. If we win this victory, the greatest beneficiaries will be the Uchiha and Hyuga clans who spearhead the assault. I trust you won't object to that, Clan Head Hiashi."

"Agreed." Hiashi nodded.

"So, I propose we set this matter aside for now. After we eliminate Kirigakure and occupy the Land of Water, we will reopen the investigation. At that time, I will certainly give you a satisfactory explanation. How does that sound?" Fugaku looked at Hiashi sincerely and extended a hand.

"...Fine. I will trust you this once." Hiashi said coldly, shaking Fugaku's hand.

The two sides reached a temporary consensus. A moment later, the Hyuga brothers left the Uchiha tent.

"Clan Head, do you really believe Uchiha Fugaku?" Hizashi couldn't help but ask. Although he was Hiashi’s younger brother, the Hyuga clan had strict rules, and the main and branch houses followed formal protocols. Thus, Hizashi addressed him as "Clan Head" rather than "Brother" in any setting.

"This matter is indeed suspicious and requires further investigation. However, as Fugaku said, the most important thing is to defeat Kirigakure and win this war. From what I know, that man seems to be using the merit of conquering Kirigakure to make a bid for the position of Fourth Hokage," Hiashi said, resting his chin in his hand.

"Uchiha Fugaku wants to compete for the Fourth Hokage?" Hizashi was stunned. Rumors had indeed been circulating in the village for years that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was old and considering stepping down. If all went as expected, the selection ceremony for the Fourth Hokage would begin after the Third Shinobi World War ended. He never expected the Uchiha to covet the Hokage's seat.

"Therefore, our Hyuga clan must be the first to breach Kirigakure before the Uchiha, and we cannot let that man succeed," Hiashi sneered. While he had no intention of competing for the Hokage seat himself, he could not watch Uchiha Fugaku steal the credit and suppress the momentum of the Hyuga clan. After all, the Hyuga were the strongest clan in Konoha.

Returning to the camp, under Hiashi’s orders, the Hyuga ninjas set out first, deep into the heart of the Land of Water. On the other side, once Fugaku received the news, he hurried to order the Uchiha clan to end their rest and give chase.

The Konoha army began to move again. The Uchiha and Hyuga clans raced against each other, both striving to be the first to break through Kirigakure. In the eyes of these Konoha ninjas, Kirigakure was now like a defenseless young girl, waiting to be ravaged.

Within the Konoha ranks, Might Guy and his team had just returned, only to find the army already on the move. Their reports of the incident failed to draw much attention from their superiors, as every Konoha ninja was scrambling to rush forward, eager to be the one to flatten Kirigakure.

Looking down from the sky, over five thousand Konoha ninjas surged through the Land of Water, drawing ever closer to Kirigakure. These people did not realize that an unprecedented nightmare was waiting for them up ahead.