"What did you say?"
As the four-man squad launched their suicidal frontal assault, the report quickly reached Hizashi Hyūga's command center.
The Hyūga Clan excelled in reconnaissance. It was their unique Dōjutsu that had time and again thwarted Kumogakure's invasions, making Kumogakure covet the Byakugan even more.
Naturally, Hakken and his team's advance was soon detected by the Hyūga patrol units.
In that moment, Hizashi froze.
What were they trying to do?
With just a four-man formation, they wanted to break through the enemy's defenses and strike the rear?
Did they think the Kumogakure shinobi were just fodder to be cut down?
"Assemble. Be ready to support their retreat at any moment."
There was no time to hesitate. The moment he received this message, Hizashi knew how things would end. It wouldn't be long before those boys, once they experienced the true cruelty of war, were forced to fall back.
And when that happened, the maddened forces of Kumogakure would undoubtedly counterattack.
The messenger ninja rushed out to deliver the orders, while Hizashi could only give a bitter smile.
"Hokage-sama… you've miscalculated after all."
...
Night fell.
As Hakken gazed at a Kumogakure outpost ahead, his eyes gleamed with fierce battle intent.
He had already sensed it earlier—the outpost housed less than a hundred ninja, most of them Genin and Chūnin. As for Jōnin, there were only two or three.
Every Jōnin was a precious asset to the village. Even though Kumogakure hadn't suffered massive losses in the Third Shinobi World War, it had still lost quite a few of its elite. In such large-scale warfare, Genin and Chūnin made up the bulk of the numbers.
But most of the time, they were little more than cannon fodder.
"Are we really going through with this?"
Shisui's expression was conflicted. His creed had always been to avoid resolving matters through bloodshed. Even during the Third Shinobi World War, he had rarely taken a life.
His previous clash with Ao of Kirigakure had been a battle of Genjutsu—and the moment his opponent realized who he was, they withdrew immediately.
But now, Hakken's intent was crystal clear.
Where he walked, no life would remain.
"First, our mission is to draw attention, relieve the pressure on the border, and make as much noise as possible—the bigger the commotion, the better."
"Second, this is a battlefield. Not killing means being killed. I promised Fugaku-senpai I'd bring Itachi back safely."
"Third."
Hakken paused, glancing at Itachi beside him. "You asked before leaving—how many from Konoha have died in this stalemate?"
"If we're only counting the current deadlock, casualties are seven hundred sixty-eight. But if we include everyone who's fallen to Kumogakure since the start of the Third Shinobi World War..."
Itachi shook his head, unable to continue. It was a horrifying number—a figure no one wanted to remember. It was surely far too high to bear.
"Sometimes, you have to set aside that mercy in your heart. Otherwise, it becomes cruelty to your own comrades."
Kakashi's gaze deepened as he listened. Hearing those words, his impression of Hakken rose to another level.
Unlike himself, Hakken had never truly lived through war.
Yet he understood its brutality with startling clarity—and saw straight through to its core.
Mercy toward the enemy is cruelty toward your allies.
Patting Shisui's shoulder, Hakken took a deep breath and charged forward.
Night had fallen—the hour of slaughter had begun!
As several figures dropped into the camp, the Kumogakure ninja, a step too slow to react, finally realized what was happening.
"Enemy attack!"
Pfft!
The moment he shouted, his head was sent flying into the air. As he watched the ground fade beneath him, his vision darkened, and his consciousness slipped away into nothingness.
Decapitation—a rare way to kill in the shinobi world.
Blood splattered across Hakken's face as the primal power within him surged to life. The desire for battle exploded from deep inside.
Before this blade, nothing could stand!
Swish!
A jet-black crescent cleaved through the night, crashing into the only building in the outpost. Spiritual pressure fused with chakra energy, and the structure was obliterated in an instant.
Slaughter.
Endless slaughter!
The sound of the system's notification about soul harvest progress brushed past his ears, but Hakken no longer heard it.
The moment his hand gripped the blade, he became a beast.
One swing split the incoming Great Fireball in two. Hakken vanished, and in the blink of an eye, his blade drove straight through the chest of the ninja who had launched it.
Blood sprayed across his face as the man's body was cleaved cleanly in half.
Fear spread like wildfire.
At that moment, the not-so-tall youth, drenched in blood and savoring the scent of death, looked every bit a demon.
"He's insane… a total madman!"
One of the terrified Kumogakure shinobi couldn't stomach the carnage any longer and retched. But before he could recover, the Zanpakutō had already claimed his soul.
"The Hakken right now… he doesn't even seem human…"
Watching the fierce silhouette amid the chaos, Shisui's heart tightened painfully.
"That's because you don't really know him."
Itachi shook his head. Having long since grown accustomed to scenes like this, he activated his Sharingan and began forming seals with lightning speed.
"Warm and dependable to his comrades."
"But to his enemies—he fights until the very end."
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Under the night sky, the slaughter continued!
...
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