Kumogakure had long since gathered detailed intel on Konoha's elite shinobi.
From Yugito Nii's perspective, only a few people in Konoha could pull off such a deep strike operation behind enemy lines. Excluding the defected Orochimaru and the deceased Fourth Hokage and his wife, there were probably no more than five individuals in all of Konoha capable of leading such a mission. That made the still-unaccounted-for Uchiha Clan Head and the Third Hokage her prime suspects.
At that moment, a Kumogakure shinobi rushed into the command tent. "We've just received an urgent update from the village!"
Killer Bee, Yugito, and Aida were all surprised as they read the latest report.
It turned out that of the four secret supply depots attacked, only one had been destroyed. In the other three cases, not only had the supplies been preserved, but the attackers had been completely wiped out. In fact, Kumogakure had even captured one Konoha ANBU operative alive.
After being subjected to genjutsu interrogation, the captured ANBU had spilled everything he knew.
Thus, for the first time, Konoha's ANBU Team Eleven appeared clearly on Kumogakure's radar.
"A four-man ANBU squad from Konoha took out more than 300 of our forces?" Yugito paused, then asked skeptically, "Could Lord Raikage have made a mistake?"
Killer Bee and Aida were both visibly shocked.
In the current command structure of Kumogakure, only Killer Bee and Yugito, as perfect Jinchuriki, were capable of pulling off such a feat. Even Aida, the deputy commander, lacked the sheer power required.
It wasn't that Aida was weak, but his chakra reserves simply weren't sufficient.
In fact, no normal shinobi should possess such overwhelming chakra—certainly not enough to take on and defeat an enemy force nearly a hundred times larger in a single night.
"We must eliminate Konoha's ANBU Team Eleven!"
That thought sprang simultaneously into all three of their minds.
After exchanging glances, Yugito stepped forward. "I'll be the one to kill them."
—
Inside the borders of the Land of Hot Water…
"Enemy attack!"
"Everyone, be careful! He's behind us—"
"Send the flare! Request backup now!"
Amid the chaos, Hyuga Kagami charged into the Kumogakure transport convoy, wielding the Grasscutter Blade (Kusanagi).
A squad leader from Kumogakure immediately stepped forward, kunai in hand, to intercept him.
"Heh…"
Kagami gave a faint smirk.
He had lost count of how many Kumogakure shinobi had tried to block the Grasscutter Blade with standard kunai.
*Clang!*
With a crisp metallic sound, the squad leader and his kunai were effortlessly sliced in two by Kagami's blade.
Without their leader, the remaining Kumogakure genin were left in disarray and were quickly cut down one by one.
Only the last genin, realizing death was inevitable, made a final stand—he activated explosive tags hidden inside one of the supply carts, destroying the materials along with himself in a massive blast.
Having participated in multiple supply runs during the Third Great Ninja War, Hyuga Kagami was well-acquainted with such tactics. He had already retreated to a safe distance and wasn't caught in the explosion.
He hadn't come for the supplies anyway, so there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.
After circling the area to confirm there were no survivors, Kagami retrieved the broken kunai that had belonged to the Kumogakure squad leader. He placed both halves into his storage pouch.
Leaving the broken blade on the battlefield would only allow Kumogakure to analyze the clean cut and realize that a high-grade sword had been used—specifically, Kagami's Grasscutter. That kind of intel would make future ambushes more difficult.
After double-checking that he had left no evidence behind, Kagami disappeared from the scene without delay.
Not long afterward, Yugito Nii arrived at the scene with a large force of Kumogakure shinobi.
The site was in utter disarray. The supplies headed to the front lines were now nothing but ash. The Kumogakure forces looked grim, and Yugito's fury was barely contained—her pupils had transformed into the bestial eyes of the Two-Tails, Matatabi.
A high-ranking Jonin stepped forward and shook his head at her. "There are no survivors."
Yugito grit her teeth. "No clues at all?"
The Jonin nodded. "Just like before, all our men were killed in a single stroke. It was the same enemy—an expert in close-quarters combat wielding a short blade. The style is reminiscent of Konoha's famed White Fang."
Yugito growled, voice low and dangerous. "Track him down. He can't have gone far!"
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh…*
With a single command, the Kumogakure shinobi vanished into the surrounding terrain using Body Flicker Technique, scattering in all directions in pursuit.
Sensing the incoming trackers behind him, Hyuga Kagami smiled calmly and quickly formed hand seals to create a shadow clone.
His real body and the clone split immediately, heading off in opposite directions.
After using the clone to divert his pursuers, Kagami took refuge in a narrow crevice along a high cliff. It was both hidden and offered an expansive field of view—perfect for a visual-type kekkei genkai user like him.
He chewed on a military ration pill while reapplying poison to the Grasscutter Blade and planning his next move.
Over the past week, Hyuga Kagami had ambushed three Kumogakure supply convoys. Although he hadn't destroyed much in terms of materials or killed many enemy troops, the disruption alone had wreaked havoc on Kumogakure's logistics. Multiple supply routes were now on high alert, leaving the whole network paralyzed.
With their rear lines compromised, Kumogakure's offensive within the Land of Fire had noticeably slowed.
Konoha took immediate notice of this change, and so did the other major shinobi villages that had been watching the conflict closely. All eyes now turned to the Land of Hot Water, wedged between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning—seemingly the critical battleground that would determine the outcome of the clash between Konoha and Kumogakure.
At the same time, due to Kagami's escalating activity, Konoha's ANBU Team Eleven had become Kumogakure's number one target. Increasing numbers of elite shinobi were being sent to hunt them down.
In Kagami's case alone, what had started with just one squad of Jonin had now escalated. Kumogakure had even deployed Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, and over twenty Jonin. The scale of the operation now rivaled those used to hunt down Kage-level enemies.
Suddenly, as he was coating his blade with poison, Kagami's expression shifted.
His shadow clone had just vanished.
That in itself wasn't surprising—after all, it was merely a decoy meant to distract pursuers—but what caught Kagami off guard was how abruptly it disappeared, without relaying back any significant memories.
In other words, it had been instantly destroyed.
Even though Kagami's shadow clone technique wasn't yet perfected, it still carried about 50% of his strength and visual prowess. For something like that to be instantly defeated meant the enemy was not only powerful but also incredibly fast—so fast that even a clone inheriting half of Kagami's dojutsu couldn't react in time.
Leaning against the cliff wall, Kagami stared into the direction where the clone had vanished. A curious smile played at his lips.
"Someone that strong... Who could it be?"