As the signal flare shot into the sky, Yuyuri and the Hozuki unit, who had been wreaking havoc in Futada Village, began to withdraw quickly.
A few minutes later, Yoru regrouped with the others.
Following the retreat path Yukiko had mapped out in advance, they began their withdrawal.
The chakra-infused mist blocked all biological detection, rendering both ninken and insects useless.
Even the Byakugan, once activated, could only see emptiness. This left the pursuing Konoha ninja at a loss. All they could do was secure the occupied area and tally up their losses.
"Heh, so much for Konoha."
Under a towering tree more than ten kilometers outside Futada Village...
Yuyuri wiped the bloodstained blade at her hip while grinning. "I really don't get what the frontliners are doing. I heard they've launched over a dozen attacks and all got repelled by Konoha. What a bunch of dead weight!"
"Konoha isn't to be underestimated. If it weren't for Yukiko's Crimson eyes disrupting the Byakugan and Lord Yoru causing a major diversion, we wouldn't have succeeded so easily."
Hozuki Mangetsu shook his head, his wrist trembling slightly.
During the earlier skirmish, he'd encountered an extremely powerful Uchiha.
Whether in ninjutsu or taijutsu, that man was exceptionally strong—and with the added power of a fully matured Sharingan. If it hadn't been for his subordinates stepping in, Mangetsu doubted he would've made it out of Futada Village alive.
Yoru's gaze lingered briefly on the bloodstained ANBU vest Mangetsu wore. It bore obvious signs of Fire Release burns, steel wire, and kunai strikes.
"Mangetsu, it seems you ran into someone serious."
"Yeah. An Uchiha with a three-tomoe Sharingan. I nearly died back there," Mangetsu replied, not bothering to hide the truth. After a moment of reflection, he frowned. "Actually, I think he could've killed me… but it felt like he was holding back for some reason."
"He could've killed you? There's someone like that inside the village?!"
Yuyuri muttered in disbelief.
Although she didn't get along with Hozuki Mangetsu...
As a fellow subordinate personally recruited by Lord Yoru, she knew Mangetsu well and respected his strength.
This guy was hailed as the most outstanding prodigy of the Hozuki clan. Not only had he mastered formidable Water Release techniques, but his Hydrification Jutsu was also refined to perfection.
Most importantly—his kenjutsu.Even Lord Yoru frequently praised his swordsmanship.
With the right blade, Hozuki Mangetsu could even spar evenly with Yoru himself.
In the entire village, there were very few jonin who could confidently defeat Mangetsu. Aside from the Mizukage, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and Yoru, there were probably no more than a handful. Even Yuyuri had to admit she was a little weaker than him.
And yet this elite-level Mangetsu had almost died in the mission?
Yuyuri couldn't believe it. The jonin she had dealt with weren't even as strong as those back in the village. Using Kirigakure's mist techniques, she'd killed several with ease.
"If I'm right, that guy was none other than Uchiha Fugaku, the current clan head."
Yoru said gravely, "The fact that you made it out alive is already impressive. He's one of the primary forces the Third Hokage deployed to the front. He's extremely troublesome."
If he were to use the Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku would easily be among the top three in Konoha's current power structure.
"The Uchiha clan head, huh…"
"Yoshino and the others… they were all killed by that guy too…"
Mangetsu's expression dimmed.
Yoshino had been one of his squad members.
Due to the Blood Mist policy instituted by the Third Mizukage, bonds between Kirigakure shinobi had grown distant. But things were different in ANBU's First Squad.
All four squad members had been hand-picked by Yoru, and each team leader personally selected their own members.
Now, with his entire squad wiped out, Mangetsu couldn't help but feel shaken.
"Lord Yoru!"
But soon, Mangetsu's expression shifted to something more serious. "In this operation, my entire squad was lost. I wasn't able to recover their bodies, so Konoha will likely extract information from their minds."
Konoha's intelligence-gathering techniques were second to none in the shinobi world.
Not only did they use ninja beasts, insects, and the Byakugan to gather battlefield intel rapidly, but they could also extract useful data from prisoners—or even corpses.
"Once we step onto the battlefield, intelligence leaks are inevitable. Besides, our secrets may have been exposed, but Konoha's information isn't exactly impenetrable either."
Yoru reassured him calmly.
As he spoke...
He pulled a scroll from his robes and handed it to Mangetsu.
"This is…"
"A full breakdown of Konoha's front-line troop deployments. Mangetsu, I want you to get this to Lord Yagura immediately. If we act before Konoha reacts, we can seize the advantage."
A complete breakdown of Konoha's troop deployments?!
Everyone present stiffened.
No one expected Lord Yoru to have such a valuable intel asset!
This scroll could shift the course of the war if used correctly—but it had to be done fast.
If Konoha caught wind of the leak, this intel could quickly become a trap rather than a trump card.
"Yes, Lord Yoru!"
Mangetsu straightened his posture, solemnly accepted the scroll, tucked it into his chest pocket, and disappeared via body flicker.
Before the age of high-speed warfare, and excluding the Third Raikage's brute-force approach, war was never simply about head-on battles.
Resources, intelligence, elite combatants, and Tailed Beast deterrence—These were the true core of war!
"Everyone rest here. Yuumi Squad, begin medical treatment. In one hour, we move out again. We need to completely draw the attention of those Konoha shinobi."
"Yes, Lord Yoru!"
The group rested, while Yuumi Squad quickly tended to the wounded.
Although this surprise attack had achieved decent results, it wasn't enough to draw full attention.
To give the Seven Ninja Swordsmen enough breathing room, Yoru had to stir up an even greater commotion.
Ideally, the Konoha shinobi stationed at Futada Village would feel so threatened that they'd call for reinforcements from the front lines.
After all...
This wasn't just the logistics center of the Kirigakure frontlines—It also housed the Uchiha clan head and the Third Hokage's son.
And those kinds of lives…
Are always worth a little more.