Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

"Master, we have located Izumi Taketori. It seems he has just dealt with the small team sent by the Cloud Ninja."

Hizashi is the head of the branch family, while Hiashi is the head of the main family and the head of the Hyuga clan. Therefore, when they are out in the public eye, the members of the Hyuga branch family address each other in this way.

Clearly, the explosion of the skeletal shadow clone had alerted the Hyuga clan and others who had come to investigate from the vicinity.

With the directional guidance, Byakugan's overpowered detection range quickly pinpointed Izumi's location by using both X-ray vision and long-range observation.

Hijiri also flashed his Byakugan, looking at the figure sitting on the corpse of a Cloud Ninja in the distance, only to find that the other person raised his head and met his gaze with his right eye, which was bulging with veins.

That arrogant wave was beckoning them over, showing no fear whatsoever.

This caused Rizashi to frown deeply, revealing a somewhat solemn expression, as if the other party already knew of their arrival.

It's understandable, though, since they didn't try to conceal their movements too much and were investigating along the way; the other side must have left some warning signs as well.

The fact that the other side had taken the initiative to attack clearly meant they were prepared and waiting for their arrival, which made him sense something ominous.

"The other side already knew we were coming, so you need to be extremely careful with your actions from now on."

"According to intelligence, the other party possesses some kind of explosive method, similar to detonating tags, and based on the bloodline of the other party's bones, we must be careful with his bones."

"Their opponents are different from other members of the Bamboo Clan. Their use of the Corpse Bone Pulse is no longer limited to physical techniques. You two will form a team and defend each other's blind spots."

Hijiri methodically issued the orders. Having experienced many battles, he also had the responsibility of protecting the main family, and he always acted with composure.

He was accompanied by four Hyuga branch family ninjas, two of whom were Jonin and the other two were Chunin.

"Then, Master, what are you going to do?" a Jonin couldn't help but ask.

Rizashi glanced at him and shook his head slightly: "Because I will not take action for the time being, you will be the ones to probe the enemy's intelligence and attack methods."

"Once I have a complete understanding of the enemy's intelligence and attack methods, I will take direct action. You will all assist me in taking them down."

Everyone nodded slightly, understanding the importance of this mission. To wash away the shame of the Hyuga clan, they had to reclaim the Byakugan.

If absolutely necessary, it can be destroyed, but it must never fall into the hands of anyone outside the Hyuga clan.

"action!"

As soon as Hijiri finished speaking, the group vanished from their spot and sped towards Izumi's location.

……

"Are they here?"

Izumikawa sat on the corpse of a Cloud Ninja, looking up at Hyuga Hizashi and the others who were rushing towards them in the distance.

And now, he is constantly using [optimization] on himself to eliminate the traces of that other person's body and integrate them into himself.

Integrate the techniques that suit you into your body, eliminate the habits that don't suit you, and finally achieve complete integration, so that your body moves at will and you are in perfect harmony.

"However, these corpses cannot be left behind; let's destroy them!"

Izumikawa gently rose to his feet, flipped his hand, and spat out a hollow bone from his palm. He then opened the small sealing ninjutsu scroll inside and aimed it at the corpse.

The scorching fireball sealed inside landed directly on the corpse and burst into flames.

Unfortunately, it lacked Mei Terumi's Lava Release, otherwise not even ashes would have remained. Scorch Release would have been fine too, capable of incinerating it into a pile of black powder.

"Using the [optimization] function dozens of times continuously consumes a lot of resources, but luckily I was prepared in advance."

He had already inscribed the separated skeletal shadow clones with a summoning spell and sealed them in a scroll, so that they could be summoned when the time came.

However, there is a drawback to doing this: the skeletal shadow clones have different amounts of chakra than the real body, and they can be recognized at a glance.

The solution is simple: just don't let the person in question be present.

"Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique!"

Izumikawa subtly formed hand seals, and a thick fog carrying chakra began to rise around them, obscuring the Byakugan's vision that was spying on them.

At the same time, the Skeleton Shadow Clone Technique was used, and the skeleton behind him broke free, as if shedding its body, and transformed into the appearance of Izumi River.

Without stopping his hand seals, he slammed the [Summoning Technique] on the ground, and smoke rose, revealing four skeletal shadow clones that hid in the thick fog.

Meanwhile, Izumi Kawa himself stomped his foot, his body rising high into the air, leaving his skeletal shadow clone in place, and headed towards the sky above.

The four skeletal shadow clones that were sealed before have different chakra content than the one that has been created now, so that the other party can think that this is the "real body".

Preparations are complete, and the guests have arrived; it's time to greet them politely.

……

In just a moment, several Bagua palm strikes were unleashed, instantly tearing open several huge gaps in the thick fog and revealing his location.

Swoosh~

Five figures swiftly descended, surrounding Izumi and trapping him within.

"Taketori Izumi, I advise you to surrender and hand over your Byakugan, so you can suffer less."

"Unfortunately, if you hadn't killed any members of our Hyuga clan, given the past friendship between our Hyuga and the Kaguya clan, we might have spared your life."

This Jonin from the Hyuga branch family looked at Taketori Izumi and felt that victory was already assured given the current situation.

Not only is the head of the Hyuga branch family, Hyuga Hizashi, present here, but there are also two Jonin and two Chunin.

Even though Izumi Taketori was a Jonin with extraordinary combat power, the combined attack of the five of them was still too much for them, not to mention that the opponent had just gone through a battle and had not yet recovered.

"Surrender without a fight? What about the friendship between our two clans? Hahahaha!" Upon hearing the words of this Jonin from the Hyuga branch family, Izumi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Showing no mercy, he directly saw through the other party's thoughts and mocked, "Back then, that group of Hyuga ninjas didn't waste any words with me, talking about the friendship between our two clans, they just attacked."

"Now that you think I'm a problem, you're bringing up the friendship between our two tribes? Don't make me laugh."

"The Hyuga and Taketori clans did have a good relationship during the Warring States period, and even intermarried. Perhaps I still have a trace of Hyuga clan blood."

In his last sentence, Izumi's tone carried a hint of playful teasing, and his gaze was not directed at the Hyuga branch family Jonin, but at Hizashi.

"I never expected that this Byakugan would even alarm you, Hyuga Hizashi, the head of the Hyuga branch family."

"As twin brothers, just because they were born a little later, one became a member of the main family and the other a member of a branch family, leading to completely different fates."

"The Hyuga clan, like our Kaguya clan, maintains outdated and corrupt rules, lacks any ambition, and is even gradually declining."

As these harsh words fell, the temperature around them instantly dropped several degrees, and icy gazes were fixed on Izumi.