In the dense fog, about forty meters away from the assassin, Hyuga Yu stood with veins bulging around his active Byakugan. Holding a massive bow, fully 2.2 meters long and still trembling slightly, he slowly let out a breath.
"Phew, survived again..."
In his gray-white yet crystal-clear field of vision, the illusory, drifting fog—which was thick enough to prevent one from seeing their own hand outstretched—had lost its intended effect entirely.
Before these eyes, the strongest in the ninja world for insight, the assassin stood like a highlighted target, staring blankly right at Hyuga Yu.
As a spy responsible for monitoring the movements of the Hyuga clan, was it possible the opponent didn't know the effects of the Byakugan?
That was, of course, impossible.
So, did Hyuga Yu, a Genin with only a level-2 stat in Chakra, kill this ninja—who was at least a Chunin—with a single arrow because his strength exceeded the opponent's?
Certainly not.
Given the skill level exposed by this Mist Chunin, even without using Ninjutsu, in a direct frontal confrontation, Hyuga Yu would likely have been beaten to death within ten minutes.
Even that killing shot would have been impossible to land had the opponent not inadvertently blinded himself by casting the Hidden Mist Jutsu.
So, why did such a one-sided result occur?
Because of intelligence.
The intelligence held by both sides was completely unequal.
This wasn't "intelligence" in the traditional sense of knowing oneself and the enemy. In Hyuga Yu's understanding, this was a routine forced upon the enemy.
First, seize the initiative in choosing the battlefield. Next, pre-arrange the conditions that allow the [Byakugan Stealth Technique] to activate. Then, apply layers of psychological pressure on the enemy through the [Byakugan Stealth Technique], forcing them into a desperate search for Hyuga Yu. Finally, wait for them to lose their rationality and use an unreasonable Jutsu that exposes a flaw, and rely on the Byakugan's powerful insight to seize that fleeting opening.
One hit, one kill!
The premise of it all was based on Hyuga Yu activating his Byakugan at the first moment and determining that the opponent was a Mist ninja.
During this process, the assassin actually had many ways to avoid death.
Giving up on killing Hyuga Yu, using large-scale Ninjutsu for indiscriminate AOE coverage, or even spinning like a top in place to guard all sides—to keep up with such movements, Hyuga Yu would actually tire out faster than the opponent.
But when the plan is actually executed, the enemy often moves exactly in the direction Hyuga Yu envisions. Even if there are slight deviations, they ultimately lead to the result Hyuga Yu expects.
This is, in fact, a false proposition.
People let their imaginations run wild.
Smart people do this even more so, especially when facing an "Intelligence Black Hole."
When Hyuga Yu demonstrates an ability that exceeds their intelligence reports, the enemy subconsciously overturns all their previous judgments about him and re-evaluates him at a level higher than his actual skill.
Scheming types with hundreds of hidden agendas like Kakashi Hatake, or pure single-celled organisms like Might Guy, are relatively rare.
At this moment, looking at the assassin lying dead on his back forty meters away, Hyuga Yu felt fortunate to have lived another day, but he couldn't help feeling a lingering fear.
Up until now, he had relied on these sorts of tricks to win battles and escape with his life during the war. Hyuga Yu knew very well that this method couldn't last forever. But as a mediocre member of the Hyuga Branch House, he really had no choice.
Thinking of this, Hyuga Yu muttered with a heavy expression, "Once I get my hands on Wind Style, the study plan for [Byakugan Swordsmanship], [Chakra Scalpel], and [Gentle Fist: Chakra Needle Pressure Point Technique] needs to be moved up the schedule immediately."
"My Taijutsu ability is still too weak. I circled around with this guy for ages, yet I didn't have the confidence to engage in Taijutsu even once without falling into a disadvantage."
In terms of Taijutsu, aside from footwork and stance training which he had practiced bitterly, the fist and kick techniques used for direct combat were currently Hyuga Yu's weak points.
A ninja's learning capacity and time are limited.
The downside of studying both Gentle Fist and Strong Fist simultaneously was that while Hyuga Yu knew a little of everything, aside from the footwork he practiced specifically to adapt to the [Byakugan Stealth Technique], he wasn't particularly proficient in any single ability.
But fortunately, Hyuga Yu had a very clear plan for his future. Although his Chakra level of 2 destined his upper limit to be modest, since fate had given him a chance to live a second life, Hyuga Yu naturally intended to cherish everything before him and strive to be the best!
After briefly summarizing the experience gained from the battle, Hyuga Yu cleaned up the scene. He packed the giant Japanese asymmetrical bow (yumi) back into its wooden case, then pulled the spent arrow from the Mist spy's forehead and destroyed it.
Then, he jogged toward his home as if nothing had happened.
This battle, which erupted near the Hyuga clan grounds within the Hidden Leaf Village, quickly attracted the attention of many ninja, and even the higher-ups of Konoha.
Even during a ninja war, the outbreak of a 'Hidden Mist Jutsu' covering a range of hundreds of meters inside the village was a sensational event.
Everyone knows that the Hidden Mist Jutsu is primarily for support. In actual combat, few people would desperately consume Chakra to expand the scale of this technique.
According to common sense, anyone capable of casting a Hidden Mist Jutsu of this scale must be a top-tier expert proficient in the Silent Killing Technique.
Such top-tier experts and elite Jonin have files in every village, and ninja executing relevant missions will even actively collect intelligence on these powerhouses.
In an instant, rumors spread like wildfire that Juzo Biwa, wielder of the Executioner's Blade and member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had infiltrated Konoha.
A squad of Konoha Anbu arrived about ten minutes later, sealed off the scene, and began investigating the sequence of events.
Meanwhile, in front of the apartment where Hyuga Yu lived, quite a few ninja had gathered, looking alert yet confused.
Fortunately, under the cover of the lingering fog on the streets, no one noticed Hyuga Yu sneaking out from the alleyway.
He blended into the crowd, pretending to be a spectator at the battle scene for a while before choosing to leave.
Although he was the one who killed the Mist spy, Hyuga Yu did not want others to know it was his doing—especially at this moment, when he was urgently seeking to increase his strength.
Intelligence is life for a ninja.
And what determines a ninja's combat power isn't the mundane titles of 'Genin', 'Chunin', or 'Jonin'.
Only intelligence, and the 'Jutsu' a ninja has truly mastered, are the decisive factors in measuring a ninja's caliber!
Holding this thought, Hyuga Yu returned to his apartment with a calm face, climbing the iron ladder to the second floor.
This apartment building wasn't very lively; its residents were mostly ninja who were busy during wartime.
However, at this moment, a boy with the Byakugan, wearing a Chunin vest, had been waiting there for a long time.
Seeing Hyuga Yu returning late with the huge wooden box on his back, the Hyuga boy—who appeared to be about the same age as Yu—immediately reached out to block his path. Looking at Hyuga Yu with a serious expression, he opened his mouth and said:
"Hyuga Yu, have you considered the matter I spoke of?"
Hyuga Yu looked up, realizing who blocked his way, though he couldn't recall what matter the other party had mentioned.
"It's Tetsu. Do you need something?"
"Can you cancel your engagement with Natsu?"
Hyuga Yu was stunned for a moment. Then he furrowed his brows, looking at the other boy as if he were an idiot.
"?"
"To be blunt, Hyuga Yu, you really can't give Natsu happiness!"