*Chapter 222: You’ve Fallen Into the Trap*

Sarutobi Hiruzen led his ninja team through the forest at an incredibly fast pace.

However, this time they didn’t bring any Hyuga Clan members, so ordinary ninjas handled the sensory tasks.

Despite the unease in his heart, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew there was no turning back now.

“Hokage-sama! It seems there are about a hundred Cloud Village ninjas ahead,” said the sensory ninja.

“Can you identify their specific identities?” Sarutobi Hiruzen signaled the group to halt and asked the sensory ninja.

If it was just a regular unit, it would be best to bypass them to avoid becoming a target for Cloud Village.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that their only chance to make the Cloud Village ninjas retreat was by locating and killing the Raikage. No matter how many other enemies they took down, it wouldn’t make a difference unless the Raikage was eliminated.

“There’s a significant amount of chakra in their bodies!” The sensory ninja reported with concern. A large amount of chakra meant they had hooked a big fish. Only monsters like the Raikage or tailed beasts possessed such vast amounts of chakra in Cloud Village.

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a surge of excitement. This meant Konoha’s losses could be minimized.

“Is it a tailed beast? How does the chakra compare to Naruto’s?” Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly asked.

If it was a tailed beast, they would need to avoid it. He wasn’t there to fight tailed beasts, and if one blocked their path, it would spell trouble.

“It seems the chakra amount is less than Uzumaki Naruto’s but roughly equivalent to yours, Hokage-sama,” the sensory ninja bluntly replied.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly, glaring at the sensory ninja. But the information was almost confirmed, meaning they could attempt a decapitation strike. Even if it wasn’t the Raikage, it was likely a secret weapon of Cloud Village. Taking down this individual would still give Konoha the advantage.

“The fate of Konoha rests on all of you! Behind us are our families, our brothers and sisters. Even our wives and children. We must stop the Cloud Village ninjas from invading!” Sarutobi Hiruzen looked around at the ninjas and spoke softly.

The ninjas he brought along mostly understood that this mission was a one-way trip. They were essentially on a suicide mission. To prevent anyone from backing down, it was necessary to rally them at this moment.

“Konoha will prevail!” The group followed Sarutobi Hiruzen, shouting in unison.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction, pleased with their morale. If they succeeded in this battle, he would ensure they received better treatment afterward. After all, not many ninjas remained loyal to Konoha at its most critical moment, and these men were still loyal to him.

A large squad quickly closed in on Cloud Village’s camp. Sarutobi Hiruzen stayed in the center of the group, watching as Konoha’s forces stormed the camp, catching the unsuspecting Cloud Village ninjas off guard. They seemed genuinely shocked to see Konoha’s ninjas here, which eased Sarutobi Hiruzen’s mind. The likelihood of a trap seemed much lower now.

“Execute Plan B!” Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered a nearby ninja. The ninja nodded and signaled his subordinates. A dozen ninjas vanished, organizing into four small squads, each taking a corner.

Buzz!

In the next moment, a barrier rose into the sky, slowly forming a dome that ensured no information could leave the area. The barrier completely enveloped the Cloud Village camp, making escape impossible.

At this point, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped hiding and moved to the front of the group, facing the Raikage, who had just killed several Konoha ninjas.

To his surprise, the Raikage was actually there.

“Hahaha, Sarutobi Hiruzen, I didn’t expect you to resort to such underhanded tactics. Using a barrier to block our reinforcements? Is Konoha so desperate now?” A, the Raikage, slowly walked forward, a sneer on his lips. To lure Sarutobi Hiruzen into a trap, he had indeed come alone. However, A hadn’t allowed Killer Bee and Yugito Nii to stray too far. They were observing the area from within a small barrier to avoid detection by Konoha.

Although it appeared that Sarutobi Hiruzen was trapping the Raikage, it was actually the other way around.

“Raikage, you should know that this war is being manipulated by someone! I know Cloud Village has been misled. If you’re willing to retreat, as the Third Hokage of Konoha, I promise you compensation. As long as your demands aren’t excessive, we can agree to them,” Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed.

Seeing that the Raikage was still smiling, Sarutobi Hiruzen assumed he was confident in his strength. However, he knew that defeating Cloud Village would come at a terrible cost, so persuading them to retreat would be the best outcome. If Cloud Village agreed to leave, Konoha would win the war without a fight, though it would come at a price. But Konoha could squeeze the necessary resources from other clans later.

His only fear was that Cloud Village might not be willing to back down, especially since they were already at Konoha’s doorstep. If he were in their shoes, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn’t retreat either. But every option had to be tried, hoping there was a chance.

“Hahaha, Sarutobi Hiruzen, how can you say something so foolish at a time like this? Even if I wanted to leave now, the fallen ninjas behind me wouldn’t allow it. Moreover, do you think you’ve got me cornered? Look around you,” Raikage sneered, not making any sudden moves.

Suddenly, a large group of ninjas surrounded the barrier, closing in from all sides. The ninjas maintaining the barrier turned pale, realizing that the enemy had been hiding nearby all along, even escaping the notice of their sensory ninja.

“What?” Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face darkened. He noticed two figures—Cloud Village’s Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and a female Two-Tails Jinchuriki. He cursed under his breath, wanting to strangle the sensory ninja who had assured him there was no trap. Now, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face turned green with anger. It seemed Cloud Village had been monitoring their every move all along.

"How could these guys possibly set a trap here?"

Even the Raikage used himself as bait.

They clearly knew his intentions.

"Execute Plan C!"

The captain maintaining the barrier was the first to speak.

They weren’t unprepared; they had definitely made thorough preparations.

The ninja teams, originally organized by squads, quickly formed hand signs.

A barrier enveloped them from the outside, with those maintaining it also protected within.

Their goal in operating as a team was for two people to maintain the internal barrier while another ensured their safety.

There was also another reason: if they encountered a trap, the remaining person could create another barrier.

The double-layered barrier could buy some time for those inside!

As long as the enemy didn’t break it immediately, those inside could make adjustments.

This left Killer Bee and the others standing outside, stunned!

They clearly hadn’t expected the Leaf Village to have such a move.

"Let me try first!"

Yugito Nii glanced at the barrier, her eyes revealing a strange pupil!

In the next moment, a blue flame slowly rose from her body.

And a tail had already appeared behind her.

"Let’s both try and see if we can break this."

Killer Bee placed a hand on Yugito Nii, suggesting that if it were just her alone, the Tailed Beast Ball might not break the barrier, but if they worked together, the chances would be much greater.

"Alright!"

Yugito Nii nodded, and the two of them transformed in unison.

The ninja of the Hidden Cloud Village backed away, giving space to the two beasts.

"The Hyuga clan is the strongest in the Leaf Village!"

At that moment, an angry shout rang out!

Killer Bee and Yugito Nii halted their preparations for the Tailed Beast Ball.

The Hyuga clan tore a hole open from one corner of the Hidden Cloud Village.

A group of long-haired, white-robed fighters with Byakugan charged directly at Killer Bee.

The momentum was overwhelming, and there were countless masters among them!

Even the Hidden Cloud Village ninja were steadily retreating in the face of them.

The formation that the Hidden Cloud Village had carefully set up was instantly thrown into disarray.

"The Hyuga clan? Have they gone mad?"

Killer Bee looked at the Hyuga clan’s forces in disbelief.

The other side was charging at them recklessly, not even bothering with defense—just charging straight at them.

No wonder the Hidden Cloud Village ninja couldn’t stop them. After all, when dealing with madmen, if you don’t go crazy yourself, you’ll end up on the losing side.

"Lord Bee! It seems like their target is the two of you!"

At this moment, Dodai appeared beside Killer Bee, speaking gravely.

There was a complex expression in Dodai’s eyes as he saw the old, weak, women, and children among the group.

This time, the Hyuga clan was fighting with their lives on the line.

With such a large force, they couldn’t be stopped in a short time.

And their target was the Tailed Beasts; it seemed Hiruzen Sarutobi had given them a death order.

"I’ll break the barrier first to free my brother!"

Killer Bee stubbornly looked toward the barrier, intending to gather the Tailed Beast Ball and break the barrier, despite the gathering Hyuga clan ninjas.

But with so many ninjas around, Dodai couldn’t just watch Killer Bee risk his life.

"Lord Bee, Lord Raikage ordered that in case of an emergency, we are to use the Chakra Cannon for bombardment."

"Your safety is more important than all of these people, so let’s not do anything reckless now."

Dodai stopped Killer Bee from taking further action!

Killer Bee’s face showed frustration as he looked unwillingly toward the barrier.

With the strength of the Leaf’s barrier, if the two of them used a Tailed Beast Ball together, they could break it and free his brother.

But who would have thought that the Hyuga clan would interfere so brutally?

Killer Bee and Yugito Nii returned to their original forms, surrounded by a group of ninjas.

Tailed Beasts have immense power, but that doesn’t mean they’re invincible.

Even a Tailed Beast could be defeated when faced with special Kekkei Genkai.

Especially now, when they were up against a group of Hyuga clan ninjas, who were fighting recklessly and without concern for their lives.

Dodai gave orders to a ninja, arranging for the Chakra Cannon to be fired at the barrier.

As long as they tore through that barrier, the Leaf’s plan would be foiled.

But!

How should they deal with these Hyuga clan ninjas in front of them?

This was now the biggest problem.

Inside the barrier, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been a bit nervous after finding himself ambushed, was surprised to see the Hyuga clan suddenly charge in, giving him a chance at survival.

Hiruzen Sarutobi now felt like laughing out loud, as it had been a long time since he felt this exhilarated.

For months, he had been living under pressure.

The Uchiha clan had disrupted his plans, even causing unavoidable losses to the Leaf Village.

Whitebeard had come to their Leaf Village and taken away the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!

Kakashi returned to the Leaf Village and took away many of the major families.

Then the Hidden Cloud Village suddenly visited, directly attacking the Leaf Village’s doorstep.

Every day, all Hiruzen Sarutobi received was bad news.

He hadn’t heard any good news in a long time.

It nearly gave him a breakdown.

But in this war!

He had almost been cornered!

But the Hyuga clan’s sudden interference turned the situation around.

"Hahaha! It seems the Leaf Village is still a step ahead!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed wildly.

If he didn’t laugh now, when would he?

Laugh as much as you can when you can—don’t hold back even a little.

"Hmph! Even so, as long as I take you out, old man, the Leaf Village won’t be able to resist us anymore."

"Even one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, has been captured by us. You must be the last bit of strength left in the Leaf Village."

A didn’t show any emotion on his face as he coldly looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But his eyes kept glancing at the battlefield outside, showing some concern for Killer Bee.

"Boom!"

At this moment, a beam of light descended from the sky.

The terrifying power relentlessly assaulted the barrier.

Cracks appeared on the barrier!

Moments later, the outer layer of the barrier shattered.

But the power didn’t stop there!

It continued to press on towards the inner barrier.