Doubt Him! Understand Him! Then... How Many Floors Can a Bag of Rice Be Carried Up?

Inside the room, two or three dozen members of the Kaguya Clan gathered together, their anger barely contained.

Before them lay the corpse of a clansman, killed by assassination.

The Kaguya Clan had originally numbered at least forty or fifty people, but successive assassinations and high-risk missions had left the clan with heavy casualties.

The clan head stood at the front, letting out a furious roar: "My clansmen, the Kaguya Clan must fight back. We are a clan of warriors—we can die gloriously in battle, but we will not be assassinated in humiliation."

"Fight back. Kill Karatachi Yagura. Set things right."

The roar echoed in his ears. Kazama Kaguya went along with the crowd, putting on a show of burning rage, but when it came time to discuss the specifics of the surprise attack, he activated the power of All-Killing Ash Bones and coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

The pungent smell of blood made everyone frown.

On the verge of the clan's life-or-death struggle, seeing blood before the attack even began was truly disheartening.

Kazama Kaguya seized the opportunity to say, "Clan Head, the Fourth Mizukage truly deserves to die. I want to join the assault squad too, but I'm afraid I'll hold everyone back. Let me guard the clan grounds instead, to keep those civilian ninjas from sneaking in."

Kazama Kaguya's appearance, ravaged by disease, made it impossible to refuse.

The clan head was silent for a moment before saying, "Everyone else will follow me on the assault. We only have one chance. As for you, your Bloodline Disease is too severe. Guard the clan grounds. If any greedy civilian ninjas dare trespass, kill them all."

"Our Kaguya Clan, even after being targeted and assassinated by Karatachi Yagura for so long, is not something those jackals can touch at will."

By the end, his face was filled with a grim, murderous expression.

Under the firelight, his angular face showed high cheekbones that seemed ready to pierce the skin, eager to drink the blood of slaughter.

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Kazama Kaguya quickly pledged, "Clan Head, rest assured. As long as I live, no one will breach the clan grounds' gate."

"Good." The clan head nodded approvingly, then began arranging Kimimaro's mission.

Though Kimimaro was treated as a weapon, he was still young and of little use in assassinating the Mizukage. He was ordered to go alone and slaughter civilians, drawing the attention of the higher-ups to cover the main force's assault.

Soon, Kazama Kaguya saw Kimimaro emerge from the underground prison.

His mission was to launch a night raid, killing everyone he encountered—civilian or ninja alike.

The two exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Everything had already been arranged.

After Kimimaro set off toward the village to kill, the clan head gathered all their combat strength.

Kazama Kaguya thought they would leave immediately, but an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Under the watch of dozens of eyes, the clan head suddenly pulled out a key and pressed it into his hands: "Kazama, this is the key to the clan's storehouse. Keep it safe."

Kazama Kaguya froze, completely caught off guard by the clan head's move.

"The key to the storehouse? For me?" His face was full of disbelief.

In the Kaguya Clan, he had always been invisible, well aware of his own worth.

The storehouse held the Kaguya Clan's countless accumulated treasures.

Kazama Kaguya had coveted this key, but never dared to dream of it. Now, inexplicably, it had landed in his hands.

The clan head paid no attention to Kazama Kaguya's expression. He paused, the light in his eyes dimming slightly, his expression complex, as if delivering a final testament:

"Kazama, it's fine that you're not joining the assault. Guard the clan grounds well. If this mission fails, Karatachi Yagura won't give us a chance to return alive. Extinction is imminent."

"Once we leave, the clan grounds will be nothing but women and children. You're dying too—you won't escape."

The clan head sighed, his voice growing heavier, hoarse as he said:

"The Hozuki and Mizuki clans have already been wiped out. If we lose, take the women and children into the storehouse. Activate all the Explosive Tags inside. Don't let the Kaguya Clan's bloodline and treasures be tortured and exploited by others."

His words felt like thousand-pound iron weights, smashing into Kazama Kaguya's vision until stars swam before his eyes.

"No, I'm supposed to be a rogue ninja. I already found a bodyguard. I'm supposed to run away."

Kazama Kaguya screamed inwardly, the key in his hands burning like a red-hot branding iron.

He only wanted to live—flee to Konoha, acquire the Byakugan bloodline, evolve into an Otsutsuki, survive safely in the ninja world, and maybe show off a little, enjoying the thrill of great power.

But now, what was this?

Using women and children to guilt-trip him, digging a pit for him to be buried alive with the Kaguya Clan?

Even if he had just screwed over Kisame Hoshigaki, the backlash shouldn't be like this!

"Clan Head..."

Kazama Kaguya tried to throw the key away, but was stopped.

The clan head grabbed his hand, pressing the key firmly into his palm, and said sincerely, "Kazama, I trust you. The Kaguya Clan has never produced a coward."

"If we succeed, Kirigakure will have a new sky. If we fail, you will be the one to salvage our clan's honor."

With that, he turned to look at the clansmen standing resolutely behind him, his eyes full of pride.

Chakra surged. Shikotsumyaku activated. One by one, bone spikes pierced through his body, coalescing into a massive bone spear.

The clan head raised his bone spear like a war banner at a rally, roaring at the top of his lungs.

"The Kaguya have only pride! Kill!"

The next instant, countless bone spikes shot into the sky, turning into a pale torrent that surged toward the Mizukage Building.

Kazama Kaguya stood frozen in place, his entire body turning to stone in an instant.

His face flushed red as he stared at the quickly vanishing white torrent and cursed loudly:

"Fuck, you old bastard, are you guilt-tripping me?"

"The Kaguya have no cowards, only pride???"

"I..."

Kazama Kaguya wanted to shout loudly: I am a coward, I just want to survive.

But when the words reached his lips, they simply wouldn't come out.

Because from the houses not far away, women walked out one by one, leading young children by the hand.

They didn't cry or make a fuss. Each of them had Explosive tags strapped to their bodies, staring straight at him with eyes that looked death in the face.

The Kaguya clan grounds fell into a silence so deep it was terrifying.

"Explosive tags? Human bombs? Better to die standing than live kneeling? This is the Kaguya clan's pride?"

Kazama Kaguya was completely stunned, as if a bolt of lightning had struck his heart.

"Crazy, they're all crazy. This shitty world, fuck!"

His voice was full of trembling and helplessness, his mind locked in a fierce battle.

He just wanted to survive—what was wrong with that?

But in this situation, if he ran away in front of all these women and children, he'd probably live in the shadows for the rest of his life.

Even if he gained the power of the Otsutsuki, he'd still be nothing but a rat in the sewer, unfit for the stage.

"Eternally standing in the high heavens? Hah, I spoke too soon."

"The wind up there is too strong. I'm just a small fry—what was I doing dreaming that kind of dream..."

"The ninja world... was it always this cesspool? No wonder the Uchiha lunatics always want to shape a beautiful, peaceful world."

"Doubt him! Understand him! And then..."

At that moment, Kazama Kaguya suddenly understood why the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan was accepted by so many Rogue Ninja.

And why, from the Sage of Six Paths to Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Nagato, Obito, and even Naruto Uzumaki—all of them sought peace.

It was simply that everyone had long grown tired of the mental torment that killing brought.

He sighed, countless thoughts surging within him.

Those naive, wishful ideas quickly burned to ash.

What remained were only those heavy, bitter, soul-tormenting thoughts full of responsibility.

"Maybe, from now on, I should shout too: How many floors does a bag of rice have to carry?"