Outbreak! Armed Coup

"Clan leader, there really aren't any more ANBU surveillance signs near the clan grounds, but these traces... they're definitely fresh, no more than two days old."

The reporting clansman's voice carried suppressed anger: "It's Ice Release! Those bastards from the Yuki Clan are still spying on us from the shadows!"

Kaguya Naoto remained silent, fury churning in his heart as well. He looked at the tree bark the clansman presented—the biting cold had already faded, but the frost damage remained.

In truth, Namikaze Yoru found this rather exasperating. The Kaguya Clan's perception was appallingly dull.

He had started laying down these Ice Release traces four or five days ago, hoping a few spots would catch their attention. Who knew their nerves were so thick that he'd been forced to increase the "frequency" before they finally noticed.

"Ice Release... Yuki Clan!" Kaguya Naoto muttered to himself, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He summoned the clan elders and presented the evidence to them.

"The Mizukage publicly withdraws surveillance, but secretly sends Yuki scum to keep watching us. What greater humiliation could there be?"

The council of elders seethed with indignation, clamoring to march to the Mizukage Building and demand an explanation.

"Protest? What's the point of such a toothless gesture except to highlight our impotence?"

He suppressed the crowd's impulse, sweeping his gaze across the assembled clansmen, his voice rising with righteous fury:

"If the village intends to treat us like this, then any action we take is just the howl of a beaten dog."

He clenched his fist, knuckles cracking audibly: "Since the Mizukage wants to be wary of us, we'll let him lower his guard and wait for an opportunity."

Kaguya Naoto made his decision: on the surface, he sent an elder to the Mizukage Building for a token protest, even carrying a hint of appeasement—a stark contrast to their usual hardline stance.

This created the illusion that the Kaguya Clan had finally bowed to the village, accepting even such disgrace with only symbolic objection.

In the shadows, the entire Kaguya Clan coiled like a wounded beast, curling inward, licking its wounds, sharpening its claws. The calm was the false stillness before a volcanic eruption, waiting for the moment to blow.

Unbeknownst to them, the Mizukage was equally baffled. He had indeed withdrawn most targeted surveillance, keeping only routine patrol personnel.

In his view, the Kaguya Clan was pushing their luck after his previous concession.

Assigning the Yuki Clan to monitor another bloodline great clan like the Kaguya? That would be tantamount to trampling their dignity into the dirt.

He had no intention of stirring up conflict within the village and would never act so recklessly. To him, this looked more like the Kaguya Clan fabricating an excuse.

Especially after an internal check confirmed that no Ice Release ninja from the Yuki Clan had been dispatched on missions recently, this only reinforced his impression.

Namikaze Yoru observed all this from the shadows, gaining a measure of respect for Kaguya Naoto's restraint.

At this moment, the Kaguya Clan was like compressed gunpowder, needing only a fuse to ignite.

He was pondering whether to play another trump card to accelerate the detonation of this Kaguya powder keg.

Then an opportunity presented itself.

A few days later, on a seemingly peaceful morning.

The Kaguya Clan's informants at the Mizukage Building keenly detected a large-scale emergency mobilization of the village's elite ninja, including many ANBU members.

Though the orders were strictly classified, the village's on-duty ninja—especially the guards around the Mizukage Building—were visibly thinned out.

"Clan leader! The village's elites have all been deployed. According to intelligence from our moles, the Mizukage Building's defenses are less than half of normal."

An elder spoke with fervor, the flame of ambition burning bright.

Kaguya Naoto shot to his feet, his long-suppressed emotions erupting:

"A heaven-sent opportunity! The Third Mizukage, in his bid to exclude the Kaguya from the core of power, has inadvertently left us with our strongest forces. You've brought this on yourself."

He hesitated no longer and immediately gave the order: "Gather every clansman capable of fighting. Target: the Mizukage Building! Today, the Kaguya Clan will seize the Mizukage's seat!"

"OOH!!!"

The long-suppressed Kaguya clansmen roared to the heavens.

A tide of Kaguya members surged forth like demons crawling from hell, bone spikes piercing through skin, their faces twisted with savagery. Led by Kaguya Naoto and the elders, they burst out of the clan grounds, charging without concealment straight for the Mizukage Building at the village's heart.

Civilians along the way scattered in terror at the horrifying sight, while a few scattered ninja rushed ahead to report to the Mizukage Building.

The Kaguya Clan paid them no heed; their eyes were fixed only on the building that symbolized the highest authority in the Mist Village.

Namikaze Yoru lurked high above, calmly watching the rebellion he had incited.

At full throttle, the Kaguya Clan moved with blinding speed, smashing through to the open plaza before the Mizukage Building.

The unnerving smoothness of their advance sent a flicker of unease through Kaguya Naoto at the front.

But his thirst for power had already clouded his judgment. Staring at the Mizukage Building right before him, a savage grin spread across his face, as if the Mizukage's seat was already his for the taking.

"Huumm—"

A massive barrier radiating blue light rose from the edges of the plaza, like an inverted bowl, snapping into place in an instant.

The enormous barrier engulfed every Kaguya clansman who had stormed the Mizukage Building.

"It's a trap!" one elder cried out in alarm.

At the same time, the Third Mizukage's figure slowly materialized atop the Mizukage Building, his gaze cold and indifferent as he looked down at the trapped Kaguya. An icy killing intent radiated from his body.

"Kaguya Naoto... I gave your clan a chance. It seems today I must cut out the rot and thoroughly eliminate you—this cancerous element."

As his words fell, the elite Mist ninja who had supposedly been deployed earlier emerged like ghosts from all directions around the barrier's perimeter, densely packed—clearly prepared all along.

At the head were the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, along with a large contingent of Mist Anbu.

What was even more chilling was that several bloodline-limit ninja of the Yuki Clan stood among the crowd, their bodies wreathed in chilling cold.

Looking closer, there were also secret technique experts from the Hozuki Clan present; their water-transformation abilities happened to counter the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku.

Only now did Kaguya Naoto fully understand—that so-called trace of the Yuki Clan's reconnaissance, that perfectly timed emptiness of the village, was all the Mizukage's meticulous design.

The bait's purpose was to force them into open rebellion, so he could strike them down under pretext.

Having pieced this together in his mind, Kaguya Naoto's eyes split with fury, and he erupted with even denser bone spikes, roaring:

"Third! You schemed against me!"

But things had already reached this point; there was no turning back.

With the madness of one resolved to die, Kaguya Naoto charged at a terrifying speed toward the Third Mizukage atop the Mizukage Building, but before he could cover even half the distance, the Mist elites on the scene intercepted him.

In an instant, the open ground before the Mizukage Building became a bloody slaughterhouse.

Bone spikes clashed with ninja swords, Ice Release collided with Shikotsumyaku; roars, screams, and explosions rang out without end, and blood stained the ground red in moments.

Namikaze Yoru watched the brutal battle below in silence, his eyes devoid of any ripple. This... was far from the end of his plan.