Dance of the Early Fern

The open ground before the Mizukage Building had been utterly transformed into a meat grinder.

The sharpest blade the Mist Village had once wielded against outsiders was now being driven viciously into the hearts of its own people. Driven by the battle instincts in their blood, countless Kaguya clan members fought on, drenched in gore.

Kaguya Naoto himself was drenched in blood. The savage bone armor that once covered his body was now shattered and broken, revealing deep wounds that cut to the bone beneath.

Like an enraged lion, he roared and swung his bone blade, each cleave carrying the desperate finality of mutual destruction.

"Dance of the Larch!"

He bellowed, and dozens of sharp bone spikes erupted from his body in an instant, like a thicket of deathly thorns, forcibly bracing against the heavy downward cleave of Zabuza Momochi's Kubikiribōchō.

Just as he prepared to counterattack, the blunt blade Kabutowari in the hands of Jinin Akebino came crashing down again. As the strongest blade for breaking defenses, Kaguya Naoto dared not take this blow head-on.

"Oleander Dance: Vine Style!"

As he swiftly retreated, the spinal bone in his hand lashed out like a steel whip, aimed squarely at his opponent. Jinin Akebino reacted quickly, blocking with the broad back of Kabutowari.

"Exploding Blade Ninjutsu: Heavy Death."

Another of the Ninja Swordsmen, Munashi Jinpachi, wielding the Exploding Blade Shibuki wrapped in countless Explosive Tags, attacked from the flank. The violent blast sent Kaguya Naoto flying.

Watching from a distance, Namikaze Yoru couldn't help but mutter, "What a waste." Who brought a printing press to the battlefield?

Under the coordinated siege of three Ninja Swordsmen, even the formidable Kaguya Naoto found himself struggling to keep up.

The powerful regeneration granted by the Kaguya Bloodline could quickly heal non-fatal wounds, but the consumption of chakra and stamina was very real.

But it was no long-term solution. Seeing the three attack simultaneously again, Kaguya Naoto made a desperate gamble.

"Dance of the Early Fern!!"

With his furious shout, he slammed both arms into the ground. Countless sharp bone spikes burst forth like a forest, instantly covering a vast area.

The three reacted swiftly, either dodging nimbly or bracing with their blades, and emerged largely unscathed.

Only a few Mist Anbu who were too slow to evade were impaled on the spot, their screams filling the air.

"Death throes!" Suikazan Fuguki, seeing the three still unable to subdue him, joined the fray.

With the participation of the unrivalled blade, Samehada, each heavy blow drained Kaguya Naoto's chakra. As the balance tipped, Kaguya Naoto soon began to falter.

As for the other Kaguya clan members, their battle lines were also crumbling, teetering on the edge.

Not to mention the remaining Ninja Swordsmen, who cut through like a whirlwind. With every flash of their blades, a Kaguya clansman was severed, bone and all.

The elite of the Yuki Clan refused close combat entirely, constantly unleashing Ice Release to hinder the Kaguya clan's movements.

From time to time, ice-made senbon rained down like a storm on the besieged Kaguya clan. The battlefield had become the Yuki Clan's home ground, with thick layers of ice freezing the earth, making it impossible for the Kaguya to keep their footing.

And then there was the Hozuki Clan. Their Hydrification Technique rendered the Kaguya's physical attacks completely ineffective.

An elder roared as he drove his bone blade into a Hozuki ninja's chest, only for the man to dissolve into a pool of water. The next second, he reformed behind the elder, harassing him with the occasional Water Release: Water Gun, impossible to guard against.

The battle had devolved into a one-sided slaughter. No matter how fierce the Kaguya were as individuals, under the coordinated suppression of the prepared Mist elites, and with their complete elemental disadvantage, their resistance was utterly futile.

Kaguya Naoto was cornered with no escape. His chakra was nearly exhausted, his body covered in wounds. Even the formidable regeneration of the Shikotsumyaku could no longer keep pace.

"Time to end this farce, Kaguya Naoto." The Third Mizukage's voice rang out coldly. He had already finished forming his hand seals without anyone noticing.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bomb!"

A massive water dragon materialized from thin air, twisting as it charged toward Kaguya Naoto at a speed too fast to react.

"Boom!"

A tremendous explosion echoed across the square. Water spray mixed with blood and shattered bone fragments flew in all directions.

When the jutsu dissipated, Kaguya Naoto lay collapsed and powerless on the ground, blood gushing from countless wounds on his body.

His eyes were wide open, staring fixedly in the direction of the Mizukage. But the anger and unwillingness in his gaze had been replaced by a dead, hollow emptiness. Under that single blow, Kaguya Naoto's life had been extinguished.

The death of their clan leader shattered the Kaguya clan's morale completely. Aside from a few diehards who fought until they fell, most abandoned resistance and were taken prisoner.

After this battle, nearly half of the Kaguya elites who had participated in the coup were lost. The corpses piled up like a mountain.

The open ground before the Mizukage Building was stained a dark crimson by blood.

All the captured Kaguya ninja knelt on the ground, their eyes vacant, filled with uncertainty about the future. Their former arrogance was gone without a trace.

A few days later, the Mizukage Building issued the final judgment.

Considering that the Kaguya Clan had been a distinguished bloodline family since the founding of the Mist Village, and that killing fellow villagers would ultimately weaken the village's strength and might trigger panic among other clans, The Third Mizukage displayed the "tolerance of a Kage." Kaguya Naoto, the chief culprit, had already been executed. The remaining Kaguya clansmen were pardoned, and the bodies of those who died in the rebellion were returned.

But the entire clan was to be exiled to the most remote corner of the village. A new clan compound was demarcated, under strict surveillance. They were not permitted to leave without orders.

At the same time, all important positions within the village and their corresponding mission quotas were stripped from the Kaguya Clan. Only the minimum resource allocation was provided.

With nearly all of the original leadership wiped out in the rebellion, Kaguya Kengenin was appointed as the new clan head.

In the new Kaguya Clan Compound, everything was in ruins. All the relocated clansmen had only crude huts to live in. Compared to before, it was like a refugee camp.

After burying the bodies returned by the Mizukage in a corner of the compound, grief, humiliation, and confusion about the future spread among the clansmen.

The new clan head, Kaguya Kengenin, stared at the desolate compound before him, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails seemed to dig deep into his palms.

"Ken... Clan Head, what should we do next...?" A one-armed clansman asked hoarsely, his hesitant voice filled with bewilderment.

Kaguya Kengenin did not answer, but the hatred flickering in his eyes said it all.

Yet, a pair of eyes still watched them from the shadows, unmoved by the Kaguya clan's fall from grace.

Because the new Kaguya clan grounds had few vacant houses, Namikaze Yoru could only lurk and hide along the perimeter.

The Kaguya clan's remaining value had not yet been wrung dry. After this battle, what was once Kirigakure's sharpest blade now seemed like a broken sword.

But who says a broken sword cannot wound? Used properly, it could still carve a deep gash into the Mist Village.

Kaguya Kengenin's rise to power suited him perfectly.

This man had ambition in excess but lacked ability. He was filled with resentment toward the current state of affairs, and needed only a small "helping hand" to be ignited once more.