Meanwhile, in another stretch of ruins not far from Kiyohara's group, two Kirigakure squads were quietly advancing under the cover of sea fog.
One of the squads had rather unusual members: Mei Terumi, along with a young man whose face was sickly pale yet could not hide his fervor.
He was Kaguya Masaru of the Kaguya Clan.
"Cough... cough cough..."
Kaguya Masaru suddenly covered his mouth and let out a suppressed fit of coughing. A trace of dark-red blood seeped through his fingers.
He possessed the Kaguya Clan's distinctive white hair and handsome features, but his eye sockets were deeply sunken and his breathing somewhat unsteady. His condition was clearly far from good.
"Masaru, are you all right?"
Mei Terumi frowned and asked softly.
Even in the "Village of the Bloody Mist," she still cherished her comrades.
Kaguya Masaru waved a hand, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Instead, an almost morbidly excited smile appeared on his face.
"It's nothing, Mei Terumi. It's merely a small price that must be paid to gain power."
His gaze turned toward the depths of the dense fog, filled with longing.
"I only want to witness this world's splendor with my own eyes before my life is completely burned away. I heard you encountered a ninja named Kiyohara last time, and even Senior Ao fell to him?"
He paused and looked at Mei Terumi with great interest.
"I'm curious. After you returned, you barely mentioned Kakashi, the White Fang's son, but brought up Kiyohara several times instead... For him to leave such a deep impression on you, he must be a very interesting opponent, right?"
His words were filled with yearning for battle. He only wished to bloom with the most brilliant radiance in his limited life.
Seeing the fire blazing