The Kaguya Clan

Night fell, and Kirigakure was shrouded in a thick mist so dense that even the moonlight could not penetrate it—the perfect time for infiltration.

Aragaki Yasushi and Uchiha Inabi slipped silently into the vicinity of the Kaguya Clan compound.

The people of the Kaguya Clan were, in truth, not easy to deal with.

They were, quite simply, a pack of lunatics who lived for the thrill of battle.

Aragaki Yasushi remembered that in the original story, the Hyuga Clan and the Kaguya Clan were supposedly relatives.

Hyuga Hiashi had even taken Hyuga Hanabi to visit the Kaguya Clan.

But no matter how he thought about it, that plot point felt like a bug.

Logically speaking, the Kaguya Clan should have been wiped out long ago; was Hyuga Hiashi visiting their graves?

This supposed kinship left Aragaki Yasushi feeling deeply skeptical.

Furthermore, when Aragaki Yasushi had mentioned the Kaguya Clan earlier, Hyuga Homura's expression hadn't flickered in the slightest.

It was precisely for this reason that when assigning tasks, Aragaki Yasushi hadn't brought Hyuga Homura along.

It was better to let him utilize the advantages of the Byakugan to gather intelligence.

When it came to reconnaissance, Hyuga Homura's Byakugan was a divine artifact, capable of both long-distance observation and x-ray vision.

Aside from areas protected by sealing barriers, there were almost no secrets in all of Kirigakure that could escape his sight.

The only issue was that those eyes were too conspicuous; being completely snow-white, it was obvious at a glance that he wasn't an ordinary person.

Fortunately, the ninja world had things similar to colored contact lenses that could provide a temporary disguise, otherwise, he would have been exposed long ago.

At this moment, Aragaki Yasushi and Uchiha Inabi carefully crept into the Kaguya Clan's compound, dodging the patrolling clansmen until they reached the back courtyard of a sprawling residence.

Judging by the grandeur of the estate, this was most likely the residence of the clan head.

But no sooner had they steadied themselves than they were halted by a shout before they could even observe their surroundings.

"Who goes there? How dare you trespass on the Kaguya Clan's grounds!"

A burly middle-aged man glared at them with sharp, piercing eyes.

No sooner had the words left his lips than the sound of bone growth emanated from his body; white bones pierced directly through his skin, instantly forming a sharp bone spear that pointed straight at Aragaki Yasushi and his companion.

Aragaki Yasushi quickly raised his hands to signal he meant no harm, speaking with a calm expression: "Don't be so agitated. We are Konoha ninja; you should know why we've come."

The middle-aged man frowned, his gaze remaining vigilant, but he slowly retracted the white bone back into his skin with a crisp, fluid motion.

The wounds where the bone had just erupted healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, vanishing in the blink of an eye without leaving even a scar.

Aragaki Yasushi raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue in secret.

That regenerative ability was truly terrifying.

As expected of descendants of the Otsutsuki Clan.

It seemed the Sage Body inherited by the Kaguya Clan was quite formidable indeed.

The middle-aged man stared at them for a moment before speaking slowly, his tone remaining stern: "I am Kaguya Taro, head of the Kaguya Clan."

"Are you Konoha ninja here to help us overthrow that usurper's rule?"

Aragaki Yasushi nodded, his tone casual: "That is precisely the intent. The village sent us to make initial contact with you; we can plan the specifics of our cooperation in detail later."

Upon hearing this, Kaguya Taro let out a scoff, his tone filled with disdain: "Pussyfooting around, just like that fellow Karatachi Yagura."

"What is there to discuss when it comes to a rebellion?"

"To put it bluntly, it's a matter of life and death—you just go up and fight!"

He grumbled a few curses, then his gaze suddenly swept over to Uchiha Inabi standing beside Aragaki Yasushi, his eyes narrowing.

"Those eyes... are you from the Uchiha Clan?"

At this point, Uchiha Inabi had already activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, the pitch-black tomoe spinning within his crimson pupils.

Hearing Kaguya Taro's inquiry, he lifted his chin, his tone arrogant: "Indeed."

Kaguya Taro let out a mocking laugh: "Tsk tsk, who would have thought? A ninja of the prestigious Uchiha Clan acting as someone else's lackey. It seems your strength isn't much to speak of."

Uchiha Inabi's eyes turned fierce, and the chakra around his body grew volatile.

Aragaki Yasushi quickly raised a hand to stop him.

We are here to negotiate cooperation, not to fight. Can you keep your cool?

Seeing this, Uchiha Inabi gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, though his gaze toward Kaguya Taro remained filled with hostility.

Ignoring Inabi, Kaguya Taro turned to Aragaki Yasushi and raised an eyebrow: "Kid, what's your name?"

"To be able to make an Uchiha lackey listen so obediently, you shouldn't be a nobody."

Aragaki Yasushi replied with an indifferent expression: "My name is Aragaki Yasushi. I'm not famous; just an ordinary ninja."

"Aragaki Yasushi?" Kaguya Taro frowned and scratched his head, racking his brain for a long time.

He scoured his memory of all known bloodline families in Konoha, but he couldn't recall any family named Aragaki, his face full of confusion.

Another Kaguya Clan ninja standing nearby suddenly had his eyes light up as he thought of something, leaning in to whisper a few words into Kaguya Taro's ear.

After hearing this, the confusion on Kaguya Taro's face instantly transformed into surprise: "Oh, so it's you!"

"You're that Konoha ninja who wiped out our village's Seven Ninja Swordsmen in one go?"

"You've got some skills; you're quite the character."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he began rubbing his hands together, his eyes igniting with a combative glow: "Since you're so impressive, let's spar."

Aragaki Yasushi looked helpless: "I came here to discuss cooperation, not to fight."

But before he could finish his sentence, Kaguya Taro lost his patience; a sharp bone spear shot instantly from his palm, aimed straight at Aragaki Yasushi's head.

The speed was immense; if he didn't dodge, that bone spear would undoubtedly pierce his skull and kill him stone dead.

Aragaki Yasushi frowned.

This guy had absolutely no sense of martial honor.

Attacking without warning—he really was a battle-crazed lunatic!

He had no time to think; his figure instantly transformed into a Paper Person, and six arms sprouted from his back, turning him into an eight-armed entity.

One of the paper arms reached out lightly and caught the incoming bone spear with precision.

Following that, Aragaki Yasushi applied a little force.

"Snap!"

The sharp bone spear was crushed into two halves by him.

Then, Aragaki Yasushi slowly opened his palm toward Kaguya Taro, a small amount of white bone powder drifting down from his hand.

"I said, I didn't come here to fight."

Kaguya Taro's pupils constricted violently.

To be able to catch a high-speed bone spear with bare hands and then easily crush it into powder?

Was the strength of this kid, who didn't look very old, actually this terrifying?

Yet, Kaguya Taro felt not a shred of fear; instead, his blood began to boil, and his breathing grew rapid.

Excitement! He was far too excited!

He was worthy of being the ninja who wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Only this level of strength was fit to be his opponent!

Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!

Kaguya Taro raised both hands, his finger bones clicking as they instantly transformed into sharp bone bullets, which he fired toward Aragaki Yasushi in a dense barrage.

After firing, he used the cover of the bone bullets to flash forward, rapidly closing the distance to Aragaki Yasushi with the intent of engaging in close-quarters combat.

Aragaki Yasushi frowned.

Had this guy gone completely insane?

He said he didn't want to fight, yet the man kept coming—he was truly impervious to reason!