Kaguya

On the Mist Village Battleship in the East Blue of the Land of Fire.

The long silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the forward Captain kneeling in the center of the field, pleading for forgiveness.

The attack got off to a bad start, and the forwards should be punished, but if what he said is true, then it really can't be blamed on them.

The mere thought of such a powerful ninja possibly existing in Konoha gave Mizunuki Asuka a headache.

In this battle, the ninjas dispatched by Mist Village were mainly from their Three Great Clans and their affiliated clans. Victory would be gratifying, but if the war were lost, the people of their Three Great Clans would suffer the greatest losses.

Therefore, Mizunuki Asuka acts with extreme caution in everything she does.

"How are things with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? Any news?"

A handsome man stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "No, Chieftain, they haven't sent any news back for four days."

Mizunuki Asuka slammed her hand on the armrest of her chair and angrily cursed, "What a bunch of undisciplined bastards! They said they'd send a message every two days, and this is already the fourth day. When we get back, I'll definitely suggest to the Third Kazekage that he discipline them properly."

At this moment, Mizunuki Asuka had no idea that it wasn't that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen didn't want to send a message back, but rather that they had been crippled and were currently hiding to recuperate.

"Notify the fleet to proceed to Island No. 2; we will set up camp there."

"Yes!" The ninja, having received the order, immediately left to deliver the command.

At this moment, Kaguya Kuma had remained silent until now, mocked, "Yuki's woman, you're too scared to land with just one ninja? What's the point of fighting this war? You might as well go home and sleep with your woman."

The group of Kaguya's ninjas behind him burst into laughter.

Mizunuki Asuka, however, wasn't angry at all. He calmly said, "We're cowards? If you've got the Kaguya, go up and wipe that ninja out. Otherwise, just stay put and keep quiet. What's the point of making a fuss here? Are you trying to see who can shout the loudest?"

"Mizunuki Asuka, who are you calling spineless!" Kaguya Kuma has a fiery temper; she's easily provoked.

"Whoever agrees gets to say it!" Mizunuki Asuka replied nonchalantly, not giving him any leeway.

"Alright, you said it. I'll take some men and chop that Konoha Ninja to pieces right now."

Without waiting for Mizunuki Asuka to speak, she called to Kaguya's ninjas and left the warship.

"Isn't it a bit much to provoke Kaguya Kuma like that?" Hozuki Hoshizuki, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

"Didn't you object?"

"It's good to send Kaguya to scout ahead; they're tough as nails, they're not likely to get into trouble."

Both are clan leaders, and they're discussing how to scheme against Kaguya Kuma. I wonder how Kaguya Kuma will feel when she finds out the truth.

Kaguya Kuma, having left, led his family's elite forces at breakneck speed across the sea. Although he was impulsive and easily angered, it didn't mean he was a fool.

The objective of this operation was to further clear out the Konoha outposts along the coast, laying the groundwork for the main force's landing, in other words, to complete the tasks left unfinished by the vanguard.

Therefore, he only selected elite ninjas, so that they could travel light and move freely.

Upon reaching the coast, Kaguya Kuma didn't make any pretentious arrangements; she simply gathered her men and pushed forward along the Coastline.

What we're looking for is something simple, direct, and irresistible.

His actions were very effective, and four or five outposts were successfully destroyed.

Fortunately, the ninjas at the outpost had been warned that if they were outmatched, they shouldn't engage in a direct confrontation; their task of surveillance was sufficient. This prevented them from suffering many losses.

"Damn it, are all the Konoha ninjas cowards? They've all vanished without a trace before we've even engaged in combat."

Looking at the empty outpost before her, Kaguya Kuma felt a nameless fire burning fiercely in her heart.

This was the third deserted outpost he had encountered. Apart from the first two outposts where he had clashed with Konoha ninjas, the remaining outposts were just places where they could only vent their frustrations on the buildings.

"Clan leader, what's next? Should we continue?" A member of Kaguya's clan stepped forward, looking dejected. Clearly, the tedious battle had even dampened the spirits of this battle maniac.

"Continue my ass! We're not attacking the outposts anymore, we're heading straight into their heartland. I refuse to believe we won't run into Konoha ninjas this way."

Kaguya Kuma was also furious. There was no point in taking down such an outpost; it would be better to go and cause trouble for the Konoha Ninja.

"But, Chieftain, what we're doing goes against the plan. Shouldn't we inform the main force behind us?" a Kaguya clansman said worriedly. This was a rare calm voice among the Kaguya clan.

Kaguya Kuma glanced sideways at the clansman who had spoken, giving him a disgruntled look, before calmly saying, "Do you think Mizunuki Asuka is anything good? He provoked us to be the vanguard, yet he didn't think of this. He probably just wants us to fight Konoha to the death."

As expected, none of those who can become clan leaders are fools; Kaguya Kuma's seemingly reckless behavior is actually quite shrewd.

"Why should the clan chief comply with his wishes? Isn't he just using him as a tool?"

"Knife—you must also be qualified to be a knife. Now is the early stage of the war. If you don't take advantage of this probing phase between the two sides to accumulate more merits, you will really have to risk your life for merits later on."

"Your insight is truly remarkable, Chief!"

"As expected of the clan leader!"

The surrounding air was filled with flattering remarks, which made Kaguya Kuma feel quite smug.

"Alright, kids, come with me and kill all the Konoha Ninja!"

One after another, shouts of agreement rang out, and the entire team immediately abandoned the now-destroyed outpost and headed deeper into the forest.

Kaguya's ninja movements were quickly discovered by the Scout team that was monitoring them from a distance. They did not dare to be negligent, and the news was soon relayed to Tsunade.

If you're just causing trouble near the Coastline, Tsunade won't interfere for now, but if you actually dare to head towards the Land of Fire, then she won't tolerate your insolence.

Soon, a force of Kaguya Konoha Ninja, twice the size of Kaguya's, was organized and, led by Fugaku Uchiha, went to meet the enemy.

The clash between the two teams was the first large-scale conflict since the start of the war between Konoha and Mist Village, and the outcome naturally attracted much attention from both sides.

Upon first contact, facing a significant number of Konoha Ninja, Kaguya Kuma showed no fear or hesitation.

He drew a long bone sword from his left palm and charged at the Konoha Ninja.

Without encouragement or motivation, Kaguya's ninjas, like killing machines born for war, charged forward without the slightest fear, following their clan leader.

In close combat, Kaguya Kuma, like a sharp dagger, plunged straight into Konoha's ranks, leaving almost no one in her path.

He didn't even need to take the initiative to defend himself; relying on the protection of his subcutaneous Bone Armor, Kaguya Kuma simply hacked and slashed his way through the Konoha's ranks.

It wasn't until he encountered Fugaku Uchiha, who had also dominated the Kaguya ninja world, that they were evenly matched.

"Uchiha ninja, you've fought me this long, you deserve to be remembered." Kaguya Kuma had gone through countless Bone Blades, but that hadn't diminished Kaguya Kuma fighting spirit in the slightest.

"Uchiha Fugaku, head of the Uchiha clan of Konoha, remember this, this is the one who will send you to hell." Fugaku was also panting, and several nicks were clearly visible on the kunai in his hand.

"Haha!" Kaguya Kuma was not angry but happy. It was rare to encounter such an evenly matched opponent. With a flick of his wrist, the weapon, which was originally Bone Blade, immediately broke into pieces and turned into a long Bone Whip.

"Fugaku Uchiha, remember my name, I am Kaguya Kuma. Your strength has earned my recognition. Now, enjoy the solo dance I have prepared for you."

The Dance of the Clematis

The Bone Whip danced like a blooming flower, its petals slicing everything it touched into pieces.

Even though Fugaku Uchiha was prepared, he was still caught off guard, and the Kunai in his hand was immediately shattered into pieces by the successive impacts.

If it weren't for the keen insight of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he himself might have been caught up in this flower of death.

Having finally escaped its attack range, Fugaku Uchiha immediately formed hand seals and unleashed a Great Fireball.

Unexpectedly, Kaguya Kuma brandished her Bone Whip and charged straight at him without dodging or avoiding, as if she had been hit squarely by Fireball.

However, from Fugaku's perspective, it was still clear that the churning inside the enormous Fireball continued. With the Bone Whip stirring it again and again, the Fireball could no longer maintain its shape and turned into a rain of fire that scattered everywhere. Even Fugaku himself had to temporarily retreat.

When Kaguya Kuma stopped dancing, his clothes were in complete disarray, and large patches of skin on his upper body had disappeared, leaving only a layer of pale, Bone Armor.

"Fugaku Uchiha, why are you hiding? Are you afraid of death?"

Kaguya Kuma, seemingly insane, reassembled the Bone Whip in her hand, transforming it into a Bone Blade that pointed at Fugaku not far away.

Fugaku also found himself in a difficult situation. This kind of opponent, who was impossible to kill or shake off, was the most annoying on the battlefield. The key was that he couldn't back down, otherwise it would greatly affect the morale of his own side.

At this moment, the battle on both sides was extremely intense. Although Konoha had more people, their average strength was significantly weaker than that of the enemy, which meant that their numerical advantage could not be fully utilized.

If he, as the leader, were to show cowardice at this critical moment, Konoha's morale would collapse completely, and they might even be counterattacked by the Mist Ninja.

Just as Fugaku Uchiha was preparing to put up a fight against Kaguya Kuma again, the situation on the battlefield changed once more. Three blue Signal Flares rose from behind Konoha, and all the Konoha Ninjas who saw them were jolted in the face.

This is a signal that reinforcements are arriving.

Meanwhile, on the Mist Ninja's side, a ninja darted to Kaguya Kuma's side and anxiously said, "Clan leader, Konoha's reinforcements have arrived, and they have quite a few Ninjutsu! We must retreat quickly!"

Konoha Kuma naturally saw the Signal Flare that rose above Kaguya Kuma, and after hearing the report from his clansmen, he knew that the battle was over.

He sighed regretfully. Konoha's reinforcements arrived quickly. If he had had another ten minutes, he was confident he could have captured the Uchiha Clan Head on the other side.

"Retreat! I'll cover your retreat." Kaguya Kuma was a hero; once calmed down, she immediately made the best decision.

Kaguya's people had great faith in him as their clan leader, and at his command, they all broke away from the battle and retreated to the rear.

He, the clan leader, was left behind at the rear, while the Konoha Ninjas who wanted to entangle Kaguya often retreated in disarray under his Bone Whip.

Even when surrounded by Konoha Ninjas, he remained fearless until the very end.

"This move was originally intended for that Taichi Matsushita, but with so many of you here, you're also entitled to enjoy it."

His Chakra surged, and numerous bones extended from his hands. Upon touching the ground, Bone Spikes sprouted wildly like a jungle, reaching Bone Spike Konoha Ninja in the blink of an eye.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Fugaku noticed the unusual Chakra emanating from Kaguya Kuma, and as soon as there was any movement, he shouted a warning.

Unfortunately, the opponent's technique was executed too quickly, and its spread was also exceptionally rapid. Several Konoha Ninjas at the forefront were still a step too slow and were pierced through by the Bone Spikes.

"How did you find that 'Dance of the Seedling Fern' technique, Fugaku Uchiha? You won't be so lucky next time we meet."

A faint voice echoed all around, but Kaguya Kuma had long since vanished.

"Hurry and save them!"

At the sound of a warning, more than a dozen Konoha Ninja rushed into the bone forest and carefully rescued the Konoha Ninja who was still breathing.

At that moment, two figures appeared Body Flicker beside Fugaku Uchiha; they were Inoichi Yamanaka and Akimichi Choza.

"Fugaku, how is the situation? It seems we're still too late."

Fugaku Uchiha shook his head helplessly, looking at the heavy casualties among the Konoha Ninja, and couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

It's all because I, as the team leader, was incompetent and failed to stop Kaguya Kuma; otherwise, Konoha would never have suffered such severe losses.

"You arrived very quickly; I failed to hold off the strongest force of the Mist Ninja."

Looking at the forest of bones filling the field, both Inoichi Yamanaka and Akimichi Choza felt a chill run down their spines.

Such methods are not something that ordinary ninjas can stop; the Sharingan of the Uchiha can only be used for self-defense at best.

Akimichi Choza forward and patted Fugaku on the shoulder. "Go back. There are plenty of days ahead, and many opportunities for revenge."

While Konoha was busy cleaning up the battlefield, Kaguya's side stopped to rest after confirming that no one was pursuing them.

One by one, members of Kaguya's clan gathered in twos and threes, loudly boasting about their spoils, showing no concern for their clansmen who had just died in battle. This was the nature of a warrior clan, driven mad by war.

"Takumi, what are our casualties?" As the clan leader, Kaguya Kuma was different; unlike most of the clan members, she was not dwelling on the battle that had just taken place.

"Twenty-three were killed in action, and almost everyone else was wounded."

"As long as they're not dead, there's not much of a problem. Konoha is still very strong; we brought out elites, and so many have died." Kaguya Kuma felt a pang of regret. After all, they were all his clansmen. With so many dead and wounded, even as the clan leader, he wouldn't be able to explain it to his clan when he returned.

"Even more Konoha died; the clan leader's final 'Dance of the Seedling Fern' killed more than 30 Konoha ninja."

"Those were just small fry; Konoha wouldn't even care how many died. It's a pity we didn't take down that Fugaku Uchiha; that was the real big fish."

Kaguya Kuma sighed in regret again. The result this time was not perfect. Not only did he kill some small fry, but he didn't even encounter Taichi Matsushita.

"Let's go back. With this victory, we can rest for a while. Next, let the younger ones in the clan get some experience. We'll just watch from behind."