After bidding farewell to everyone at the clan grounds, Senju Meima led the group out. Along the way, he began explaining things to the clan members who had never fought the Kaguya Clan.
"The Kaguya Clan's Kekkei Genkai is called Shikotsumyaku. Not every clan member can awaken it, but roughly the same number of them can as there are Uchiha who awaken the Two-Tomoe Sharingan."
"It lets them control the bones throughout their bodies. Their bones are hard enough to withstand blades, and their strength is no less than ours in battle."
"Try not to fight them at close range on the battlefield. You never know where their bone spurs might emerge from. In particular, watch out for a ninjutsu technique that launches bones from their fingers at mid-range."
Shugo raised a question:
"According to the clan records, I remember the Kaguya Clan has some kind of weakness, right?"
"Exactly. It seems learning a little more about the clan is useful. You're much better than those boys who know nothing but how to fool around."
Senju Meima continued:
"The Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku does have good offensive power, but after fighting for a while, they develop a 'sickness.' The more they fight, the worse the 'sickness' becomes."
"We don't know exactly how to treat this 'sickness.' The method is probably known only to the Kaguya Clan's three elders and clan head. The only information we have is that they trade with clans in the Land of Water, but we don't know the details."
Senju Teruaki couldn't help asking, "First Elder, why do they still harass us from time to time? Wouldn't it be better if we just lived in peace?"
Meima silently took note of their faces, then answered:
"After awakening their Kekkei Genkai, few members of the Kaguya Clan can resist using that power."
"For them, the best way to unleash their power is to slaughter people on the battlefield."
"Not everyone has the abundant resources of the Senju Clan. They're extreme by nature and aren't good at Earth Release or Water Release. The land they own doesn't produce much food, so even the slightest shortfall makes them set their sights on nearby clans..."
"They're nothing but a bunch of bandits!"
Senju Teruaki, who had just asked the question, cursed aloud, making the clan members around him look his way.
"What's wrong... Did I say something wrong?"
No one answered. In the Warring States period, taking things from other clans was commonplace.
When all it took was a little effort to obtain resources that others had to spend time and money acquiring, few people would go back to farming in earnest.
Since the situation was fairly stable, the group didn't travel day and night. On the fifth day, they reached the eastern battlefield.
A massive city and its surrounding walls came into view. They were both a means of protection and a testament to the clan's strength.
Senju Akikagami's subordinates, who were in charge of the eastern battlefield, came to welcome them and collect their supplies.
But when he saw Shugo, his expression turned somewhat strange. Had the clan really been driven to the point of sending a child to the battlefield...?
Still, as a subordinate, Akikagami first spoke with Senju Meima about the situation. Only after confirming that it wasn't what he had feared did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Senju Akikagami was Senju Meima's adopted son. But he didn't intend to carry on the clan head's tradition of giving his name the character "間." Instead, he had changed his name to feel closer to his adoptive father.
After a brief exchange, Senju Akikagami approached Shugo:
"You're Lord Genma's son, so by rights you're a young master of the clan. But your status means nothing on the battlefield. You're... just a shinobi."
Shugo nodded.
"Once we're on the battlefield, we're all equal."
"Good. I have doubts about your abilities, so you'll need to prove yourself. Zuocheng, test him."
Senju Zuocheng was a Special Jōnin. Though an old injury had kept him from advancing to Jōnin, his years of experience had earned him a record of killing Kaguya Jōnin three times.
As though this were routine, Zuocheng stepped out of the crowd and looked at Shugo.
"Make your move. If you can't even get past me, you'd better return to the clan grounds sooner rather than later."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shugo felt a wave of cold wash over him. It came not only from Zuocheng's Chakra, but also from the killing intent he had built up through years of fighting.
A show of force?
Shugo felt slightly uncomfortable. Such killing intent worked well on people who had never experienced it, but compared to Genma's, it was nothing.
Since his opponent had already made a move, Shugo returned the favor by throwing three Kunai at his head.
"Not bad."
Zuocheng gave a brief assessment, drew his own Kunai, and blocked all three attacks with a series of clangs. Then he formed Hand Seals, and water surged around them, taking the shape of a water dragon that charged straight at Shugo.
A water dragon appeared beside Shugo as well. The clash between their ninjutsu revealed their approximate strength in an instant, as Chakra gathered into each technique.
The two dragons were evenly matched. Both dissolved into streams of water and fell to the ground.
"Special Jōnin? At his age?"
Seeing the result, Zuocheng's eyes showed a hint of bitterness. But as soon as the exchange ended, he charged at Shugo with a Kunai in hand.
Killing intent tested "illusion."
Water Release tested "ninjutsu."
That left "taijutsu."
The Warring States period still favored taijutsu, with ninjutsu as support. No matter how much Chakra you had, you could still run out. At that point, taijutsu and a little Chakra might be your only chance to survive.
Zuocheng had no concerns about the first two tests, but he couldn't say he had much faith in the taijutsu of a five-year-old child.
But then something happened that surprised him. The force of the boy's blow knocked the Kunai from his hand. The boy's strength had clearly surpassed what anyone his age should possess.
A branch then sprouted from the boy's hand, its tip nearly piercing Zuocheng's throat.
Shugo narrowed his eyes and thrust the branch forward. The Zuocheng before him turned into a piece of wood.
These days, anyone who couldn't use the Substitution Technique was a background character.
"Wood Style? Are you Senju Hashirama? No... Lord Akikagami clearly said you were Lord Genma's son."
Zuocheng's real body emerged from the ground, looking surprised. If he hadn't sensed the danger, he would probably have lost. The other thing that surprised him was Shugo's Wood Style ninjutsu.
Senju Akikagami interrupted the fight, took Shugo by the hand, and announced in a booming voice:
"This is Senju Shugo, Lord Genma's son. He's the second shinobi to awaken Wood Style since Hashirama, and one of the candidates to inherit the position of clan head in the future. He has come to the eastern battlefield for training at the clan head's behest..."
Shugo sighed softly. He understood that Senju Akikagami was using him to build up his reputation and raise his profile. If Shugo weren't only five years old, he might have had a "yellow robe" thrown over him, with everyone else shouting, "Long live the clan head!"
He would then become a puppet clan head under Senju Meima, helping him manage the Senju Clan.
Sure enough, after Senju Akikagami's speech, many of them looked over at Shugo, their expressions shifting. The chance to climb the ladder and soar to success was right before them.
Shugo's expression turned serious. He pulled his hand away and said:
"Everyone here is a member of the Senju Clan and a shinobi on the battlefield. There's no difference between us. I use the same methods you do to kill our enemies..."
"Don't concern yourselves with my status. We only have one life on the battlefield, and we're all equals. Beyond that, no other status matters."
Senju Akikagami laughed. "You're young and accomplished, yet humble and polite. Shugo, you'll become an excellent shinobi."
Shugo replied calmly:
"Sir, have I passed?"
Senju Akikagami's smile faded.
"Of course."
"Then what's my mission?"
"Repair the walls. According to the ancient texts, those who awaken Wood Style have Chakra with both Water and Earth natures. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"No problem. But please have someone show me the way."
Senju Akikagami had Zuocheng lead the way, then went over to Meima and spoke quietly:
"Father, it seems he won't accept our goodwill..."
"That's all right. We have plenty of people on the eastern battlefield. Whether he accepts it or not, I have a way to make him our ally."
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