Still Too Kind

As a principled Senju ninja, Hiugo collected Zuocheng's remains and harvested the residual power of his bloodline.

In this era, being able to leave behind a mostly intact corpse upon death was a stroke of luck; some could not even find their bodies, much like Zuocheng, whose head had already been shattered.

Having "fed" twice in a row, the hunger only grew more intense, as if a switch for "devouring" had been flipped.

A dark glint flashed in Hiugo's eyes as black saplings began to emerge beneath his feet. The blood-colored space did not respond to his Wood Style, likely because his actual power was not yet sufficient to meet the requirements.

The Sage Body required one to take it step by step, accumulating strength over time, unlike the Sharingan, which could explode with power the moment one became agitated.

"Tianyi is actually dead. What a waste of his Shikotsumyaku."

Kaguya Hakujin cursed angrily. As the leader, his strength was decent, and he was still capable of observing the battlefield even while fighting.

Senju Xiangyang gripped his katana and said coldly:

"Ninjas like you, who lose control and turn to slaughter the moment you gain power, how could you ever understand Zuocheng's resolve? Everything he achieved today was gained through step-by-step cultivation."

"Ridiculous. You are clearly just jealous of our power. If it weren't for that brat, Tianyi would have certainly won."

"Is that something to be proud of? Did you Kaguya Clan members sell your brains to the Land of Water?"

"Bastard!"

As the two fought, a short figure ran over.

Senju Xiangyang scolded: "The opponent is an elite jonin; your jutsu is not enough to kill him."

"That is why I will provide support. Please, Senior, kill him."

Hiugo said calmly, having memorized quite a few Wood Style secret techniques during his previous studies with Hashirama.

Wood Style: Wood Binding

Black, vine-like saplings suddenly erupted beneath Kaguya Hakujin's feet, growing rapidly to clamp down and trap him within.

Dance of the Larch

Kaguya Hakujin gave a disdainful laugh, bone spurs erupting from his entire body to shatter the wood into pieces. The disparity in Chakra concentration was immediately apparent.

Senju Xiangyang had always been curious about Wood Style. After carefully sensing the situation, he noticed that Kaguya Hakujin was consuming more Chakra than usual, and a portion of that Chakra was lingering within the splintered wood.

"A ninjutsu that can absorb the opponent's Chakra? So this is the Kekkei Genkai of the Senju Clan."

"What a coincidence. Another ninja might have discovered this problem immediately, but since the opponent is a Kaguya..."

Senju Xiangyang sneered. Mercy to the enemy was cruelty to oneself—a principle he had understood long ago. He immediately raised his blade to engage in close combat.

Hiugo used Wood Binding and the Wood Style: Cutting Technique to interfere. As the battle dragged on, Kaguya Hakujin also began to notice something was wrong.

Why was his Chakra being consumed so quickly? This had never happened in his past battles.

As a ninja, he was not unintelligent; it was merely that his upbringing and the influence of his bloodline had caused him to overlook this fact.

Hiugo cast his ninjutsu repeatedly. This Wood Binding was a low-tier version of Wood Style: Deep Forest Bloom. Because its essence was to influence the opponent rather than kill, he released it casually as a form of harassment.

He could feel the opponent's bloodline and Chakra being absorbed at a slow pace. This absorption was not as rapid as that of the tree branches, but its advantage was that it was more covert and did not require a life-or-death struggle.

Dance of the Wandering Fish

Kaguya Hakujin charged toward Senju Xiangyang, then leaped into the air, moving as swiftly as a fish while bone spurs sprouted from his entire body.

Earth Style: Earth Flow River

Earth Style: Earth Wall

The ground beneath Senju Xiangyang turned into a mudslide, and an earth wall rose behind him—this wall was clearly prepared for Hiugo.

After Kaguya Hakujin wove through the mudflow, his speed was cut by more than half, and he was intercepted directly by Senju Xiangyang.

"Get lost!"

Kaguya Hakujin harbored thoughts of fleeing, but his words remained aggressive. Just then, his body trembled slightly, and a wave of pain surged through him.

His "illness" had flared up. The medicine of the Kaguya Clan could indeed suppress the effects of the "illness," but it only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. Moreover, such medicine was extremely precious; it wasn't as if one could obtain it immediately after every battle.

Hiugo's Wood Style could absorb the essence of his bloodline, invisibly increasing the likelihood of a flare-up. Otherwise, given Kaguya Hakujin's control over his own body, he would not have made such a mistake.

Having spent years on the eastern front, Senju Xiangyang was the first to notice the abnormality in his opponent.

He slashed his katana repeatedly. Unlike the turbulent sword techniques of the late Zuocheng, this open and aggressive style was the traditional Senju way.

Kaguya Hakujin retreated repeatedly. He had no belief in dying for the cause, nor did he possess a Cursed Seal like the Kimimaro of later generations. The flare-up of his "illness" had already broken the balance of the battle.

His bones had been retracted into his body, leaving only two bone blades gripped in his hands.

"Retreat!"

Kaguya Hakujin shouted, unleashing the Dance of the Seedling Fern. Although it was the same technique, with the Chakra of an elite jonin, the bone spurs reached a full five meters in height, thick and intertwined to form a wall of bone.

Of the original six Kaguya, only three remained, while the Senju held the numerical advantage, despite having one dead and one severely wounded.

"Shall we pursue?"

Hiugo asked.

With the three wounded Kaguya ninjas fleeing, the chances of catching and killing them were high.

Senju Xiangyang shook his head, his gaze fixed on Hiugo:

"There is no need. Kaguya Hakujin has developed an 'illness.' Given his constitution, he will be unable to engage in high-intensity combat for two months. It is not worth risking the lives of our subordinates just for two Kaguya ninja."

"As long as we remain patient, the Kaguya Clan will fall sooner or later. However, we will not live to see it; the rest is a matter for you juniors."

Hiugo nodded. Dealing with a bunch of sickly weaklings meant that as long as they played it steady, victory was inevitable.

"You seniors have worked hard in this battle. Leave the exhausting work of cleaning up the battlefield to me."

"It doesn't feel right to let a child like you do the heavy lifting..."

"Senior, since I have stepped onto the battlefield, I must contribute my share. Whether for my own sake or for my father's, I must have something to show for it."

Senju Xiangyang nodded in approval and let Hiugo handle the task of disposing of the ninja corpses.

Disposing of corpses generally involved either burning or burying them. The Senju Clan excelled in Earth Release, so they simply found a spot to bury them. It was not that the Senju Clan was kind to their enemies, but rather that these rotting corpses would eventually cause a plague.

This was especially true for those who possessed the Shikotsumyaku of the Kaguya Clan. Their bones were exposed to the air daily before being retracted back into their bodies, making them inherently diseased ninja.

In Hiugo's opinion, the Senju were simply too kind. It would be better to pack them up and toss them back to the Kaguya side. Since the Senju were proficient in Earth and Water Release, they could easily alter the terrain, making it incredibly difficult for the Kaguya to toss them back.

By then, with sickness piled upon sickness, taking down the Kaguya Clan would be much faster.

Of course, such thoughts were merely daydreams. If he were to actually voice them, he would undoubtedly be subjected to a lecture about desecrating the dead. Furthermore, the Senju Clan was a prestigious family, and such actions would damage their reputation.

This included the "feces warfare" tactics Hiugo had seen in his past life; if he were to throw such things around on the battlefield, the crime he committed would likely be no less severe than betraying his own clan.

According to Hiugo's estimation, the Senju's bottom line for now was at most "backstabbing an ally," and even then, only in the sense of failing to provide aid while an alliance existed.

After Hiugo had secretly absorbed the three Kaguya ninja, they were buried in the area cleared by the Senju, while the rest of the Senju clan continued to repair the city walls.