Killing Time at Noon

Beyond this seemingly peaceful little basin, however, lay a completely different scene.

Clad in black robes, the figure seemed entirely swallowed by the darkness. The ground here was composed of a unique black rock, and the combination of the two made the man in black appear as if he had vanished into thin air.

Yet, within that darkness, there was a flash of scarlet. A closer look would startle anyone, for within that crimson hue, black tomoe were constantly spinning.

This man was Kangetsu. With his Sharingan activated, he used the cover of the black rocks to carefully scout his surroundings.

His gaze was fixed firmly upon that seemingly peaceful little basin.

The Ishikura Clan lived within this basin, but today, the clan lacked its usual tranquility. They had encountered a group of people who did not play by the rules.

In the Warring States period, battles required prior notification. By tradition, someone should have delivered a declaration of war to the Ishikura Clan before the fighting truly began. Kangetsu, however, ignored such conventions and launched a direct assault, effectively shattering the established rules of the era. Yet, the effectiveness of this approach was beyond what any conventional tactic could achieve.

Kangetsu did this because his goal was to annihilate the entire Ishikura Clan. Aside from subjugating the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, his only remaining purpose was 'killing.' Only through slaughter could Kangetsu become stronger; only through slaughter could he realize his current ambitions; and only through slaughter could he survive in this Warring States period.

At this moment, Kangetsu gripped his Black Blade tightly, his eyes brimming with killing intent as he turned to Inoue beside him. "Tell me, how is it going? How is the plan proceeding?"

"Lord Kangetsu, the plan is a great success. Our subordinates have already infiltrated the Ishikura Clan and planted a large number of Explosive Tags. Furthermore, following Isshin's plan, we have laid even more Explosive Tags along the path that the Ishikura Clan's three jonin are bound to take. Once the other tags detonate, those traps will trigger as soon as the three jonin appear. It is hard to say how many of them will survive, though."

As he finished speaking, a smile appeared on his face, but it vanished without a trace under Kangetsu's icy glare.

Kangetsu's eyes, filled with murderous intent, scanned the basin below. His vision clearly mapped out the location of every Explosive Tag. It is time, he thought. It is midsummer, and just past noon—the time when people grow drowsy and their vigilance is at its lowest.

With that thought, Kangetsu whispered to Yamanaka, "Notify everyone to take a Military Ration Pill first so they aren't affected by the post-noon lethargy. Once they have taken them, tell them that as soon as they hear two explosions, they are to immediately throw their shuriken and use the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, firing them into the basin below. Remember, the density of the barrage must be absolute!"