The Kaguya Clan, Which Should Have Perished

The Land of Water.

Following the directions to the Kaguya Clan that Zabuza had given them,

Shien and Akabane had set out as soon as they found Haku, without wasting any more time.

Although Haku had awakened Ice Release and killed his foolish father, it had been an instinctive outburst in a moment of crisis.

He still didn't know how to mold Chakra, and couldn't even read.

He couldn't keep up with Shien and Akabane on foot.

So Shien carried him the whole way.

Haku was so thin and frail that he weighed almost nothing.

Shien felt as if he were carrying a doll.

Haku was a little embarrassed, but to avoid slowing them down, he had no choice but to let Shien carry him.

Akabane, however, was looking at Shien more and more strangely.

But as they drew closer to the Kaguya Clan's distinctive settlement, with its primitive, wild style,

the murderous air hanging over the place put Shien and Akabane on their guard at once.

From a distance, they could see the Kaguya Clan Grounds surrounded by a large force of Hidden Mist Ninja. At their head stood the diminutive yet imposing Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura.

He held a hooked staff and watched the scene before him with a stern expression.

The Kaguya Clan's Ninja were gathered at the entrance to their grounds. Most wore savage expressions and were clearly ready for battle. A bloody internal conflict looked ready to erupt at any moment.

[Hmm? Looks like Karatachi Yagura is here to stop the Kaguya Clan from rebelling.]

The appearance of the three of them immediately caught the attention of the Hidden Mist Ninja standing guard on the outskirts.

"Who are you?!" Several Hidden Mist Ninja rushed over and surrounded them, Kunai gleaming coldly in their hands.

Akabane immediately stepped forward, resting a hand on his sword hilt, his gaze sharp.

Haku instinctively edged closer to Shien, his small hand lightly gripping the hem of Shien's clothes.

The commotion caught Yagura's attention too. He turned around and, seeing Shien, a flicker of surprise crossed his single eye. He then waved for the Hidden Mist Ninja surrounding them to stand down.

"Shien Uchiha? What are you doing here?"

"I heard the Kaguya Clan was planning to rebel, so I thought I'd capture a couple of them and take them back for research."

Yagura's brows twitched. Good grief, he'd come to kidnap people in their village and was telling him to his face?

"They're planning to rebel anyway. This way, they won't go to waste."

Yagura snorted. "They're not planning to rebel. They're planning to assassinate me."

He pointed to the restless Kaguya clansmen and briefly introduced them to Shien.

At the head of the group stood a tall, wild-looking middle-aged man: the clan chief, Kaguya Ranto.

Beside him stood an older man with a relatively calm gaze, Kaguya Sho.

And there was also a hot-blooded young man, eager for a fight: Kaguya Renbu.

Seeing the Kaguya clansmen gathered inside their grounds, their eyes gleaming with hostility and most of them rough-looking, even savage, Shien couldn't help thinking:

[I really don't get how a handsome boy like Kimimaro could come from a clan full of people this ugly.]

But outwardly, he said to Yagura:

"From the looks of it, Mizukage, you're reluctant to lose these Kaguya clansmen. If you attack head-on, your losses will be considerable."

Yagura fell silent for a moment and didn't deny it. The Kaguya Clan were formidable fighters. If they could be brought under control, they would be a tremendous asset to the Hidden Mist.

Seeing this, Shien's lips curled slightly. He lowered his voice. "Mizukage, have you heard of 'capturing Meng Huo seven times'?"

Yagura's gaze sharpened as he looked at Shien.

It was an absurd question. Naturally, this world had no such saying as "capturing Meng Huo seven times."

But Shien quickly explained. "Subdue people by force, and their hearts will remain divided. Win them over with virtue, and you can ensure lasting peace."

Shien continued slowly, "Block their way out. Defeat them again and again, then let them go again and again. Wear down their spirit, break their resolve, and show them your magnanimity, until they submit wholeheartedly."

"You're in no hurry, so there's no need to wipe out the clan. That would only lead to needless losses and chill the hearts of the other clans watching from the sidelines."

A glint flashed in Yagura's eyes. He had clearly taken Shien's words to heart. He had already been inclined to bring the clan under his control.

Shien had given him a clear and intelligent strategy.

"Good!" Yagura decided at once and called out toward the Kaguya Clan Grounds:

"Ranto! Your plan to rebel should be an unforgivable crime! But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, since the Bloody Mist Policy drove you to this!"

"I'll give you a chance! Do you dare fight me?"

"If you win, the Hidden Mist will withdraw. If you lose, you submit to me!"

Kaguya Ranto roared, "Karatachi Yagura! Enough talk! You think I'm afraid of you?!"

He didn't believe for a second that Yagura would spare them. He thought this was merely a pretext before wiping them out.

Then he shot forward like a phantom.

"Everyone else, stand back!" Yagura shouted, gripping his strangely shaped hooked staff and charging forward without dodging.

Kaguya Ranto was so fast that he kicked up a gust of wind!

Every muscle in his body bulged. His astonishing speed came purely from his physical strength.

Ranto used no flashy techniques. As he reached his opponent, he simply swung his bowl-sized fist at Yagura's face, bringing it down with a vicious gust of wind. Simple and brutal!

Yagura's small body was remarkably agile. As he dodged to the side, his hooked staff darted out like a striking snake, jabbing at Ranto's ribs.

Ranto reacted quickly. He slammed his other hand down, trying to grab the staff.

At the same time, the skin over the knuckles of his right fist split open. Several sharp bone spikes thrust out, turning his fist into a terrifying bone hammer as he swung at Yagura again!

Yagura's eyes narrowed, and he quickly pulled back his hooked staff to block.

"Clang!"

The dull impact rang out as the hooked staff collided with the bone hammer. Yagura felt the tremendous force and took a small step backward.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

Yagura formed a hand seal with one hand. A swirling wall of water rose in front of him, briefly stopping Ranto's relentless assault.

Ranto roared and charged without flinching, slamming his bone hammer fist into the Water Formation Wall!

"Bang!"

Water sprayed everywhere. The Water Formation Wall shuddered violently. It wasn't completely broken, but the impact was enough to demonstrate Ranto's terrifying strength.

In the instant the wall of water blocked their view, Ranto crossed his arms in front of his chest. Bone as white as snow suddenly sprouted beneath the skin of his forearms, forming two rough but sturdy bone shields.

Like a charging bull, he braced against the Water Formation Wall's force and burst through!

Yagura seemed to have anticipated this. The moment the wall of water shattered, he ducked low and rushed in. Rather than meeting Ranto's attacks head-on, he used his hooked staff like a burrowing parasite.

Keeping close to Ranto, he targeted his lower body, joints, and other points where his power was weakest.

Ranto's strength was immense, but his movements were broad and sweeping. Against a skilled opponent like Yagura, he looked clumsy.

He swung his bone hammer and bone shields with ferocious force, yet Yagura repeatedly deflected his attacks with nimble footwork and deft movements of his hooked staff, as if every punch were landing on cotton.

This was the first time Shien had seen a Kaguya other than Kimimaro in battle.

As the Kaguya clan chief, Ranto had formidable Taijutsu, but it seemed his control over his bones extended to just two moves: the bone hammer and the bone shields.

They were practical enough, but he was nowhere near Kimimaro's level.

And Karatachi Yagura hadn't even donned his Tailed Beast Cloak yet.