Terumi Mei's confidence in Ye Liangnai was unshakable, but now she wasn't worried about him—she was worried for his opponents. Facing a prodigy like him? That was a headache no shinobi wanted.
Ye Liangnai just grinned, unfazed.
Meanwhile, in the Mizukage's office, tension crackled like a storm.
"Are the Kaguya clan really rebelling? They dare defy my orders?!" A young man with green hair, purple eyes, and a stitched scar beneath his left eye sat in the main seat, his voice low and frigid. Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage.
Great Elder Yuan Long stood before him, his tone measured. "It appears so. Their existence is a destabilizing force, threatening Kirigakure's peace and stability."
Yagura's smile was ice-cold. "Then they die. If they want to court death, I'll grant it. Show them what happens when you cross the village."
He leaned forward, his gaze piercing. "Handle it, Yuan Long. I trust you'll deliver a satisfying result."
Yuan Long bowed and left, the Mizukage's meaning clear: extermination. No mercy, no survivors—until the Kaguya clan was erased, just like the near-extinct Hozuki and Yuki clans. He immediately convened the Elder Council and ANBU, crafting a meticulous plan to crush the Kaguya.
They decided to throw the ANBU's newest recruits, including Ye Liangnai, into the fray. A baptism of blood to forge them into killers.
When Mei returned home at midnight and broke the news to Ye Liangnai, his jaw dropped. "The Kaguya clan's extinction battle? Are you kidding me? We're just Genin, and they're pitting us against those freaks?"
His scalp tingled with unease. The Kaguya were a nightmare—others might not know the stakes, but he did. Oh, great.
The Next Day
Sky Armor and the other ANBU captains gathered the recruits, delivering the mission briefing. The news hit like a bomb.
The recruits erupted—excitement, hesitation, fear, and eerie calm rippled through them. Refusal wasn't an option. In Kirigakure, defiance meant death.
"The Kaguya clan, huh? That's… intense," Ye Liangnai muttered, his nerves taut. Even with his Special Jonin-level speed and enhanced jutsu, survival wasn't guaranteed. Better keep a low profile. One wrong move, and I'm toast.
Elsewhere, the Kaguya clan wasn't idle. Kirigakure's mobilization hadn't gone unnoticed. Their resentment toward Yagura had festered for years—guarding the village gates without respect, enduring scorn and exclusion. Policies choked their resources, and tensions had reached a breaking point.
Then came the final straw: word that Yagura planned to wipe them out. That was it.
"This village isn't worth our loyalty!" a Kaguya elder roared. "Brothers, tear it down! We'll forge a new dawn!"
"Down with Kirigakure!" the clan bellowed, their fury united.
"New dawn!"
They charged the village center, a tidal wave of rage and bone. Their speed caught Kirigakure off-guard—the elders had locked down all leaks, yet the Kaguya struck first, hitting the Mist's forces like a hurricane.
"Damn it! Who leaked the plan?!" Yuan Long roared, his composure shattered. But rage wouldn't help now—suppressing the Kaguya was priority one. The traitor could wait.
"Die, Mist scum!" a Kaguya warrior snarled, his bone spikes impaling a shinobi.
"We've hated you bastards forever! Meet the reaper!" another roared, tearing through defenses.
The Kaguya were madness incarnate in battle, their Shikotsumyaku kekkei genkai making them a terror. High defense, lightning-fast reflexes, and devastating attacks—they were the pinnacle of taijutsu. Mist shinobi flew backward, bodies piling up in seconds.
In a shadowed corner, unnoticed, a man in an orange spiral mask watched. His eyes burned with hatred and twisted satisfaction. "Keep killing each other, Kirigakure. Drown in pain and despair."
He whispered, his voice venomous. "This is your punishment. You all bear the cost of Rin's death."
To him, Kirigakure's fall was justice. "Rin, I won't let them off easy. They'll sink into ruin, buried with you."
He was the architect of this chaos, leaking the extermination plan to the Kaguya and manipulating Yagura to oppress them. The Hozuki and Yuki clans had crumbled under similar schemes. He played Kirigakure like a chessboard, deepening its fractures, reveling in the bloodshed.
Back to Ye Liangnai
"Die, brat!" a Kaguya youth roared, locking onto Ye Liangnai. His Shikotsumyaku bone spikes shot forward, razor-sharp and relentless.
Ye Liangnai's stomach lurched, his instincts screaming. He dodged, barely evading the strike. The Kaguya was Chunin-level, but his defense was obscene—Ye Liangnai's usual tricks barely scratched him.
This guy's a tank. Most of my moves are useless.
"Genjutsu: Binding Illusion!"
The Kaguya froze, his mind snared. Ye Liangnai seized the opening. "Hawk Flash!"
His katana flashed, slicing the Kaguya's throat. Blood sprayed, a deep gash opening, but the warrior didn't fall. With a guttural scream, he lunged, bone spikes flailing. "I'll take you with me, kid!"
Ye Liangnai didn't flinch. "Water Gun Jutsu!"
A single seal, and a high-pressure water bullet pierced the Kaguya's skull, dropping him for good. The jutsu's speed was its strength—fast, lethal, efficient.
But before Ye Liangnai could catch his breath, a furious roar erupted behind him. "You killed my kin! Unforgivable!"
"Dance of the Camellia!"
Another Kaguya, Chunin-level, charged, his bone blades a whirlwind of death.