A dense fog surged forward, swallowing Kaguya Yanagimura in its oppressive embrace, the air growing heavy with an eerie stillness. The Kaguya warrior, however, stood unfazed, his voice dripping with disdain as he sneered into the haze. "You think this pathetic ninjutsu can touch me, brat? Don't make me laugh. I'm not one of those weaklings you've cut down!"
His confidence was unshaken, his posture rigid with the assurance of a Special Jonin who'd faced countless battles. The mist was a child's trick to him, a fleeting annoyance he'd crush along with the boy who dared challenge him.
Ye Liangnai's voice echoed from all directions, ghostly and elusive, cutting through the fog like a blade. "Pathetic? Why don't we find out?"
Terumi Mei, locked in her own battle nearby, caught sight of the unfolding scene and exhaled a quiet breath of relief. Yanagimura had wandered into Ye Liangnai's domain—a battlefield where her brother thrived. The mist was his weapon, his sanctuary. She no longer feared for his safety; her focus sharpened on her own opponent.
Her emerald eyes locked onto Kaguya Ichiro, the clan leader, his presence a towering menace. "Time to end this, Ichiro. You're the real problem here."
Kaguya Ichiro's laugh was a low, mocking rumble, his weathered face twisting with amusement. "Terumi Mei, you've got strength, I'll give you that. But you think you can beat me? Don't flatter yourself, little girl. I was carving my name into legend when you were still clinging to your mother's skirts!"
Without warning, his body erupted in a forest of jagged bone spikes, transforming him into a living juggernaut. "Dance of the Larch!" he roared, charging with the force of a runaway boulder, his bone-armored form aimed to crush Mei into the earth.
Mei's hands flashed through seals, her voice steady. "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" A shimmering wall of water surged upward, a barrier meant to halt Ichiro's assault.
Ichiro sneered, his eyes glinting with contempt. "This flimsy defense? You think it'll stop me? Break!"
He accelerated, slamming into the water wall with bone-crushing force, expecting it to shatter like glass. But instead—
Boom!
The impact reverberated like a hammer striking steel. Ichiro's charge faltered, the recoil hurling him backward, his bones rattling from the shock. He staggered, his mind reeling. What the hell?!
The water wall stood unbroken, its surface rippling but unyielding, a testament to Mei's enhanced ninjutsu. The onlookers—Mist shinobi and Kaguya alike—gaped, their murmurs rising in awe.
"That defense… it's unreal!" a Mist ninja whispered, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Kaguya's charges are unstoppable at that level. Blocking it outright? That's insane!" another added, eyes wide.
The consensus was clear: if Ye Liangnai was a prodigy, his sister was a force of nature. Mei's strength was no surprise, but this display cemented her as a titan among Kirigakure's elite.
Mei seized the moment, her hands weaving new seals. "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" A fog as thick as Ye Liangnai's rolled in, cloaking her and Ichiro in a suffocating veil, its density rivaling her brother's mastery.
Ichiro scoffed, his voice cutting through the haze. "Hidden Mist Jutsu? You think this can—argh!"
His taunt morphed into a scream, raw and guttural, as agony ripped through him. Mei's hands held the seal for Boil Style: Skilled Mist Jutsu, a corrosive acid fog that could melt even Susanoo. Against flesh and bone, it was annihilation.
The surrounding shinobi shivered at the sound, their skin prickling with unease. The fog was too dense to see through, too heavy to sense what transpired within, but Ichiro's cries painted a grim picture.
Mei's voice, cold and precise, pierced the mist. "Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu!"
A series of sharp, wet impacts followed—thud, thud, thud—like arrows piercing flesh. Ichiro's voice rose in a final, desperate roar. "No! I can't… die here…"
His words faded into a weak rasp, then silence. The fog dissipated, revealing a horrific sight: Kaguya Ichiro, the clan leader, reduced to a mangled, skinless husk, his body a grotesque parody of life. Blood pooled beneath him, his eyes lifeless.
The crowd gasped, their faces paling. "That's… the Kaguya clan leader. An Elite Jonin… gone, just like that?"
Mei's gaze, however, wasn't on her fallen foe. Her eyes darted to Ye Liangnai's position, where the clash of steel rang out—clang, clang, clang—a relentless symphony of combat. Her heart tightened. Stay safe, little Ye.
There was no room for surrender. Yagura's orders were absolute: the Kaguya clan would be eradicated. Mei steeled herself and charged toward the next enemy, her resolve unshaken.
Ye Liangnai's Fight
"Damn you, brat! Face me like a man instead of skulking in the shadows!" Kaguya Yanagimura panted, his voice thick with frustration. The fog was a relentless predator, and Ye Liangnai its master. Yanagimura's senses strained, his body tense, anticipating an attack from any angle. Ye Liangnai had struck and vanished too many times, each assault chipping away at Yanagimura's stamina.
The Kaguya's taunts were more for his own morale than any real expectation. He knew Ye Liangnai wouldn't take the bait—facing a Special Jonin head-on was suicide, especially for a Chunin. Yanagimura's taijutsu was his domain, his confidence unshakable in a direct fight.
Or so he thought.
"Face-to-face, huh? Your wish is my command," Ye Liangnai's voice echoed, ghostly and omnipresent, drifting through the fog like a specter's whisper.
Yanagimura froze, then grinned, his heart surging with savage joy. He readied his stance, bone spikes bristling. Foolish kid. He actually took the bait. In his mind, Ye Liangnai's decision was beyond stupid—it was a death sentence. Abandoning the mist's advantage for a frontal assault? Yanagimura would crush him.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistle of air sliced through the fog from behind. Yanagimura spun, his bone blade slashing with lethal precision. But his strike met nothing—empty air.
Shlck!
Pain erupted in his chest as a katana pierced clean through, blood spraying. Yanagimura's mind blanked. What?! This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was the hunter, not the prey.
His reflexes kicked in, bone spikes erupting from his back. "Dance of the Larch!" he roared, desperate to retaliate. But again, nothing. Ye Liangnai was gone, melted into the fog.
"Damn it!" Yanagimura bellowed, the wound tearing wider as he moved. He coughed blood, collapsing to one knee, his vision swimming. The chest wound was critical—fatal, even for a Kaguya's resilience.
He'd been played. The voice came from behind, but the attack struck from the front. The misdirection was flawless, catching him off-guard in a way no shinobi should. This kid… he's a monster.
Ye Liangnai's voice slithered through the mist, dripping with mockery. "Surprised, Yanagimura? Bet you didn't see that coming."
"Damn… you… don't get… cocky!" Yanagimura gasped, his strength ebbing. His sight blurred, his limbs heavy with exhaustion. The wound was draining him faster than he could recover, and the fog's disorientation only worsened his odds.
He was trapped, the battlefield entirely Ye Liangnai's. The realization hit like a blade: he'd called Ye Liangnai foolish, but the true fool was himself.