Five nights later, the Kaguya clan's compound was brightly lit.
On the wide plaza, a dense crowd of Kaguya clansmen stood assembled.
There were men and women, middle-aged adults, youths, and even teenagers.
They looked as if they had all been cast from the same mold.
Dark-skinned with rugged features, each of them bore two red dots on their foreheads, and a lock of black hair tied up on either side of their cheeks.
Their eyes burned with fanaticism, their faces brimming with excitement and bloodlust.
At the front of the crowd stood a tall, muscular middle-aged man, giving a rousing speech before battle.
"Let Kirigakure know the power of the Kaguya clan! Let them fear us! Now is the time for them to witness our might!"
Cheers and eager laughter echoed from the gathered clansmen.
The Kaguya were renowned for producing taijutsu masters. Perhaps because all their nutrition went into building muscle and none to their brains, their thinking had always been... somewhat lacking.
They were completely unaware that their coup had already been exposed. Kirigakure's Mizukage had long since prepared an ambush, gathering elite shinobi to await the Kaguya's suicidal charge.
"Move out!"
The middle-aged man roared the order.
With that, the mass of Kaguya clan members surged in unison, all rushing in a single direction.
That direction—straight toward Kirigakure.
Amid the crowd was a white-haired child.
Expressionless, he followed the flow of the crowd in a daze.
This child would later become the sole survivor of the Kaguya clan Kimimaro.
The Kaguya clan's territory wasn't inside Kirigakure, but it wasn't far. In just half an hour, they reached the outskirts of the Hidden Mist.
Upon seeing the village, their excitement surged.
Their eyes gleamed with bloodlust as they charged into the village without hesitation.
Once inside, their madness peaked, consumed by the urge to destroy, attacking everyone they saw.
But what awaited them wasn't a panicked crowd fleeing in terror but squads of elite Kirigakure shinobi, ready and waiting.
They had walked straight into an ambush.
"Kill...!"
Despite the trap, not a trace of fear showed on their faces.
With crazed roars, they fearlessly charged into the lines of elite Mist shinobi.
A brutal and bloody battle erupted.
Screams and war cries resounded endlessly.
Blood sprayed through the air, dyeing the ground and walls a vivid red.
Kaguya clansmen were dying—and so were Kirigakure's elite.
From a distance, it looked like a hellish battlefield. Even the moonlight overhead seemed stained crimson.
Outside Kirigakure, on a high vantage point, Uchiha Fugaku disguised as a wandering shinobi hid behind a boulder, only his face exposed.
He watched the battle from afar, waiting for it to end so he could slip in and collect the corpses of the Kaguya clan.
Their defeat was inevitable. Though news of the coup had leaked early, the real reason for their downfall was their delusional arrogance believing they could challenge an entire village with just one clan.
One clan against one village defeat was certain.
In many ways, the Kaguya resembled the Uchiha: both had a blind overconfidence in their strength.
Not long ago, the Uchiha had tried the same launching a coup against Konoha.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a hissing sound echoed like a serpent flicking its tongue.
Two ash-gray venomous snakes lunged out, fangs bared, aiming straight for Fugaku's exposed face.
"Hm?"
Caught off guard, Fugaku reacted instantly.
His body slipped entirely into the boulder, evading the snapping fangs.
The snakes struck stone, their fangs shattering on impact.
Shhh—
A moment later, Fugaku emerged from the other side of the rock, drawing the katana at his waist. The blade flashed like white lightning.
Slash—
The snakes were severed at mid-body, blood spraying from the stumps.
Fugaku quickly sidestepped, avoiding the spurting venomous blood.
His eyes scanned the surroundings, alert.
There were few in the shinobi world who used snakes as weapons. At this moment, only one name came to mind.
So I'm not the only one eyeing the Kaguya...
From a distance, a man with long black hair and a serpentine, androgynous face approached.
His chakra was concealed expertly almost undetectable. Fugaku only sensed it when the man drew close.
"Orochimaru..."
Fugaku frowned as he gazed at the approaching figure.
With the sensory abilities of the Yamanaka clan, Fugaku could typically detect any presence within range. The fact that he hadn't noticed until now was proof of Orochimaru's extraordinary concealment worthy of a veteran Kage-level ninja.
He glanced at the slain snakes and immediately understood how Orochimaru had found him.
Orochimaru could control snakes, and snakes were extremely sensitive to body heat—they must have detected the warmth of his body hidden inside the stone.
"Interesting. You know who I am, yet you're not afraid."
Orochimaru suddenly laughed, as if amused by something novel.
"Is that so funny?"
Fugaku's gaze turned cold.
Orochimaru's ambush hadn't harmed him, but it had thoroughly annoyed him.
Anyone else, upon realizing they had provoked Orochimaru, would have swallowed their pride and fled.
But not him.
Orochimaru was strong but so was he. He had no reason to fear.
"Then laugh all you want soon, you might not get another chance!"
The moment he finished speaking, Fugaku vanished.
Not due to sheer speed but actual spatial movement.
Unbeknownst to Orochimaru, he had already been trapped in a powerful ocular genjutsu.
Using the cover of night, Fugaku had activated his Mangekyō Sharingan—and even Orochimaru had failed to notice.
Whoosh—
Appearing behind him, Fugaku's katana swept in a silver arc toward Orochimaru's waist.
The blade tore through the air like ripping cloth its killing intent chilling Orochimaru to the bone.
"Space-time ninjutsu...!"
Orochimaru's snake-like pupils narrowed, shock flashing across his face.
Space-time techniques were rare only a handful of shinobi could master them.
And this "wandering ninja" had one!
Swish—
Despite his shock, Orochimaru was a seasoned Kage. His reflexes kicked in.
His body twisted and stretched like a noodle, contorting into an unnatural arc to dodge the slash.
Then he slithered back along the ground like a serpent.
"Eight Gates: Sixth Gate Gate of View, Open!"
As Orochimaru retreated in his strange, serpentine way, green energy flared around Fugaku.
In that glow, his speed increased exponentially.
Space-time movement required setup but for short-range bursts, the Eight Gates were faster.
Slash—
In an instant, Fugaku caught up to Orochimaru.
As they passed each other, blood sprayed from Orochimaru's waist.
A beat later his upper and lower halves separated, flung through the air by sheer inertia.
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