“Move the timber here over to that side.” “Transport all the grain and vegetables to the warehouse and store them carefully.” “Remove the blood from the dead beasts as quickly as possible; the hides must be peeled off intact.” A steady-looking middle-aged man in his late thirties methodically directed the clansmen in the camp.
Although he didn’t have to labor personally, managing such a large group to improve the camp was no easy task.
Before long, sweat poured down his face.
He picked up his canteen and took a heavy gulp to quench his thirst.
He was the current Clan Chief of the Kusanagi Clan—Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu.
More than three hundred people lived here, including both Ninjas and ordinary folk, all of whom were members of the Kusanagi Clan.
Under the Clan Chief’s direction, the Ninjas and ordinary clansmen were separated, each handling their respective tasks.
Even the elderly and children, as long as they were mobile, were not allowed to be completely idle; they all had to contribute to the work, even if they did less.
Using the river as the core of their camp, the Kusanagi Clan cleared the surrounding land and built houses and wooden fences, beginning to take the shape of a small Village.
After nearly a month, this forest area had clearly become the Kusanagi Clan’s new clan grounds.
To ensure the safety of this new territory, the Ninjas of the Kusanagi Clan had set numerous traps around the perimeter of the camp.
These were intended to ward off wild beasts from the forest and to ambush enemies, providing a warning and creating a strategic buffer zone to prevent war from reaching the camp directly.
“Next, I need to scout the terrain further out.
The Land of Night likely won’t let this go; they’ll probably send Ninjas and Samurai soon…” Clan Chief Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu nodded slightly after observing the Family’s stronghold camp.
This way, the Family could finally settle down here.
Then, something occurred to him, and a look of caution appeared on his face.
However, despite his cautious expression, there was no worry in his eyes.
Clearly, his own strength—or rather, the Divine Artifact passed down through generations of Kusanagi ancestors, the kusanagi sword—gave him ample confidence.
In the past, the Kusanagi Clan had relied on this Divine Artifact to make a name for themselves in the Land of Grass.
Even when forced into exile, he had used this artifact to safely withdraw from the Land of Grass with minimal casualties, leaving the other Ninja clans there afraid to pursue them.
He believed that with his and the artifact’s power, he could build a Legacy even in the Land of Night.
Although many said that the Land of Night was one of the few military powers just below the Great Nations.
But whether it was truly strong or not, in the Ninja world, it was customary to fight first and see.
As of now, the Land of Night didn’t feel as powerful as he had imagined.
He had led a small group to quickly crush their border troops, leaving them no room for resistance.
“If I could also attain the position of General…” Deep ambition and desire flickered in Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s dark eyes.
He also coveted the position of a nation’s monarch.
In that case, the Kusanagi Clan would be great again under his leadership!
Just as he was envisioning a bright future, Boom— A thunderous explosion abruptly shattered the peace of the camp.
Immediately after, several more booming explosions followed— Houses detonated in bursts of fire, and the shockwaves spreading outward caused a chorus of wails.
Some ordinary people who weren’t even Ninjas lost their lives instantly in the explosive flames.
That was the commotion caused by the detonation of Explosive Tags.
A Ninja attack!
The thought flashed through Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s mind in an instant.
“Impossible!
The traps outside clearly haven’t been triggered, how could—” Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s eyes widened in shock.
Someone had actually managed to bypass the tight security network around the camp’s perimeter without making a sound.
Even he would have to lose a few layers of skin to break through those outer traps.
But Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s reaction was not slow.
Regardless of how, the enemy had reached the core of the camp; they had to be repelled quickly to minimize losses.
“Enemy attack!
Enemy attack!” The other Ninjas of the Kusanagi Clan also shouted loudly, searching everywhere for the enemy.
“Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!” A low voice rang out from nowhere, turning a patch of land into a swamp.
Several Ninjas and over a dozen ordinary Kusanagi clansmen fell in, unable to break free, watching helplessly as they were swallowed by the bottomless muck.
“Damn it!
Stop right there!” Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu wanted to go help, find the attacker, and stop their Earth Release Ninjutsu.
They were the future of the Kusanagi Clan; they couldn’t die here.
“Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!” Accompanied by a cold female voice, Kicho, dressed in light purple Ninja attire, rushed out from the shadows of the nearby forest.
Her right palm thrust forward fiercely, five fingers curled into a tiger-claw shape.
A powerful surge of Chakra gathered in the center of her curled palm and was released instantly.
The air vibrated, producing a sound like an explosion as it struck directly toward Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s body.
Boom!
Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s expression changed drastically as he leaped aside.
The force of the Gentle Fist strike, delivered through the air, punched a shocking hole into a stone wall, causing it to collapse as countless fragments flew in all directions.
“This is…
the Byakugan!?” Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu cried out as he saw Kicho attacking him with biting killing intent, especially upon seeing those strange eyes emitting a high-purity white light.
The things he hadn’t understood were suddenly clear; with the help of the Byakugan, the traps he had ordered around the camp’s perimeter were indeed useless.
“I heard the General of the Land of Night had married into the Hyuga Clan.
I thought it was a false rumor, but I didn’t expect…” Cold sweat trickled down Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s face, and his calm expression finally vanished.
He never expected that the Hyuga Clan, known as a prestigious Family, would actually intermarry with the Land of Night.
It was no wonder he had thought the rumors were false; thinking about it, it was truly incredible.
The Hyuga Clan was a noble Family with a long Legacy, while that General of the Land of Night was of humble origins—a wandering orphan who wasn’t even a commoner, who once lived like an underground rat, frequenting filthy places like the black market for money.
Even after he became the General, many still secretly looked down on his origins, considering him nothing more than a lucky, low-born commoner.
Yet, the Hyuga Clan had actually intermarried with him.
Shouldn’t Ninjas who called themselves prestigious and orthodox value status and lineage above all else?
Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu couldn’t understand it, but he knew that things had completely escalated now.
He hadn’t expected the Land of Night’s retaliation to be so swift and so fierce.
Kicho ignored Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s words, kicked off the ground with force, and launched herself forward.
Her Ninja outfit’s sleeves were wider and looser than usual, which was both aesthetic and did not hinder her movement.
Thus, as Kicho darted forward, she was like a dancing butterfly; not only was her speed incredible, but her fluttering sleeves also served to confuse the enemy.
‘So beautiful…’ Kicho’s wonderful form, fluttering like a butterfly, was like a goddess descending to the world, holy and inviolable.
The moment this thought appeared in Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s mind, he suddenly snapped out of it.
“No, this is Genjutsu!” “Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!” Seeing that Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu had entered her Gentle Fist Domain, Kicho swung her arms, instantly emitting streams of Chakra from her palms as her body began to spin and dance.
The swirling Chakra currents instantly formed a massive sphere of Chakra, rotating at high speed with Kicho at the center.
The powerful airflow generated by the high-speed rotation created a fierce suction, pulling Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu forcefully toward the spinning Chakra sphere.
Once caught inside, his body would surely be covered in wounds and he would be left severely injured.
Not to mention, the Gentle Fist possessed the dangerous ability to seal the meridian system, which was extremely effective against any Ninja.
Kicho’s graceful yet murderous dance steps stopped, and her jet-black hair slowly settled as the movement ceased.
Her white eyes narrowed slightly as she gazed at Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu, who had not only avoided being sucked into her Revolving Heaven but had also managed to retreat with ease.
At some point, Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu had gripped a katana with a light red hilt and a straight blade in his palm.
The blade was thinner than a typical katana, and its length was also below the standard.
Judging by its style, it appeared to be a weapon suitable for a woman.
Now held in the palm of a tall man like Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu, it looked somewhat out of place.
‘The Chakra used for Revolving Heaven just now seemed to vanish suddenly…’ Kicho’s mind worked quickly, and she soon figured out Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s secret.
Unsurprisingly, the katana in Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s hand was likely the kusanagi sword passed down through the generations of the Kusanagi Clan.
“What a dangerous ability.
Not only does your movement incorporate genjutsu misdirection, but there’s a follow-up killing move…
Without this kusanagi sword, I probably would have been killed instantly.
Is this the power of a Bloodline Limit?
It’s truly bone-chilling.” Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu gave a forced smile, his tone filled with even more envy and jealousy.
Bloodline Limit…
such a beautiful yet terrifying power.
It was because of such existences that small clans like theirs could never step onto the main stage, becoming nothing more than background scenery in the struggles between great clans.
He didn’t believe his strength was weaker than Kicho’s, but the fact was that he was nearly killed in a single exchange.
This made him feel extremely unbalanced inside.
“More than that, the kusanagi sword in your hand is quite strange.
Just now, it ‘ate’ my Chakra, didn’t it?” Although Kicho phrased it as a question, her meaning was very certain.
Despite being only seventeen, she was a Genius of the Hyuga Clan and an elite who had crawled out from piles of corpses many times.
Combined with the power of the Byakugan, as long as an ability wasn’t too bizarre, she could make an accurate judgment with just a glance and a single contact.
“Did you see it with the Byakugan?
That’s right, this kusanagi sword possesses the special ability to eat Chakra.
As long as I draw this blade, no Ninja can defeat me.
In other words, your Gentle Fist is useless against me.” Although Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu was wary of the Byakugan’s power, he wasn’t afraid.
In his eyes, Kicho was just like the enemies he had encountered in the past—strong, but soon to be killed by his kusanagi sword.
This ancestral Divine Artifact could bridge the gap between him and Bloodline Limit Ninjas, and even surpass those Ninjas who only relied on the power of their bloodline to act all high and mighty.
Kicho remained silent.
If that were the case, the effectiveness of the Gentle Fist would indeed be greatly reduced.
Because a Ninja’s Taijutsu also required Chakra to increase its power.
Or rather, the more proficient a Ninja was in Taijutsu, the higher their requirements for Chakra volume.
“You’re right, but…” A faint smile appeared on Kicho’s face.
Just as Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu was about to ask, his body suddenly stiffened, unable to move.
An icy aura suddenly came from his back, passing through the surface of his skin and directly connecting with the meridian system inside his body.
“It’s over, Mister Clan Chief.” “Wait, I—” Before Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu could finish speaking, Kicho’s graceful figure, like a fluttering butterfly, had already landed lightly in front of him.
A cool breeze brushed past as Kicho’s slender palm touched his chest.
Thump.
A slight sound of a palm strike echoed in the air.
“Cough!” Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s face turned pale, and he couldn’t help but cough, blood gushing from his mouth.
His heart felt as if a knife had been plunged into it, then violently twisted and torn apart.
The muscles on his face twitched in agonizing pain.
Most importantly, he couldn’t mobilize any of his Chakra; his meridian system had been completely blocked by Kicho’s Gentle Fist.
Because the heart is the core of the meridian system, as long as the meridians at the heart’s location are severed, a Ninja can be prevented from mobilizing and refining Chakra.
Kicho’s Gentle Fist directly robbed him of the chance to use the kusanagi sword for a final counter-kill.
‘Damn it, I haven’t even used the kusanagi sword’s hidden ability yet, otherwise…
my consciousness is…’ No matter how much hatred and resentment he felt in his heart, Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s eyes dimmed and closed helplessly.
His head drooped as the breath of life left him.
However, although Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s body had lost its breath, it did not fall.
Instead, it was supported by another force.
Five Chakra Threads were attached to Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s back at some unknown point.
Like a Puppet, Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu slowly swayed his body, gripping the kusanagi sword as if he had come back to life to continue the battle.
Not far away, on the branch of a thick tree, Yayoi had silently landed.
His right hand was open, with five Chakra Threads connected to Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s spine, taking over control of his body.
“A truly perfect coordination, Husband.” Kicho smiled brightly.
Looking back at the flow of the battle just now, it was almost flawless.
The moment Yayoi used the Chakra Threads to control Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu, she quickly seized that critical opening.
Without wasting words or pausing her movements, she rushed at full speed toward Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu and delivered a fatal blow with her Gentle Fist.
The entire sequence of actions happened in the blink of an eye.
Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu probably didn’t even have time to react; he might not have even noticed Yayoi’s presence before he was killed by her.
“Yeah, I didn’t expect the ‘Puppetry Technique’ to unfold so smoothly.
This guy’s vigilance was entirely focused on you, Kicho.” Yayoi was not surprised by this result at all.
His strength was already much greater than Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s.
Combined with the sneak attack and Kicho’s coordination, it was only natural for Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu to be killed instantly, even with the kusanagi sword, since he hadn’t noticed a second person.
As for the ‘Puppetry Technique’ he mentioned, it was a Puppet-style Ninjutsu that used special Chakra Threads to control the movements of living people.
Furthermore, this Ninjutsu could use the Chakra Threads to interfere with the target’s meridian system, providing a certain degree of control.
This was why Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s body had stiffened to the point of being unable to move the moment he was hit by the ‘Puppetry Technique’.
Because the meridian system inside his body was interfered with by the Chakra Threads, which in turn affected his physical movements.
“He was too focused on my Byakugan and Gentle Fist.
He probably still thought I was the commander of the Land of Night’s operation until the moment he died.” Kicho summarized the reason for Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s failure.
“Well then, we can smoothly wrap things up now.” Yayoi jumped down from the branch, the fingers releasing the Chakra Threads moving as nimbly as if playing cat’s cradle.
Under Yayoi’s operation, Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s still-warm corpse was no different than when he was alive; even his physical flexibility had not decreased but had instead become more agile.
Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu, gripping the kusanagi sword, leaped out nimbly and charged into the crowd fighting in the distance to carry out the final extermination of the remaining Kusanagi Clan members.
About ten minutes later, the Kusanagi Clan’s base had turned into a sea of fire.
Including the Kusanagi Clan Chief, Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu, a total of forty-seven Ninjas plus over two hundred ordinary clansmen had their corpses burned in the great fire.
“There shouldn’t be any that escaped the net, right?” Yayoi turned his head and asked.
Whether they were elderly or children, as long as they were enemies, they had to be completely wiped out without leaving a single one.
This was the lesson he had learned in the Sengoku era, and it was also his greatest respect for his enemies.
Kakuzu was holding a female corpse.
She was the only other Ninja in the Kusanagi Clan with Jonin-level combat power besides Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu, and she was also the wife of Clan Chief Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu.
Kakuzu threw this female corpse into the fire to burn as well.
The blazing firelight shone on his masked face, and his eerie green eyes were very intimidating.
“There are none left.
Every single one has been eliminated.” Kakuzu’s tone was devoid of emotion.
Having followed Yayoi for so many years, he clearly knew Yayoi’s cold-blooded methods for dealing with enemies.
Yayoi and Kicho were responsible for dealing with the Clan Chief, Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu, while the other Jonin-level Ninja, Patriarch Kusanagi Seiryu’s wife, was handled by Kakuzu.
Aburame Yoto was responsible for the rest of the Kusanagi Clan Ninjas.
Capable of controlling insects, he could quickly clear out the Kusanagi Clan’s fodder.
Through this joint operation, Aburame Yoto further understood the character and methods of Yayoi, this General of the Land of Night.
As long as they were enemies, even the elderly and children, he would eliminate them all without exception, dealing with them cold-bloodedly and ruthlessly.
Aburame Yoto suspected that the reason the Land of Night’s regime was so stable was because Yayoi had ruthlessly executed all the rebels and their families who had opposed him in the past.
He even completely blocked information about the rebels and their pasts, fundamentally erasing their history of existence, making people lose even the point of discussing them.
The next task was very simple: pack up all the organized Kusanagi Clan collections and take them away, leaving the border troops responsible for the final transport.
As for the kusanagi sword passed down through generations of the Kusanagi Clan, it was kept by Yayoi himself.