Chapter 9: Declaration of War
When Minamikawa Yuu arrived where Kaguya was, even he was shocked by the scene in front of him.
Across a flat stretch of land, everything had been dyed the color of blood. What had once been intact ground was now coated in flesh and gore, so mangled it was impossible to recognize what this place had been before.
Even from a distance, the air carried a nauseating, hellish heaviness that made one's stomach churn.
"Where is Kaguya?"
Yuu strode forward. Just as he was about to push deeper, someone finally stopped him.
"Your Highness, you cannot go."
Several clan elders stepped in front of him, blocking his path with rigid faces as they urged him earnestly.
"The Lady has been possessed by an evil spirit and has turned into a demon. Your Highness, you cannot go over there!"
"Move aside."
Yuu did not waste words. He shoved them aside and forced his way through.
He kept walking, stepping over scattered remains and pools of blood until he reached the center.
There, he saw Kaguya.
At this point, he understood what the elders meant.
Kaguya stood ahead in silence, as if still lost in a daze.
Even so, the stench of blood clinging to her had not faded, and the pressure rolling off her body was terrifying. One could feel it without even getting close.
The Kaguya from before had always carried an inhuman aura, but she had never felt like this.
Now, it was completely different.
And with the two horns rising from her head and the Rinne Sharingan opened at the center of her brow, it was no wonder people believed she had been possessed by an evil spirit.
But Yuu did not care.
Under the horrified gazes of everyone around him, he continued forward without hesitation.
"Kaguya!"
When that familiar voice reached her ears again, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya instinctively lifted her head.
A young man's figure entered her vision, the very person she had been thinking about with growing dread.
In the next moment, her body was pulled into an embrace.
Without the slightest hint of disgust toward the bloodstains, or the fierce aura pouring off her, Yuu wrapped his arms around Kaguya and held her tightly.
"Yuu…"
Breathing in the scent she knew so well, Ōtsutsuki Kaguya gradually relaxed. Her eyes misted over.
"You're alright."
"I'm sorry for making you worry."
Yuu held her even tighter, his voice steady and serious.
"Come back with me."
Kaguya did not speak. She only nodded gently.
Just like that, the crisis was averted and dispersed as if it had never happened.
However, this incident became a harsh warning to Yuu.
The influence of the Land of That was still far too strong.
Despite Yuu's efforts over the past several years, the Land of That's presence within the Land of Ancestors remained immense.
This time, taking advantage of his absence from the daimyo's city, someone had actually been able to rally troops inside the city itself to attack Kaguya.
Without insiders cooperating from within the Land of Ancestors, something like that would have been impossible.
In the end, many within the Land of Ancestors still feared the Land of That, held it in awe, or were even secretly its people, maintaining close ties in the shadows.
Yuu had always known this.
The only reason he had not moved against them was because he wanted to keep misleading the Daimyo of the Land of That and buy himself more time.
But now, it was clear.
It was time to act.
Once he made up his mind, Yuu did not hesitate. He moved immediately.
Within the Land of Ancestors, he launched a sweeping purge.
All the clan elders and ministers who had previously leaned toward the Land of That were suppressed, labeled criminals, and dragged down.
During the purge, even though Yuu exercised a measure of restraint, more than a thousand people were ultimately implicated, and it was impossible to know how many others were affected as shockwaves spread.
Not long after that, the Daimyo of the Land of That finally reacted.
Envoys from the Land of That arrived in the Land of Ancestors with a hard demand.
They demanded that the Land of Ancestors hand over the murderer who had slaughtered their samurai.
Otherwise, they would dispatch troops and wipe the Land of Ancestors from the map.
The news triggered an uproar in a very short time.
"You mean… you want me to hand over Kaguya?"
Inside the daimyo's residence, Yuu looked at the retainer standing before him. His expression was calm, almost too calm.
"Yes, Your Highness."
The old man replied respectfully.
"Previously, the samurai of the Land of That died within our borders. If we do not give the Daimyo of the Land of That an explanation, war will likely break out immediately."
"This is something we should do our best to avoid."
"They were the ones who attacked Kaguya first."
Yuu's gaze fixed on the old man. His face held neither sadness nor joy.
"But it is also true that the Land of That's samurai died here," the old man continued, trying to persuade him earnestly. "Neglecting national affairs for the sake of a woman is not good behavior."
"Furthermore, Lady Kaguya is… too abnormal now. In my humble opinion, it would be better to send her away."
He was not only urging Yuu to bow his head to the Land of That, he also clearly held deep reservations toward Kaguya.
In the past, even if Kaguya looked different from ordinary people, it was still within a range most could accept.
But after that night, Kaguya's appearance had changed completely.
Yuu had no issue with it.
Others did.
The rumor that Lady Kaguya was possessed by an evil spirit had lingered for a long time within the Land of Ancestors, refusing to die.
"You want me to send Kaguya away?"
Yuu smiled.
In front of the surrounding attendants, he rose to his feet and drew his longsword.
The next moment, the blade swept forward.
Bolstered by chakra, the strike was terrifyingly fast. In an instant, the old man was pierced through.
He met Yuu's cold gaze, disbelief filling his eyes, then his body slumped to the ground.
"National affairs have not yet reached the point where someone must be sacrificed."
Yuu's voice remained calm, almost indifferent.
"Sacrificing one person to benefit the world. What if the person being sacrificed were you?"
"Truly ridiculous."
Even if what they demanded had not been Kaguya, but merely an ordinary person at his side, he would still have refused.
Let alone when they were demanding Kaguya herself.
And Yuu understood something even more clearly.
After consuming the chakra fruit, with Kaguya's current strength, she alone was enough to suppress the world.
For the Daimyo of the Land of That to dare make such a demand was nothing but courting death.
"It's time to break off relations."
Standing there, he looked toward the distant lights and murmured to himself.
At first, he had not intended to break with the Land ofThatBi. He had planned to keep his head down and develop for a few more years.
But since the other side insisted on seeking death, then he would grant them their wish.
That was perfectly fine.
The following month, the army of the Land of Ancestors launched a surprise attack on the Land of That.
A border city fell.
The two lands officially went to war.
For a time, the world shook in all directions.
Toward the Land of That, the Land of Ancestors had always been respectful, and their relationship had once been close, even warm.
No one expected the Daimyo of the Land of Ancestors to turn against the Land of That for the sake of a mere woman.
What was even more unexpected was that, in this great war, the Land of That actually fell into a disadvantage.