"The Kanayama stronghold was taken!?"
"Yes, Jūzō-sama… It only took about ten minutes. Under the coordination of Lord Kaguya Ren and Lady Mei Terumi, the Konoha ninja were wiped out to the last. We suffered no losses and took over the Kanayama position—along with a huge stockpile of kunai, explosive tags, and other supplies inside."
The intelligence runner Ren had sent back to the rear knelt on one knee before Biwa Jūzō, who had just come off the battlefield, excitement blazing in his eyes as he reported:
"If their commander in the reinforcement unit hadn't been so cautious, we could've swallowed them too."
"I see…"
Jūzō's stride faltered—so slightly it was almost imperceptible—after hearing those words.
As one of Kirigakure's front-line leaders on the Land of Fire theater, Biwa Jūzō had personally led assaults on the Kanayama position in order to push the line forward.
And the results had been…
Well—Kanayama had stood firm right up until Kaguya Ren arrived. That alone told you everything.
It should have been a meat grinder. A place where both sides poured bodies into a brutal mill, where grotesque casualty ratios stalled Kirigakure's advance, keeping the flames of war from reaching deeper into the Land of Fire.
As long as Kanayama remained in Konoha's hands, Kirigakure's front could not advance in full.
And yet now—this fortress that had refused to fall, to the point where even the intelligence coordinator Suikazan Fuguki had seriously considered assembling the entire Seven Ninja Swordsmen to take it—
Was torn apart that easily?
By that Kaguya brat?
"How did he do it?" Jūzō inhaled sharply, burying the shock in his chest and asking in a calm, measured tone.
"Lord Kaguya Ren used an ultra-large Mist Technique that covered a five-kilometer radius. Lady Mei Terumi followed with Boil Release: Skillful Mist, heavily injuring every Konoha ninja inside the fort. Then Lord Ren charged in alone—through Lady Mei's Skillful Mist—and killed everyone."
The young chūnin's explanation was simple, almost casual.
But when Jūzō finished listening with a blank face, he realized his back was drenched in cold sweat.
A Mist Technique that blanketed five kilometers?
Charging through Skillful Mist and slaughtering everyone inside?
Is that kid a tailed beast in human skin!? How else could he have that kind of chakra and vitality!?
…Good. Good.
At least he hadn't repeated that earlier remark to anyone.
Otherwise—
Jūzō shoved the lingering fear down, composed himself, and spoke in a low voice.
"Well done. You've broken the deadlock we were trapped in. I'll record this achievement truthfully and report it to the Third Mizukage. Is there anything else?"
"There is." The young chūnin nodded, expression serious as he repeated Ren's message word for word.
"Lord Ren says Kanayama will become one of the fiercest battlegrounds between Konoha and Kiri in the days ahead. He requests Lord Fuguki assign several qualified sensory-nin and medical-nin to him."
"Lord Ren also said that even if we must pull personnel from other jōnin, his requirements must be met… And anyone with objections can wait until he returns from Kanayama and complain to his face."
"He took Kanayama. That request is reasonable," Jūzō said, finally exhaling as he nodded. "I'll coordinate this with Fuguki… If there's nothing else, go rest. When the assigned sensors arrive, you'll travel together."
"Yes!"
The chūnin withdrew, barely containing his excitement.
From his expression, Jūzō could see it clearly—pride at being able to serve under Kaguya Ren, and a feverish admiration for the man himself.
Just like the subordinates who had once followed Jūzō, watching him complete one impossible mission after another for Kirigakure.
Only Ren was younger.
Stronger.
And far more ambitious.
"This is Kirigakure's law…"
In the Mist, strength was truth. And wherever a warrior piled victory upon victory for the village, followers and worshippers naturally gathered.
When that number grew large enough to challenge the existing order…
A change of Mizukage became inevitable.
Jūzō sighed and headed for Suikazan Fuguki's command post.
"Let's just hope the war doesn't temper that kid too quickly… If he grows to the point the Third Mizukage fears him before this war ends…"
Jūzō's gaze darkened.
"…then I'll be the one caught in the middle."
…
Ren had no idea he had shaken Jūzō's loyalty even further.
Right now, he was staring at the newly refreshed mission on his system panel, brow tightly furrowed.
[Mission: The Battle of Kanayama]
Description: Hold the Kanayama stronghold until Kirigakure breaks the remaining Konoha positions still resisting, forcing Konoha's line to retreat.
During the mission, Mei Terumi must not die. Control of Kanayama must not be lost. At mission settlement, the number of Kirigakure ninja holding Kanayama must not fall below 40% of the current total. If any condition is not met, the main mission is considered failed.
Reward: Keystone Rune · Conqueror
Optional Mission 1: Defeat Uzumaki Kushina 1v1 — Reward: Minor Rune Draw ×1
Optional Mission 2: Defeat Nine-Tails Jinchūriki Uzumaki Kushina 1v1 — Reward: Keystone Rune Draw ×1
Optional Mission 3: Repel Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato's combined assault — Reward: Keystone Rune Draw ×2
Optional Mission 4: Force Konoha to replace its front-line commander with someone other than Uzumaki Kushina — Reward: Keystone Rune · Time Warp
Note: If the main mission fails, all unfinished optional missions will also fail.
Without requiring him to assassinate any specific target, the system was offering an absurdly generous payout—up to five Keystone runes.
Which meant only one thing.
Something huge and ugly was waiting for him.
"Trouble doesn't come empty-handed…"
Ren exhaled slowly, a manic gleam flickering in his deep violet eyes.
"But I'll take it."
"Five Keystone runes, huh? Watch me."
Decision made, Ren set a barrier in his temporary quarters and pushed Shikotsumyaku to its limit—beginning to forge bone clones that could bear more chakra than shadow clones and wield far greater combat power.
At the end of the day, the true difficulty wasn't beating any one person.
It was this:
While facing Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato…
He still had to ensure Kanayama didn't fall to the rest of Konoha's forces.
Ren knew Minato had left a Flying Thunder God mark on him. Once Minato's injuries healed and he returned to the battlefield, it would be nearly impossible to stop him from using Flying Thunder God to yank Ren away from the main front and deal with him elsewhere.
So, to prevent the stronghold from collapsing the moment he was pulled away, Ren intended to create multiple bone clones—each inheriting around 50% of his abilities—to handle emergencies.
"And to keep Minato from playing dirty and ambushing Mei, I'll need to leave extra special 'biscuits' with the clones…"
"No—more than that. I'll have someone run back and bring materials for the normal biscuits too. A handful of mediocre med-nin won't keep up. If non-combat losses stack too high, the main mission becomes impossible…"
His tall, lean frame trembled faintly from the pain of forcibly extracting his own spine.
Yet the light in his eyes had never been steadier.
Never brighter.
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