A thick fog swallowed Kaguya Yanagimura whole.
But he didn't flinch, sneering, "Brat, you think this low-tier jutsu can touch me?"
"Don't make me laugh! I'm not the trash you've cut down!"
"Useful or not, let's find out!"
Yoru Ryo's voice echoed from all directions, ethereal and mocking.
Seeing this, Terumi Mei exhaled in relief.
Yanagimura had stumbled into Yoru Ryo's domain. She no longer feared for his life.
Her gaze snapped to the Kaguya Clan leader, Kaguya Ichiro.
"Time to end this, Ichiro!"
Ichiro laughed, his voice dripping with scorn.
"Mei, I'll admit you're strong, but you think you can take me?"
"Don't get full of yourself, girl! I was shaking battlefields when you were still in diapers!"
"Dance of the Larch!"
Spikes erupted across Ichiro's body, and he barreled forward like a tank.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall Jutsu!"
Mei conjured a water barrier, but Ichiro snorted.
"What's this flimsy defense, Mei?"
"Break!"
He grinned, accelerating, slamming into the wall.
Boom!
Like hitting solid steel, Ichiro was thrown back by the recoil.
He froze, stunned. How?!
"What a defense!"
Onlookers gaped, murmuring in awe.
The Kaguya's charge was unstoppable—same-level foes could only hope to stalemate. Yet Mei blocked it unscathed.
No wonder Yoru Ryo was a freak; his sister Mei was just as monstrous!
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
Mei wove signs, blanketing the area in fog as thick as Yoru Ryo's.
"Hidden mist jutsu? You think it can—AARGH!"
Ichiro's scoff cut off as a bloodcurdling scream ripped from his throat.
Mei held the seal for Boil Style: Skilled Mist Jutsu.
That acid mist could melt even Susano'o—flesh didn't stand a chance!
The crowd shuddered, goosebumps rising.
The fog blocked sight and chakra sense; no one knew what horrors unfolded within.
"Water Gun Jutsu!"
Mei's icy voice pierced the mist.
Pfft! Pfft!
The sound of flesh tearing followed.
Then, Ichiro's defiant roar: "No! I can't… die here…"
His voice weakened, trailing off into silence.
The mist cleared.
Gasps erupted.
Ichiro's body was a pulpy, skinless wreck, gruesome and terrifying.
The crowd's eyes on Mei shifted—wary, almost fearful.
This was the Kaguya leader, an Elite Jonin, reduced to that?
Too damn strong!
But Mei's gaze flicked to Yoru Ryo's fight.
Clashing blades rang out—clang!—in a relentless rhythm.
"Little Ryo, please be safe!" she prayed, then charged to other foes.
No surrender. The Mizukage's command was absolute extermination of the Kaguya Clan.
Their fate? Oblivion.
Back to Yoru Ryo-
"Damn brat, fight me face-to-face like a man! Stop hiding like a rat!"
Kaguya Yanagimura panted, frustration boiling.
Yoru Ryo's unpredictable strikes forced him to stay on guard, draining him.
He'd been ambushed three times already.
This wasn't sustainable.
He was just venting, not expecting Yoru Ryo to bite.
A head-on fight? Suicide for the kid.
Yanagimura was confident he'd crush Yoru Ryo in direct combat—his forte.
But—
"Face-to-face, huh? Your wish is granted!"
Yoru Ryo's voice echoed, ghostly and taunting.
Yanagimura's eyes widened, then gleamed with glee.
Idiot!
He smirked inwardly: "Foolishness! He actually agreed to fight me head-on."
"Throwing away the Mist's advantage for a straight-up brawl? That's not just dumb—it's a death sentence!"
Why hesitate? He'd oblige the brat's demise!
Whoosh!
A sharp whistle cut the air behind him.
Yanagimura swung his bone-sword back.
Splurch!
Nothing connected—but his chest was pierced clean through.
He staggered, dumbfounded.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go!
Why was he the one bleeding?
Instinct kicked in: "Dance of the Larch!"
Spikes shot from his back.
Nothing hit. Yoru Ryo had vanished.
"Damn it!"
Yanagimura roared, the wound tearing as he spat blood, collapsing to one knee.
The chest wound was fatal.
He'd misjudged—the voice came from behind, but the attack came from the front.
Who could react to that? Too sudden!
He got it now. Yoru Ryo wasn't reckless—he'd played him.
Mocking Yoru Ryo's "foolishness"? He was the fool!
"Yanagimura, surprised? Bet you didn't see that coming!"
Yoru Ryo's taunt rang from the mist, dripping with mockery.
"Damn… brat… don't get… cocky!"
The wound sapped Yanagimura's strength. His vision blurred, limbs heavy.
The tide had turned, and he was powerless.
Yoru Ryo held all the cards.