The current leader of the Kaguya clan was Menma Kaguya—a man whose entire body seemed made of rebellion, ruthless and savage to the core.
The Kaguya clan as a whole was notorious for their violence and bloodlust. If you were looking for the meanest, most vicious member, you'd find him at the top. Menma was that guy.
After the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, crushed the Yeming Rebellion and seized power, he worked tirelessly to unify the Mist archipelago, putting down every last rebel. The Kaguya clan of Jizuki Island held out longer than anyone. To subdue these maniacs, Yagura threw everything he had at them—troops, resources, and a whole lot of concessions. He used both the carrot and the stick, and only just managed to get Jizuki Island's grudging submission. On paper, the Mist archipelago was unified.
But "on paper" was the key. According to the agreement Yagura struck with Menma, the Kaguya clan recognized his authority as Mizukage and acknowledged the Mist's "government," but kept their independence. No taxes. No missions passed down from the village. They lived off their own land. Militarily, they'd "respond to orders but not proclamations"—meaning, if they didn't feel like it, you could forget about them showing up for your wars.
These terms would be unthinkable in Konoha, Sand, or Cloud, but Mist's situation was different. The Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, had squandered everything the First had built, chasing glory against Stone. The Third Mizukage, Kujira, spent years lost in genjutsu, plunging the village into civil chaos. By the time Yagura took over, Mist was a mess—he couldn't afford to push too hard.
Just keeping the Kaguya clan quiet and on their island was a blessing. Total assimilation could wait. For now, Yagura was willing to play the long game, hoping to slowly break them down when Mist was strong enough.
So, the uneasy truce held for several years.
For eight years, Yagura rebuilt—raising up new ninja, restoring the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, forming elite units like the Four Young Masters and Eight Guardians, even borrowing Sand's "military ninja" model to build a ten-thousand-strong army. By the eve of the Third War, Mist was almost back to its former glory.
Just as Yagura was about to move the Kaguya problem to the top of his agenda, the Third Great Ninja War erupted. Mist's attention shifted to the mainland—conquering the continent was every Mizukage's dream. Besides, Jizuki Island was nothing but a bunch of fruit and a clan of lunatics. With Mist's new strength, they could take the island any time they wanted, so it wasn't a priority.
You know the rest—no need to repeat it. But it's worth mentioning: before Yagura launched his campaign on Yuexi Peninsula, ANBU Captain Ao actually warned him about the Kaguya clan, and offered a solution.
Bring the Kaguya to the battlefield. Use them as shock troops and cannon fodder. With their insane strength and utter fearlessness, they'd make a bloody splash in the invasion. Knock out the enemy, weaken the troublemakers, and save the main force—three birds with one stone. Perfect.
Yagura liked the plan. But when his envoy brought it up, Menma Kaguya shot it down hard.
"We have an agreement with the Mizukage: we follow orders, not proclamations. We've stuck to the deal—growing fruit on Jizuki Island, keeping out of trouble. Mizukage-sama can't just break his word and expect us to go along."
Everything had to follow the contract.
The envoy nearly thought he'd wandered into the wrong village—these maniacs cared about contracts? Since when did they have the brains for that?
Of course, the envoy didn't give up easily.
"Menma-sama, the Mizukage knows life is hard on Jizuki Island. He's offering you a chance to get rich! Yuexi Peninsula is the wealthiest city in the west—grab a little treasure, and you'll have enough coconuts and bananas for a lifetime. Don't let Mizukage-sama's kindness go to waste."
But Menma was as stubborn as a turtle with a lead belly, shaking his head like a windup toy.
"We've been fighting for years—there's hardly anyone left. Go count, you won't find a thousand of us. If we keep fighting, we'll be wiped out. Mizukage-sama's got plenty of men—my few hundred are just New Year's rabbits: nice to have, but no big deal if you don't. We just want to grow fruit in peace. If the Mizukage feels sorry for us, he can toss us a few scraps after the victory—we won't complain."
Crude words, but with a certain logic. The envoy couldn't argue—there was a contract, after all. Still, he kept his wits and toured the Kaguya village. It was a ghost town—either old enough for the nursing home or young enough for kindergarten. He didn't see any able-bodied fighters, and left reassured.
Before he left, Menma offered another "gift."
"Messenger-sama, we're starving here—just coconuts and bananas, and everyone's got the runs. A few have died. Could you ask Mizukage-sama for some rations? We'll trade for them, don't worry."
The envoy perked up. "What do you have to trade?"
"We're poor—just coconuts, bananas, pineapples, wax apples. Mist doesn't need those. But Mizukage-sama's heading to war—he needs ships. Here, we'll trade our warships for food. Deal?"
The envoy was thrilled—he agreed on the spot and raced back to report.
Yagura was just as pleased, immediately had Áo Péng send 400 tons of grain, and took all of the Kaguya's old ships. Then he set out for war, feeling secure.
Of course, this was all Maki and Xuechi Gaojin's handiwork.
Sure, the Kaguya had fewer people—just over 900. The real fighters were hidden away.
And those ships? They gave away the old ones, but new ones were already waiting. Yuexi Peninsula had shipyards, after all—big ones. The new transport ships could carry 500 people each. Two ships were enough for the whole clan. When Maki was stirring up trouble on Jizuki Island, he'd already arranged for the ships to be delivered.
So, while Yagura was locked in a stormy naval battle, the Kaguya clan slipped ashore at Shūsen Harbor, once again brandishing their terrifying bone swords.
In two hours, they wiped out nearly all 500 stationed ninja and marched straight for Hidden Mist Village.
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