Hearing Raizen's account, Patriarch Amamiya Gen paused, weighing every word. Then he turned to the assembled clan ninjas, his voice sharp and commanding.
"Prepare yourselves! Tonight, Kashiwagi and Jane will fall in one stroke. Yicheng will be ours!"
"Yes, patriarch!" the ninjas chorused, their voices echoing off the walls.
As the clan dispersed to ready their forces, only Raizen and Gen remained, fine-tuning the details of the night's operation. Hours passed, and darkness finally swallowed the streets.
Outside the Cypress clan's estate, twenty shadowy figures gathered. Clad in dark ninja garb, even the weakest of them carried Chūnin-level skill. In front, five Jōnin stood, their aura unyielding. This was the remnant of the Baimu clan—battle-hardened but weakened after a year of relentless war. Tonight, they planned a single deadly strike: assassinate the patriarch of the Jianjing clan and leave it headless.
"Tiemu team, sixty-seven strong!" three of the four Jōnin shouted with precision. The leader, Kashiwagi Hyakuki, nodded, surveying his elite force.
"You are the Cypress clan's finest," he said. "The Jianjing are exhausted. This is our moment. Tonight, we strike. Tonight, Baimu will claim Yicheng as our own!"
The troops roared, spirits inflamed. With a wave of Hyakuki's hand, they surged forward—twenty skilled ninjas streaking through the night, blades glinting, chakra taut and ready. Victory depended entirely on this ambush.
Unbeknownst to them, the same scene was playing out at the Jianjing estate. Jōnin Jinen Takuto raged at the Cypress clan's offenses, ordering his forces to counterstrike. His mobilized ninjas, equally furious and prepared, raced toward the Baimu estate with deadly intent.
Meanwhile, the Amamiya clan was quietly moving as well. Patriarch Amamiya Gen, clad in black armor, addressed his assembled ninjas in a low, fervent voice:
"Baimu and Jianjing can no longer control Yicheng. Their humiliation is near, and our chance to seize it is now. Tonight, we eliminate both clans and occupy the city completely. Once Yicheng is ours, the Amamiya clan grows stronger, until we rival even the great Uchiha and Senju."
A surge of adrenaline swept through the Amamiya ninjas. The idea of capturing Yicheng—and the power it would bring—ignited every fighter's spirit.
"Move out!" Gen commanded.
The Amamiya force split into two groups. Gen led half toward the Jane clan, Raizen guiding the rest toward the Kashiwagi clan. Their goal: total annihilation.
But chaos erupted sooner than expected. The Jianjing ambush collided head-on with the Baimu attackers. Both sides were locked into the encounter—retreat was no longer an option. Jōnin from both clans bellowed their orders simultaneously:
"Attack! Crush them!"
Steel clashed in the night, marking the first true battle of the night. Amid the chaos, the Amamiya ninjas moved in, splitting to strike at both clans' encampments. Their approach was unannounced, their presence a deadly secret until the first heads fell. Blood filled the air, thick with shock and fear.
The Amamiya clan struck with ruthless precision. The two warring clans had committed their elites to the ambush; only injured Jōnin and their patriarchs remained to guard their homes. Against this, the Amamiya assault was overwhelming.
Raizen, flashing through the crowd with Flying Thunder God, moved like a phantom. Jōnin from the Kashiwagi clan could only glimpse a black blur before their heads flew from their shoulders. The sheer speed and brutality left the remaining ninjas stunned—and inspired Amamiya troops to surge forward in support.
"Who dares attack the Cypress clan?" Patriarch Hyakuki cried, staggering forward on his injured body. He froze in horror as he witnessed his people slaughtered.
Hyakuki's son, Kashiwagi Moyuki, scanned the attackers carefully and realized these were no familiar foes—they were neither Jane nor old rivals. Fury consumed Hyakuki. How could this force suddenly appear? Was it another clan moving against Baimu?
The night's massacre had begun, and Yicheng would soon feel the full weight of the Amamiya clan.
...
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