Amamiya Raizen's expression sharpened, and the air around him shifted. Kaguya Kyōhei—patriarch of the Kaguya Clan—suddenly felt almost human in front of him, yet Raizen's eyes held a flash of cunning that made the patriarch hesitate. That moment of hesitation was all Raizen needed. He dashed forward, his body a blur.
"Dare to underestimate me!" Kaguya roared as Raizen charged, bones spurring violently across his body.
Boom!
Their fists collided. Both were forced back a step, but Raizen grinned behind his mask of concentration. Kaguya's surprise quickly turned to fury as Raizen closed the distance again, dodging bone spurs and spinning behind him to strike with a solid punch.
Bang!
Kaguya Kyōhei flew backward like a sack of sand, landing hard on the rocky ground. The coalition ninjas froze for a moment, mouths agape—then erupted in cheers. "The boy… he's fighting Kaguya-sama!"
The patriarch's roar grew monstrous. His body twisted, massive bone spurs curling like crescents, a whip-like tail flicking behind him, his skin darkening to gray-black. He slammed his palm down, a bone spike cutting through the air.
"Sage Art: Welcome, Senju Kill!"
A golden Buddha manifested behind Raizen, its thousands of arms stretching like a peacock's tail. Mountain-sized fist prints rained down toward Kaguya, crushing the air with explosive force.
"What?!" Kaguya bellowed, his bone spurs spinning, smashing the golden fists with a deafening clash.
"Bone Vein: Burial!"
Kaguya's form twisted grotesquely, skin yellowed, veins bulging, bone spikes glinting like steel. Raizen's gaze was steady, the golden Buddha doubling its power, fist prints striking relentlessly. Kaguya moved like a shadow-level beast, crescent-like spikes rising to form a lethal bone forest around him.
Air ripped as spikes clashed with fists, explosions rocking the canyon. Both Kaguya Clan and coalition ninjas pulled back, fear and awe painting their faces.
Raizen's voice rang across the battlefield. "Sage Art: Welcome, Senju Kill!"
For the first time since his awakening, Raizen felt the pressure of a shadow-level fighter. Kaguya's defense was steel, his attacks lethal—but Raizen's fists and tactics held, golden light and bone spurs intertwining in a brutal dance until the golden Buddha finally vanished.
Kaguya Kyōhei reverted to his normal form, seemingly unharmed, yet Raizen could feel the patriarch's breath, sharp and cold, even from a distance.
"Hmm… that trick cost a lot of chakra," Raizen muttered, biting his thumb. He pressed his palm to the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Boom!
The earth trembled as a colossal toad, the size of a small hill, emerged beneath him.
"Finally, a proper fight," Raizen smirked.
"Toad Fight, it's been a while!" The massive amphibian rumbled, eyes flicking to the Kaguya ninjas like a predator sizing up prey.
"Do it!" Raizen barked, pointing at Kaguya Kyōhei and his forces.
"Low strength? Don't worry," Toad Fight replied, his massive voice booming as he drew a giant dachi and leaped skyward, slashing at the unsuspecting Kaguya ninja.
"Move!" the Kaguya forces shouted, scattering like leaves in a storm.
"Boy! I'm your real opponent!" Kaguya Kyōhei roared. Raizen leapt from Toad Fight, closing in on the patriarch. Kaguya's bone veins were formidable, but the fury and cunning of Raizen made him a ghost in motion.
"Ha~!" Raizen used Flying Thunder God, striking, disappearing, and reappearing in an instant, a blur of deadly precision. Guerrilla attacks, quick strikes, consuming Kaguya's stamina.
The tides of battle shifted. The Kaguya patriarch was held back by Raizen, the Kaguya forces pinned by Toad Fight. Coalition morale, nearly broken, surged back to life.
Ding!
Raizen narrowly dodged a lunging bone spike, leaving only an afterimage. Kaguya roared, frustrated by the elusive boy.
If this continued, the Kaguya Clan's momentum could collapse. Raizen had turned the battlefield, and the patriarch now had to fight with caution—or risk losing everything.