"Die!"
The Kaguya ninja's scream ripped through the chaos.
His body twisted violently, bone spurs bursting from his flesh — a spinning storm of ivory blades driving straight toward Amamiya Gen like a human drill.
Gen barely brought his blade up in time.
Clang!
The steel shattered on impact — fragments of his weapon scattering into the mud as the force threw him back, arms trembling, nerves numb.
"Tch… what monstrous power!" he hissed, staggering to regain footing.
The Kaguya didn't let up. Bone spurs whipped through the air like saw blades, each strike carving through dirt and bark. Gen was forced onto the defensive — no time to breathe, no space to think.
Damn it! I walked right into their trap!
With a flash of hand seals, Gen slammed a palm into the ground.
"Suiton: Water Dragon Bind!"
Water surged from the earth, coiling upward into a serpentine form that roared toward the Kaguya.
The enemy only smirked, tearing through the liquid beast with raw strength, bones shredding the chakra construct apart.
"Naïve," Gen growled, forming another seal.
The shredded water twisted midair — reforming, slamming down like a tidal serpent reborn.
The Kaguya's eyes widened, but his answer was the same — bone spikes exploded from his body once more, pulverizing the dragon and bursting free from the watery prison.
"Doton: Earth Prison Pillars!"
The ground shook violently.
Five massive stone pillars erupted, encircling the Kaguya in a crushing formation.
For a moment, Gen thought he had him—until the Kaguya barked a command.
"All units! Surround the Amamiya!"
Dozens of Kaguya warriors surged forward. Their chakra flared like torches in the dark. Gen found himself pressed under a tide of bone and fury.
"Damn it all—!"
He slashed, blocked, countered, but numbers overwhelmed him. His own men, seeing their patriarch surrounded, broke through the chaos to reach him.
"Patriarch! Go! Leave this to us!"
Gen froze. The word echoed—Patriarch.
The Kaguya leader's eyes lit up.
"So the prey finally shows its name…"
"Damn," Gen muttered under his breath. There was no time to argue. He gave a sharp nod and fell back while his remaining five warriors threw themselves forward to buy him seconds.
"Don't let the Amamiya Patriarch escape!"
The Kaguya commander shot forward like a ghost.
Bone lances erupted from his arms — shk! — piercing Gen's back.
"Guh—!"
Blood splattered the ground, but Gen didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
He forced his legs to move, teeth clenched against the agony.
If I die here… the clan dies with me. Keep running, old fool. Just keep running.
Behind him, his comrades screamed, voices fading one by one.
"Go, Patriarch! We'll hold them!"
The sound tore through his chest worse than the wound itself.
He didn't look back. Couldn't afford to.
He crashed through the forest, blood dripping from his armor, every leap weaker than the last. The Kaguya pursuit thundered behind him, unstoppable.
I can't… keep this up. Blood loss will kill me before they do.
He wrapped his wounds mid-run, pressed chakra to the bleeding spots, moving through the trees like a hunted beast.
When the scent of water reached him, he almost laughed.
A river — wild and wide, roaring through the valley.
"Good… good! Still got one miracle left."
Without hesitation, he jumped.
The cold current swallowed him whole.
Moments later, the Kaguya reached the riverbank.
Only the rushing water answered them.
"Damn it! Fan out! Check both sides!"
Their voices vanished in the storm of rain and foam.
Downstream, a limp body was dragged onto the shore.
Amamiya Gen gasped, coughing water and blood, forcing himself upright.
He tore a strip of bandage, pressing it against the wounds, hands shaking.
"Still alive… you stubborn old man."
A soft chuckle escaped his lips — until another voice echoed from above.
"Heh… never thought I'd see the proud Patriarch of Amamiya crawling like a rat."
Gen froze.
He looked up — a dark silhouette perched on a branch, one leg hanging lazily, eyes glowing cold and amused.
"Kaguya… Kazuya."
Gen's hand twitched toward a kunai.
But deep down, he knew—he was standing before the very heart of the Kaguya clan's madness.
The forest held its breath.