"Boom, boom, boom!"
On the battlefield, every Kirigakure ninja erupted with powerful energy. Compared to before, it was as if they had transformed into a new group of warriors.
The Taketori Clan members were visibly shaken.
"Damn it, were these guys not fighting seriously before?" one of them yelled.
"Where is the clan leader? What should we do now? If this continues, we can't win!" another cried out.
"Look! There's the clan leader! Wait... he's down!"
With a single move, Mei Terumi had brought down the Taketori Clan leader. She didn't use any ninjutsu, just pure taijutsu.
"How... how is your taijutsu so strong?" The Taketori Clan leader lay on the ground, defeated and incredulous. He tried to rise, but realized his chakra was almost depleted. Even his bones, normally capable of self-healing, were shattered and couldn't mend.
"Ha ha ha, Mizukage-sama has given us a strong lead!" a Kirigakure ninja shouted.
"Don't just stand there! Let's finish this quickly! I haven't been home for days. I want to get back to my bed and my wife before sunrise!"
"Mizukage-sama has ordered that no one be left alive. Make sure to finish them off!"
"Yes!!"
The Kirigakure ninjas, as if injected with adrenaline, quickly used their best techniques against the Taketori Clan. The battle swiftly turned into a one-sided slaughter.
Mei Terumi slowly walked over to the fallen Taketori Clan leader, her expression cold as she looked down at his broken body.
"Mei Terumi, no, Mizukage-sama! I... I was wrong, really wrong! Please don't kill me. If you spare me, I will immediately lead my clan to surrender and swear eternal loyalty to Kirigakure!" he pleaded desperately.
Mei narrowed her eyes, speaking almost to herself, "To still be alive in such a state... the Taketori Clan's vitality is indeed formidable."
"Yes, yes! Our clan's strength comes not only from the Kekkai Genkai but also from our extraordinary life force. Please, keep us alive. We will fight on the front lines if any enemy invades. Kirigakure needs our strength!" he continued desperately.
"Heh..." Mei chuckled lightly. "I used to think that way, but not anymore. Kirigakure will continue to grow stronger under my leadership, no matter who we lose."
"Thud!"
Before the clan leader could respond, a kunai from Mei's hand struck his chest.
"Ugh!"
The Taketori Clan leader was dead.
On the battlefield, only a dozen or so Taketori Clan members were left, barely hanging on.
Though they knew the battle was lost, their eyes still burned with intense fighting spirit, devoid of any fear.
Just as the last Taketori warrior was about to fall, a small, white-haired figure appeared on the battlefield. As the mist cleared, the Kirigakure ninjas saw a pale-faced child standing there.
"Strange, where are the ninjas guarding the perimeter? How did they let a child through?" one ninja wondered aloud.
A Kirigakure ninja approached the child to shoo him away. "Hey kid, get out of here. It's too dangerous. Go find your mom."
"Wait!" his comrade quickly stopped him, whispering, "Look at his eyes..."
"???"
The first ninja then noticed the child's inverted eyelids.
"It's a Taketori Clan child!"
"Mizukage-sama ordered us to eliminate all Taketori Clan members to prevent future threats. Kill him!"
"Heh, it's just a kid. One kunai will do."
A Kirigakure ninja casually threw a kunai at the white-haired child in the center of the battlefield.
"Clang!"
The child effortlessly deflected the kunai with a bone blade.
"!!!"
"How is that possible? My kunai was shattered!" the ninja exclaimed.
"His bone blade is special. Be careful, everyone!" another warned.
The Kirigakure ninjas were taken aback. They had never seen such hard bones from a Taketori Clan member, especially not from a child.
"Everyone, be on guard. This kid is not ordinary. Let's take him down together!"
The ninjas circled the child, their expressions serious, realizing he wouldn't be easy to defeat.
"Hahaha.... hahahaha!" the last surviving adult Taketori warrior laughed, saying, "He's here, finally here, Kimimaro!"
"You Kirigakure scum, are you scared now? That child is our clan's monster, with the hardest bones and the strongest taijutsu! You're doomed!"
"Monster, kill them! Avenge our clan!"
"All Kirigakure must die!" he screamed, before collapsing into Kimimaro's arms.
Kimimaro knelt beside him, a pained expression on his face. "You... you remembered my name."
The dying man used his last breath to smirk and say, "Of course, I could never forget the name of our monster. Don't worry about me. Kill them!"
Kimimaro whispered, "No, you're my comrade. I don't want to see you die. I'll take you away from here. If you die... I'll be all alone."
His comrade, enraged, shouted, "Comrade? Alone? Who asked for your help? Kill them! That's the most important thing!"
"Ugh!"
Perhaps due to his anger, the man's eyes rolled back, and he died in Kimimaro's arms.
Pain.
That familiar heartache.
Tears fell silently down Kimimaro's face.
His last "comrade" was dead.
Now, he was truly alone.
Kimimaro's eyes filled with bloodlust.
The surrounding Kirigakure ninjas were stunned.
"What's with this kid? That man called him a monster, yet he..."
"Kids' minds are beyond our understanding! Who cares, let's take him out before he attacks!"
"Shing! Shing! Shing!"
The Kirigakure ninjas moved in unison, surrounding Kimimaro. They unleashed a barrage of shuriken, covering him from all directions.
"Let's see how you handle this, kid!"
Kimimaro's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, dozens of spiked bones erupted from his body, spinning rapidly and deflecting all the shuriken.
"Those who killed my comrade... must die!"