As the sun set, Konoha Village was bathed in the afterglow of twilight. The bustling activity of the day gradually faded, giving way to the peaceful embrace of night.
A full moon slowly rose from the horizon, casting its cool, clear light across the land, creating an ethereal, dream-like atmosphere.
This was Kaguya's chosen time for training. Despite her usual laziness, she never neglected her training because she knew that in this era of survival of the fittest, strength was the foundation of everything. Without strength, she would be at the mercy of others.
With her hands clasped together and thumbs touching, she formed the hand seal for refining chakra. Kaguya noticed a difference in today's training; the flow and capacity of her chakra seemed significantly increased. If it was like a small stream before, now it felt like a small river.
Could my chakra have increased?
"Byakugan, activate."
"Needle Jizo."
The blood vessels around Kaguya's eyes bulged as her hair extended, cascading like a waterfall. It transformed into countless white needles, shooting towards a nearby tree.
After a faint, almost inaudible sound, the tree was densely covered with hair strands. A gentle breeze blew, and the tree collapsed with a loud crash. The Needle Jizo had completely destroyed the tree's internal structure, causing it to fall.
Kaguya exhaled softly. Her chakra had indeed increased; it wasn't just her imagination. Using Needle Jizo had felt strenuous before, but now it was effortless.
At that moment, Kaguya's eyes flickered, and she noticed something through her Byakugan. She saw a scene a kilometer away.
A few individuals were moving stealthily through Konoha's forest. Their attire was unfamiliar, and their headbands bore the symbol of the Grass Village.
"Get the intel and quickly send out the scroll."
"Yes."
"We'll continue to hide in Konoha and wait for an opportunity."
"Aren't we supposed to capture the girl with the Byakugan named Kaguya?"
"Of course, but now isn't the time."
"We'll act when it's deep into the night."
"Understood."
At that moment, a pleasant voice rang out from afar.
"Are you talking about me?" A masked Konoha Anbu ninja approached them from a distance.
"What?" The three Grass ninja were startled, quickly retreating a few steps and drawing their kunai.
Had they been discovered by Konoha's Anbu?
Their hearts sank.
The Anbu ninja removed her fox mask, revealing a stunning face—it was Kaguya.
The three Grass ninja saw Kaguya, exchanged glances, and relaxed, bursting into laughter.
"What? We thought it was the Anbu."
"Turns out it's just a little girl."
"Stupid girl, walking right into our trap when you know we're after you."
"This little beauty is even prettier than in the intel."
"And she's from the Hyuga clan. She'd fetch a high price if sold."
The Grass ninja ogled Kaguya without restraint, as if she were a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, their desires plainly visible in their eyes.
"Is that so? Name your price," Kaguya said with a faint smile.
The three Grass ninja were momentarily entranced by her smile, but quickly regained their senses.
"Now you're scared, huh?"
"You could sell for at least fifty million ryo."
"If you can pay us fifty million ryo, we'll let you go."
The three Grass ninja exchanged lewd smiles, clearly having no intention of letting Kaguya go.
Kaguya smiled, looking particularly enchanting under the cold moonlight, like a fairy of the night, mesmerizing anyone who saw her.
"When I mentioned naming a price, I meant yours, not mine."
As soon as Kaguya finished speaking, she rushed forward. The Grass ninja at the front didn't expect her to dare to attack them. In their minds, this little beauty should have been crying and begging for mercy.
But reality was not as they imagined. The leading Grass ninja, caught off guard, was struck in the abdomen by Kaguya's palm and was sent flying like a kite with a broken string.
"Dammit!" The other two Grass ninja were furious and threw kunai at her like a rain of flowers.
"Rotation!"
Kaguya spun rapidly, forming a chakra shield that deflected the kunai.
"I told you, this won't work on me."
Kaguya dashed forward and delivered a half-punch.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
A wave of chakra shot from her hand, aimed at the two Grass ninja.
The Grass ninja weren't about to be outdone, quickly forming hand signs.
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"
Two massive water columns surged forward, colliding with the chakra wave, creating a huge splash. The water columns then continued towards Kaguya.
After all, the Vacuum Palm was just a single shockwave and lacked sustained power, whereas the Wild Water Wave was a continuous stream.
Kaguya had to leap into the air, her long hair flowing around her.
"Got you now."
This was exactly what the Grass ninja had hoped for. One of them pulled out a cylindrical device and, with a bang, shot a large net at Kaguya.
With no foothold in the air, Kaguya couldn't change direction and was caught in the net, falling to the ground.
Seeing Kaguya trapped, the three Grass ninja walked over, laughing as they looked at her ensnared form.
"We're going to be rich."
"Sell her to the daimyo of various nations, and we'll make at least fifty million, maybe even a hundred million ryo."
"This girl is just too beautiful."
"Hehe, how about we have some fun first?"
The three Grass ninja had lecherous grins on their faces as they reached out to touch the trapped Kaguya.
"Disgusting," a soft, pleasant voice came from behind them.
The faces of the three Grass ninja changed drastically, and they jumped back as if they had seen a ghost. But it was too late.
Countless strands of white hair surged forward like a waterfall.
"Needle Jizo."
The fine hair strands pierced into the Grass ninja's bodies, and they immediately froze.
They tried to move but found their bodies unresponsive, as if they no longer belonged to them. Their meridians and chakra points were sealed, leaving them standing there helplessly.
Kaguya walked over and kicked them one by one, knocking them to the ground.
"You disgusting bugs," she said, kicking them a few more times. Still unsatisfied, she picked up a stone, a wicked smile on her face. "Didn't you want to have some fun? Let me help you with that."
The three Grass ninja shivered at the sight of Kaguya's smiling face.
At that moment, Kaguya slammed the stone towards their lower bodies.
"Wait, wait—ahhhh!"
A piercing scream echoed through the forest, reverberating for a long time.