Before Takuya could even finish speaking, Fugaku arrived at the hilltop with the rest of the Uchiha:
"Takuya, it's a supply ship from the Mist Village. There are a lot of enemies aboard—at least a hundred of them—and their chakra feels… strange."
"A hundred?"
Was Yagura just sending these men to their deaths?
Takuya narrowed his eyes, sensing that something was off. Yagura knew Takuya was stationed here, and he wouldn't send people just to be slaughtered. So what was his game?
Did Yagura really think sending a hundred shinobi would be enough to take him down?
"Let's go take a look."
Instead of wasting time guessing, Takuya decided it was better to see for himself. They'd be facing off eventually, so why wait?
The Uchiha gathered quickly, and within minutes, around forty of them were following Takuya toward the shoreline.
Before long, they reached the coastline. As they drew closer, Fugaku noticed the markings on the ships and his expression grew grim.
"It's the Kaguya Clan! Those maniacs!"
The Uchiha had a reputation for being ruthless and relentless in battle—traits that earned them the nickname of "crazies" from other clans. But for even the Uchiha to call the Kaguya "maniacs"… it said a lot.
Unlike the Uchiha, who were just battle-hardened, the Kaguya were legitimately insane.
"The Kaguya Clan, huh? This might be interesting."
Takuya wasn't particularly concerned. Instead, he laughed, easing the tension.
"Didn't expect Yagura to send those boneheads over."
"Boneheads?"
Some of the Uchiha gave Takuya puzzled looks, but after a moment, they understood and a few chuckled. The Kaguya Clan's bizarre fighting style—using their own bones as weapons—made the nickname fitting.
"That's about right for those lunatics," someone remarked.
"They literally fight with their own bones. If that doesn't make them boneheads, I don't know what does."
"Hahaha…"
The laughter spread, breaking the tension. Even Fugaku, usually stoic, found himself at a loss for how to react.
Fugaku believed that situations like this called for serious focus, but Takuya, standing on the edge of a major battle, was cracking jokes about their opponents.
As the Mist Village's transport ships approached, Takuya turned to Fugaku, recalling something about the Kaguya Clan's history.
"The Kaguya Clan leader had some history with the Uchiha, didn't he?"
"Yes." Fugaku nodded, crossing his arms. He spoke with pride:
"Back during the Warring States Period, the Kaguya were a prominent clan in the Land of Fire, and they were distantly related to the Hyūga. In those days, the Hyūga even maintained contact with them. But during that chaotic era, the Kaguya's arrogance led to their downfall—they angered both the Uchiha and the Senju. When we joined forces against them, they were devastated and had to flee the Land of Fire, eventually settling in the Land of Water.
"After the founding of the villages, they became one of the bloodline clans in the Land of Water."
"..."
So they bullied everyone until they messed with the wrong people and got beaten so badly they had to run away?
The Senju and Uzumaki were distant relatives, as were the Hyūga and Kaguya. It seemed like the Hyūga had always struggled to keep their reckless cousins under control.
The Kaguya Clan were like mad dogs—always causing trouble. They'd attack an Uchiha settlement one day, then ambush a Senju caravan the next. They picked fights with almost everyone in the Land of Fire, except the Hyūga, who somehow managed to get along with them.
It was no wonder the Uchiha and Senju had set aside their rivalry just to deal with the Kaguya.
Classic example of "play stupid games, win stupid prizes."
It seemed today would be a tough battle.
The ships soon docked, and a group of shinobi dressed in gray robes, with weird side-buns and pale skin, jumped ashore.
Their distinctive hairstyles, the gray robes, their ghostly pale skin, and the red dots on their foreheads—it was unmistakable. These were the Kaguya Clan warriors, known for their crazed battle frenzy.
Seeing them march arrogantly down the beach, Takuya asked, almost to himself:
"Do the Hyūga ever marry into their clan?"
If they were that closely related, did they ever intermarry?
And if they did… how blind would someone have to be to marry into this clan of lunatics?
With their ugly robes, bizarre hairstyles, and those buns fixed above their ears, Takuya had to resist the urge to cover his eyes.
The Kaguya were an eyesore—truly painful to look at. Their fashion sense was clearly beyond most people's understanding.
If Takuya had relatives like that, he'd probably deny they were related.
"Uh… I think there were some…" Fugaku frowned, trying to recall the clan records.
"The Hyūga's ban on intermarriage started during the late Warring States Period. The clan head at the time, Hyūga Tennin, was particularly strong and established that rule."
The Hyūga Clan viewed Hyūga Tennin as a source of pride.
The Hyūga were able to stay in the Land of Fire without being attacked, all thanks to Tennin's strength. He was second only to Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, and it was because of him that the clan endured.
The name Hyūga Tennin wasn't unique—it was a title for the Hyūga's strongest shinobi.
After Konoha was established, the last Hyūga Tennin passed away, and the clan gradually weakened.
"I suppose only the Hyūga would marry off their daughters to those weirdos," Takuya said, shaking his head.
"…"
The Uchiha were stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.
Ever since the Senju faded, the Hyūga had seen themselves as the Uchiha's rivals, thinking they could take the Senju's place. The two clans had never gotten along well.
Hearing Takuya's comment, they couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't say things like that," Mikoto said softly, her cheeks flushed. She found it funny too, but she tugged on Takuya's sleeve, reminding him:
"If those words get out and the Hyūga hear them, you'll be in trouble."
"Looks like a big shot's arrived," Takuya said, nodding toward the ships.
A large figure jumped off one of the boats—a towering man over two meters tall. He was broad and muscular, with a face covered in harsh lines. Coupled with the Kaguya's bizarre hairstyle and outfit…
"Pfft…"
Someone couldn't hold back a laugh.
The Kaguya had already noticed Takuya and the others.
The massive figure was the head of the Kaguya Clan—Kaguya Hōmei.
With the Mist Village at war with Konoha, there was no way the Kaguya would sit on the sidelines. But Yagura had been hesitant to deploy them—they were madmen, just as likely to kill allies as enemies.
They were walking time bombs.
That's why Yagura had taken his time mobilizing them and sent them to the Land of Bears to deal with Takuya.
So, Yagami Takuya thought he was hot stuff?
Fine, Yagura would throw a bunch of maniacs at him. They might not win, but they'd definitely disgust him.
Like a toad sitting on your foot—it doesn't bite, but it sure is gross.
"???"
The Kaguya had expected tension with the Uchiha, but instead, the Uchiha were… laughing?
What was going on?
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Powerstone
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 380+ at Patreon com/ Emik01.
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