The Amamiya convoy pressed forward through the misted valley, unaware that far ahead, darkness was already moving.
Inside the Kaguya army's camp, the night was quiet — too quiet. A few sentries stayed awake, kunai close at hand, their weapons laid beside straw mats in case of a sudden raid.
But even vigilance has its limits.
From the corner of the tent, a dark ripple slid across the ground. It pooled beside the sleeping Kaguya commander — Kaguya Tanigawa — and rose like living tar. Tanigawa's chakra didn't even flicker before the shadow crept over his bedding.
A low, sticky sound filled the room. Then silence.
Tanigawa's eyes snapped open. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. A cold, suffocating pressure pinned him in place. His mouth opened to shout, but no voice came out — only a strangled gasp.
A pair of glowing eyes formed on the black mass pressing down on him.
A familiar voice whispered by his ear, cold and sharp as a senbon.
"You've forgotten the information I gave you so quickly?"
Tanigawa's pupils widened. "You—! That voice… you're the one from before! The informant!"
"Informant?" The voice chuckled. "Let's not flatter ourselves. I'm only here because your clan's incompetence is slowing everything down. So I'll handle things personally."
The black matter surged forward, wrapping around Tanigawa's face. He tried to resist — chakra flaring for a split second — but it was like struggling inside quicksand.
And just like that, the resistance stopped.
A pair of eyes blinked open again in the darkness — Tanigawa's eyes, but wrong. Cold. Empty.
"Pathetic," murmured the shadow now wearing his face. "Now then… let's get to work."
The tent fell silent once more.
By dawn, "Kaguya Tanigawa" was standing at the center of the Kaguya camp, his expression perfectly normal — almost cheerful.
He called an urgent council. Word of the Amamiya clan's movements had reached them overnight.
"Everyone," he said, voice steady. "You've heard the reports. The Amamiya clan is marching to reinforce the Hanabira Clan. If they arrive in time, this war will shift against us."
The gathered Kaguya shinobi muttered among themselves. The name Amamiya carried growing weight lately — enough to make even the hot-headed Kaguya uneasy.
Tanigawa raised a hand for silence.
"Which is why," he continued smoothly, "we will strike first. Before the Amamiya dogs arrive, we'll crush the Hanabira Clan and break their defenses. Once they fall, the Amamiya will bleed themselves dry trying to avenge them."
Several Kaguya captains exchanged uneasy looks, but the plan was sound. Logical. Ruthless. It was what their clan was known for.
No one noticed the faint, black shimmer that flickered across their commander's shadow as they bowed and left to prepare.
Meanwhile, the Hanabira Clan was barely holding their lines.
Their sentries watched in horror as the Kaguya forces suddenly launched a full-scale offensive — a mindless, relentless charge.
At the command post, Patriarch Hanabira Masato slammed his fist against the table. "Why now?! Their forces were supposed to be recovering!"
"Orders came from the enemy commander," one scout panted. "They've abandoned defense entirely!"
Masato gritted his teeth. "Then send a hawk to the Amamiya camp — now! Tell them we won't last much longer!"
Back on the road, Amamiya Raizen and his convoy had just finished crossing Aoyama Gorge when a scout came sprinting from the frontlines, panting and bloodied.
"Raizen-sama!" the shinobi cried. "A message from the Hanabira Clan!"
Raizen caught the scroll mid-air and tore it open. His eyes narrowed as he read.
"The Kaguya have resumed their assault… stronger than before. The Hanabira front is collapsing."
He let out a sharp breath through his nose. "They were supposed to be regrouping, not suiciding into the frontlines. What the hell happened?"
He glanced toward the battlefield's direction, his tone dropping cold.
"Split the force. Supply unit stays with the wagons — fifty men. Everyone else, follow me. We move at full speed."
The Amamiya shinobi straightened immediately.
"Yes, Raizen-sama!"
Within minutes, eighty warriors sprinted across the dirt road, leaving behind only the steady rumble of supply carts.
By the time they reached the edge of the Hanabira territory, the battle had already turned to chaos.
The Kaguya army, whipped into a frenzy, threw themselves at the defenders with no care for casualties. Their commander — Tanigawa — was seen at the front, eyes burning with something wild and unnatural.
The Hanabira were being crushed.
Masato shouted over the clash of steel, "Hold the line! The Amamiya will arrive any moment!"
But his men were already breaking formation. Smoke and fire swallowed the defensive trenches.
And just beyond the rising haze — a flicker of chakra signatures.
Raizen's eyes hardened. "We're late," he muttered. "Fine then. We'll just have to hit harder."
He formed a single hand seal.
Chakra surged around him like wind whipping through a storm.
"Amamiya formation! Spearhead advance!"
The Amamiya clan's insignia glinted under the blood-red sky as they charged into the fray.
And somewhere far behind them, buried deep beneath the roots of the battlefield, Black Zetsu smiled.
"Perfect. Now the pieces will fall exactly as planned."
...
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