"Ren? You look a little pale…" Mei Terumi stared at him, surprised, lifting a hand toward his forehead. "Did you not sleep well?"
"I was preparing for what's coming. I pushed myself a bit too far," Ren said, letting her hand rest against him. His eyes looked tired.
"Taking Kanayama was mostly because we caught Konoha off guard. If they drive us out… the next time we come back, we'll probably be facing enemies on the level of the Sannin."
"Yeah…" Mei withdrew her hand, worry clouding her gaze. "After you rested yesterday, I asked people who fought Konoha before—trying to figure out what troublesome abilities are already on the front."
"And?" Ren turned to her.
"Other than the Hyūga and Uchiha—who haven't arrived yet—most of the major clans have deployed. People have seen the Ino–Shika–Chō, Aburame bug users, Inuzuka ninken, Sarutobi Fire Release…"
Ren nodded. "Then the one who spotted the trap yesterday was probably Nara."
He looked at Mei.
"If the Aburame push in with a swarm, can you handle it?"
"I can." Mei's tone was firm. "Boil Release and Lava Release are good against low individual-strength targets. You're worried they'll split their forces, aren't you, Ren?"
She'd heard it—the implication that he wouldn't stay inside the stronghold for the defense.
Ren didn't deny it. He handed her a sealing scroll.
"This is…?"
"A special clone I made. Roughly half my strength. If you run into someone you can't handle, summon it with a technique. I'll return as quickly as I can."
"Understood."
Mei tucked the scroll into her pouch, then stepped in to straighten his clothing, voice low and earnest.
"Be careful, Ren… A single jutsu might not threaten you, but layered coordination can force you into a corner. If that happens, don't hesitate. Retreat."
"As long as you're alive, we can take Kanayama back no matter how many times it falls. But if you get captured by Konoha…"
She paused, eyes hard.
"…even if we hold the stronghold, it's still a complete loss."
"Relax."
Ren ruffled her long red hair and gave her a confident smile that settled the heart.
"I'm going to become Mizukage. I'm going to change the entire shinobi world."
"Before I reach that summit… I won't stop."
He turned.
"Assault squad—move! Time to teach Konoha a lesson!"
"OHHHHHH!"
A dozen figures answered in a roar and vanished over Kanayama's wall with the man they trusted most.
…
Roughly ten kilometers from Kanayama, Uzumaki Kushina—red hair blazing—stood with Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Chōza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Aburame Shibi, and nearly two hundred Konoha ninja, making final preparations before the assault.
"Shikaku," Kushina asked, checking her tools with an embarrassed edge in her voice, "the intel analysis I forced on you… did you find anything?"
"It was a brutal request," Shikaku sighed, casting a sour look at Aburame Shibi. "If Shibi's bugs had stayed hidden a little longer, I could've pulled more."
"Enough. Tell us what you've got," Inoichi said, eyes fixed on Kanayama. His voice was heavy. "Even a little more understanding matters against an enemy with strength we can't even explain."
"Fine," Shikaku muttered, lighting a cigarette. His tone sharpened.
"From what Shibi's bugs observed, there aren't many traces of large-scale ninjutsu clashes in the stronghold. That suggests the core force wasn't a wide-area caster—it was a close-combat monster. Someone with terrifying taijutsu who kills fast once he closes."
"Second, there are corrosion traces on some buildings. But Kiri doesn't currently have a jinchūriki controlling the Six-Tails, so I suspect this is Boil Release—a Kiri bloodline limit."
"That's what we can confirm. The rest we'll have to read in combat."
"You're not going to talk about the Mist user?" Shibi cut in.
Shikaku took a long drag and exhaled.
"That's the one I can't lock down yet… Shibi, your thoughts?"
"The mist is wrong," Shibi said flatly. "Mist Technique isn't usually used before engagement. But we detected mist from over a kilometer away. That's abnormal."
"You mean it isn't just for vision denial—it has another function…" Shikaku's eyes snapped open. "Recon? Wide-range sensing?"
"Possible. But why?" Chōza frowned. "Using mist for broad sensing—forget chakra cost. The Land of Fire isn't foggy year-round. Doesn't that expose them?"
"Maybe they had no choice," Inoichi said quickly. "Kiri has few sensory-nin. If this unit lacks them, they might be forced into it."
"Maybe," Shikaku mused. "But for a unit strong enough to take Kanayama so fast… why wouldn't they be assigned sensors—unless the commander has issues. Or Kiri doesn't want them acting independently."
He continued, thinking aloud.
"After several battles, Kanayama cleared out most terrain advantages for attackers. It's basically frontal assault only. Their main is a close-quarters specialist…"
"I've got it, Kushina-sama!"
Shikaku slammed his fist into his palm and turned toward Kushina.
"Kiri's commander is probably the one who injured Minato-sama before—Kaguya Ren. If it's him…"
"If it's me—then what?"
A voice like ice crawling up from hell rose from beneath their feet.
Kushina's pupils tightened.
"Scatter! Enemy underground—!"
"Dance… Bracken Dance!"
Countless massive bone spikes erupted from the earth without warning, a blind massacre aimed at everything on the surface.
Most reacted to Kushina's shout and leapt high, dodging the first eruption.
But more than forty—too slow, too far, too weak—were shredded on the spot.
Bodies tore apart into rain. Blood splattered down the pale spines, painting the newly born forest of bone with brutal crimson.
And from the tallest bone "tree," a black-haired boy leaned forward, staring calmly at the survivors.
The Battle of Kanayama began—
With Ren's ambush as its opening curtain.
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