Chapter 12 - Betrayal

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The next day, as both sides quietly awaited reinforcements, a piece of shocking news spread across the battlefield.

The Kaguya Clan's iron mine had changed hands.

To say it had changed hands wasn't entirely accurate—it had, in fact, been returned to its original owners.

Without any warning, the Uchiha launched an attack on the mine. The Kaguya clan member in charge was merely an elite jōnin, and against Madara, who led the assault, he stood no chance. In less than half an hour, the mine was completely seized.

When Kaguya Jōrei received the news, he was so furious he nearly coughed up blood, cursing the Uchiha Clan out loud.

At this moment, though Jōrei had a bad premonition, he didn't think too much of it. He was simply enraged that the Uchiha had taken advantage of the situation to reclaim the mine.

It wasn't until dusk that the awaited Uchiha reinforcements failed to arrive. Instead, what came was the Kaguya Clan's Third Elder—missing an arm—along with a dozen jōnin, all in a pitiful state.

Before Jōrei could even ask what had happened, the Third Elder, his voice choked with emotion, uttered words that made Jōrei's vision go dark.

"Clan Leader… Our Kaguya Clan… is finished!"

The ominous premonition in Jōrei's heart was confirmed. He collapsed into his chair, completely drained.

"Who did this?" Kaguya Taketori, standing nearby, asked in his place.

"It was the Uchiha…" the Third Elder replied.

"As expected… I should have been prepared for this. When I first heard the news of them taking the mine, I should have returned immediately to defend our land," Jōrei murmured bitterly.

As it turned out, after taking the mine, the Uchiha didn't stop. Instead, they marched straight for Kaguya territory, destroying numerous outposts along the way and annexing their lands into Uchiha territory.

Jōrei shut his eyes in agony. He could already imagine the Uchiha forces looting and pillaging their land.

"Send out the order! Gather our forces immediately—we will counterattack the Uchiha!" Jōrei commanded, no longer caring about the ongoing battle against the Senju-Uzumaki alliance.

On the alliance's side, no one was yet aware that Kaguya territory had fallen to the Uchiha. However, they did receive word that their reinforcements were close—just about an hour away.

Seeing that the Kaguya forces seemed to be preparing to withdraw, the alliance naturally refused to allow it and launched an immediate offensive.

After a month of battle, the alliance had grown accustomed to their opponents' tactics, and each warrior quickly engaged their respective enemies.

But within just five minutes of fighting, Akio sensed that something was off.

"You crazy old bastard! Trading injury for injury—what grudge do we even have?" Akio barely dodged a bone blade from his opponent and cursed aloud.

The other party didn't respond, but their eyes carried only one message—utter resolve, willing to die if necessary.

"Damn it, something's not right here…" Akio thought grimly.

He wasn't the only one to notice. The rest of the alliance forces also realized that the Kaguya fighters were suddenly fighting with reckless desperation.

Fortunately, the Kaguya Clan lacked the protagonist's plot armor. Even in this desperate struggle, they couldn't immediately overwhelm the alliance.

As the battle turned into another prolonged engagement, Kaguya Taketori—who had been fighting against Hashirama and Tobirama—suddenly smiled.

Hashirama and Tobirama, sensing something was amiss, quickly retreated.

Instead of pursuing, Taketori used the Body Flicker Technique to reach Jōrei's side, forcing back the enemies surrounding him.

"Clan Leader, I am already past fifty years old. In this era of war, that is a long life indeed… If this battle drags on, our Kaguya Clan will truly be wiped out! Please, take our people and retreat—save those who are being slaughtered by the Uchiha. Leave this battlefield to me," Taketori said calmly.

"Elder… you…" Jōrei was about to object, but he saw the determination in the elder's eyes—he was prepared to die.

Jōrei closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again with newfound resolve.

"All units, retreat!"

Taketori smiled faintly in relief. "Shikotsumyaku—Bone Prison Jutsu!"

Before the alliance's eyes, the Kaguya elder seemed to disintegrate like weathered wood, dissolving into the air.

The ground trembled as a massive bone prison emerged from the earth, trapping the alliance forces inside.

Jōrei, who had already put some distance between himself and the battlefield, turned back to glance at the towering bone structure. Addressing the shocked remnants of his clan, he explained, "The Bone Prison Jutsu is something many of our clan members can use. It forms a prison from their own bones, trapping enemies inside—similar to the Water Prison Jutsu."

"However, the forbidden scrolls of our clan record a way to expand the prison's range—by rapidly accelerating bone growth using one's own life force."

"For such a massive bone prison… the Great Elder must have sacrificed every last ounce of his vitality." Jōrei murmured.

"Everyone, move forward! Destroy the Uchiha and reclaim our homeland! We cannot let the Great Elder's sacrifice be in vain!" Jōrei quickly composed himself and issued the order.

Meanwhile, inside the bone prison, the alliance forces had already tried every method they could think of, but they failed to break free. Even the earth-style users who attempted to tunnel out found their path blocked by layers of bone. Hashirama's Wood Release proved ineffective against the hardened bone structure.

Ten minutes passed, and they were still trapped. The only one who managed to escape was Tobirama, using the still-unrefined Flying Thunder God Technique. He had hoped to break the prison from the outside, but his efforts were in vain.

Akio suddenly felt his breathing becoming labored. "Damn it, the air inside is limited… We can't afford to just wait for reinforcements anymore," he realized. "I never thought my new jutsu would make its debut in a place like this."

"Everyone, stand back!" Akio shouted. "Wind Release—Rasenshuriken!"

A powerful surge of chakra erupted from him. For the first time in the Warring States era, Naruto's signature jutsu was unleashed.

As the dust settled, a two-person-wide opening had been torn through the once-impenetrable bone prison.

"Second Grandfather, I didn't know you had such a powerful technique!" Hashirama exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah… I didn't either," Akio replied bitterly. "I underestimated the backlash."

He looked miserable—covered in dust, his right arm limp and bleeding profusely.

"I won't be able to fight in the rest of this war," Akio admitted.

Hashirama finally noticed the extent of his injuries and quickly reassured him, "Don't worry, Second Grandfather! Leave the rest to us!"

Half an hour later, Kaguya Jōrei and his forces arrived near their homeland—only to see flames consuming the village, with the bodies of their slain clansmen scattered across the land.

"Damn you, Uchiha! We are sworn enemies now!" Jōrei roared in anguish.

At the same time, on the alliance's side, the long-awaited Senju reinforcements finally arrived…

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