Chapter 13: The Kaguya Flee to the Sea
The Senju reinforcements had originally been heading for the allied camp, but on the way, they heard the roar of Masahiko's Rasenshuriken and came directly to the battlefield instead.
The three Senju clan elders leading the group also brought the news that the Kaguya homeland had been breached by the Uchiha.
"So that's what happened. No wonder Kaguya Takechiyo was fighting so desperately..." the Uzumaki's Second Elder said.
"If we had known this earlier, we shouldn't have stopped them! We should have let them and the Uchiha bleed each other dry!" Tobirama interjected.
However, his big brother Hashirama clearly didn't think so.
At that moment, Hashirama's face was flushed with excitement, his eyes brimming with tears. He was thinking, 'Madara, you really haven't forgotten our promise! You must have come here to help me! This might be the first step toward peace between the Senju and the Uchiha!'
Seeing that both the Senju and Uzumaki elders were preparing to sit back and watch the show, Hashirama decisively spoke up: "Elders! We have already offended the Kaguya to the point of no return. Why don't we take this chance to join forces with the Uchiha and crush the Kaguya once and for all?"
"That won't be necessary. The Kaguya have already suffered disastrous losses in this war, and their homeland is under attack by the Uchiha. They won't be able to recover their strength for at least ten years," the Senju's First Elder replied.
Hashirama was left speechless, but he was unwilling to miss this chance to fight alongside Madara.
Masahiko saw what Hashirama was thinking. After a moment, he decided to help him out. "Sigh, I just wonder what kind of good loot the Uchiha are getting from the Kaguya's territory right now."
As soon as he said this, the Senju elders were all swayed. After a brief hesitation, the First Elder, Senju Suiken, spoke: "Fine! We cannot let the Uchiha take all the benefits! And we didn't mobilize all these men just to make a trip for nothing. All units, prepare to move out!"
Hashirama's face lit up. 'Madara, wait for me!'
The group took a short rest and then advanced on the Kaguya homeland.
After about an hour's march, they neared the Kaguya compound. They could hear massive explosions in the distance; the Kaguya and Uchiha were already fighting.
The Uchiha forces this time were led by two elders: The First Elder, Uchiha Shinji, and the Third Elder, Uchiha Isamu. Naturally, Madara and Izuna were also in the ranks.
At this moment, Madara was locked in a fierce, evenly-matched battle with the Kaguya's Second Elder. Izuna, facing the one-armed Kaguya Third Elder, held the upper hand. However, against the berserk Kaguya Raisho, the two Uchiha elders were being beaten senseless.
Just then, Kaguya Raisho stopped his assault and looked behind him, clearly sensing the arrival of the Senju and Uzumaki.
The two Uchiha elders also noticed their arrival. Seeing the "all-star" lineup opposite them, their faces turned ugly.
"Hmph! Senju Suiken! Coming here at a time like this... Don't tell me you're planning to 'play the fisherman' and reap the rewards?" Uchiha Shinji sneered.
"You're one to talk! Attacking your ally's homeland while they're at war?" Senju Suiken shot back.
Uchiha Shinji was momentarily speechless. He was, in fact, completely in the wrong.
"Senju! Uchiha! You're all a bunch of jackals!" Kaguya Raisho, having been ignored, roared in fury. "Do you really think the Kaguya are just lambs for the slaughter?!"
"Dance of the Clematis: Vine! Dance of the Larch!" He actually took the initiative and attacked the Senju-Uzumaki forces.
"Water Release: Water Shield!" Facing Kaguya Raisho, who was covered in bone spikes, Senju Suiken didn't dare take the hit directly. He used his unique Water Shield to deflect Raisho, "bouncing" him directly toward the two Uchiha elders.
Now, the two Uchiha elders had no choice but to re-engage.
As if by a silent mutual agreement, the three Senju elders and the two Uzumaki elders also joined the fray, ganging up on Kaguya Raisho.
Surrounded by seven Clan Head-level powerhouses, Kaguya Raisho no longer held back, unleashing his Shikotsumyaku without regard for his bloodline disease. For a time, the seven of them actually couldn't take him down.
On the other side of the battlefield, however, Hashirama decisively chose to fight alongside his old friend Madara. The Kaguya's Second Elder, now besieged by both a Susanoo and Wood Release, was quickly accumulating injuries.
Tobirama didn't bother to help Izuna, instead joining the annihilation of the remaining Kaguya shinobi. Wielding his still-unpolished Hiraishin, he was, for a time, completely unstoppable.
Masahiko, seeing that his side had the absolute advantage, didn't join the fight due to his injured arm. He just observed from the sidelines.
"Hah!" Kaguya Raisho roared, breaking free of the seven-man encirclement. He looked around, seeing the handful of clansmen he had left. His face was a mask of grief and fury.
"To all Kaguya! There is no place left for us in the Land of Fire! All units, retreat east! We will cross the sea and recover our strength in the Land of Water!"
"Second Elder! After I die, you are the Clan Head! Lead our people, and if you get the chance... avenge our fallen!"
"Lord Clan Head, you should lead the retreat! I can use the Bone Prison, too!" the Second Elder shouted back.
"No! I have overused my Shikotsumyaku. The disease is already in my marrow... I don't have long! Don't worry about me! Get the clan out of here! We cannot lose anyone else!" Kaguya Raisho refused.
"SENJU! UCHIHA! FORBIDDEN JUTSU: BONE TRANSFORMATION!" Kaguya Raisho roared, activating another of his clan's forbidden techniques.
His entire body, save for his eyes, was instantly encased in a layer of white bone armor. His speed and power increased dramatically. He didn't even dodge the jutsu from the seven elders, meeting them head-on. His defense had also been massively enhanced.
Facing this impenetrable bone armor, the seven elders were helpless and were steadily beaten back.
Seeing this, Hashirama and Madara gave up on the fleeing Kaguya Second Elder and came to help.
"You brats! You're still far too green!" Kaguya Raisho bellowed. He drove a bone spike straight through Madara's Susanoo. If Hashirama's Wood Release hadn't bound him for a split second, Madara would have been gravely wounded.
In the Warring States Period, there were four people acknowledged as the strongest: Senju Butsuma, Uchiha Tajima, Kaguya Raisho, and the Hyuga Clan Head, Hyuga Tenjin. As for who was the strongest among them, everyone had a different opinion.
"No... in this state... Kaguya Raisho is without a doubt the strongest," Masahiko murmured from the sidelines, stunned. "This must be the pinnacle of power before the 'Two Gods' appear. I wonder when I'll have this kind of strength... strong enough to not be instantly killed by the monsters in the future Fourth War..."
The battle lasted for half an hour, ending only when Kaguya Raisho's bloodline disease finally consumed him.
Masahiko had entered the fray four times, saving the two Uzumaki elders and the Hashirama/Madara duo. The other five elders were all injured, their chakra completely depleted. But in the end, they had managed to drag Kaguya Raisho down to his death.
The other battle had long since ended. The Kaguya Third Elder was dead. The Second Elder had escaped, taking a handful of survivors with him to the sea.
Masahiko had saved four people and earned their gratitude, but he felt bitter. His injured right arm had been injured again on top of the old wound.
He might have to change his name to "Uzumaki the One-Armed."
But then, a familiar line of text made him happy again: "Participated in and witnessed a major event in the Naruto world: Kaguya Clan's Destruction (1/2). Received 50 Witness Points."