Even using enlarged bones as shields to block, under the assault of flames they continued to emit cracking sounds.
"Everyone scatter! Form small squads and attack separately!"
Kaguya Manro, who had experience fighting Izuna, quickly issued orders.
The instant his words fell, suddenly the bone wall before him let out an explosive crack. A magatama flew through it, nearly grazing past his ear.
Blood sprayed. In an instant, over ten Kaguya ninja had their bodies cleaved apart.
Kaguya Manro looked ahead and saw a silver-white chakra skeletal giant standing before him.
"Susanoo?"
Kaguya Manro clenched his teeth and waved his hand, shouting, "Everyone scatter! Seize the chance to concentrate attacks on one point! Though chakra can repair Susanoo's damage, no one has infinite chakra!"
Having already broken through Uchiha Madara's Susanoo once before, the Kaguya felt the legendary Susanoo wasn't so terrifying after all.
As Uchiha Itachi would later say, every technique has a weakness.
Soon, the hundreds of Kaguya clansmen dispersed, forming squads of twenty or so, spreading around Izuna on all sides.
This way, Izuna's area-of-effect attacks could no longer annihilate too many at once.
"That's a good plan. But the prerequisite is that you can hold out until my chakra runs dry."
After awakening the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, if there was anyone in the Warring States who could match Izuna's chakra reserves, it was probably only Senju Hashirama.
And Hashirama's chakra—well, needless to say, though it couldn't match the infinite chakra of the Impure World Reincarnation state, it probably wasn't far off.
With the Kaguya's current strength, they'd need at least double their numbers to have even a glimmer of hope.
The next moment, the skeletal Susanoo's surface was covered by thread-like chakra, rapidly transforming into its mature state. Then it was encased in massive, heavy armor, the eyes beneath the plating crimson and bewitching.
Whoooosh!!!
Izuna's right eye glanced toward Susanoo's palm. The blazing Flames of Amaterasu formed a greatsword in Susanoo's hand.
"Well then, let's begin."
Compared to the grave expressions of the Kaguya, Izuna's tone sounded more like he was joking.
Kaguya Manro ground his teeth. He had already fought this state of Susanoo before.
He didn't know how much effort it had taken to barely break through it.
But thinking again, at least here the Kaguya still held the terrain advantage. Shouldn't they have a better chance than last time?
With this thought, Kaguya Manro managed to regain a bit of confidence and shouted, "Attack!"
The Kaguya clan wasn't particularly afraid of Amaterasu. They could separate the burning portions by expelling their skin and bones.
But Susanoo's own power was already terrifying, far surpassing ordinary bone spikes.
To break through that layer of defense, more attacks had to concentrate on the same point.
Facing the Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets filling the sky, Izuna didn't even look. Such things couldn't scratch Susanoo's shell.
He only needed to focus on jonin-level enemies and above charging in with giant bone spears formed in both hands.
"Heh."
Letting out a light laugh, Susanoo swung the Amaterasu sword in its hand, slashing in all directions.
Some Kaguya ninja were directly cut in two.
It didn't matter that their Kekkai Genkai could separate from Amaterasu—when your body's been sliced in half, whether you can deal with Amaterasu hardly matters.
But the Kaguya clan was renowned for taijutsu, and quite a few ninja dodged that strike. Spiraling giant bone spears crashed against Susanoo's shell.
In a single breath, five or six points were struck.
Though Kaguya Manro had said to aim at one spot and concentrate attacks, it wasn't that simple.
If they really did that, Izuna would simply concentrate chakra to repair that location.
So after two exchanges, the hundreds of Kaguya ninja had each decided which position to target.
However, under Izuna's chakra repair, the barely visible wounds from before were instantly restored.
"That's it?"
Izuna's Eternal Mangekyo swept across them. Susanoo held the Amaterasu sword in one hand while the Yasaka Magatama in the other palm spun rapidly, continuously launching forth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Continuous explosive sounds rang through the village. The Black Flames that consumed everything kept spreading, determined to utterly destroy this land.
"Clan Head!"
Kaguya Taketo hurried to Kaguya Manro's side with a grave expression and said in a low voice.
"In your view, how long until Senju Hashirama can arrive?"
Though Kaguya Manro appeared calm on the surface while directing the battle, this was all to keep the clansmen from losing heart.
In truth, inwardly he was already in turmoil.
Especially as the number of clansmen gradually decreased, while under his sensing, Uchiha Izuna's chakra showed no sign of depletion whatsoever.
Kaguya Taketo frowned in thought. "At Tokomitsu's speed, he's surely met Senju Hashirama by now. The question is how long it will take Hashirama to get here."
Kaguya Manro believed Senju Hashirama would definitely come to their aid.
Though he'd only truly met Hashirama face-to-face once, it was enough to see what kind of person he was.
"In that case, we buy more time. Secretly notify the clansmen to shift focus from offense to defense."
Kaguya Manro ordered quietly.
"Clan Head, why not use the news that Senju Hashirama is coming to reinforce us to threaten Uchiha Izuna? That way he might become wary, even retreat on his own?"
Kaguya Taketo suggested.
His plan was simple: tell Izuna that Senju Hashirama was heading this way.
Make Izuna hesitate and leave voluntarily.
After all, their side had so many ninja, plus someone known alongside him as one of the Twin Heroes of the Warring States, Senju Hashirama.
No matter how strong Uchiha Izuna was, he'd have to weigh his odds, right?
"Though that's one option, no."
Kaguya Manro shook his head.
"Why?"
Kaguya Taketo asked, puzzled.
"Our Kaguya have lost too many to the continuous assaults of Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna. Madara has already escaped—we must at least capture Uchiha Izuna!"
"Clan Head, you mean..."
"Stall until Senju Hashirama arrives. Then join forces with him to take down Uchiha Izuna!"
Kaguya Manro shouted, his eyes bloodshot.
If they let Uchiha Izuna walk away like this, he wouldn't accept it!
Even if it cost more clansmen, he absolutely had to kill Izuna here.
Once Senju Hashirama arrived and they joined forces, they could definitely do it!
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