Chapter 334: Yagura Sends the Kaguya Clan

The assistant placed the documents on the desk, and Yagura opened them to read. The more he read, the more his face darkened.

An entire three-hundred-man unit was wiped out?

All taken out by Takuya Yagami and a small group of Uchiha?

How many three-hundred-strong units did the Mist Village even have to spare?

Yagura had been fighting against Orochimaru on the front lines, and even after a whole day of intense battle, they hadn't lost three hundred soldiers.

Yet Hōzuki Jirō managed to lose three hundred men in the Land of Bears.

Just thinking about this loss made Yagura feel like he was about to have a heart attack.

The Mist Village wasn't like Konoha, with its large population and high number of shinobi.

In terms of economy, population, and number of shinobi, the Mist Village was at the bottom, tied with the Sand Village among the Five Great Nations.

Losing hundreds of men was already painful.

"I was so foolish. I actually trusted the Hōzuki clan."

Even if Yagura's head were cracked open, he vowed never to trust the Hōzuki clan again.

Bunch of idiots. Total fools!

"Send word for the Kaguya clan head to come see me!"

He needed to make a decisive move. He couldn't keep losing like this—he'd lose command if things kept going this way.

Takuya Yagami, you think you're so great? You think you're unstoppable?

Fine, I'll send some maniacs to deal with you.

The Kaguya clan had been restless for a while, itching for a fight. They were practically a ticking time bomb.

So why not throw them into the Land of Bears and let them clash with Takuya Yagami?

The Kaguya clan didn't fear death—they'd be perfect for this.

Yagura wanted to see how Takuya would handle a group of lunatics like them.

To think that Takuya dared to take on hundreds of my men with just a few dozen… What an appetite he has.

It's true, losing battles is part of warfare. But losing constantly, and losing badly—that just wasn't acceptable.

Even if the village didn't object, Yagura himself was ashamed to present such results. It was a slap to his face.

"Takuya never fails to impress," Orochimaru said, smiling as he looked over the intelligence scroll.

The enemy in the Land of Bears had been wiped out, and their leader, Hōzuki Jirō, was captured. Jirō must have a lot of secrets in his head.

"Send word to Takuya, tell him to hold his position in the Land of Bears for now. I'll send supplies, and we'll bring Hōzuki Jirō back," Orochimaru ordered.

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Shikaku Nara obeyed, heading to the intelligence division to relay Orochimaru's orders to Takuya.

Unlike the furious Yagura, Orochimaru was pleased.

The problem that had been worrying him was now taken care of by Takuya. Even though Takuya's military accomplishments were growing, and his reputation was on the rise, Orochimaru didn't mind.

If the war couldn't be ended quickly, it didn't hurt to let Takuya earn some glory and build his reputation.

Orochimaru only needed to be sure of one thing.

Takuya could never be his competition.

No matter how much Takuya accomplished or how great his reputation became, the higher-ups would never allow him to be a candidate for the Fourth Hokage.

"This information doesn't seem urgent," Shikaku Nara muttered as he entered the intelligence division.

He had already figured out Orochimaru's habits.

If it were truly important, Orochimaru would send a snake to inform Takuya immediately.

If it wasn't that pressing, he'd leave it to Shikaku to handle.

With Orochimaru's orders in hand, a small team from the Anbu swiftly left the camp, heading for the Land of Bears.

The team carried with them a good amount of supplies needed by Takuya and his troops.

Despite carrying so much, they still managed to reach their destination in just two hours. They delivered the supplies to Takuya and took Hōzuki Jirō, whose chakra had been sealed, rendering him unable to move.

Imagining what Jirō would go through in Orochimaru's hands, Takuya couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for him.

He deserved it for showing off. Now he'd pay the price—life in Orochimaru's hands was never pleasant.

After reading through the scroll, Takuya chuckled.

"Orochimaru, you really are…"

Mikoto Uchiha blinked curiously at him.

Takuya handed her the scroll.

"Orochimaru says he's concerned that Yagura will send more forces to the Land of Bears. He wants us to hold our position here for a while. More supplies are coming, and he says we won't be left wanting."

"Will the Mist Village send more people?" Mikoto asked.

"Hard to say."

Takuya wasn't in Yagura's head, so he couldn't predict what Yagura would do next.

While Yagura usually played it safe, people were complicated. Considering how Yagura kept getting thwarted by Takuya, he might act out of anger and send more forces just to prove a point.

Still, Takuya wasn't too concerned, no matter who Yagura decided to send.

Unless the Mist Village was prepared to throw everything they had at him, Takuya wasn't worried.

Not unless he was dumb enough to stay and get surrounded, like the Third Raikage in the original timeline, who fought until he literally collapsed from exhaustion.

With his body as tough as it was, normal attacks wouldn't even leave a scratch on the Third Raikage—much less injure him. Killing him would be nearly impossible unless someone like Onoki used Dust Release.

But would Onoki be foolish enough to fight the Third Raikage head-on?

No, Onoki would hover safely in the air, using Dust Release to harass and threaten, leaving the heavy lifting to the army below.

After all, Onoki was getting on in years—if the Raikage suddenly went all out, Onoki might end up badly hurt or even killed.

For Onoki, killing the Raikage would take numerous attempts, countless plans.

But for the Raikage, he needed only one shot to kill Onoki.

The same logic applied here. Even if surrounded by the Mist Village's forces, Takuya wouldn't be afraid. Worst-case scenario, he'd just unleash his ultimate form and bulldoze his way through.

Takuya doubted that, once he went all out, anyone in the Mist Village would be able to stop him.

The news of holding their position spread, and none of the Uchiha had any objections.

The bodies of the fallen clan members were gathered, and the wounded received treatment.

"Takuya, should we set up traps?" Fugaku Uchiha asked.

If they did nothing and the enemy attacked again, they could be in trouble.

Fugaku thought it best to be cautious.

If the enemy really attacked, simple traps might not be much help. It would be more practical to place scouts along the shoreline to monitor the situation.

Takuya sighed inwardly but didn't reject the idea—he decided to humor Fugaku.

"In that case, I'll leave the task to you, Clan Head Fugaku. You're in the best position to coordinate with the Uchiha."

"Understood. I'll handle it right away."

Takuya showed respect, and Fugaku didn't disappoint. He took the responsibility seriously, leading his men to set traps and assign lookouts to keep watch over the sea.

Without needing Takuya's supervision, everything was arranged perfectly.