Hundreds of Kirigakure shinobi surged through the mist, descending into chaos and carnage!
With the earth walls destroyed and the formation broken, there was no longer any structure to the battlefield. No more set-piece jutsu clashes. Just raw, untamed slaughter.
Their feet splashed over flooded terrain that now resembled a lake, shrouded in a mist so thick it was impossible to see your own hand.
For the Mist shinobi, it was like birds soaring through open skies, fish darting freely in deep waters.
The battlefield was theirs.
Mist and water release techniques collided, echoing with cries of battle and the sharp ring of steel. Jutsu tore through the air—screams followed in their wake.
In moments, Tsuinan Town had become a hellscape—a battlefield drenched in blood and death.
Suddenly, a figure flipped through the air, radiating an ominous chakra presence.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A massive torrent of water crashed down like a waterfall from the heavens.
Uchiha Shisui—fighting on with only one Sharingan—narrowed his eye. With a powerful slash from his blade, he repelled the enemy attacking him and quickly weaved signs.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
A blazing inferno erupted from his mouth to clash against the descending torrent.
Steam hissed as fire met water, rising in dense clouds and thickening the already suffocating mist.
Suddenly, twin blades flashed—gleaming with murderous light—striking toward Shisui.
His lone Sharingan spun. With a precise parry, he blocked the strike.
The clang of steel rang out as a tremendous force pushed Shisui back a step.
"These swords…"
His eye narrowed, locking onto the uniquely-shaped blades.
"Twin Swords: Hiramekarei... A new generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"
Hōzuki Mangetsu stood before him, wielding the twin swords with precision. He pressed them together, forming a massive cleaver.
"Uchiha Shisui—the prodigy of the Uchiha Clan."
"You'll be the first to fall before my Hiramekarei!"
"Your prey?" Shisui scoffed, gripping his blade tighter.
His Sharingan spun faster, and in an instant, multiple identical images of himself appeared and charged Mangetsu simultaneously.
"Let's see who's really the hunter!"
"Phantom Body Flicker!"
"Hiramekarei—Unleash!"
The clash between two of the most brilliant young talents of their villages erupted like thunder.
"Dance of the Camellia!"
Bone-white spikes—gleaming and harder than steel—pierced from beneath the skin of a Kaguya clan jōnin.
The attack lashed out in all directions, impaling a Konoha shinobi on the spot.
"Don't get cocky, Mist bastard!"
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
A member of the Yamanaka Clan forced the Kaguya shinobi to lose control of his own body.
"Partial Multi-Size Technique—Titan Fist!"
A massive punch crashed down, hammering the Kaguya jōnin into the earth. Blood burst from his mouth. His organs were likely displaced from the impact.
The Ino–Shika–Chō combo attack. Brutal. Efficient. Deadly.
But before the Yamanaka and Akimichi shinobi could shift their focus—
Light refracted through the fog.
Shards of glistening ice began forming mirrors around them.
"Ice Release?! Watch out, Santensu!"
"Multi-Size Technique!"
The Akimichi clan member's body swelled instantly, shielding Yamanaka Santensu behind him.
A moment later—
Shatter—BOOM!
The mirrors exploded, unleashing a storm of razor-sharp ice spikes that rained down in a chilling barrage.
The battlefield had devolved into a storm of violence.
Limbs flew. Blood sprayed. Eyes turned red from killing.
Rank didn't matter—jōnin or genin, no one could guarantee survival.
In this fog, only one rule mattered: swing your blade at anything you could see.
"Using Boil Release to corrode the earth walls... then breaking through with an explosive jutsu to reshape the terrain…"
Nara Shiomizu's eyes stayed fixed on the roaring battlefield.
In mere moments, dozens of Konoha shinobi had already fallen.
In contrast, Kirigakure's casualties were minimal.
In the previous battles, Konoha had used Sarutobi Shinnosuke and their Earth Release ninja to erect defenses that blocked both enemy attacks and the possibility of large-scale Water Release.
The terrain of the Land of Fire, being relatively flat, usually allowed floodwaters to disperse quickly. Add in Earth Release jutsu to raise elevation—and water-based attacks became ineffective.
But that experience had made them overconfident.
They'd known the Mist's main forces had arrived.
They had intel straight from the captured Hoshigaki Fuguki.
They had the means to prepare—yet they didn't.
"In the end… I'm still not as capable as the clan head… or even Suzaku-senpai…"
"Snap out of it, Shiomizu! What do we do now?!"
Jiraiya crushed a Mist ninja mid-sneak attack and turned to him urgently.
"Jiraiya-sama!"
Shiomizu came to his senses and replied immediately.
"We need to clear the mist—restore visibility. Then, we need to know how long it'll take for reinforcements to arrive."
"Reinforcements…" Jiraiya's face hardened. He did a quick mental calculation. "They should be here soon."
"If they can arrive within the hour, we can hold out."
Shiomizu reviewed what Jiraiya had said about the reinforcements earlier, steeled himself, and gave his orders:
"Have Shinnosuke-dono and the Earth Release users reshape the terrain. We need to reverse the environmental advantage. Once we return to open-ground combat, we can hold even if they outnumber us!"
To be honest, once a battle had devolved to close quarters, there were no real tactics left.
At that point, it was all about attrition and power.
And right now, Kirigakure had every advantage—weather, terrain, momentum.
Konoha had nothing.
But Shiomizu believed—if they could just last until help arrived—
They could still win!
"Oh?"
A light voice rang out nearby.
"Sounds like I just overheard something very important…"
Ssst—CRACK!
A streak of white lightning flashed.
Followed by the sickening sound of flesh being pierced.
Shiomizu's eyes widened in disbelief as he fell to the ground.
A thin, charred wound split his forehead—faint tendrils of smoke rising, carrying the stench of scorched flesh.
"Shiomizu!!"
Jiraiya's eyes burned with fury.
His killing intent exploded like a wildfire as a figure emerged from the mist.
Yuki Yoru.
"You've gone too far, Yoru!" Jiraiya shouted. "I won't let this stand!"