As soon as Antares formed his conclusion, the Kirigakure ninjas restraining the man abruptly released the ropes. The tightly pulled bindings snapped loose and fell uselessly to the ground.
The change was immediate.
The man's body convulsed as an enormous surge of chakra erupted from within him. The Kirigakure shinobi nearby flinched, unsure of what was happening—until multiple captains and commanders across the battlefield shouted in unison:
"RETREAT! RETREAT!!"
The order echoed like thunder.
The Kirigakure forces instantly began pulling back, scrambling away from the man as his chakra flared higher and higher, rising in violent, pulsing waves. His body distorted, his shape bulging unnaturally as the transformation intensified.
Then, with a deafening crack, the first form emerged—
A red, turtle-like creature, its single tail whipping behind it as it let out a monstrous roar. The blast of chakra radiating from it was so immense that Antares was pushed several steps backward, the ground trembling beneath his feet.
The tail split.
One became two.
Two became three.
The creature grew, swelling into its full form—a colossal red turtle with three massive tails swaying heavily behind it.
The Three-Tails, Kirigakure's legendary Tailed Beast, now towered above the battlefield.
Antares gazed up at it, unfazed.
"You people of Kirigakure are quite thoughtful," he muttered. "Saving the strongest creature for me."
His expression hardened, eyes narrowing with fierce resolve.
"But if you think you can stop me with just one Tailed Beast… then you are gravely mistaken."
The air around him twisted.
Antares began to transform, scales spreading across his skin, limbs stretching and expanding. In moments, a massive dragon—towering to nearly half the height of the Three-Tails—rose before the Tailed Beast, its presence shaking the air.
This was not Antares's limit. Not yet.
For now, this was the largest form he could manifest. But in the future—when his chakra and strength grew—his dragon form would expand even further, becoming a true titan on the battlefield.
With a thunderous roar, the Three-Tails charged, its massive body crashing forward toward the dragon looming before it. Antares answered with a roar of his own, sweeping his colossal claws at the Tailed Beast. The two titans collided again and again, each impact shaking the earth beneath them.
Every clash unleashed a shockwave so powerful that fierce winds rolled all the way toward the distant Uzumaki Village, rattling rooftops and windows.
The continuous booms and explosions terrified the villagers. The ground trembled, the sky flashed, and the air itself seemed to shudder with every strike exchanged on the battlefield. But under the firm direction of the Uzumaki Police Force, the people did not panic. They were ordered to remain inside their homes, and they clung to those instructions, huddled together as the distant war raged on.
The sounds of destruction continued all the way until sunset—roars, quakes, explosions—echoing like a storm that refused to end.
…
Finally, as the last rays of light faded from the sky, the battlefield quieted. The monstrous impacts ceased, and a heavy calm settled over the island.
Erza arrived at the Uzumaki Village shortly afterward. She met with the captain of the Uzumaki Police Force, her armour faintly humming with leftover lightning.
She informed him, "We've managed to hold off the Kirigakure forces. Their advance has been halted."
After that, she returned to the Uzumaki Clan compound, where all the other Uzumaki siblings had already gathered. The seat of the Clan Head remained empty—Shanks had not yet arrived. Erza took one of the parallel seats closest to the head position, her expression firm but composed.
"Today," she began, her voice steady, "we were able to deal significant damage to the Kirigakure forces. You all performed exceptionally well. None of you allowed them to even approach the Uzumaki Village."
She paused for a moment, her brows narrowing slightly.
"If this is the full strength Kirigakure is bringing, then we don't have much to fear. But what concerns me most is something else. During the entire battle, I could feel a very powerful presence watching us. He never made a move—except a few times, only to save important Kirigakure figures from dying."
Her words settled heavily in the room.
Gildarts nodded, his expression serious.
"You're absolutely right, Onee-san. When I was just about to finish off Jinin—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—a strong individual suddenly struck me. I had to defend myself, and before I could counterattack, he grabbed Jinin and vanished with incredible speed."
"And in the mist, I couldn't sense him at all," Gildarts continued. "It was like something was interfering with my senses… mixing into the mist itself."
Guy crossed his arms and nodded sharply.
"You're absolutely right. He was threading his chakra through the mist—thin strands spread everywhere. It completely cut off our sensory functions."
Guy's gaze darkened as he recalled the moment.
"When I was about to kill the Kaguya clan head with my Atomic Magic: Annihilation Claw, he appeared out of nowhere—completely undetectable. The only reason I even realized someone was there was because I saw him."
Erza listened carefully and gave a slow, thoughtful nod. She agreed completely.
Too many Uzumaki siblings had dominated their respective battlefields, overwhelming their opponents. By all logic, some of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and the major clan heads should have been eliminated by the end. But each time one of them was moments away from death, that person had interfered—stealing them away, shielding them, disrupting the killing blow.
Because of that single unknown figure… they had been unable to finish off Kirigakure's most crucial forces.
Erza folded her hands on the table, her expression turning serious.
"If my thoughts are correct, then that man was testing us today. Tomorrow will be far more difficult. After watching each of us fight our respective opponents, he must have analysed our abilities thoroughly. Tomorrow, he will come prepared—with proper counters."
She paused, then added with quiet certainty,
"And if I'm not mistaken… that person is the Mizukage of the Mist."
A heavy silence filled the room. Every Uzumaki sibling nodded. Such overwhelming skill and precision could only belong to the Mizukage—no one else in Kirigakure held power on that level.
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