The Third Raikage led the remaining combat-capable Cloud ninja as they clashed head-on with the forces under Shimura Danzō.
However, perhaps due to the tremendous consumption from earlier battles, the Third Raikage was unexpectedly suppressed by Danzō. Wounds even appeared on his body—slashes inflicted by Danzō's ninja blade enhanced with Wind Release.
Seeing that the Third Raikage was indeed heavily drained and his combat power greatly reduced, Danzō grew even more excited. His blade strikes and Wind Release assaults became increasingly sharp and aggressive.
He even revealed the right eye that had long been hidden beneath bandages—a fully developed three-tomoe Sharingan.
That's right. He had long since transplanted a three-tomoe Sharingan.
Although the chakra consumption was enormous, his reserves were barely sufficient to sustain it.
The Sharingan gave him tremendous benefits—not only enhancing his genjutsu capability and resistance, but also greatly improving his dynamic vision. This synergized perfectly with his Wind Release blade techniques.
Like Lightning Release chakra-mode taijutsu, Wind Release–based close-combat techniques also emphasized speed. The difference was that one stimulated the muscles and bones from within to increase explosive power, while the other provided external acceleration.
At such extreme speeds, powerful dynamic vision was essential—otherwise the user would be the first to die.
With the three-tomoe Sharingan supporting him, Danzō could unleash Wind Release sword techniques at full output, finally gaining the leverage needed to suppress the Third Raikage.
As for exposing the secret of the Sharingan—what did it matter? As long as the Third Raikage and these Cloud ninja were all killed, no one would ever know.
"Damn it!"
The Third Raikage cursed as another wound opened on his body, clearly enraged that he had been injured by trash like Danzō.
"Raikage, tonight is your final night!"
Danzō sneered, his heart surging with excitement.
If he could slay the Third Raikage, his prestige within the village would skyrocket. It wouldn't be impossible to contend for the position of Fourth Hokage.
After all, his teacher Hashirama had passed the Hokage position to his younger brother Tobirama. Danzō and Hiruzen had once been like brothers—why couldn't the Hokage title pass to him?
Meanwhile, their subordinates clashed violently.
Danzō's forces consisted mainly of elite shinobi from the Shimura and Sarutobi clans.
On the surface, they had accompanied the main force toward the Land of Rivers to defend against Sunagakure. In reality, they had secretly come here to carry out a classified mission.
Now, the mission target had simply shifted to the Cloud ninja—especially the Third Raikage.
The two clans' elites cooperated seamlessly. Sarutobi ninja unleashed their clan's secret Great Flame Technique, while Shimura ninja followed up with Wind Release to amplify the flames' heat and scale—actually suppressing the Cloud forces.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke fought alongside his childhood friend Shimura Izumi, their coordinated Great Flame attacks displaying terrifying power.
What they didn't know was that they were already being watched.
Among the Cloud forces, a pair of twin brothers with similar appearances occasionally glanced in their direction. Each wore a special eyepatch—one on the left eye, the other on the right—eyepatches engraved with sealing formulas.
Meanwhile, the Cloud ninja had already received orders: do not fight the Konoha ninja to the death. In the early phase, survival was the priority—buy time for the others to recover chakra.
Elsewhere, the Sunagakure and Iwagakure forces seized the moment when Konoha and the Cloud clashed, decisively storming into UzUzushiogakure.
Though the move was dangerous, there was no time to hesitate. Once the Cloud forces recovered and came to reinforce, the fight would become far harder.
They had to end it quickly.
"Since you've come, don't even think about leaving!"
Uzumaki Masahiko stared viciously at the invading ninja as the four clan elders once again joined forces to deploy the Four Red Yang Formation, sealing the village shut like a cage.
Today, not a single one of them would escape alive.
The Four Red Yang Formation consumed enormous chakra and couldn't be maintained for long—it couldn't be used defensively. It was meant for total annihilation.
"Such a massive barrier… truly worthy of the Uzumaki clan,"
Chiyo couldn't help but marvel. That chakra volume was simply unreasonable.
Beside her, Ebizō said nothing. He had already ordered the puppet masters to release poison mist and use Wind Release to spread it across UzUzushiogakure.
Poison was the most efficient method of killing.
This particular toxin had been specially formulated—burning it with Fire Release wouldn't destroy it. Instead, it would transform into toxic smoke, just as deadly.
The Iwagakure forces relied on large-scale Earth Release techniques to tear apart the ground, disrupting Uzumaki sealing arrays and countering the wide-area attacks produced by the Banana Palm Fan.
They had already received intelligence from the Mist battlefield and knew their enemy possessed methods capable of unleashing massive-scale techniques. Countermeasures had been prepared in advance.
As the Banana Palm Fan's attacks were gradually neutralized, Uzumaki Ashina and the others felt their hearts sink.
This fight was becoming very bad.
At the same time, Kōsan arrived outside UzUzushiogakure and formed hand seals, activating a forbidden technique.
"Forbidden Technique: Jar Poison Technique!"
With the technique's activation, a ceramic jar hidden inside the Uzumaki clan head's latrine exploded. Countless microscopic poisonous insects—nearly invisible to the naked eye—burst forth and rapidly spread throughout UzUzushiogakure.
They latched onto anyone they encountered, invading their bodies and reproducing at terrifying speed.
Yes—Kōsan was a member of the Aburame clan.
The insects he controlled were extremely special: nano-scale venomous bugs. Their activation was extraordinarily covert—so subtle that even the Uzumaki clan's powerful sensing abilities couldn't detect something so small.
And with the Uzumaki fully focused on repelling the Sand and Stone ninja, they had no capacity to notice changes within their own bodies.
These insects didn't discriminate. They targeted everyone—Uzumaki, Sand ninja, Stone ninja alike.
All were enemies.
As the two sides slaughtered each other, none of them realized that a lethal plague had already spread, silently infiltrating bodies through skin and breath, multiplying without a sound.
But that wasn't all.
Kōsan took out one hundred thousand high-quality explosive tags, each inscribed with summoning formulas written in his own blood. This was a special technique developed by the Second Hokage—Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
Those nano-insects were nourished by his own flesh and chakra, effectively extensions of himself—perfect conduits for the technique.
One hundred thousand explosive tags were enough to completely erase UzUzushiogakure from the map.
What he didn't know was that the moment he revealed himself to perform the long-range technique, he had already been spotted.
"That's him."
Several hundred meters away, a Cloud ANBU lowered his binoculars and grinned coldly. Three other ANBU stood behind him.
They hadn't joined the main battlefield. Instead, they had been hidden outside UzUzushiogakure the entire time—waiting for Konoha's hidden trump card.
Their primary surveillance targets were the three people who had entered UzUzushiogakure earlier that morning as envoys—the Hokage's son and his companions.
After waiting this long, they had finally found their mark.
No matter what method the enemy intended to use to annihilate UzUzushiogakure, it would pose an equally massive threat to Kumogakure.
Such a dangerous individual had to be eliminated immediately.
Left alive, someone like this would eventually be turned against the Cloud.
"He's very likely an Aburame from Konoha,"
the ANBU leader said gravely.
"He specializes in insect manipulation. If he was sent here to wipe out UzUzushiogakure, his abilities must be terrifying."
"Do not engage in close combat. Do not give him time to react.
Kill the target at maximum speed."
He had no desire to let insects crawl into his body.
"Understood."
The three ANBU responded softly.
They valued their lives just as much—eliminating the target while preserving themselves was the best possible outcome.
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