Hours passed in the blink of an eye.
The time shifted from early morning to mid-morning, yet the battle showed no signs of ending.
If anything, it had grown even more intense.
The defensive line built by Konoha had long been breached. As the fight dragged on, the battlefield stretched across an area spanning several kilometers.
From the eastern side of Blackstone Outpost to about a kilometer or two into the sea, the entire area had become a warzone.
Ninjas from both sides fought desperately across this region, either in small groups or solo, ambushing their enemies or engaging in direct clashes, all with one singular goal—to annihilate their opponents.
Blood stained the land, agonized cries mixed with the clash of weapons, and the sight was enough to unsettle even the most hardened of souls.
And yet, this was merely a fragment of the larger Shinobi World War.
In fact, even within Konoha's eastern front, this was only one of several battles raging simultaneously.
As the Mist Village launched its assault on Flying Fish Town, it also initiated coordinated attacks on three other previously captured outposts.
For Konoha's eastern border, stretching across northern, central, and southern lines, the situation was growing increasingly dire.
Supplies and reinforcements were being hastily mobilized, but even with all this effort, the situation remained perilous.
The reason?
It was simple.
Konoha was currently locked in a decisive battle with the Sand Village, while the Stone Village loomed as a constant threat, acting as a deterrent.
As a result, even after nearly a week, Konoha had been unable to muster sufficient reinforcements.
In such circumstances, the sudden onslaught from the Mist Village left the Konoha forces severely stretched.
Sensing this opportunity, the Mist Village escalated its offensive.
Not only did they use the four captured outposts as bridgeheads to expand their foothold, but they also organized raids on other outposts along Konoha's border, aiming to spread their forces thin and prevent reinforcements from arriving at critical points.
While fighting on home turf certainly offered advantages, such as easier logistics and supply lines, it also came with its drawbacks.
For example, to prevent the Mist Village from fully invading, Nara Keiko, the commander-in-chief, dared not reallocate forces from other defensive positions.
Even though he knew the Mist's attacks on other outposts were likely distractions, he couldn't afford to gamble.
If Konoha left any outpost undefended and the Mist Village seized another foothold, the consequences could be disastrous.
So, Nara Keiko played it safe.
He didn't entertain risky strategies like the empty fort gambit.
It wasn't that he hadn't considered it—rather, the situation didn't allow for it.
The Mist Village's success in capturing the four outposts was largely due to precise intelligence.
And even now, the source of the leaks remained unknown.
Without clarity, Keiko couldn't afford to take chances.
For now, the safest option was to rely on brute strength.
By avoiding clever tricks, he aimed to deny the Mist Village any openings—confidence born of his clan's intellect.
As for the brute strength?
Indeed, the forces near the four outposts, even with incoming reinforcements, were outmatched by the Mist Village.
But in terms of high-level combat power, Konoha held a significant edge.
The past week had not been wasted.
Besides repositioning troops and preparing supplies, Keiko had spent most of his time requesting elite reinforcements from the village's upper echelon.
And the village had approved.
If they could hold out a bit longer, top-tier reinforcements would soon arrive.
With their support, even if Konoha couldn't outright defeat the Mist, they could stall them indefinitely.
After all, the Mist's supply lines stretched across the ocean. If Konoha could blockade their resupply routes, the Mist forces would inevitably exhaust their resources and halt their assault.
Once the Sand Village battle concluded, Konoha could then divert more troops to reclaim their territory and drive the Mist back.
This was Nara Keiko's plan: to endure and wait for a shift in the tide.
However, while Keiko's strategy unfolded, Seimei remained unconcerned and uninvolved.
Currently, he was "taking it easy" on the battlefield.
Of course, with his power and reputation, the Mist Village couldn't afford to ignore him, even if he wasn't actively seeking trouble.
As a result, he was surrounded by two Mist Jōnin and three Special Jōnin.
The clash was intense.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Seimei wielded his long blade with precision, his Sharingan's three tomoe spinning rapidly to track and predict his opponents' movements.
He deftly deflected attacks from the two Mist Jōnin, the collision of blade and kunai creating sharp metallic echoes and showers of sparks—both beautiful and deadly.
Suddenly, a faint whistling sound cut through the air from behind him.
Seimei's ears twitched as he instinctively tilted his head to the side.
A shuriken grazed past his earlobe, leaving a thin line of blood.
The wound was minor, and with a brief flow of chakra, his body's natural healing quickly closed the cut.
But this was just the beginning.
In the next moment, the two Mist Jōnin retreated simultaneously, putting some distance between themselves and Seimei.
Seeing this, Seimei moved to give chase.
Before he could advance, a flurry of kunai and shuriken came hurtling toward him, aimed precisely at his vital points.
Seimei pushed his Sharingan to its limit, the tomoe spinning as he locked onto every projectile's trajectory.
With a series of precise swings, he deflected each one, their impacts ringing out like a symphony of steel.
"Phew—"
Just as he exhaled in relief, the two Mist Jōnin who had retreated launched their next attack.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Style: Water Fang Bullet!"
Two water-style jutsu hurtled toward him—one from above, the other targeting his back. The coordination between the Mist Jōnin was seamless.
They had timed their attack perfectly, catching Seimei at the precise moment when his defenses were at their weakest.
The Mist Jōnin couldn't help but smirk, confident they had gained the upper hand.
But Seimei didn't panic.
Until now, he had been holding back to avoid drawing too much attention to himself.
Faced with this critical moment, he abandoned his restraint.
With swift hand seals, he cast a powerful jutsu:
"Water Style: Giant Shark Bullet Technique!"
A massive water shark materialized before him, surging forward to meet the Water Fang Bullet head-on.
The swirling water bullets were absorbed into the shark, fueling its growth as it tore through the attack.
Its sheer size and momentum became increasingly oppressive, forcing the Mist Jōnin to abandon their jutsu and leap aside.
Meanwhile, Seimei dodged the descending Water Dragon Bullet with ease, retreating just as it crashed into the ground, sending up a plume of smoke and debris.
The battle raged on, and the tide had begun to turn.
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