Todoroki spoke next, arms crossed casually.
"Even if the Mizukage comes prepared—with counters and strategy—we shouldn't be too worried. Shanks Onii-san should be able to return by tomorrow morning."
Erza turned her head slightly at his words.
"There's a chance Shanks Onii-san will return," she said, her tone steady but firm. "But we can't place the entire burden on him. We must be prepared as well."
Guy nodded firmly in agreement.
"Yes," he said, "we definitely need to be ready."
Erza continued, her tone calm but carrying the weight of command.
"If Shanks Onii-san doesn't return by tomorrow morning, we'll proceed with the second phase of our plan to protect the Uzumaki Village. All of you will focus solely on dealing with the main and important figures of Kirigakure. Let the rest of their forces head toward the village. Our contingency plan inside the Uzumaki Village will activate at that point—and it will be enough to protect everyone."
Everyone in the meeting hall agreed without hesitation.
They were relieved that, with their combined strength, they had managed to stop the Kirigakure forces from advancing into the Land of Uzumaki. In pure combat power, the siblings were more than capable of countering the enemy army. But the truth remained: because they had been forced to divide their attention—fighting the elite clan heads and Seven Ninja Swordsmen while simultaneously stopping the remaining forces from charging toward the village—they hadn't been able to finish off the key figures of Kirigakure.
Had they been able to focus entirely on the high-ranking enemies, without worrying about the village being attacked, they could have eliminated those figures by evening. But the constant need to intercept the ordinary Kirigakure ninjas prevented them from delivering decisive kills. And in the later stages of the battle, the Mizukage's silent interference only made matters harder.
At the same time, they were grateful.
If the Mizukage had chosen to enter the Uzumaki Village and unleash destruction there, the situation would have turned dire—one the Uzumaki siblings might not have been able to salvage. His decision to remain outside had spared the village from a catastrophe no barrier or Uzumaki police force could have withstood.
…
Erza rose from her seat, her gaze sweeping across her siblings.
"All of you, this is the final plan we will follow," she said with calm authority. "For now, everyone disperse. Gildarts and I will stay awake to guard the village. The rest of you—rest properly. Later in the night, those who fought with comparative ease will take over our positions so we can sleep."
Her eyes softened slightly as she added,
"Those who went through fierce battles—Renji, Mereoleona—you must rest. Understood?"
All the Uzumaki siblings nodded in agreement, then quietly exited the meeting hall one by one.
Gildarts headed for one of the tallest rooftops in the village, settling there like a silent sentinel. Erza stayed inside the Uzumaki Clan compound, alert and unmoving. Both kept their sensory techniques active at full range, constantly monitoring every fluctuation of chakra, every distant movement—determined not to let anything slip past them.
Time slowly ticked by.
The deep night settled over the Uzumaki Village, quiet.
In the later half of the night, Makima and Guy arrived to relieve them. With the change of guard complete, Erza and Gildarts finally allowed themselves to rest, retreating to sleep while the new guards kept vigilant watch over the peaceful, shadowed village.
For the entire night, not a single attack came from the Kirigakure side. The silence was puzzling to the Uzumaki siblings, but ultimately reassuring. None of them minded the lack of confrontation. It wasn't as if they were incapable of fighting through the night—far from it.
The Uzumaki clan's recovery ability and immense chakra reserves were no joke. Even during their strategy meeting, many of them had already recovered a large portion of their strength. If Kirigakure had launched another assault, the siblings could have fought nonstop until dawn without collapsing.
They weren't at their absolute peak… but they still had enough chakra and stamina to unleash their full power if needed.
And after resting through the remainder of the night, every Uzumaki sibling woke fully recharged—chakra replenished, bodies restored, and their minds sharpened for the next, inevitable battle that awaited them.
…
The sun began to rise. A pale gold light crept across the horizon, brightening the shores as the morning mist drifted gently above the water.
At that moment, along the coastline of the Land of Fire, a carriage drawn by a massive white tiger appeared. The beast didn't slow for even a heartbeat—the carriage thundered forward, its wheels slicing through the mist.
Then the tiger ran straight into the sea.
But it didn't sink.
Instead, the water beneath its paws froze instantly with every step, forming a continuous path of ice. The wheels of the carriage rolled smoothly over the frozen trail as the tiger dashed across the surface of the ocean. Mist swirled behind them with each powerful stride.
This was no ordinary carriage.
It was the carriage of the Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan—
Shanks Uzumaki had finally arrived.
Shanks wasn't inside the carriage. He sat atop the driver's seat, exposed to the wind and sea spray, guiding the white tiger forward. He wasn't wearing his wedding garments; instead, he wore his usual attire. He knew that a massive fight awaited him ahead, and he had no intention of staining his wedding clothes with the blood of his enemies.
He wore a black shirt, a long black overcoat, black pants—an entirely dark ensemble. Against that deep palette, his vibrant red hair stood out sharply, even through the drifting morning mist, like a streak of fire cutting across the sea.
Soon enough—after almost half an hour of traveling across the frozen path—Shanks saw something appear through the thinning morning mist.
A formation of Kirigakure ships.
Dozens of them.
Parked in tight rows.
Blocking the sea route leading toward the Land of Uzumaki.
It was a full naval blockade, constructed deliberately so no ordinary traveler, messenger, or reinforcement could reach the Uzumaki Village.
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