The Land of Sea, which was the first vassal country to come under the wings of Uzushiogakure, was also attacked by a squad of Hashirama cell-modified ninjas leading nearly a thousand White Zetsu. The peaceful coastal lands were quickly thrown into chaos as alarms rang through the villages, smoke rising into the evening sky while terrified civilians fled indoors.
Immediately, a distress signal was sent toward Uzushiogakure, urgently asking for support.
Without hesitation, Makima was deployed there. After all, she and Antares were the ones most actively involved in forcing and manipulating the Land of Sea into becoming a vassal state of Uzushiogakure. Because of that, she personally went alone to support the country. The sea winds blew against her coat as she departed, her expression calm and unreadable despite the looming war ahead.
At the same time, Gildarts was also dispatched toward another allied country affiliated with Uzushiogakure, where similar attacks had already begun.
Not only were the countries affiliated with Uzushiogakure under attack, but Uzushiogakure itself was assaulted as well—and from two different directions.
One attack came from the direction of the Land of Fire.
Akatsuki had entered alongside the Hashirama cell-modified ninjas, and leading them were Konan and Nagato. However, Nagato himself remained hidden somewhere far in the rear while his Six Paths of Pain advanced toward Uzushiogakure, commanding the thousands of modified ninjas like an unstoppable wave.
The other attack came from Kirigakure's side, which was definitely not surprising, considering Kirigakure was completely under Obito's thumb.
Terumi Mei had already been more or less removed from Kirigakure's politics after marrying into the Uzumaki Clan and severing her official ties with the village. Even so, a part of her heart still remained connected to her homeland. So when she learned that Kirigakure was once again attacking Uzushiogakure after already causing so much destruction in the past, she could not help but feel pity and disappointment.
So even after everything... it still came to this.
Both sides quickly assigned leaders to command the defending armies.
Benimaru and Yoko took half of the forces to intercept the Six Paths of Pain along with the army of modified ninjas advancing from the Land of Fire side. The atmosphere around Benimaru burned with intense heat while Yoko calmly observed the battlefield, his sharp eyes already analyzing the enemy movements before the clash had even begun.
On the Kirigakure side were Mereoleona and Erza.
Erza acted as the main commander of that half of the army, as she was far more adept at strategizing and organizing battle formations. Orders were issued rapidly under her command while shinobi squads repositioned themselves across the defensive lines with discipline and precision.
Meanwhile, Mereoleona stood at the very front with a wide grin on her face, flames flickering around her body like a raging beast eager to be unleashed. Unlike Erza, she cared little about formations or tactical arrangements.
She simply wanted a truly hearty battle.
As for Terumi Mei, she was also there among the commanders in Kiri front. Although she had married into the Uzumaki Clan, that did not mean she had abandoned her profession as a ninja. She was still the master of Lava Release and Boil Release, both terrifyingly deadly abilities capable of turning entire battlefields into hell.
The cold sea breeze brushed against her hair as she stood at front, her sharp eyes fixed on the distant forces approaching from Kirigakure's direction.
However, she had not come to the battlefield merely to fight.
A part of her still hoped that things could somehow be stopped before they spiraled completely out of control. Surely, within Kirigakure's army, there had to be people who did not want this war. There had to be factions still capable of reason. Perhaps she could utilize that and prevent Kirigakure from sinking even deeper into this abyss of destruction and bloodshed.
Even then, despite the scale of the invasion, she did not doubt for even a second that Uzushiogakure or the Uzumaki Clan would lose.
Living among the Uzumaki Clan for so long, she had personally witnessed the terrifying strength possessed by every single Uzumaki sibling.
And above all else—
She had absolute confidence in Shanks Uzumaki, the clan head of the Uzumaki Clan.
In her mind, if Shanks alone truly went on a rampage and directly faced both the entire Kirigakure army and the incoming Akatsuki forces from the other side, he could decimate both armies by himself without much issue. Uzushiogakure would not even suffer meaningful damage.
But he was not doing that.
First of all, he was the Uzukage. He did not need to personally make a move every single time someone attacked the village. And secondly, this war itself was also an opportunity—a chance to temper and further strengthen Uzushiogakure's army through real battle.
Because of that, war had become completely inevitable.
On the other battlefield, Benimaru stared toward the Six Paths of Pain and then toward Konan standing nearby. Behind them stretched a massive force of more than a thousand ninjas modified with Hashirama cells. The atmosphere itself felt heavy as countless killing intents gathered together beneath the darkened sky.
Benimaru slowly stepped forward.
The moment he did, an overwhelming pressure exploded outward from his body as he released his Demon Lord's Haki.
BOOM.
The air itself seemed to tremble. Several weaker modified ninjas instantly stiffened, their expressions turning pale as an invisible force crashed down upon them like a mountain. Even the ground beneath Benimaru's feet cracked slightly with each step he took forward.
A faint grin appeared on his face, though there was no warmth in it.
While walking ahead, he said, "It seems you both have grown quite a lot of guts after I haven't seen you for so long. Really."
His burning eyes locked onto Konan and the Paths of Pain.
"Years ago, you came here acting as messengers of peace, trying to request my Onii-san, the Uzukage, to give up the war, to give up revenge and all that bullshit."
His voice gradually turned colder.
"And now here you are… initiating a whole fucking war yourselves."
Benimaru did not hesitate in the slightest, nor did he hold back his curse words.
Because he simply did not have to.
The Deva Path of Pain stepped forward and said, "At that time, when we met the Uzukage, he told us that only strength could truly be used as power to stop the world from falling into endless war."
His ripple-patterned eyes stared directly at Benimaru without wavering.
"And we learned that lesson the hard way. But now we understand. So, for the greater good of the world, this attack is necessary."
Benimaru immediately clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Tsk."
A visibly irritated look appeared on his face as he said, "Shut up. I don't like talking to corpses."
Clearly, Benimaru already knew that the Yahiko standing before him was not truly alive. Although the body looked alive and could easily fool ordinary sensory ninjas, fooling him was impossible. He could clearly sense the unnatural emptiness within the body standing in front of him.
After hearing Benimaru's words, the Deva Path did not bother giving any rebuttal.
On the contrary, he simply raised his hand slightly and coldly uttered a single word.
"Attack."
The voice was not loud, yet it somehow echoed clearly throughout the entire battlefield.
The moment Nagato gave the order, the ground beneath the Uzumaki Shinobi Army suddenly began to shake violently.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Without warning, countless White Zetsu burst out from underground like horrifying creatures crawling out of the depths of hell itself. Dirt and shattered rocks flew everywhere as the pale monsters lunged toward the Uzumaki shinobi with twisted grins on their faces.
Their numbers were enormous.
Thousands upon thousands.
However, it seemed the Uzushiogakure Shinobi Army had already been prepared for exactly this kind of ambush.
The moment the White Zetsu emerged, the Uzumaki shinobi instantly reacted with astonishing coordination. Their movements were sharp and synchronized, as though they had rehearsed this scenario countless times before.
Some leapt backward the instant the ground cracked beneath them.
Others directly counterattacked mid-motion.
Weapons flashed across the battlefield while explosions of chakra erupted one after another. The previously tense silence was instantly replaced by the deafening chaos of war.
A few shinobi immediately formed hand seals at incredible speed before slamming their palms directly onto the attacking White Zetsu.
The moment contact was made, large sealing marks appeared on the White Zetsu's bodies.
Dark patterns rapidly spread outward like black cracks crawling across their skin, wrapping around their entire bodies within seconds. The White Zetsu began shrieking strangely as the seals activated, their movements slowing as the sealing formula suppressed them completely.
Meanwhile, more White Zetsu continued emerging from underground nonstop, flooding toward the battlefield like a relentless tide.
As soon as those markings fully spread across the White Zetsu's bodies, a few moments later—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted all across the battlefield.
The technique was extremely similar to explosive tag markings, except instead of being painted onto paper, the seals had been directly imprinted onto the White Zetsu themselves. Flames burst outward violently as pieces of burned wood-like flesh scattered through the air. The White Zetsu were completely blasted apart and reduced to charred remains within seconds.
The Uzushiogakure Shinobi Army continued their counterattack without pause.
Some shinobi wielding swords flashed through the battlefield with swift movements, directly decapitating White Zetsu one after another. Heads flew into the air while bodies collapsed endlessly onto the blood-soaked ground.
Others unleashed powerful Fire Release techniques, massive waves of flames roaring across the battlefield and swallowing groups of White Zetsu whole. The intense heat distorted the surrounding air as screams echoed amid the inferno.
Meanwhile, several groups of Uzushiogakure shinobi quickly coordinated together and activated large-scale sealing techniques.
Multiple shinobi formed circles while weaving hand seals in synchronization. Soon, enormous sealing barriers rose across different sections of the battlefield like glowing transparent domes.
The trapped White Zetsu immediately started panicking.
The moment they were sealed inside, their chakra became heavily suppressed, their movements slowing drastically as complex sealing formulas spread beneath their feet.
Then—
Several Uzushiogakure shinobi directly entered those barriers.
What followed was nothing short of slaughter.
Inside the sealed zones, the White Zetsu were butchered mercilessly. Blades pierced through bodies while jutsu exploded at point-blank range. Their shattered remains painted the interior of the barriers as the Uzumaki shinobi efficiently cleaned out the trapped enemies one after another.
The war had truly begun.
Watching the battlefield descend into complete chaos, Benimaru slowly grinned.
The sword resting horizontally against his waist behind his back slightly shifted as he grabbed its hilt.
Shhhk—
He slowly began unsheathing the blade while calmly walking forward. A terrifying heat started radiating from his body, making even the air around him shimmer faintly.
"Well then," Benimaru said with a dangerous smile, "if you came here for battle, then I'll make sure you get a very good one."
His eyes locked onto the Deva Path.
"And none of you will return alive."
The moment those words left his mouth—
Benimaru disappeared from where he stood.
BOOM!
The ground beneath him shattered instantly from sheer force as he blitzed toward the Deva Path at terrifying speed, his partially unsheathed sword leaving behind a trail of blazing heat.
At the same time, Yoko moved as well.
On another section of the battlefield, he calmly clapped both his hands together.
Immediately, countless thick thorn-covered green vines erupted violently from the ground like living monsters awakening beneath the earth. The vines rapidly spread throughout the battlefield, wrapping around White Zetsu and the Hashirama cell-modified ninjas alike.
The moment they were captured, the vines tightened mercilessly.
Crack. Crunch.
Bones shattered while bodies were crushed alive under the immense pressure. Some enemies desperately tried to escape, but the vines continued multiplying endlessly, hunting them down from every direction.
Yoko stood calmly amidst the chaos, his expression composed while controlling the battlefield almost effortlessly.
It was a complete domination.
On the other side of the Uzushiogakure, Erza and Mereoleona had also encountered their opponents.
Leading Kirigakure's forces was the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura himself.
The atmosphere between the two armies immediately grew tense the moment he appeared.
Erza directly stepped forward to face him, taking command of the battlefield while issuing rapid orders to the surrounding shinobi at the same time. Her armor gleamed beneath the dim battlefield light as numerous magical swords materialized around her.
As for Mereoleona—
She completely ignored the ordinary soldiers.
Instead, a wild grin spread across her face as she directly targeted the S-rank squad leaders among the modified ninjas. These were monsters whose strength far surpassed ordinary Jonin and stood only slightly below the Kage-level fighters of the major villages.
Flames exploded around Mereoleona's body as she cracked her knuckles excitedly.
Finally—
She had found opponents worth fighting.
----
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