On the coast, Konoha's defensive line had been torn to shreds, the fortifications ripped apart as if by a hurricane.
The ground was littered with the dead and heavily wounded, their miserable cries echoing in the air.
Under such a dense assault, even the Uchiha shinobi with their Sharingan activated had inevitably suffered casualties.
The squad leader, Fugaku Uchiha, had escaped injury thanks to his formidable skill, but his clansmen had not been so lucky.
Seeing his kin lying scattered on the ground, grief and rage erupted from his heart like a volcano.
"You bastard, I will never forgive you!"
The boiling rage fed his Sharingan. The three tomoe in his eyes spun violently, merging into a single, pinwheel-like pattern.
Fugaku's body shot forward like an arrow released from its bow.
On the beach, Sakumo Hatake, who had dodged the initial attack, grit his teeth as he took in the devastating casualties on the defensive line. He became a white blur, weaving around the Third Mizukage.
"I will not let you use another jutsu!"
"Hmph, we'll see about that." The Third Mizukage, having already embraced death, showed no fear. He manipulated the seawater to both defend himself and attack Sakumo.
However, he had underestimated Sakumo Hatake.
Concentrating both wind and lightning nature transformations into his blade, Sakumo turned his sword into the white fang of a wild beast. He lunged forward, slashing the water wall surrounding the Third Mizukage into a spray of droplets, his momentum unchecked as his blade cleaved the Mizukage in two.
The Third Mizukage's entire body dissolved into a puddle of water, scattering across the sand before coalescing back into his human form.
This was the Hōzuki clan's signature ability—the Hydrification Technique.
But this time, a flicker of electricity coursed through his body, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Sakumo had wounded him.
"Damn it!" The Third Mizukage refused to fall here; his mission was not yet complete.
But just as he was about to form a hand seal, black flames erupted on his body. The unbearable burning pain forced a grunt from his lips.
He turned his head, his eyes meeting the strange, hate-filled gaze of Fugaku Uchiha.
"The Sharingan?"
"Black flames? Is this your attack, Fugaku?" Sakumo asked, landing beside him.
"Yes. He's already dead, Captain Hatake. You don't need to attack anymore. Otherwise, you'll be in danger as well," Fugaku said confidently, pressing a hand to his aching eye.
He had read about it in his clan's records. This was the dōjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan, a level above the three-tomoe Sharingan. It was called Amaterasu—heavenly flames that could never be extinguished until they had incinerated everything to ash.
"Is that so?" Trusting his comrade, Sakumo stood his ground, watching as the Third Mizukage tried various methods to extinguish the black flames, all to no avail. Finally, with one last sentence, he was burned to nothing but ash.
"The Land of Water is the strongest!"
"Hmph. Does a madman who started the Bloody Mist policy even have the right to say such a thing?" Fugaku said with disdain.
"There was something strange about the Third Mizukage's surprise attack. Their main force should be arriving soon. I'll hold them here. You take the wounded and retreat," Sakumo said.
He took a few steps forward, leaving only his back visible to Fugaku.
"Captain Hatake... I understand." Sensing Sakumo's resolve, Fugaku nodded heavily and quickly departed.
Sakumo faced the sea, watching fixedly as the fleet of ships sailed closer. He sighed. "Forgive me, Kakashi. I can't be with you any longer."
Aboard the ships, Yagura sensed the Third Mizukage's chakra vanish completely and lowered his head grimly.
Even though I disagreed with many of the things Master did during his reign, I know he was truly thinking of the Mist Village and the Land of Water.
Genji nodded. "If his talent hadn't been so exceptional, perhaps he wouldn't have contracted the blood-stain disease, and he wouldn't have been so desperate for quick success."
"Genji, once this war is over, I want to end the Bloody Mist policy in our village."
"You are the new Mizukage. The decision is yours."
"Thank you."
Yagura looked up, his gaze fixed on the coastline ahead, his eyes burning with a powerful fighting spirit. "Now, it is my turn, as the Mizukage, to fight for the Village Hidden in the Mist!"
In that battle, the Third Mizukage broke through Konoha's defensive line, inflicting nearly a hundred casualties before being killed. Sakumo Hatake held the rear alone and died a hero's death, but he delayed the advance of the Mist Village forces, successfully buying time for Konoha's reinforcements to arrive.
The surprise attack from the Mist had turned into a frontal war of attrition.
Land of Earth, Village Hidden in the Stone.
With the Village Hidden in the Grass carrying out sabotage and assassinations from within, and the main force of the Village Hidden in the Rain attacking from without, even the Iwa-nin, known for their unity and numbers, could not withstand the assault. They were pushed back again and again.
After just two days, Iwagakure had suffered successive defeats, and the battlefront had reached the very entrance of their village.
At this moment, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and the Fourth Tsuchikage, Kitsuchi, led all remaining able-bodied shinobi to the pass at the village entrance, preparing to make a final stand using the treacherous terrain.
"Iwagakure has reached its final moment of life and death! Behind us is the village where we live, our home! We have nowhere left to retreat! Let us summon our last ounce of strength and defend our homeland!"
The Fourth Tsuchikage's pre-battle speech was a success, and everyone's fighting spirit soared.
"We swear to defend our home to the death!"
"We swear to defend our home to the death!"
Amidst the roars that shook the heavens, the army of the Village Hidden in the Rain, led by the Ice-Fire Clone, appeared within the Iwa-nin's line of sight.
"Ooh, their morale is quite high. A cornered beast, I suppose," the Ice-Fire Clone remarked.
"Let me go. With poison, I can quickly make them despair again," Hanzo offered.
"Hanzo, you're too cruel. Still thinking about poison at a time like this? That's just twisting the knife."
The Ice-Fire Clone shook his head. "But I like it. It's just that your poison alone isn't reliable enough. They've probably already figured out how to deal with you. So, let me handle this."
He stepped forward from the crowd and, under the reverent gazes of all the Rain-nin, flew into the air and raised his right hand.
A surging torrent of fire-type power burst forth from the Flame Plate, flowing out of his body and coalescing in his right hand.
Soon, a fireball larger than the surrounding mountain peaks appeared in everyone's vision, nearly blotting out half the sky.
"What... what is that..."
The Iwa-nin couldn't help but tremble, instantly pushed to the brink of collapse.
"Is this Kaito's power? This isn't something a human should possess," Onoki said, nearing despair himself.
If a fireball that large were to fall, the entire Village Hidden in the Stone would be wiped off the map, disappearing without a trace.
The Ice-Fire Clone deliberately paused, letting them feel the terror, before shouting loudly, "One word: Surrender or die?"
Onoki and Kitsuchi looked at each other, then lowered their heads grimly.
"We, the Village Hidden in the Stone, surrender."