Chapter 312:
Nightfall.
Kirigakure.
Outside the village, the zombies were gradually gathering.
"The number of zombies is increasing."
Standing on the wall beside Modern Boruto, Kagura looked down at the zombies roaring upward and commented.
"Yeah, they must be coming in from other areas too," Modern Boruto nodded, then turned to ask Kagura, "How many bows and arrows have we prepared?"
"We've just about managed to ensure everyone has one, but… most people can't aim properly."
Kagura responded with a worried expression.
"We don't have a choice. Even just slowing the zombies down a little is good enough."
Inside Kirigakure—
The zombies that had escaped from Shizōma's home and gone into hiding began to stir again as the sun set.
Almost everyone had gone to the frontlines to try and hold back the zombies' advance. Only some children, the elderly, and women remained in the village.
"Huh? Why is there still someone over there?" A woman, who had been looking after her daughter and was wearing a worried expression over her husband who had gone to the front, pointed at a staggering figure and said, "Hey! Are you alright?"
The stumbling figure suddenly froze, slowly turned its head, and then charged at the woman with terrifying speed.
It wasn't until the figure was close that she realized it was a corpse with rotting flesh—but by then, it was already too late. The zombie tackled her to the ground, and her daughter stood nearby, screaming.
Outside Kirigakure, the mass graves dug in advance were quickly filled with the swarming zombies.
"Shuyu, now!"
As soon as Modern Boruto gave the signal, Shuyu activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and shouted, "Amaterasu!"
Black flames erupted in the pits, burning the zombies' corpses as fuel.
To avoid the flaming pits, the zombie horde was forced to split up and detour around them.
After using Amaterasu on four pits in succession, Shuyu was clearly exhausted.
"Shuyu, are you okay?"
Sarada, who had just recovered, supported him and asked.
"I'm fine. Just need a bit of rest," Shuyu replied to her, then looked at Modern Boruto and said, "My ocular power is almost depleted."
"Alright, take a break for now, Shuyu."
Modern Boruto nodded.
"Boruto, the zombies are reaching the base of the wall!"
"I'm on it!" Hearing Kagura's urgent voice, Modern Boruto replied and turned to Shuyu. "I'll head over to help."
"Okay."
"We're running low on arrows over here!"
One of the villagers shouted.
"I'll go check the village and hurry them up."
Everyone in Kirigakure had mobilized to fight the zombie threat. The adult men held the frontlines atop the walls, while the elderly, women, and children stayed behind to sharpen tree branches into makeshift arrows.
"Hurry it up!"
…
Inside the village, an elderly man awoke from sleep in pain after being bitten. The woman who had turned into a zombie gradually lost all reason and began chasing her own child.
"Shizōma! Lord Shizōma!" A woman being pursued by zombies spotted a man and cried out with joy, "Lord Shizōma! I don't know why there are zombies in the village—please help us!"
As one of the new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Shizōma naturally held the villagers' trust.
"Oh, that? Actually, I was the one who let the zombies into the village."
As he spoke, Shizōma kicked the desperate woman toward the pursuing zombies. They swarmed and tore her apart.
As the woman was devoured, her face twisted in disbelief as she stared at Shizōma.
…
"Does anyone still have arrows?!"
"I'm out over here!"
"Same here!"
The news of depleting arrows kept spreading.
"What's going on? No one brought more up from the rear?"
Modern Boruto asked.
"No," Kagura shook his head. "I'll go check it out myself."
"Alright."
With Boruto's nod, Kagura used the Body Flicker Technique to quickly head into the village.
But by this time, the village was eerily silent—no signs of life, only the stillness of death and zombies wandering the streets.
"Why is it so quiet?"
Landing on a rooftop, Kagura frowned, sensing something off and raising his guard.
"Kagura."
Hearing a voice behind him, Kagura quickly turned—and upon seeing the man, he relaxed. "So it's you, Shizōma. Do you know what's going on here? Why is no one around?"
"People? Aren't they all right there?"
Shizōma threw a kunai down to the ground below. The sound of metal striking drew the nearby zombies, who quickly converged.
"Zombies?! What the hell is going on?!"
Seeing the growing horde gathering below, Kagura's face filled with shock.
"Kagura! You traitor to the village and the nation!"
Taking advantage of Kagura's distraction, Shizōma lunged with his Blade.
Though Kagura quickly drew his shuriken and blocked the attack—narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two—the force of the strike shattered the roof they stood on.
As debris and dust fell, Kagura managed to put distance between them mid-fall.
But now, the zombies were also lunging toward him.
Kagura sidestepped one of them and countered with a kick, sending it flying.
Watching Kagura struggle against the zombies, Shizōma said, "Kagura, I will become the new Daimyō of the Land of Water. With these zombies, the other nations will eventually fall to us. When that happens, the Land of Water will rise again to greatness. Kagura, I'll give you one last chance—if you join me now, the title of Eighth Mizukage will be yours."
"A Land of Water overrun by zombies—is that even still the Land of Water?! Shizōma, your actions will only bring disaster to the entire Shinobi World!"
"So you refuse? That's a shame. As the grandson of the Fourth Mizukage, I actually had high hopes for you." Shizōma shook his head in disappointment. "If you won't join me, then become a zombie and continue serving the Land of Water!"
"Water Style: Water Prison Technique!"
Kagura quickly formed hand seals, and water surged up from beneath his feet.
The Water Prison formed, enclosing Kagura. The zombie horde—afraid of water—hesitated to approach. Then, suddenly, the water exploded outward, sending torrents flooding in all directions and scattering the zombies.
Kagura used the opportunity to escape and rush back to the frontlines to inform Modern Boruto of everything that had happened.