The remaining thousand Mist shinobi surged forward like predators that had smelled blood, bursting across the water from every direction with blades and killing intent aimed directly at the Uchiha Crimson Guard. Their movements were swift and coordinated, feet gliding across the surface as they tightened their encirclement. At the same time, dozens of Kirigakure shinobi began forming hand seals, unleashing waves of Water Release techniques toward the shoreline and the shattered buildings where the Crimson Guard had taken position, attempting to overwhelm them with sheer volume and pressure.
A clear female voice suddenly cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding, instantly drawing attention across the battlefield. Mikoto had appeared at the very edge of the most intense frontline, slipping through the storm of blood and mist like a crimson shadow. She stood atop a broken stone pillar, her long black ponytail whipping violently in the wind as her posture remained perfectly straight, like a blade waiting to fall. The softness that usually lingered in her expression had vanished completely, replaced by a cold, unyielding gaze. Her Sharingan burned crimson as it reflected the firelight and the waves below.
She raised her hand without hesitation and brought it down in a decisive motion.
"Kill them all."
The Crimson Guard moved instantly.
They abandoned their defensive positions without a second thought and launched themselves forward from the ruins like a wave of living fire, crashing directly into the advancing Mist forces. Some ran across the water as if it were solid ground, while others used the Body Flicker Technique to burst forward, leaving rippling distortions in their wake as they changed direction mid-charge. At the front, Shisui, Yashiro, and the other three-tomoe Uchiha pierced straight through the enemy ranks like an arrow striking the heart.
Any Water Release technique or Mist shinobi that dared to stand in their path was cut down instantly. The predictive power of the Sharingan combined with refined Uchiha swordsmanship left no room for resistance. Every movement flowed seamlessly into the next, each strike delivered without hesitation. Water and blood sprayed into the air together, and the clash of steel mixed with the screams of the wounded, forming a brutal rhythm that echoed across the battlefield.
On the flanks, jōnin-level Uchiha operated with flawless coordination, intercepting Mist squads attempting to flank and cutting them apart with ruthless efficiency. Behind them, the Crimson Guard's chūnin advanced in formation, their Sharingan tracing arcs of red light through the chaos. Water techniques collided violently, blades clashed in rapid succession, and the Mist shinobi's natural advantage in aquatic combat was crushed without mercy.
The entire formation of the Crimson Guard became a blazing red spear—precise, relentless, and unstoppable. In a single coordinated charge, the seemingly overwhelming encirclement of the Mist army shattered completely. Blood spread across the lake's surface, and where the Crimson Guard passed, corpses floated in their wake, some still twitching weakly before going still.
Beneath the surface, Fuguki Suikazan remained hidden, Samehada clenched tightly in his grip. His mind was steady, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But that opening never came.
Instead, what he saw through the distorted water above him froze his thoughts completely.
His army—his elite force of over a thousand shinobi—was collapsing.
Two hundred Uchiha were tearing through them as if they were nothing.
Shock struck him like ice water.
This should have been a massacre—but not like this.
The advantage had been his. Numbers, terrain, positioning—everything had favored Kirigakure.
And yet—
They were being annihilated.
His grip on Samehada tightened, knuckles turning pale as fury and disbelief surged through him. The realization came quickly and mercilessly. From the very beginning, he had walked straight into a trap. The baited supplies, the weak defenses, the quiet city—it had all been staged. Worse, the Crimson Guard's strength had been deliberately concealed.
The intelligence had been wrong.
Or rather—
They had been deceived.
A cold dread crept into his chest.
Failure on this scale would never be forgiven in the Bloody Mist.
He could not allow this to end here.
Suppressing his anger, Suikazan shifted his position beneath the water like a predator circling in the deep. Instead of targeting Fugaku, he changed course and set his sights on the Crimson Guard's flank.
Above the battlefield, Mikoto observed the collapsing Mist army without a trace of hesitation. Beside her, the black ninja cat watched with narrowed eyes, clearly unimpressed.
"They're weaker than expected," it muttered. "Should we deploy the Security Division? The Crimson Guard has already spent considerable chakra. There's no need for them to continue taking risks."
Mikoto's expression remained as cold as still water under moonlight.
"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit," she said calmly. "Do not give them even the slightest chance to survive."
The cat immediately understood.
It arched its back and released a sharp, piercing cry.
Moments later, the sound of synchronized movement echoed from three directions. Metal clashed, footsteps thundered, and the noise swelled into a roar that froze the remaining Mist shinobi in place.
From every road and alley, figures in black uniforms surged forward, their arms bearing the flame-fan emblem.
"The Security Division, advance!"
"For Ginza!"
"For the Uchiha!"
More than a thousand voices roared in unison, crashing into the battlefield like a tidal wave. They advanced steadily, sealing off the Mist army's flanks and rear, cutting off all escape.
The final shred of hope vanished.
Even Suikazan, hidden beneath the water, felt his resolve begin to crumble.
Fear crept up his spine.
He burst from the water with a violent splash, his voice filled with desperate urgency.
"Stop engaging head-on! Break formation and scatter! Move toward the eastern, southern, and northern districts!"
His gaze flicked toward the burning warehouse district.
"This area is only a logistics hub," he continued, his voice growing harsher. "The other districts are filled with civilians and nobles!"
A cruel plan took shape instantly.
"Break into those houses! Drag out every civilian you find and use them as hostages!"
"Let's see if the Uchiha are willing to gamble with innocent lives!"
It was his only option left.
Under pressure and fear, the remaining Mist shinobi abandoned all attempts at direct confrontation. Driven by desperation, they dove beneath the water and rushed toward the populated districts.
At that moment, as Mikoto prepared to move, her gaze suddenly lifted.
The sky had changed.
At first, it was only a faint glow.
Then thunder rolled across the heavens, deep and overwhelming, as if the sky itself were tearing apart.
Blinding blue lightning burst from a swirling vortex of clouds.
From within it—
A colossal dragon emerged.
Its body stretched across the sky like a mountain range, every scale flickering with violent electricity. The sheer pressure of its presence crushed down on the battlefield, forcing every shinobi to freeze instinctively.
Mikoto's pupils contracted.
"The Ginza Tower…"
"…Anlan."
High above, a lone figure stood against the storm.
Uchiha Anlan.
His robes whipped violently in the wind as he raised his sword toward the heavens. Lightning converged upon the blade, resonating with its edge as if responding to his will.
Then—
He swung.
"Lightning Release—Azure Dragon Break."
The dragon descended.
Not as a creature—
But as catastrophe.
The sky turned white.
Thunder exploded outward in a deafening shockwave that tore through the battlefield, forcing blood from ears and noses as countless shinobi staggered.
And then—
Impact.
The dragon struck the lake and surrounding streets where the Mist forces were most concentrated.
The explosion that followed defied description.
Lightning spread in every direction, devouring everything within hundreds of meters. Water vaporized instantly, the ground shattered and melted, and buildings disintegrated under the sheer force of the strike.
Mist shinobi caught within the blast didn't even have time to scream. Some were reduced to ash instantly, while others were torn apart as their defenses collapsed like paper.
In a single attack—
More than one-third of the Mist army vanished.
Their desperate plan to use hostages was erased before it could even begin.
As the lightning faded, the battlefield fell silent.
Smoke drifted slowly across the ruins, and faint arcs of electricity still crawled across the water.
On the rooftop of Ginza Tower, Anlan sheathed his sword.
Below, both sides stood frozen.
The Crimson Guard and the Security Division lowered their heads in unison.
Victory had already been decided.
Because after that strike—
There was nothing left to fight.
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