Front Lines – A Canvas of Carnage
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battlefield was a chaotic tableau of destruction. Explosions ripped through the ranks of the invading forces, sending limbs and viscera flying in gruesome arcs. Shouts of agony mingled with the guttural cries of combat, a horrifying symphony of war played out amidst the shattered trees and blood-soaked earth. Where an enemy shinobi stumbled, an Uzumaki warrior, their red hair a crimson banner of defiance, would descend with lethal precision, kunai flashing like silver lightning.
The Uzumaki clan, fueled by a desperate resolve and Akashi's strategic foresight, had already decimated the enemy numbers, reducing their initial overwhelming force to a mere third. It was a victory bought in rivers of enemy blood, but not without a terrible cost. For every three invaders felled, nearly one Uzumaki warrior lay still, their lifeblood staining the soil of their beloved home.
Approximately three to four thousand Uzumaki shinobi remained, a stark reminder of the brutal exchange. Yet, their sacrifice had yielded a staggering twenty-five thousand enemy dead, a testament to their ferocity and the effectiveness of their explosive gambit.
No one felt the weight of these losses more acutely than the aged Clan Head, Ashina Uzumaki.A deep furrow creased his brow, and his gaze swept across the ravaged landscape, each fallen crimson-haired figure a dagger thrust into his heart.
He had guided this clan for over four decades, even before the establishment of Konoha, and in all his long years, he had never witnessed such a devastating loss of Uzumaki life, not even during the two previous Great Shinobi Wars.
A low groan escaped his lips. "So many brethren…" He bit down hard on his lower lip until the metallic tang of blood filled his mouth, a physical manifestation of the anguish tearing through him.
"Something troubles you, Lord Ashina?" Asahi, his son-in-law, approached, his own face grim but his demeanor more resolute.
"Are we not… winning?"
Ashina shook his head, his gaze distant. "Yes, Asahi, we are winning. But victory tastes like ash when it is purchased with the lives of our own." The weight of his leadership, the responsibility for the fallen, pressed heavily upon him. He knew the invasion had been forced upon them, knew the other villages had left them no other choice, yet the sight of so much death on their sacred land was a profound torment.
Asahi placed a comforting hand on his father-in-law's shoulder. "It is a great tragedy, Father-in-law. But the Uzumaki have always been resilient. We will overcome this." His words were meant to offer solace, but the underlying tension in his voice betrayed his own awareness of the precariousness of their situation.
Suddenly, a frantic voice cut through the din of battle. "Clan Head! Our sensors report… the Kage! They are approaching rapidly! And… a Jinchuriki!" The young clansman's voice trembled with fear.
"Did they identify the Jinchuriki?" Asahi's question was sharp, pragmatic. Knowing which Tailed Beast they faced was crucial. The power disparity between them was significant.
"Yes, sir! The reports indicate it is… the Seven-Tailed Jinchuriki, Kenji of Takigakure."
A thoughtful frown creased Asahi's brow. "Kenji, hmm? Wasn't he the one who distinguished himself during the Second Great War? If so, then his Jinchuriki status is… understandable."
"Father-in-law," Asahi said, his eyes locking with Ashina's, a grim determination hardening his features. "The masks are ready."
Ashina's gaze flickered towards the rear lines, where several masked elders stood prepared.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Hm. Good. But no one is to utilize them unless I give the direct order. Now… shall we go and greet our esteemed guests?"
With synchronized Body Flickers, Ashina and Asahi vanished from their position, leaving a swirl of leaves in their wake.
It didn't take long for them to intercept the approaching Kage.
The leaders of the invading forces, drawn by the sheer scale of the explosions and the sudden cessation of communication from their vanguard, were heading directly towards the heart of the Uzumaki resistance. The two groups met in the ravaged no-man's-land, the air thick with anticipation. As the imposing figures of the Kage came into view, the remaining Uzumaki and enemy shinobi instinctively retreated, forming a tense perimeter around their respective leaders.
"Well, well," the Raikage boomed, a wide, arrogant grin stretching across his dark features. "If it isn't the Uzushiokage, Lord Ashina. From what I can see, your little whirlpool has been causing quite a stir amongst my men! Mind if we… join the festivities?" Even as he spoke, Onoki, the Tsuchikage, levitated silently into the air, a malevolent glint in his ancient eyes, already prepared for battle. Beside him, Kenji, his youthful face taut with a mixture of apprehension and determination, shifted into a combat stance, a silent communion passing between him and the beast sealed within.
"Fellow Kage," Ashina began, his voice resonating with a weary authority, "as the Clan Head of the Uzumaki, I beseech you… it is not too late to turn back." Despite the fury that still simmered within him at the unprovoked invasion, he understood the catastrophic consequences of slaying Kage. Their deaths would unleash a torrent of retribution, a cycle of violence that would undoubtedly engulf his already battered village.
"This… this bloodshed can be avoided," Onoki interjected, his voice raspy but firm, his gaze fixed on Ashina. "Surrender now. Hand over the secrets of your sealing arts. Do this, and we will… consider sparing your remaining clan." The devastation wrought by the Uzumaki's explosive tactics had only intensified his desire for their unique abilities.
To surrender their techniques was to surrender their very identity, the core of what made the Uzumaki who they were. Onoki's demand was a blatant erasure of their heritage. Even Ashina, a man known for his calm demeanor and his preference for diplomacy, felt a surge of incandescent rage. In that moment, violence ceased to be the last option; it became the only language these invaders understood.
Adamantine Chains!
With a furious roar, Ashina slammed his hands onto the blood-soaked earth. Massive, crimson chains erupted from the ground, lashing out with incredible speed and force. They snaked around Onoki's ankle, yanking the diminutive Tsuchikage off his airborne perch and slamming him unceremoniously onto the ravaged soil.
But Onoki was not one to be caught off guard. Even as he was dragged down, his hands weaved through a rapid series of seals.
Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!
A beam of pure, destructive energy erupted from his mouth, slicing through the air towards the assembled Uzumaki. They scattered, dodging with desperate speed, but one unfortunate shinobi was caught in the jutsu's path. There was no scream, no flash of light, only the silent, horrifying disintegration of flesh and bone into nothingness.
"HAHA! Gotcha, you old fossil!" the Raikage roared, his arrogance momentarily eclipsing his earlier unease.
Lightning-Style Chakra Mode!
A crackling aura of electric blue energy enveloped his body, increasing his speed and striking power exponentially.
"Don't let him use that technique!" Ashina roared. "Surround him with the chains!
Now!"
Adamantine Chains!
Five Uzumaki shinobi, their movements a blur of crimson, unleashed their own Adamantine Chains. The glowing restraints snaked through the air, aiming to encircle the Raikage, cutting off his escape routes and preparing to constrict him.
Onoki, scrambling to his feet, saw the danger his ally was in.
Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!
Another beam of annihilation shot forth, vaporizing a section of the chains, creating a temporary opening. The Raikage, with a burst of lightning-fast speed, exploded through the gap, his electrified fists slamming into the surrounding Uzumaki with brutal force.
BOOM! BOOM! The impact sent shinobi flying, their bodies convulsing from the raw power of his attacks.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, the remaining Uzumaki were struggling to hold back the relentless onslaught of the enemy forces. Many were forced to resort to desperate measures – detonating their hidden explosive tags in suicidal embraces, triggering pre-laid traps with split-second timing, and erecting intricate barrier formations woven from their potent Fuinjutsu.
Ashina's heart ached as he witnessed the brutal exchange. He knew, with a chilling certainty, that they were rapidly approaching a point of no return. The forbidden technique, the Reaper Death Seal, loomed in his mind, a desperate gamble.
"Press harder, men! Hold the line!" a Jonin roared, only to be instantly silenced by a horrifying shriek. "ARGHHH!" Kenji, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, had entered the fray, his burgeoning Tailed Beast Chakra tearing through the Uzumaki ranks. The Jonin's body, ripped in half by an unseen force, fell to the bloodied earth.
"Watch out! He's releasing his Tailed Beast!"
a warning cry went up.
All eyes turned to Kenji, now wreathed in a malevolent red chakra, four distinct tails lashing behind him.
Adamantine Chains! Even in the face of a Tailed Beast, the Uzumaki's instinct was to bind and seal. Dozens of Adamantine Chains shot forth, aiming to restrain the rampaging jinchuriki. Unleashing a Tailed Beast in front of the most renowned sealing masters in the shinobi world was, in hindsight, a grave error.
Kenji roared, attempting to unleash a miniature Tailed Beast Ball, but the Uzumaki were prepared. "Wrap the chains around his mouth!" a veteran commanded. The Adamantine Chains tightened, effectively muzzling the burgeoning catastrophe. Kenji thrashed violently, but his movements were restricted. However, their control was short-lived. Another precise blast of Particle Style from Onoki vaporized the chains, freeing the jinchuriki once more.
"We're losing too many!" Asahi's voice was strained, his eyes locked on Ashina's. "Father-in-law… we have to use the Shinigami. Or else… we will all die here!" He knew Ashina's reluctance to employ the forbidden technique, the terrible price it demanded, but the sheer desperation of their situation left them no other viable option.
Ashina saw the stark reality reflected in Asahi's desperate gaze. He turned back to the brutal battlefield, the cries of his dying clansmen echoing in his ears. A grimace twisted his features. He had been forced into a corner, a choice between the annihilation of his clan and the utilization of a forbidden power. "Do it!" he finally commanded, his voice heavy with regret.
Instantly, several masked elders stepped forward, their movements deliberate and solemn. They performed the intricate hand seals, their voices chanting the ominous incantation.
Reaper Death Seal!
A wave of chilling energy washed over the battlefield. The Raikage and the Tsuchikage, their senses honed by years of combat and survival, felt an instinctive surge of terror. Without conscious thought, they reacted. Onoki propelled himself higher into the sky with a burst of his unique levitation, while the Raikage, enveloped in his lightning-fast chakra mode, blurred into the distance, putting as much space as possible between himself and the source of the terrifying aura.
Kenji, however, caught between his rage and a sudden, paralyzing dread, was too slow. In a moment of fatal distraction, he was once again ensnared by the Adamantine Chains, held immobile as a spectral figure materialized behind the masked elders.
"Is… is that… a Death God?!" a terrified enemy shinobi whispered.
A colossal phantom, its skin a sickly purple, adorned with a white haori and a malevolent grin that promised eternal damnation, materialized into existence. With terrifying speed, it lunged towards Kenji, its ethereal hand passing through his chest, ripping his very soul, along with the struggling form of the Seven-Tails, from his body. The captured Bijuu roared in agony before both souls were consumed by the spectral entity, which then vanished as abruptly as it had appeared.
A stunned silence fell over the battlefield. Enemy shinobi stared in disbelief and terror at the empty husk that was once their Jinchuriki. Slowly, one of the masked elders collapsed, clutching his chest, a torrent of blood erupting from his lips. Utilizing the Reaper Death Seal, especially against a Jinchuriki, had exacted a heavy toll, even on the Uzumaki. The elder would live, but his strength was severely depleted.
Witnessing the swift and terrifying demise of their Kage-level ally, both the Raikage and the Tsuchikage exchanged a silent, horrified glance. An unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them. They turned back towards the remaining masked Uzumaki elders, who stood defiantly, prepared for a second confrontation.
The tense silence hung heavy in the air. Finally, Onoki, ever the pragmatist, spoke. "Ashina," his voice was surprisingly level, considering the events he had just witnessed, "we of Iwagakure will be taking our leave. I no longer perceive any… profit in this endeavor."
Following Onoki's lead, the leaders of the smaller allied villages, their faces pale and their ranks decimated, hastily agreed. The situation had devolved from a promising plunder to a costly and terrifying debacle. There were no spoils worth facing such terrifying power.
The Raikage, despite his hot-headed nature, was still a shrewd Kage. He had long since realized the invasion was a losing proposition, and the sudden appearance of what could only be a Shinigami solidified his decision. Further losses, especially his own, would leave Kumogakure vulnerable.
"Hmph. Fine. We of Kumogakure also see no further benefit in this… engagement."
Ashina watched them prepare to retreat, a weariness settling over him. He knew allowing them to leave empty-handed would breed resentment and future conflict. He needed to offer them a way to save face.
"Fellow Kage," he said, his voice carrying across the ravaged battlefield, "the Uzumaki understand the motivations behind your… visit. Whether it was greed or the pursuit of knowledge, we acknowledge our own role in this conflict. Our exclusive dealings with Konoha, while intended as an alliance, ultimately left us isolated and vulnerable." He paused, considering his next words carefully. "Therefore, the Uzumaki have decided to… broaden our horizons. We will begin offering our unique sealing techniques and services to other villages… under certain mutually beneficial conditions."
The Kage understood. Ashina was offering them a lifeline, a way to return to their villages with something to show for their losses, preventing the inevitable backlash from their Daimyo and village councils. Both Onoki and the Raikage nodded slowly, accepting the offered olive branch.
Without another word, the remaining invading forces began their retreat, their ships turning away from the bloodied shores of Uzushiogakure.
Ashina watched them go, a profound exhaustion settling over him. The immediate threat was gone, but the future remained uncertain. Konoha's betrayal had forced them to stand alone, and the fragile pact they had just forged with their former enemies was built on a foundation of unease. He could only sigh, hoping that this brutal chapter would not be the prelude to another, even more devastating, Shinobi World War.
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End of 5th chapter