Among this wave of Kirigakure shinobi charging in, quite a few bent down and vanished beneath the water like fish.
Clearly, they intended to use their advantage in both surface and underwater combat to attack the Konoha shinobi from two sides.
Uchiha Yoru let out a cold laugh.
Soon, they would understand what disappointment meant.
Sure enough—
Before the two sides even began fighting, the Kirigakure shinobi hiding underwater jumped back out one after another. While spitting mud from their mouths, they complained,
"What the hell is this? Why is there this dead-stinking sludge underwater?"
Another Kirigakure shinobi also spat repeatedly as he returned to the surface, saying in confusion,
"There was clearly nothing here before the water came in. Why did it suddenly appear?"
Kirigakure shinobi had a huge advantage fighting on water.
After analyzing it carefully, Yoru concluded that the advantage consisted of three parts:
Familiarity and habit with watery environments.
Water Release becoming stronger and faster.
And the ability to move freely underwater.
The first two were natural advantages. Yoru couldn't eliminate them.
But the third could be weakened by setting underwater obstacles.
Only, he also needed the ground to remain flat when there was no water, so it wouldn't become cover for enemies avoiding the flames.
So he thought of compressed sludge.
In truth, it was a kind of dry fiber that expanded after absorbing water.
Its absorption efficiency was extremely high, but because of that, it had no real strength. It could block shinobi vision underwater, but not their movement.
So, out of pettiness, he mixed in a foul-smelling agent.
And now—
It had indeed played a great role.
Even Kirigakure shinobi couldn't endure that all-pervasive stench underwater, and one after another, they surfaced.
But among so many people, there were always brave ones.
They endured the smell and insisted on fighting underwater, bringing enormous trouble to the Uchiha.
Fortunately, there were not many such brave souls.
Fortunately, as Kirigakure shinobi entered combat, fewer people continued using Water Release. The water level quickly dropped, exposing those brave warriors in turn.
Then the Uchiha of the Tiger Unit chopped them to death in a mess of blades.
"The water level is dropping too fast. Way too fast. At this rate, people can't stay underwater at all, and the advantage of ninjutsu and environment isn't enough."
Hōzuki Sakuzuki said,
"I remember the hill Kubota Village sits on only differs from the surroundings by a few meters. This drainage speed is very wrong."
Ryō looked at the faint crisscrossing patterns of water across the high ground and guessed the problem.
Pointing toward the places where the currents were especially rapid, he said,
"The water flow in some places is obviously abnormal. Konoha's shinobi must have dug drainage channels in advance…"
Hōzuki Sakuzuki couldn't help gritting his teeth.
"They prepared quite thoroughly…"
"No matter what, the strategy of flooding is correct. Look—those Konoha shinobi who hide their heads and show their tails have all come out."
Ryō stood up and said coldly,
"Have the shinobi below continue releasing water."
"Since we've already forced those rats out, it's time for me to enter the field."
"I'll lead the Yuki clan's shinobi and slaughter those Konoha shinobi."
"This battle has gone far too badly."
"Let's end it as quickly as possible."
After saying that, Ryō led the Yuki clan's shinobi and charged toward the Tiger Unit's position.
Hōzuki Sakuzuki also stood up and looked toward the southeast of the battlefield.
There stood a giant snake, straight and obvious.
He smiled and said to Kaguya Ren,
"I didn't expect Orochimaru to be here too. I wonder whether he came alone to take a look, or brought a large group of Konoha shinobi with him."
"I'll move around as well. I'll go keep an eye on that snake."
Only then did Kaguya Ren notice the snake in the south. His fists tightened as he asked fiercely,
"Why don't we go together and kill Orochimaru?"
"Hahaha. Kaguya shinobi really are Kaguya shinobi."
"If Orochimaru were that easy to kill, would he still be alive today?"
"Whether me or Orochimaru, neither of us dies easily."
"The secret techniques of our Hōzuki clan still fear Ice Release and Lightning Release."
"But Orochimaru, that shameless snake—no one really knows what he's afraid of."
"No matter how you kill him, in the end, all you can do is peel off a few layers of skin."
"Let's not waste strength on that slippery snake."
"I'll watch him and make sure he has no chance to interfere with the battlefield. That's enough."
Before leaving, Hōzuki Sakuzuki specially warned him again,
"Don't rush over on impulse."
"If Orochimaru set traps over there and ambushed us with several hundred or even a thousand Konoha shinobi, I can still turn into water and slip away."
"But you'd be planted there."
He muttered to himself in a voice everyone could hear,
"If Kaguya shinobi die, then they die. But if all of you die, our retreat afterward will gain countless extra troubles and dangers."
Kaguya Ren grumbled.
In the end, he said nothing and did nothing.
He remained alone in the temporary command post.
…
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru was leading the Tiger Unit, pinching his nose while slaughtering Kirigakure shinobi floundering in the foul-smelling mud.
But progress was not smooth.
Although the Kirigakure shinobi were dizzy from the stench, in this swamp-like environment, Water Release received far too much of a boost.
Even if they used Water Prison Technique to protect themselves, they could continuously replenish it with surrounding water. The Uchiha had to spend great effort peeling apart the water spheres before killing the enemies inside.
Most importantly, as the environment changed, the Fire Release ninjutsu they were best at had been weakened.
Flames gathered more slowly, and their power was greatly reduced.
The Uchiha shinobi quickly realized the problem. One after another, they abandoned ninjutsu, drew their weapons, and relied on the advantage of the Sharingan to engage the enemy in close combat.
Fortunately, the first batch of Kirigakure shinobi who rushed in were of low quality.
Their combat strength was ordinary.
Although the Tiger Unit spent quite some time, they finally defeated the enemy without paying much of a price.
There was no time to clean up the battlefield.
The next wave of enemies had already charged over.
The Tiger Unit could only brace themselves and continue fighting.
More Kirigakure shinobi were rapidly approaching as well. Seeing the situation, the Tiger Unit was about to be trapped and surrounded by enemies with absolute numerical superiority.
Yoru also noticed something.
A uniformly dressed shinobi force of about twelve hundred was rapidly approaching Kubota Village.
The group of shinobi in the lead had extremely obvious traits.
Their slender, enchanting bodies.
Their long, straight, silky black hair.
Their graceful walking movements.
Most importantly, the cold aura that could be felt even from far away.
Although he couldn't see their faces at such a distance, he didn't need to.
Yoru could guess immediately—
They had to be those adorable boys from the Yuki clan.
Yoru immediately felt his scalp go numb.
That they were strong was one reason.
That Ice Release clashed too harshly against Fire Release and could easily injure the Tiger Unit was another.
But most importantly—
This clan was the enemy of fertility.
If they bent someone crooked, death would be preferable.
He, Uchiha Yoru, was absolutely not Dongfang Bubai.
Nor could he possibly be Liu Zhi.
Cannot provoke.
Absolutely cannot provoke.
Yoru no longer dared hesitate.
He blew the sharp copper whistle.
Hearing the command, the Uchiha shinobi of the Tiger Unit simultaneously used their all-in throw.
Explosive tags wrapped around kunai were thrown in handfuls toward the enemy.
The overwhelming bombardment crushed the enemies at lightning speed.
Then the Tiger Unit followed Yoru and rushed out of Kubota Village, charging in the opposite direction from that group of shinobi who looked extremely difficult to deal with.
The moment the Tiger Unit moved, the battlefield instantly fell into chaos.
"The Konoha shinobi are running!"
"Chase them! Catch up and kill them all! They killed so many of us—we can't let them go!"
"Ah! The Konoha shinobi are charging at us! Hahaha, my chance finally came! Watch how I kill—"
Crack.
The excited Kirigakure shinobi had just raised his great blade and begun declaring who he would kill.
Then Uchiha Yoru suddenly appeared and cut both man and blade into four pieces.
After that, he swung his straight sword lightly, tapping the throat of every Kirigakure shinobi nearby and severing their tracheas and arteries.
Because the arterial wounds opened internally, the high-pressure blood did not spray outward. Instead, it flowed directly into their windpipes, filling their lungs.
Every Kirigakure shinobi felt fatal suffocation.
Instinctively, they clutched their own necks with both hands and slowly collapsed amid strange gurgling sounds.
Yoru ignored them.
Instead, he bent down and picked up half of the great blade that had fallen to the ground.
After inspecting it, he tossed it aside in disgust.
"Tch. I thought it was the Kubikiribōchō of the Seven Ninja Swords."
"So it wasn't."
A spark of flame flew over.
As it approached, it expanded into a fireball.
Miwa Masayo's graceful, flexible body leapt out from the fireball.
The tabby cat, claws bared and fangs exposed, flipped her body—
Only to realize there were no living enemies around anymore.
Disappointed, she retracted her white flame claws and jumped back onto Yoru's shoulder.
"Don't be angry. Didn't you already take out twenty Kirigakure shinobi?"
"Not twenty, nya. Twenty-three already, nya!"
"Good, good. Twenty-three. Rika-chan is amazing."
"Hmph. Fake, nya. You've killed at least forty, haven't you, nya?"
"Haha. Seems like it…"
"Yoru, you said my Flame Leap combined with Pure White Claws is an invincible tactical system under heaven."
"Then why can't it compare to you, nya?"
Yoru blew the copper whistle, using changing rhythms to command the Tiger Unit to turn and avoid the Yuki clan's pursuit.
Then he explained,
"Your performance today is poor because of the environment."
"On this muddy water, almost every flame is one you launched yourself. The space for Flame Leap is heavily restricted, so naturally you can't bring it out properly."
"No wonder I hate Kirigakure, nya."
"What about the sea?"
"I don't hate the sea, nya. The sea has biiig meat to eat, and it tastes good, nya."
"Haha. You helped me greatly just now. Endure it a little longer. We'll set a few more fires and give them a proper display."
"Okay, nya."
Yoru watched the Tiger Unit finish turning.
The Yuki clan shinobi also changed direction.
They chased closely, and their route now happened to face Yoru head-on.
Yoru inhaled deeply.
His entire chest swelled like a ball.
Chakra surged like a tide, gathering inside his mouth.
This time, he didn't dare use his hands to regulate the release.
Miwa Masayo jumped onto his head and also inhaled deeply.
Her body arched high like a bridge, her tail standing straight like a flagpole.
Fire spirit natural energy once again gathered inside the tabby cat's mouth.
The chakra Yoru spat out did not become flame.
Instead, fifteen centimeters away from his mouth, it turned into a bright yellow emulsion that emitted an indescribable smell.
Miwa Masayo still spat out a white, snake-like line of flame.
It gently wrapped around the emulsion stream.
In an instant—
It ignited into a surging flow of fire.
This fire current looked especially vicious.
The flames showed complex colors of gold, white, red, and orange. Outside the flames, thick black and white smoke intertwined, rolling and surging as it ignited everything along the way.
Whether stone or human body—
Even the flowing surface of the water—
All burned.
After Kirigakure shinobi were touched by the flames, they still used Water Release to extinguish them.
Some even ignored the terrible stench and dove straight into the water to put out the fire.
But this time—
They discovered that the fire could reignite on its own.
They used every method they had.
Each could easily extinguish the flames.
But in the blink of an eye, the fire would burn again.
Again and again.
Until it burned through skin, muscle, even bone—
And still continued burning deep inside the body.
Kirigakure panicked.
It also triggered the ferocity of shinobi from the Bloody Mist.
Most Kirigakure shinobi drew sharp blades and cut away the burning flesh.
Even if the flames were on their torso, they gritted their teeth and carved the meat out.
The cruelty of this multicolored flame did not stop there.
After Kirigakure shinobi understood how frightening the fire was, some deliberately leapt above the flames.
But when they passed through the drifting black and white smoke, the sharp, choking fumes made them dizzy.
They lost consciousness and fell into the water.
A Kirigakure shinobi cried out in alarm,
"The smoke is poisonous!"
Ryō's heart jumped violently.
He had almost passed through the thick smoke.
He hurriedly turned and circled far around the flames and smoke.
Only after several twists and turns did he finally lead the Yuki clan shinobi away from the threat of the flames.
But by then—
The Konoha shinobi had already circled to the other side of the battlefield and crushed one Kirigakure squad after another.
Ryō gritted his silver teeth until they creaked.
But he could only wave his hand and continue leading his clansmen and vassals in pursuit.
On the battlefield—
The Tiger Unit chased ordinary Kirigakure shinobi and slaughtered them.
The Yuki clan shinobi chased the Tiger Unit and simply couldn't catch them.
The two sides were like playing eagle catching chicks.
Only this mother hen from the Yuki clan was terribly unqualified.
It could only watch helplessly as the Tiger Unit charged left and right, eating away piles of Kirigakure shinobi.
The formation training and physical training the Tiger Unit had received now showed enormous value.
Using the ruins of Kubota Village and several vicious flame zones Yoru had ignited, they spun Kirigakure's elite unit in circles.
It wasn't that the Uchiha shinobi couldn't defeat these Kirigakure elites.
It was that fighting them would take too much time.
Once delayed, more Kirigakure shinobi would surround them, ultimately trapping them in a difficult situation.
What the Tiger Unit pursued now was speed.
So they specifically hunted civilian shinobi who collapsed on contact, disrupting all battlefield organization and dragging the entire Kirigakure force into ever-greater chaos.
Only on a more chaotic battlefield could the Tiger Unit rely on its organizational advantage and freely fish in muddy waters.
After crushing who knew how many groups of Kirigakure shinobi, Uchiha Shigenobu discovered Yoru nearby.
Driven by curiosity, he asked,
"Big Brother Yoru, what ninjutsu was that multicolored flame?"
Yoru thought for a moment before answering,
"It probably can't be considered ninjutsu anymore. It should fall under sage art."
"I used chakra to create something similar to oil, and also created something similar to white sugar. After mixing them together, I wrapped them around finely crushed yellow phosphorus."
"Then the cat sage infused natural energy into it. After the chakra qualitatively transformed into senjutsu chakra, it was ignited."
"I named this oil Hell Oil."
"So naturally, the flame should be called Hellfire."
Using phosphorus as a weapon to attack enemies in the shinobi world—
No one should care, right?
Yoru could tell from the Uchiha's expressions that they didn't understand how vicious the phosphorus oil he had created truly was.
The Uchiha indeed didn't understand.
They all felt that natural energy and senjutsu chakra were the key.
Although they didn't understand those things either, they just felt it was amazing.
Seeing these little brothers looking impressed without understanding, gazing at Miwa Masayo on his head with envy, Yoru secretly laughed.
This was exactly his goal.
As Uchiha Yoru, it was best not to be directly tied to sage art.
The explanation that he could only use sage art by cooperating with the cat sage would make many people less hostile.
He had finally created an identity before.
The settings of "sage" and "sage art" should remain reserved for that identity.
By now, Kubota Village had been completely occupied by the enemy.
But the water level still could not fully submerge the entire village.
The battlefield remained in a half-dry, half-wet swamp state.
This created many forms of cover.
It even allowed fires to be lit as obstacles, ensuring that the Tiger Unit could remain active on the battlefield and continuously create chaos for Kirigakure.
If not for these obstacles, the Yuki clan would have taken the inner route. Their travel distance would have been shorter than the Tiger Unit's, and without combat delaying them, they would have caught the Tiger Unit long ago.
After chasing several times, Ryō gave up.
He had his deputy lead the clan members to continue pursuit, while he himself found Kaguya Ren.
The moment he arrived, he asked,
"How many shinobi are using Water Release right now?"
Kaguya Ren also knew where the problem lay.
He answered,
"All of them have been sent out. Even the Kaguya clansmen are working hard."
"The speed this water is draining away is wrong!"
"You're right. The speed is wrong. It shouldn't be this fast."
Ryō carefully observed the surrounding water flow and finally discovered that the direction of the current had changed.
At the beginning, the flood created by Kirigakure shinobi had flowed away in all directions through the drainage channels.
But now—
All the water was flowing southwest.
"There."
"Come with me and see."
"What exactly is over there?"
"How can it still not be filled even now?"
A few minutes later, they found the problem.
It was a deep pit.
The flood flowed here and poured into the pit, but was swallowed completely by a huge crack at the bottom.
Water surged in from all directions, gathering into this deep pit three or four hundred meters wide.
Then, over that crack roughly thirty meters long and six meters wide, it formed two opposing waterfalls.
Kirigakure shinobi had worked so hard to create the flood.
And in the end—
It disappeared uselessly into the endless darkness of this pitch-black crack.
Seeing this scene, the Kirigakure shinobi looked at one another.
All of them wore faces full of disbelief.
One Kirigakure shinobi even broke out in cold sweat and tried to explain,
"This big crack wasn't here before. Absolutely not."
"I swear!"
His tone was sincere.
He tried to make people believe him.
But there was not the slightest goodwill in anyone's eyes.
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