As the thick fog spread, a murderous atmosphere once again enveloped the entire battlefield.
Just as Nara Enshui had predicted.
Kirigakure hadn't attacked anywhere else. It had chosen the simplest—and most violent—approach, just as before.
A frontal assault!
Rows of Water Release users performed their jutsu in unison. Towering waves converged in an instant, turning the flat terrain around Tsunan Town into a lake.
Using large-scale Water Release Ninjutsu to create a battlefield suited to them was standard practice for Kirigakure Ninja.
But before a few breaths had passed,
a line of earthen hills had appeared outside Tsunan Town, forcibly holding back the waves.
The diversity of Konoha Ninja's chakra natures meant their ranks included users of all kinds. The best way to counter a flood of this magnitude was to hold it back with Earth Release.
And with Sarutobi Shinnosuke, a master of Earth Release, on their side, Kirigakure's home-ground advantage had vanished!
Tsunan Town.
Inside Konoha Camp.
Seeing the earthen walls rise to stop the Water Release, Jiraiya and the others weren't the least bit surprised.
They'd seen this happen countless times in their previous battles.
In large-scale positional warfare, Kirigakure's vaunted Silent Killing Technique was useless. In a battle of this scale, Konoha had countless sensor-type ninja who had already pinpointed the Kirigakure Ninja's locations.
It wasn't just the Byakugan. They had the combined sensory abilities of all sorts of ninja beasts—dogs, insects, toads, and more!
And once they knew the enemy's locations, dealing with them became much easier.
Without their assassination methods, the Kirigakure Ninja were no match for Konoha in a large-scale, head-on battle. That was one reason Kirigakure had been unable to take Tsunan Town despite its repeated assaults.
But now, Kirigakure's main force had arrived. Their sheer numbers were enough to make up for the gap in individual strength.
"I'll take on Yuki Yoru."
Gazing at the vast expanse of water before them, stretching as far as the eye could see like an ocean, Jiraiya spoke gravely. "I've fought him several times. With his techniques and Hyoton, if we let him roam freely across the battlefield, he'll be like a dragon in the water. I'll keep him in check."
"Then I'll take Yagura."
Fugaku glanced at Jiraiya and picked up the conversation.
He didn't want to face Yuki Yoru again.
That man's techniques were simply too overbearing.
Without activating his Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku had no confidence he could beat him. But if he did activate it, he'd have no trump card left.
Yuki Yoru had "kept his word" and hadn't revealed the truth about Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan. Naturally, Fugaku hoped to keep it hidden a little longer.
"Everyone, our numbers are at a disadvantage, so we need to be prepared to fight several enemies at once," Sarutobi Shinnosuke said solemnly. "And when facing top-tier geniuses like these, we must stay alert!"
"Yes, sir!"
Konoha had made thorough preparations and waited for Kirigakure to attack.
But, unexpectedly,
the attack they'd anticipated never came.
That was right.
After Konoha's Earth Release stopped the Water Release, Kirigakure didn't launch an immediate assault as it usually did. Instead, they seemed to be waiting for something.
This made Konoha's leaders uneasy.
The water vapor in the air thickened into fog, growing denser by the moment.
The vast fog rolled forward like a gigantic monster, spreading bit by bit, ready to swallow Tsunan Town whole.
"There's a dense concentration of chakra in the air. This is the Kirigakure Technique!"
"Kirigakure is about to attack!"
"Stay sharp!"
The Konoha Ninja grew tense. Behind the thick earthen walls, they stayed on full alert.
But then, for some unknown reason, the wall in front of them began to hiss. Some Konoha Ninja tried to go forward and investigate, only to be enveloped by the fog. They immediately let out agonized, piercing screams.
"Ahhh!"
"My face! My eyes!"
"What's happening?!"
The Konoha leaders stared in shock. Nara Enshui was the first to realize something was wrong. "The mist—it's not right!"
"The fog is strongly corrosive. This isn't the Kirigakure Technique!"
"What?!"
Jiraiya's expression changed. He leapt up at once and plunged into the thick fog.
At once,
a sharp pain swept across his skin.
"Wind Release! Tornado Hurricane!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Jiraiya channeled his chakra and unleashed a fierce gale from his mouth.
Fueled by his vast chakra, the gale became a tornado, forcibly sweeping away all the fog that had spread over Tsunan Town!
With the fog gone, the horrific state of the Konoha Ninja was revealed.
Every ninja touched by the fog had suffered extensive burns and rotting wounds. Some had even had their skin and flesh eaten away, exposing stark white bone. They were lifeless.
"Damn Kirigakure... Medical team, get over here and treat them!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke immediately called for the medical ninja to treat the wounded. He also picked up a still-living casualty, who was screaming in agony, and hurried toward the medical team.
But after only a couple of steps, Sarutobi Shinnosuke suddenly froze.
He turned to look at the towering earthen wall behind him.
The dense fog had been highly corrosive. Even a little of it could badly injure an ordinary ninja. So what about the earthen wall, which had been almost completely engulfed by the fog...?
"Not good!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's expression changed drastically. He threw back his head and shouted, "All Earth Release users, reinforce the walls immediately! Now!!!"
"BOOM!!!"
Before the Konoha Ninja could react, an explosion-like sound erupted from the earthen wall ahead.
The ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble.
The entire earthen wall in front of them suddenly burst apart. Flames surged outward in rippling waves, and scorching heat rose skyward along with billowing smoke.
The sturdy wall was blasted to pieces by the force of the explosion. The water that had been held back beyond it now rushed toward Tsunan Town like a dam breaking!
"This... This..."
The rushing water exerted enormous pressure, swallowing the remaining earthen walls in an instant. Like a towering wave, it threatened to consume the entire world!
The wounded had no time to react before they were swept into the current and vanished.
The other Konoha Ninja immediately channeled chakra into the soles of their feet. But the current was so powerful that many couldn't control their chakra well enough and were swept away.
In an instant, Konoha's formation fell into chaos!
The next moment,
the dense fog spread again.
Many Konoha Ninja paled and instinctively tried to avoid it.
The fog spread at astonishing speed, covering all of Tsunan Town in an instant. But this time, the Konoha Ninja felt none of the burning pain. They all breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's just the ordinary Kirigakure Technique, not that corrosive fog from before. Everyone, don't—"
Someone shouted, passing on the information.
But before he could finish, a figure silently appeared behind him and slit his throat with a single sweep of the hand.
This wasn't corrosive fog.
It was blood mist, brimming with murderous intent!
Countless figures darted through the fog like ghosts,
announcing the arrival of war and death!
Before you continue