Blood Mist Descends!

With the thickening fog, a murderous aura once again permeated the entire battlefield.

Just as Nara Enshui had predicted.

Kirigakure hadn't struck elsewhere—they'd stuck with the simplest, most brutal approach.

A frontal assault.

Row after row of Suiton users unleashed their techniques simultaneously, and in an instant, torrential waves converged, turning the plains of Tsunan Town into a lake.

Creating a battlefield suited to their own style with large-scale Suiton was standard Kirigakure ninja procedure.

But barely a few breaths passed.

A stretch of rocky mountains rose beyond Tsunan Town, forcibly blocking the floodwaters.

The diversity of Konoha's ninja attributes ensured their ranks contained every kind of Chakra nature. Against a towering deluge, the best counter was Earth Release.

And with Sarutobi Shinnosuke—a master of Earth Release—on their side, Kirigakure's terrain advantage vanished without a trace.

Tsunan Town.

Inside the Konoha Camp.

Watching the earthen walls rise to block the Suiton, Jiraiya and the others showed no surprise.

This scene had played out countless times in their previous engagements.

Large-scale positional warfare rendered Kirigakure's proud Silent Killing Technique useless. At this level of battle, Konoha's countless sensory-type ninja had already locked onto every Kirigakure position.

It wasn't just the Byakugan—it was a multi-layered perception network of dogs, insects, toads, and all sorts of other summon beasts!

And once you knew the positions, dealing with them was straightforward.

Stripped of their assassination methods, Kirigakure was no match for Konoha ninja in large-scale frontal combat. That was one reason they'd been unable to take Tsunan Town for so long.

But now, Kirigakure's main force had arrived. Their sheer numbers were enough to compensate for that individual gap.

"I'll handle Yuki Yoru."

Gazing at the endless lake-like water surface before him, Jiraiya spoke in a low voice: "I've fought him several times. His techniques, combined with Ice Release—if I let him run wild on the battlefield, he'll be like a dragon in water. I'll restrain him."

"Then I'll take Yagura."

Fugaku glanced at Jiraiya and picked up the thread.

He didn't want to face Yuki Yoru again.

That guy's techniques were too domineering.

Without activating the Mangekyo, Fugaku had no confidence he could beat him. But if he did activate it, he'd have no cards left to play.

Yuki Yoru had "kept his word" and not leaked the intelligence about his Mangekyo Sharingan, so Fugaku naturally wanted to keep it hidden as long as possible.

"Everyone, since there's a numerical gap between us and the enemy, we must be prepared to fight outnumbered."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke said gravely: "And when facing top-tier geniuses like these, we need to be even more alert!"

"Yes!"

Konoha was fully prepared, waiting for Kirigakure to attack.

But unexpectedly.

The anticipated assault never came.

Yes.

After the Suiton was blocked by Konoha's Earth Release, Kirigakure didn't charge in as usual. Instead, they seemed to be waiting for something.

This unsettled Konoha's high command.

The mist in the air thickened into fog, growing denser and denser.

Vast banks of fog crept forward like a colossal monster, slowly swallowing Tsunan Town.

"The air is thick with Chakra—this is the Kirigakure Technique!"

"Kirigakure's attack is coming!"

"Stay sharp!"

Konoha's side tensed up, standing alert behind the thick earthen walls.

But suddenly, the walls in front of them began to hiss for no apparent reason. Some Konoha ninja moved forward to check, only to be enveloped by the fog and let out agonized, bloodcurdling screams.

"Aaaaah!"

"My face! My eyes!"

"What's happening?!"

Konoha's high command was shocked. Nara Enshui was the first to realize something was wrong: "It's the fog—this fog is abnormal!"

"The fog contains a strong corrosive agent. This isn't the Kirigakure Technique!"

"What?!"

Jiraiya's expression shifted. He leaped up and plunged straight into the thick fog.

Instantly.

He felt a sharp, stinging pain assault his skin.

"Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Jiraiya channeled the chakra within him, and a raging gale burst violently from his mouth. Empowered by his immense chakra, the wind twisted into a tornado, forcibly dispersing all the mist that had blanketed Tsunan Town!

With the thick fog gone, the dire state of the Konoha ninjas was laid bare.

Every ninja who had come into contact with the mist bore large-scale burns and ulcerations on their bodies; some had their skin and flesh corroded down to the bone, revealing stark white skeletons, their lives already lost.

"Damn Mist... Medical Corps, get over here and treat them!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke immediately called for the medical ninjas to tend to the wounded, while he himself scooped up a still-living, screaming casualty and hurried toward them.

But after just a few steps, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's feet suddenly froze.

He turned his head to look at the towering earthen wall behind him.

That dense fog just now had been a highly corrosive mist. Even a mere touch would gravely wound an ordinary ninja. So what about this earthen wall, which had been almost completely shrouded in that fog...

"Not good!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke's face twisted in alarm, and he roared at the top of his lungs: "All Earth Release users, reinforce the wall immediately, NOW!!!"

"BOOM!!!"

Before the Konoha ninjas could react, the earthen wall in front of them suddenly erupted with a sound like an explosion.

The very ground beneath their feet seemed to tremble.

The entire earthen wall burst apart violently, flames surging outward in rippling waves, while scorching heat and thick smoke blasted skyward.

Under the force of such energy, the sturdy wall was shattered into pieces. The water that had been held back by the wall now surged forward like a dam breaking, madly swallowing Tsunan Town!

"This, this..."

The torrent of water, driven by immense pressure, instantly devoured the remnants of the earthen wall, crashing like a tidal wave intent on drowning the entire world!

The wounded had no time to react before they were swept into the current and lost from sight.

The remaining Konoha ninjas immediately coated their feet with chakra, but even so, many couldn't maintain their grip against the sheer force of the flood and were scattered by the water.

In an instant, Konoha's formation fell into chaos!

The next moment.

Thick mist once again filled the air.

Many Konoha ninjas paled, instinctively trying to evade the fog.

The mist spread at lightning speed, covering all of Tsunan Town in moments. But this time, the Konoha ninjas felt no burning sting, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's just a normal Kirigakure Technique, not that corrosive fog from before. Everyone, don't worry—"

Someone shouted, passing along the information.

But before the words could finish, a figure silently appeared behind him and slit his throat.

This was indeed not corrosive mist.

It was a blood mist, brimming with endless killing intent!

Countless figures darted through the fog like ghosts.

Proclaiming the arrival of war and death!