Victory Against a Hundred

The snow filling the sky suddenly stopped, and the sun reappeared, shining upon the earth.

The weight in Uzumaki Shori's heart finally lifted. It seemed that their side had won the battle over there.

His mood immediately improved. Now, he could focus entirely on the battlefield between the Uzushio Ninja and the Mist Ninja.

He straightened his armor. It was time to announce the victory of the Land of Whirlpools!

"Boom! Boom!"

Both sides unleashed ninjutsu against each other. Thick smoke rose across the battlefield, while the earth was shattered by ninjutsu. It was a battle with no room for retreat.

Chakra gathered beneath his feet as Uzumaki Shori dashed toward the battlefield and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Your Second Uzukage is here!"

On the battlefield, the Uzushio Ninja fought desperately until their strength was exhausted, leaving them with nothing but willpower to keep going.

Their minds had begun to grow hazy.

"Damn it! Was I hearing things?"

But then the voice came again.

A glimmer of light appeared in the clouded eyes of the Uzushio Ninja.

Someone sharp-eyed had already spotted their Second Uzukage—that fiery red hair and golden armor.

"Everyone, look! The Mizukage has already been defeated by our Uzukage! The Uzukage has come to welcome us!"

The Mist Ninja on the battlefield froze, their eyes filled with disbelief. How could their Mizukage have lost? The Land of Whirlpools had clearly been within their grasp.

Uzumaki Shori charged straight onto the battlefield. Body Control activated, his muscles swelled, his chakra control doubled, and he erupted with a powerful aura.

The nearby Mist Ninja were frightened to the ground by his aura, their eyes now full of terror and regret.

How did I end up here? I never should have come here.

Uzumaki Shori had no interest in the Mist Ninja already cowering on the ground. He merely swept his gaze over them.

That Mist Ninja immediately dropped to his knees, his face full of fear as cold sweat poured down his body.

"Lord Uzukage, spare me! The Mizukage forced this kid to come here. Please let me go."

There were also resolute Mist Ninja who, despite trembling all over, met his gaze.

"The Mizukage of the Land of Water would never lose! You must have used some trick! We will never surrender!"

Uzumaki Shori admired the spirit of Mist Ninja who dared to resist, but as the Uzukage of the Land of Whirlpools, he would not show mercy.

His chakra erupted again, filling his crimson eyes.

With a sweeping kick, he sent the Mist Ninja crashing to the ground. The impact carved a human-shaped crater into the earth, and the man could no longer move.

Next.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

One kick for each of them.

The Mist Ninja's resistance had no effect. As Uzumaki Shori advanced, not one of them could withstand a single move.

The Mist Ninja fell into despair and let out their final roar.

"My presence here means your Mizukage has already been defeated by me. Surrender at once, unless you want to throw your lives away for nothing."

Uzumaki Shori's words jolted the Mist Ninja awake, and they dropped the blades in their hands.

They fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces.

Looking at everyone, Uzumaki Shori finally let out a breath of relief.

It seemed the Mist Ninja had accepted their defeat.

The Uzushio Ninja stared at their opponents, watching them kneel, and their hearts burned with excitement.

Unable to believe it, they looked at one another. One Uzushio Ninja roared in wild delight.

"We won! We defeated Kirigakure!"

The other Uzushio Ninja broke into broad smiles and looked toward Uzumaki Shori.

"Long live the Second Uzukage! Long live the Land of Whirlpools!"

Some began searching for their comrades, but no matter how hard they looked, they could not find them. They could only close their eyes and say in their hearts,

"Comrades, we have won. Rest in peace."

Seeing everyone emerge from the murderous emotions of the battle, Uzumaki Shori began directing them.

"Everyone, tie up the Mist Ninja in front of you. Don't let them escape."

Hearing this, those around him immediately began to act.

Raiga Kurosuki had originally wanted to gather with the Mist Ninja.

But as he watched the Mist Ninja being tied up one after another by the Uzushio Ninja, he froze as though his pressure points had been struck.

He stood rigidly in place. They had lost. The Mist Ninja had all lost. The Mizukage had lost too.

The island was surrounded by water on all sides and far from the Land of Water. How was he supposed to escape this island?

At that moment, Raiga Kurosuki wondered whether surrendering now would mean they would not kill him.

The thought flickered through his mind. No, he had to hurry back to the warship.

He would bring out Kirigakure's secret weapon.

As everyone began escorting the Mist Ninja away, Uzumaki Shori quickly assigned the jōnin who still had the strength to head to the battlefields in all directions.

Uzumaki Shori took a deep breath and prayed silently for everyone's safety.

Tsunade led her group toward the area and discovered that the battlefield, once deafeningly loud, had now fallen silent.

Had the battle ended?

Had they won, or had Kirigakure won?

After greeting Orochimaru and the others, she accelerated toward the battlefield and saw the scene before her.

Her eyes found Uzumaki Shori standing in the center, directing everyone.

She swallowed, and excitement immediately filled her entire body.

The Mist Ninja had been tied together. It was clearly a victory for the Land of Whirlpools.

"Uzumaki Shori, turn around and look!"

Uzumaki Shori turned and discovered Tsunade, his father, and the others. He waved his arm.

Tsunade ran over at once and threw her arms around him, expressing her joy at their victory.

Uzumaki Shori stroked Tsunade's golden hair. It was very soft.

"Yes, we defeated Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. When you go back, you can proudly tell Grandma Mito that you defeated Kirigakure."

Tears filled Uzumaki Ashina's eyes as he looked at the ninjas of the Land of Whirlpools.

Every one of them was covered in wounds. They must have endured a brutal battle.

Seeing his son and Tsunade embracing, he wiped away tears with one hand while smiling.

The surrounding Uzushio Ninja also noticed the First Uzukage's arrival. They all smiled, their faces filled with pride.

"Lord First Uzukage, under the Second Uzukage's leadership, we successfully protected the Land of Whirlpools."

Hearing their words, Uzumaki Ashina trembled with even greater emotion. He knew his own abilities well—it was Uzumaki Shori who had led the Land of Whirlpools to victory over Kirigakure.

Only after hugging him for a long time did Tsunade come to her senses. She quickly released him and blinked at Uzumaki Shori.

"How did it feel, holding me for so long?"

Uzumaki Shori felt as though his heart were about to leap out of his chest. He did not know how to answer.

Seeing Uzumaki Shori standing there with his mouth open, unable to say anything, a smile spread across her face.

When Uzumaki Shori saw Tsunade's smile, he immediately relaxed.

Suddenly, a roar echoed from the distance.

"Awoo!"

Everyone present immediately sensed an ominous aura. What kind of monster had made that roar?

As the First Uzukage, Uzumaki Ashina closed his eyes and searched his memories. He seemed to have heard that roar before. Then he abruptly opened his eyes.

"This is bad! It's Kirigakure's Three-Tails, Isobu! How did Kirigakure bring out that monster?"

Uzumaki Shori stepped forward and took command.

"Everyone has fought for a long time and expended much of their strength. Gather at the assembly point. I'll go meet the Three-Tails."

Uzumaki Shori took the lead and charged out.