The Konoha Allied Forces, brimming with morale and ready for a major fight just moments earlier, instantly fell silent. Everyone froze for a moment. They had truly never seen an enemy surrender before the fighting even began.
"...That actually worked?"
Shingetsu felt as though she had been struck by lightning. Dumbfounded, she could only stare blankly at the utterly bizarre scene.
This... this wasn't how I imagined it!
Following the Vanguard's surrender, more and more Kirigakure Ninja switched sides on the battlefield. Countless battered boats across the sea raised white flags.
Furious roars came from the warships far to the rear. A Hyuga Shinobi activated his Byakugan and looked over, identifying the commanders as the ones shouting curses. They even immediately ordered the warships to open fire on the surrendering Kirigakure Ninja.
The naval battle Shingetsu had imagined did happen after all-except Kirigakure was fighting its own people.
Before Konoha could do anything, the battered little boats surrounding the warships braved the cannon fire and encircled the imposing vessels. Kirigakure Ninja leaped off the wrecks one after another and rushed toward the large ships at the rear.
Despite the distance, Shingetsu noticed that most of those rushing over to rebel were shinobi from the Hozuki, Kaguya, and Minazuki clans.
All of them had jumped off the battered boats. The Minazuki clan members used Ice Release to raise ice roads and build ice bridges across the sea, then froze all the waters around the warships. The Kaguya and Hozuki shinobi raced aboard along the ice bridges and began slaughtering everyone in their path.
Shingetsu pondered for a moment and deduced that Byakuren had originally intended to use those three clans as cannon fodder on the front line. She wondered whether the old bastard would die of rage if he saw this.