Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen had already fled, Arata wasn't in any hurry to kill him.
That old fox wouldn't escape the palm of Arata's hand anyway.
Even if he made it back to the village, all he'd done was delay his death.
After confirming that Uzumaki Mito was unharmed, Arata glanced toward Uzushiogakure Island in the distance, his brows lifting slightly.
He hadn't expected that his earlier all-out slash would cause such catastrophic consequences.
At that moment, Uzushiogakure Island was shaking violently, as if struck by the most severe earthquake imaginable.
The massive rift carved by the slash had already begun to glow with fiery light.
It wouldn't be long before volcanic activity began.
The scene on the sea was even more staggering.
The enormous fissure Arata had cut through the ocean had just barely closed, and countless tons of seawater rushed inward.
Yet even after the gap was filled, the momentum of the flow didn't stop—within moments, a towering wave tens of meters high had formed.
The wave continued to rise, layers of seawater piling atop one another—
Until it finally reached nearly four hundred meters in height.
Only then did it stop growing.
And in the next instant, the colossal wall of water crashed straight toward Uzushiogakure Island.
Such a wave might sound abstract when described, but standing beneath it inspired nothing but awe at nature's power.
Compared to this, even the most elite Water Style techniques used by Kirigakure shinobi were laughably weak.
On Uzushiogakure Island, the two forces that had been locked in combat had completely stopped fighting.
The allied army, despite its overwhelming numbers, had been holding the advantage earlier—and as a result, their retreat was swift and orderly.
Many had already begun fleeing toward the mainland.
Fortunately, the distance between the Land of Whirlpools and the nearest shore of the shinobi continent was only a little over ten kilometers.
While not exactly short, it was still within a manageable range for shinobi.
Even chūnin, with decent chakra control, could run across water for that distance.
Any farther, however, would be impossible.
Faced with a massive, fast-approaching tsunami, boarding ships would've been a waste of time.
As a result, every shinobi fled on foot across the sea.
Ships were far more useful for long-distance travel—explaining why even figures like Naruto and the Eight-Tails still used boats to reach training grounds rather than walking across the ocean.
....
Arata and Uzumaki Mito were still some distance from the landing shore.
Arata glanced back at Mito, nodded once—
And vanished.
The Uzumaki clan, though a step slower, moved as a unified family and avoided falling into chaos.
Among them, Uzumaki Suigetsu—Mito's younger sister and Uzumaki Kushina's grandmother—had already assumed the role of acting clan head.
Strapped to her back was a massive scroll nearly as tall as a person.
This was the Uzumaki clan's greatest treasure—their sealing arts.
Within it were recorded centuries' worth of sealing techniques developed and refined by the Uzumaki, along with other invaluable ninjutsu.
This scroll was also the true cause of the war.
Without it, no nation would have bothered attacking a remote place like Uzushiogakure.
The island might seem self-sufficient, but it produced no metals, nor the materials needed for explosive tags or other ninja tools.
What truly attracted the invaders was Uzumaki sealing arts.
After a frantic scramble, everyone on Uzushiogakure Island finally managed to escape.
Thankfully, the tsunami was still some distance away—otherwise, there would've been no chance at all.
The Uzumaki landed not far from the allied forces, already able to see their silhouettes in the distance.
Seeing this, Uzumaki Suigetsu urgently gathered all Uzumaki still capable of fighting, attempting to form a defensive line.
But it was futile.
They had lost their homeland, their prepared traps, and their geographical advantage.
Facing twenty thousand enemy troops like this, they stood no chance whatsoever.
At the same time, the allied forces noticed Suigetsu and her hastily assembled group.
Barely eight hundred people—and many were children and elderly with no combat ability.
Those who could actually fight had dropped from over five hundred to just over four hundred.
The brief earlier clash had already cost the Uzumaki dearly.
Seeing this, several Kage-level leaders revealed triumphant expressions.
They already held overwhelming superiority—and now the Uzumaki had suffered losses even before the real battle began.
Their clan head was dead.
Victory was inevitable.
They didn't need strategy anymore.
They could simply charge forward and win.
Uzumaki Suigetsu knew this was a lost cause.
All that remained in her heart was regret.
Why hadn't the Uzumaki joined Konoha back then?
At the very least, they wouldn't have been surrounded and exterminated like this.
She looked toward Konoha—
But saw no reinforcements.
She hadn't witnessed the battle where Mito and Arata slew the Monkey Sage, her attention consumed by her clan's survival.
She had no idea that Arata was already on his way.
Seeing no help arrive, she even began to consider surrender.
But when she looked up and saw the bloodthirsty Kiri shinobi charging at the front, she understood—
This war wouldn't end with the scroll alone.
Perhaps Sarutobi Hiruzen was involved after all.
Otherwise, why insist on genocide after obtaining the scroll?
Only someone who had once participated in a clan's extermination would fear the Uzumaki so deeply—
Deeply enough to wipe them out entirely.
As long as the Uzumaki existed, Sarutobi Hiruzen would never feel secure.
It was too late now.
Uzumaki Suigetsu closed her eyes, preparing to face the clan's fate.
The younger Uzumaki were more hot-blooded than she was—
But even they, faced with such overwhelming numbers, abandoned all hope of resistance.
The allied forces surged forward like cats catching the scent of blood.
Among them, the Third Raikage was the fastest.
The instant he saw the Uzumaki give up resisting, he activated Lightning Release Armor and charged ahead—
His goal clear:
The sealing scroll.