"Red Guard—!"
"Wind Forest—!"
"Volcano—!"
"Kill!!!"
No speeches.
No rallying cries.
Three cold, decisive commands erupted from the commanders—igniting the battlefield that had been pushed to its breaking point.
The shogunate army—
Which had suppressed its killing intent to the extreme beneath the underground—
Exploded like a volcano dormant for ten thousand years.
The Red Guard Army surged forward as a blood-red spearhead.
With Uchiha Fugaku at its tip—
They smashed directly into the thickest point of Kirigakure's encirclement—the command center.
The crimson glow of the Sharingan connected into a flowing, eerie ribbon.
Where they passed—
Kirigakure shinobi froze.
Fell into genjutsu.
Then—
Were cut down mercilessly.
—
The Wind Forest Army scattered like black arrows.
Under Uchiha Tekka's wild laughter—
They split into four fast-moving assault units—
Driving deep into the flanks.
They did not contest head-on—
That was the Red Guard's domain.
Instead—
They sliced.
Pierced.
Tore apart.
The once-tight formation of Kirigakure—
Collapsed into chaos.
—
A step behind—
The Volcano Army deployed under Uchiha Yashiro's steady command.
At the edge of the teleportation array—
The only long-range support unit knelt—
Hands forming seals.
Fire Release.
Wind Release.
Earth Release.
Combined techniques formed instantly—
Then blasted forward—
Crushing into the "midsection" of the Kirigakure force—
Splitting their advance in half.
At the same time—
Engineering squads raised fortifications—
Reinforcing the frontline—
While large-scale Earth Release reshaped the terrain—
Further restricting Kirigakure's movement.
—
"A large-scale space-time ninjutsu?! Impossible!!"
Raiga Kurosuki roared in shock.
The only known technique of that level—
Was Konoha's Flying Thunder God.
And even that—
Was nearly impossible to master.
But this—
This was mass deployment.
Entire armies—
Transported.
Jinin Akebino roared, trying to resist—
But his forces were already torn apart—
By Wind Forest's infiltration—
And Volcano's bombardment.
—
Terumi Mei's face turned pale.
But the fear in her eyes—
Was buried under ruthless resolve.
She knew—
This was the worst outcome.
But retreat—
Meant total collapse.
Three thousand shinobi—
Even one thousand survivors would be a miracle.
And worse—
A terrifying future loomed—
More Kirigakure shinobi would defect.
The defectors would grow stronger.
If this continued—
Would Kirigakure even need to exist?
That thought—
Sent cold fear through her bones.
"Utakata!"
Her voice cut sharply.
The pale boy—
Still blowing bubbles—
Paused.
His gaze lifted.
Taking in—
The battlefield.
The teleportation array.
The advancing red tide.
He removed the pipe from his mouth.
"Sensei said… life is what matters most…"
His voice was faint.
"Running from battles you must face… is unworthy of a shinobi."
"But jumping into battles you don't need to fight…"
"…isn't wise either."
He seemed to speak to someone absent—
Or to himself.
"This battle…"
"Is it necessary… or not?"
"And what… is a shinobi, really…?"
—
Then—
Silence.
Total.
Absolute.
And then—
Explosion.
Dark red chakra—
Thick.
Violent.
Overflowing with destruction—
Erupted from his body.
Like magma bursting from the earth.
Six massive chakra tails—
Formed behind him—
Thrashing wildly—
Tearing the air apart.
"ROOOAR—!!!"
A beast's roar.
Not human.
Filled with rage—
Pain—
Destruction.
The Six-Tails—
Saiken—
Manifested.
The Jinchūriki—
Entered the battlefield.
—
"Just a beast!"
Uchiha Fugaku's voice cut through.
His Sharingan gleamed coldly.
His hand dropped—
Command given.
Sixteen elite guards—
Detached instantly.
All Sharingan active—
Tomoe spinning.
"Dōjutsu: Spatial Shift!"
No movement.
No trace.
Sixteen figures—
Appeared—
Surrounding Utakata.
"Barrier Technique—Four Scarlet Sun Formation!"
North.
South.
East.
West.
Four Uchiha—
Formed seals simultaneously.
Flames erupted.
Four blazing walls—
Forming a cube of fire.
A prison.
The Six-Tails' chakra collided—
Hissing—
But could not break through.
The remaining twelve—
Attacked relentlessly.
Blades.
Jutsu.
Projectiles.
A storm of death.
—
"ROOOAR—!"
The Tailed Beast Ball formed—
Compressed—
Expanded—
Then fired—
"BOOM—!!!"
The barrier trembled violently—
But did not break.
—
…Even a Tailed Beast Bomb can't destroy it?
Utakata's heart sank.
His body began to change—
Flesh shifting—
Bones warping—
Reason fading—
"ROOOAR—!!!"
The final thread snapped.
Full transformation.
The Six-Tails—
Fully manifested.
A massive, slug-like beast—
Six tails thrashing—
Each movement stirring storms.
Another Tailed Beast Bomb—
Formed—
Larger—
More destructive—
Fired.
The barrier—
Shattered.
Flames scattered.
—
But—
Before the sparks even fell—
Four new figures replaced them.
"Four Scarlet Sun Formation—activate!"
A new barrier—
Instantly formed.
The Six-Tails—
Slamming directly into it.
Trapped.
—
It roared.
Smashed.
Clawed.
Acid sprayed—
Hissing against the flames—
But could not break through.
Tailed Beast Bomb after Bomb—
Still—
The barriers reformed.
Endlessly.
Sixteen Sharingan watched coldly.
Four maintained.
Twelve attacked.
Rotating.
Relentless.
—
The Jinchūriki—
And the beast—
Understood.
They were trapped.
By fire.
By Sharingan.
By perfect tactics.
A beast—
Caught in a cage.
Powerless.
—
Fear spread through Kirigakure.
"The Six-Tails… is trapped?!"
"Even the Tailed Beast Bomb can't break it?!"
"Monsters…"
Panic rose.
The line—
Collapsed.
—
"Hold the line!"
Terumi Mei shouted.
Her voice sharp.
Desperate.
She turned away—
Facing the Red Guard—
Charging forward.
Her lips parted—
Lava Release—
Boil Release—
Unleashed continuously.
Her forces followed.
Fighting desperately.
But—
It wasn't enough.
The Red Guard—
Moved like flowing mercury—
Precise.
Lethal.
Their defense—
Was being torn apart.
—
Then—
A scream.
"Jinin Akebino… is dead!!"
Silence.
Then—
Shock.
All eyes turned.
Jinin lay on the ground—
Like a fallen war machine.
Kubikiribōchō—
Embedded nearby.
His chest—
Split open.
Burned.
Destroyed.
Beside him—
Uchiha Tekka stood.
Rising slowly.
His blade—
Dripping blood.
His gaze—
Cold.
Like death itself.
—
Mei's vision darkened.
Something inside her—
Cracked.
—
Far away—
Infinity City.
Shogunate Tower.
Eighth Floor.
Calm.
Silent.
The battlefield—
Displayed in projection.
"The resistance has collapsed."
Uchiha Mikoto spoke softly.
"The formation is broken. Core forces destroyed. Morale gone."
"They've lost."
The elders watched.
Uchiha Setsuna smiled faintly.
"Fugaku has done well."
"Suppressing the Tailed Beast. Breaking their will."
"The Red Guard lives up to its name."
He scoffed lightly.
"Four Scarlet Sun Formation is only A-rank."
"There's still Six Scarlet Sun Formation."
"Enough to crush the Six-Tails outright."
"These youngsters…"
"The worst generation."
"Worst?" Uchiha Hono laughed.
"That's an S-rank barrier."
"Without jōnin-level chakra, it's impossible."
Uchiha Ye Yue remained focused—
Ready to deploy reinforcements.
—
"Victory is already ours."
An Lan spoke calmly.
"What remains… is harvesting the results."
His gaze moved—
Across fleeing shinobi—
Then settled—
On Terumi Mei.
—
Then—
His expression changed.
Everyone noticed.
—
On the battlefield—
Fuguki Suikazan—
Mid-slaughter—
Suddenly froze.
Behind him—
The shadow on the ground—
Melted.
A figure emerged.
The Third Mizukage.
Fuguki turned—
His expression shattered—
Shock overtaking everything.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
A thin—
Brilliant—
Razor-sharp stream of water—
Shot from the Mizukage's mouth—
Cutting forward.