In the evening, Hizashi Hyuga walked into the command center and emerged with a solemn expression. He then left the camp alone, his destination unknown.
Midnight.
Makiya was awakened by a sharp whistle, the signal for an emergency assembly.
The entire camp came alive. Figures flickered under the moonlight as various ninja teams converged on the command center.
Makiya found Shisui. When they arrived at the command center, they saw Hizashi standing next to Orochimaru, the two of them whispering with lowered heads.
Shikaku Nara arranged the personnel and distributed mission scrolls to each team. Makiya and Shisui received one. Upon opening it, they found a partial layout of the Kirigakure base's defenses, with their designated raid location circled.
Orochimaru was very decisive. After confirming the accuracy of the intelligence, he directly ordered the raid. Shikaku Nara and a group of strategists had stayed up until they had dark circles under their eyes to finally finish the plan.
No one wanted to endure the cruelty of war. No one was a fool; they knew that if this raid went smoothly, Kirigakure would likely be forced back to the negotiating table. At that point, the intensity of the war would drop sharply, and they might at least get a chance to go home and see their wives in shifts.
Having been away for over six months, they were genuinely afraid that if their wives drank too much soy sauce, the children's skin color might not turn out right.
No mobilization was needed; everyone's spirits were high. Even the wounded lying in hospital beds waved their hands to encourage everyone. With a wave of Orochimaru's hand, the ninja teams left one by one using Body Flicker.
Once all the combat forces had departed, Orochimaru turned to leave as well. He would participate in this battle; he was very interested in the many youths from Bloodline Limit clans within the Kirigakure base.
The camp gradually grew quiet. The ninjas left behind to guard the base extinguished the lights and cast vigilant gazes toward the surroundings.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
On the eastern coast of the Land of Fire, within a natural harbor.
The waves rose and fell, rocking the warships docked in the shallow waters. The masts swayed, and the scouts on the ships huddled in corners, drowsy.
Living on ships for a long time, they had long since grown accustomed to the swaying of the vessels with the waves. In fact, they couldn't even sleep without the swaying, feeling as if something was missing.
There was a small clearing by the shore, with a towering cliff on the outer side, the top of which connected to a forest.
Kirigakure had hollowed out the mountain inside the cliff to set up various functional areas. The lights were blocked by the thick mountain and only shone toward the sea. The waves muffled human voices, making the location very well-hidden.
Kirigakure only needed to defend against the landward direction. Konoha had no seagoing vessels. Their former ally, the Land of Whirlpools, had them, but Uzushiogakure had long since been reduced to ruins. When Konoha stood by and watched the Land of Whirlpools be destroyed, they lost their barrier against the Land of Water.
In the woods atop the cliff, a team of Mist ninjas walked through the grass, approached a large tree, and lightly tapped the trunk three times.
A few seconds later, three taps came from the upper part of the trunk—two long and one short. The code was correct. The lead Mist ninja left the grass and headed toward the next hidden sentry post.
High up on the tree trunk, the duty Mist ninja was slumped on the ground in a distorted posture. Blood flowed from a wound in a vital spot, dripping onto the dense leaves.
A Mist ninja stood by the trunk and tapped it. Three tomoe emerged within his crimson pupils. After the check was complete, he took out a kunai, pointed it at his own heart, his expression contorted and his hands trembling.
Ultimately, he gripped the kunai and plunged it in. After ending his own life, the Sharingan in his eyes slowly faded.
Makiya stepped out from the darkness and gave an OK gesture in a certain direction.
Then, a flash of blade light appeared. A few muffled groans echoed in the pitch-black woods, and a faint scent of blood permeated the air.
While Shisui was slaughtering, Makiya cast a vague glance behind him. There were two familiar soul fluctuations there that had been following him like ghosts.
In the dark sky, an eagle spread its wings and flew high. A pair of hawk eyes curiously observed the forest below. With the help of the moonlight, it saw humans in strange uniforms packed closely together, quietly slaughtering another group of humans nesting in the cliffs.
With the sentry information exposed and coordinated with the Byakugan, Konoha cleared the Mist ninjas on the cliff with staggering efficiency. Lives vanished quietly one after another.
Everything was orderly, progressing steadily according to the plan formulated by the think tank.
But even the smartest people make mistakes. No one from Konoha lived by the sea; when formulating the plan, they instinctively assumed that the seaside at night was the same as during the day, with the wind blowing from the sea to the land—a sea breeze.
In reality, it wasn't so. At night, the ocean is warmer and the land is colder. The wind blows from the land to the ocean—a land breeze—and it isn't stable.
Amidst the height of the slaughter, a gust of wind blew from behind. The hearts of the Konoha crowd skipped a beat. The strong wind swept up the scent of blood and blew it across the cliff. Dogs began to bark in the quiet camp.
"Exposed! Full-scale assault!"
No one held onto any delusions. The moment the barking started, Konoha launched a general offensive. Each ninja team moved in an orderly fashion with clear targets.
The Mist ninjas on duty hadn't even reacted. They never expected their base information to be completely leaked. One of them slapped a dog on the head and cursed: "Shut up, you dead dog! If you bark again, I'll kill you for meat."
Dog: '...You bastard...'
Intense ninjutsu fluctuations suddenly erupted on the cliff.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough."
"Super Multi-Size Technique."
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm."
"Earth Style: Rock Lodging Destruction."
"..."
The Mist ninjas on duty turned pale with fright. A shrill cry echoed through the base: "Enemy attack!"
Mist ninjas were startled awake from their dreams. Their excellent combat training allowed them to react instantly.
"Damn it, it's the Konoha people! Die, Dance of the Larch!"
"Water Style: Water Gun."
"Earth Style: Mud Wall."
"..."
The battle reached its peak the moment it broke out. The sounds of slaughter drowned out the waves, and violent explosions occurred one after another.
Makiya and Shisui's target was a large battleship. The wooden ship was encased in a special iron plating, which was extremely hard; ordinary ninjutsu could only leave a small pit.
But this was no obstacle for Makiya and Shisui.
Countless Shisuis appeared on the deck, delaying the Mist ninjas' reinforcements. Makiya landed at the bow and pressed his hands against the hull.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation."
A vast sea of fire covered the water's surface. Under Makiya's control, the raging flames transformed into two giant hands of fire that gripped the entire warship.
The fiery hands were about three hundred meters long, with palm lines so detailed they looked lifelike, as if an ancient god of fire had pierced through space to reach out. The massive battleship was like a toy, left to be manipulated at will.
"This Fire Style... it's that... that who again?"
"It's The Fiery Hell Arsonist!"
"Right, it's that Fiery Arsonist! Quick, support!"
"Don't panic, everyone use Water Style together!"
"..."
Screams reached Makiya's ears. As for the slight notoriety, he gave a faint smile, completely indifferent.
The fire hands sprouted countless tentacles, binding the Mist ninjas who hadn't known when to hold their tongues. After a burst of screams, several handfuls of ash fell into the sea.
The fiery tentacles were pervasive, entering the cabins along the crevices and consuming lives. Suddenly, Makiya's expression changed. He used Body Flicker to reach Shisui's side and, without a word, pulled him to the shore.
Boom!
A violent explosion tore the battleship into dust. Burning fireballs covered the sea surface, and high-temperature iron plates spun through the air. One unlucky Mist ninja had half his head sliced off.
The shockwave kicked up waves that crashed onto the shore. Makiya scratched his head in lingering fear: "Good grief, they kept so many paper bombs and explosives in the ship. They gave me a scare."
Shisui was also startled. The two looked at each other; their mission was suddenly completed. For the remaining time, they could act freely to find prey.
Shisui disappeared with Body Flicker, turning into a black death reaper weaving through the crowd. Wherever he went, heads fell.
Makiya created a shadow clone and jumped onto the cliff to serve as a turret. Whenever a Konoha ninja encountered danger, he would spit out a Great Fireball, earning countless grateful looks.
Though he wasn't getting kills, he played a significant role.
As for Makiya's main body, he intended to go and have a chat with those two annoying flies.
Makiya was never an easy-going person; he still remembered the account of when he was mysteriously ambushed.
One of them seemed to be a sensory ninja, so his speed had to be fast!
Chakra erupted from the soles of his feet, blasting a crater into the ground. Makiya charged into the fighting crowd, then his figure vanished.
In a corner of the battlefield, two figures huddled in the bushes, whispering.
"Shisui's speed is even faster. I feel his strength has already surpassed a Jonin's."
"What about the other one? What is Makiya Uchiha doing?"
"Him? Let me see... he's... saving people?!"
"Heh, that naturally evil Uchiha brat. He's winning people over. Quite clever."
"I don't think so..."
A gentle breeze blew, and the bushes swayed with it.
One of them was still rambling and recording intelligence, unaware that his companion had already tensed up completely. His pupils behind the mask had shrunk to points, and cold sweat was pouring down.
He wanted to call out a warning, opened his mouth, but couldn't make a sound.
"Hey, what are you two writing?"
Makiya appeared behind them, his arms casually draped over their shoulders. His tone was full of mockery, yet there wasn't a trace of a smile on his face.
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