The provocative tone in Shimizu Uzuki's voice struck directly at the nerves of every Sunagakure shinobi present.
Anger. Hatred. Fear.
All of it surged up at once, tangling together in a chaotic storm of emotion that churned in their chests.
And yet…
What could they do?
Even with over a hundred ANBU gathered here, they still found themselves suppressed by a single man.
A suffocating sense of frustration spread through their ranks.
"Commander Narita and his forces are approaching! Seven hundred meters out!" one of the ANBU suddenly shouted.
Narita—a high-ranking commander of Sunagakure—led several hundred shinobi.
The reinforcements Ebizō had been waiting for.
Hope reignited instantly among the Sand shinobi. With Commander Narita's arrival, they could finally turn the tide… finally bring down the butcher of Konoha standing before them.
"Behind you!" a sensor ninja screamed in alarm. "Elder Ebizō!!"
In that instant, Ebizō's entire body tensed, every hair standing on end. At the edge of life and death, he barely managed to twist his body, attempting to evade—
A flash of cold blue light entered his peripheral vision.
…Too late.
Shhk!
The blade pierced flesh, blood spraying into the air.
Ebizō's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the figure who had stepped in front of him at the last moment—a Sunagakure ANBU.
"You—"
"Elder Ebizō… you must… avenge us…"
In that final moment, the ANBU gave his life to carve out a single chance for Ebizō to survive.
"…I will," Ebizō said hoarsely.
The body fell from the rooftop, crashing heavily below.
In the next instant, an overwhelming surge of sand rose from all directions, rushing toward Shimizu in an attempt to engulf him.
"…What a pity," Shimizu murmured, a trace of regret in his voice as his figure rapidly retreated.
If he had succeeded in killing Ebizō, the morale of Sunagakure's forces would have taken a devastating blow. Their own pressure would have eased considerably.
Now—
Ebizō stood rigid, his gaze fixed on two identical figures of Shimizu—one to the north, one to the south.
"When did you get behind us?" he demanded.
If not for that sudden strike revealing him, even their sensory unit had failed to detect the real Shimizu lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment.
A ninja with such speed…
Was a nightmare to everyone on the battlefield.
How many could possibly evade an attack like that?
Quickly, two squads moved to surround Ebizō, protecting him at the center.
"…He must have been here before we even arrived," Ebizō said, glancing at the still-warm corpse, a trace of self-reproach in his voice. "I didn't expect him to use such a method… I underestimated him."
He wasn't wrong.
The moment Shimizu confirmed that Sunagakure's target was the Konoha force guarding the Kazekage building, he had immediately deployed a water clone to draw attention, while his real body used Earth Release to conceal himself underground elsewhere.
And then—
He waited.
For that fleeting, perfect opportunity.
Ironically, the Earth Release technique he used had been taught to him by Amane—a method of concealment capable of evading even sensor-type ninja. It was Amane's signature survival skill, the very reason he had escaped death time and again.
If not for Shimizu's monstrous aptitude with Earth Release, he would never have mastered it in such a short time.
"Attack!"
The moment Ebizō gave the order, the hundred-plus ANBU split seamlessly into two forces.
One group—nearly a hundred strong—charged straight at the First Battalion under Arai's command. In an instant, the battlefield erupted into chaos as shinobi clashed in close combat. Relying on their superior numbers, they aimed to tear through Konoha's defensive line and crush them.
But though Konoha's forces were fewer, their strength lay in quality. With a large number of jōnin among them, the moment the two sides collided, a barrage of C- and even B-rank Wind, Fire, and Earth Release techniques rained down upon the Sand shinobi, halting their fierce advance almost immediately.
Meanwhile, the remaining thirty-eight, led by Ebizō himself, spread out and began to encircle Shimizu from all directions.
Their goal was clear—
Restrict his movement…
And bring him down.
Shimizu's movements were simply too swift.
With just a few uses of the Body Flicker Technique, Shimizu Uzuki slipped cleanly out of the encirclement formed by the thirty-eight ANBU.
"He's too fast!"
"Keep your eyes on him—don't let him crash into our lines!"
"Watch his blade! It's infused with Wind Release chakra!"
And yet, Shimizu showed no intention of engaging them head-on. Sword in hand, he darted across the battlefield in a series of fluid leaps, shifting from the northern side to the western flank.
From there, the battlefield unfolded clearly before him.
Sunagakure's forces had already split into two divisions—clearly a prearranged tactical response, with one full unit dedicated to intercepting and containing him.
"He's retreating?" one ANBU asked uncertainly.
Ebizō kept his gaze locked tightly on Shimizu, wary of another sudden ambush.
The instant Shimizu landed, his hands blurred into motion.
Two more "Shimizu" appeared almost simultaneously.
One was a shadow clone.
The other—a water clone.
Since he had never mastered the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, if he wanted to create several bodies at once, he had to rely on water clones to make up the difference.
"What is he planning?"
A deep sense of unease spread through the watching ANBU.
"Stay sharp!" one captain warned, his experience telling him an attack was imminent.
Suddenly—
All three Shimizus charged straight toward Sunagakure's formation.
"Stop him!" Ebizō shouted.
In an instant, dozens of kunai, several wind blades, and even a three-meter-high sand wall surged forward to intercept them—
But it wasn't enough.
The three figures moved with uncanny agility, weaving effortlessly through every attack before continuing their rapid advance.
"Prepare yourselves!" the ANBU captain called, his heart tightening.
He had no confidence in facing "Shunshin Shimizu" in close combat—even with over thirty comrades at his side.
The man's speed, his unpredictable swordsmanship, and his deadly Wind Release techniques—
Each alone was enough to kill.
Then, just as the two sides were about to collide—
The three Shimizus stopped simultaneously.
And formed hand seals at the same time.
He actually dared to perform jutsu right under their noses?!
"Stop him!!"
A barrage of pre-prepared Wind and Earth Release techniques rained down instantly.
But Shimizu's first jutsu was already complete.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
One of his water clones had chosen this highly efficient B-rank defensive technique, prioritizing chakra conservation for the long battle ahead.
In an instant, a ring of swirling blue water surged upward from the rooftop, forming a seamless, 360-degree barrier.
Every attack from Sunagakure was blocked.
Though the wall's power was already weakening—its chakra nearly spent.
But at that exact moment—
Shimizu's second technique was completed.
Water Release: Water Shockwave!
A massive vortex of water erupted skyward, spiraling into a towering column before cascading down like a waterfall over the entire battlefield.
"Arai!" Shimizu called out sharply.
"On it!" Arai raised his hand.
In the next instant, dozens of blazing fire dragons burst forth from the mouths of twenty Konoha shinobi—
But their target was the falling water.
The sight was so bizarre that every Sunagakure ninja froze for a split second, instinctively assuming the attacks had missed.
Then—
Fire met water midair.
A violent hiss filled the air as the two forces clashed, releasing enormous clouds of dense white steam.
In moments, the battlefield was completely engulfed.
It was already the dead of night—
And now, with visibility smothered by thick vapor, sight became useless.
"Watch for ambushes! Defensive formation!" a Sunagakure commander ordered immediately.
But Ebizō's unease only deepened.
It felt as though death itself had already descended into this white-shrouded world.
And yet—
He couldn't pinpoint where the danger was coming from.
"What is 'Shunshin Shimizu' trying to do?"
"Block our vision… so he can launch a sneak attack?"
"But he can't see either…"
"Unless he has some kind of special detection ability?"
Two ANBU commanders exchanged hushed guesses, but none of them felt convincing.
Then—
A series of soft patter sounds echoed through the mist.
"What was that?"
"They've jumped off the rooftops?" someone guessed.
Wait…
Ebizō's mind raced.
There was a Konoha ANBU elite known as "Kuryū" whose fighting style bore a striking resemblance to Shimizu's…
If they were the same person—
Then he remembered.
During one encirclement, that man had unleashed an utterly terrifying Water Release technique to break through their ranks.
Now—
Their vision was obscured.
Their formation was exposed.
Shimizu had repositioned himself to the flank, closest to both sides.
And Konoha's forces had just descended from the rooftops—
In that instant, cold sweat poured down Ebizō's back.
"Everyone—get off the rooftops!!" he shouted in alarm.