Uzushiogakure's outer walls collapsed with a deafening crash.
Cloud Ninja charged through the breach.
The great river cutting across Uzushiogakure was blocked by heavy iron grates where it met the village walls. Water flowed freely, but no boat could pass without permission.
Mist Ninja destroyed those barriers, leaping from the river directly into the village.
Only ordinary villagers, merchants, and laborers lived on the village's southern bank.
The Cloud and Mist Ninja set every house ablaze. They dragged the commoners out into the streets and hacked them to death one by one.
Through this bloody slaughter, they delivered a clear message to the Uzumaki clan: they would not stop tonight until they secured the top-tier Sealing Jutsu.
Armed with the vital intelligence that Konoha had sent no reinforcements, the invaders acted with complete impunity.
Yako lowered his telescope, tilting his head slightly to glance in Danzo's direction.
All remained completely silent around Danzo.Three battalion commanders and two advisor assistants stood in silence. They waited for Danzo's orders, as still as dead trees.
Yako felt a flicker of doubt. Shouldn't Konoha's first priority be Uzumaki Kushina? Shouldn't they be rushing in to rescue her?
The sheer number of Mist and Cloud Ninja was enough to drag Konoha into a localized war. If they waited any longer, Uzumaki Kushina would either be captured or killed.
A barrier erupted within Uzushiogakure!
The Four Violet Flames Formation!
A massive, rectangular Four Violet Flames Formation rose on the village's northern bank, enclosing most of the district.
Bathed in the surrounding firelight, the dark purple glow of the barrier looked almost solid.
The Uzumaki clan were masters not only of Sealing Jutsu, but of barrier ninjutsu as well. Or rather, barrier ninjutsu was simply a specialized form of Sealing Jutsu.
A reckless Cloud Ninja leapt into the air, holding his ninja sword in a reverse grip, and drove it fiercely into the barrier.
In his haste, his body crashed into the barrier alongside his blade. The intense heat burned him alive.
The Four Violet Flames Formation burned with terrifying heat. Any living creature that touched it would be carbonized by the violet fire.
Seeing this, the Mist Ninja unleashed a joint Water Release.
Drawing from the great river in the center of the village as their source, the chakra cost for the jutsu was negligible.
A tidal wave of water smashed against the Four Violet Flames Formation with the force of an avalanche.
Wave after wave slammed into the fiery walls, evaporating on contact and sending billowing clouds of steam into the air.
The thick mist blotted out the moon and stars, shrouding the entirety of Uzushiogakure.
Judging from the sheer volume of steam generated, the Four Violet Flames Formation contained immense energy. It held exceptionally firm against the assault.
'No wonder Danzo is so calm,' Yako thought. 'He already knew Uzushiogakure had this trump card.'
Uzushiogakure's barrier would hold off the invaders for a while.
Logically, as long as the village stalled for time and waited for Konoha's reinforcements, the crisis would eventually reach a turning point.
Unfortunately, logic no longer applied to this situation.
He wondered if the Uzumaki clan would fall into despair once they learned of Konoha's true stance.
It was a pity for the commoners trapped outside the barrier.
The Cloud and Mist Ninja systematically slaughtered their way inward from the village outskirts toward the center.
Wherever the firelight flickered, death followed close behind.
The Yatagarasu swept through the sky overhead, helpless to retaliate. If the giant bird launched an attack, it would only speed up the slaughter of the villagers below.
The giant spirit turtle opened its massive maw and unleashed a fierce gale, scattering the dense mist lingering over the village.
As the mist thinned out, Yako regained his clear line of sight.
Through his telescope, he watched as the Cloud and Mist Ninja sent out representatives to negotiate with the Uzumaki clan shielded within the barrier.
Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation stood the leader of Uzushiogakure, who was also the patriarch of the Uzumaki clan. Gritting his teeth, he forced his words out, syllable by bloody syllable: "Konoha and Uzushiogakure will repay you for this, twofold!"
The Hidden Mist Village's representative was Fuguki Suikazan. Resting the Greatsword Samehada over his shoulder, he sneered.
"Konoha might come for our heads, sure. But as for Uzushiogakure... whether you'll live to see that day depends entirely on the choice you make right now.
"Let's make a deal. Hand over your secret Sealing Jutsu, and we'll leave immediately.
"And don't try any tricks. The deal is only completed when I can successfully use the technique to seal that giant spirit turtle of yours.
"You'd better decide quickly, or every last commoner in Uzushiogakure will end up dead.
"If you refuse, we'll just have to pry the Sealing Jutsu from your corpses.
"A pathetic little village like Uzushiogakure actually dared to set its sights on our village's Three-Tails. What's next? Plotting to steal the Hidden Cloud Village's Two-Tails?
"What, do you think you're Senju Hashirama? You think you can collect all the Tailed Beasts for yourselves?
"If we can't have the Sealing Jutsu, your Uzumaki clan sure as hell doesn't deserve it."
Not far away, Uzumaki Yuka stared up at the sky, listening to the heated exchange at the edge of the barrier.
Because the Four Violet Flames Formation covered such an enormous expanse, it had no roof to seal the sky.
If the situation turned dire, it was her responsibility to use the Spear Egret and escort Princess Kushina to safety.
As she watched her fellow villagers outside being slaughtered one by one, a sharp, twisting agony pierced Uzumaki Yuka's chest.
Among the victims was the woman who sold breakfast down the street, the man who delivered goods in his cart, and the old grandmother who always sat sunning herself on the corner.
All those vibrant, familiar faces from her memory were dying out there, one by one.
To mount the pressure, the Mist and Cloud Ninja deliberately dragged their victims right up to the edge of the barrier, executing them in plain sight.
Thick blood pooled over the ground. As it seeped against the blistering heat of the Four Violet Flames Formation, it sizzled into plumes of sickening, dark-gray smoke.
Civilians everywhere detested ninja. Whenever ninja set out to kill, they were as cruel as ferocious beasts.
A ninja's entire training revolved around the art of murder, honing both the lethal capability to take a life and the cold psychology required to do it.
Uzumaki Yuka squeezed her eyes shut in agony, but the endless screams still pierced her ears.
The Uzumaki clan had not wanted to abandon the villagers outside, but the enemy ambush had come too suddenly and in overwhelming numbers.
A spy had leaked the positions of Uzushiogakure's outer scout squads to the Mist and Cloud Ninja.
The enemy had pinpointed every single recon team, attacking them all simultaneously.
It wasn't until the village walls were blasted open that Uzushiogakure even realized in the chaos that they were under attack.
The staggering number of Mist and Cloud Ninja invading the village defied reason. Perhaps the enemy had deployed such a massive force in anticipation of clashing with Konoha reinforcements.
The clan could only hope that Konoha had detected the Mist and Cloud forces in advance, and pray their distress runners had carried word back to the Hidden Leaf Village in time.
Just who was the spy that had sold out Uzushiogakure's outer defensive perimeter?
Atop the mountain.
Yako noticed a brief stir of commotion down below.
An Anbu squad leading two Uzumaki ninja stepped into the barrier.
One of the Uzumaki ninja rushed eagerly toward Danzo.
"Lord Danzo! So Konoha did know about the Mist and Cloud's ambush ahead of time!
"Please, lead your forces and rescue our village immediately!"
He was flushed with hope, completely astonished to find a Konoha battalion already stationed so close to Uzushiogakure.
The second Uzumaki ninja, however, was drenched in cold sweat.
He glanced around uneasily at the shimmering edges of their enclosure. If he wasn't mistaken, this was a stealth barrier.
Why had the Konoha forces set up a stealth barrier out here instead of marching straight into the village to help?
Yako could guess what was running through Danzo's mind. Quietly, he slipped a kunai from his ninja tool pouch.
Should he take the initiative and prove his absolute loyalty in front of the leader?
After thinking it over, he decided against it.
Drawing Danzo's personal attention was the last thing he wanted. That would end horribly for him.
Instead, Battalion Commander Yomi struck personally, executing the first Uzumaki ninja in the blink of an eye.
Almost simultaneously, squadron captain Black Ape blurred into motion, violently silencing the second, suspicious ninja who had been scrutinizing their stealth barrier.
From start to finish, Danzo never even shifted his gaze.
His unblinking, ruthless eyes remained fixated entirely on Uzushiogakure.