Uchiha Shin's gaze remained locked onto the Fourth Mizukage, Karata Yagura.
"This little guy is kind of unique. A full-grown man in a kid's body, huh?"
Karata Yagura stood at only 1.4 meters tall, giving him the appearance of a child. Even the younger Terumi Mei had a few centimeters on him. He noticed Uchiha Shin's amused smirk and immediately felt mocked.
"Uchiha Shin," Yagura said coldly, "what is your purpose in Kirigakure?"
Shin didn't bother hiding his intent. "I came to fight you. And while I'm at it, I'll conquer the Land of Water."
In truth, Tsunade had already deployed forces to subjugate the entire nation in a single strike. Shin's role was to raze Kirigakure before Konoha's main army arrived.
Silence fell over the assembled shinobi.
Yagura's face was slick with sweat. A horrifying realization dawned on him—the Land of Fire had anticipated the alliance of other nations. Their first target wasn't the Land of Wind.
It was the Land of Water.
Shin's presence confirmed it. The first domino to fall was theirs. The Land of Water's isolation had always been its strength, but in the face of a rapid invasion, it also meant they couldn't call for reinforcements.
"Damn it!" Yagura snarled. "Everyone, prepare for battle! And send word to the other villages—now! MOVE!"
He barked the orders to his Anbu while rallying his forces. Even if they couldn't defeat Uchiha Shin, they had to reveal the Fire Nation's treachery to the world.
Hovering above them, Shin laughed softly.
"You think I'd let you do that?"
"Yin-Yang Release: Shadow Dominion!"
His shadow stretched unnaturally, spreading across the entire Mist Village in an instant. The darkness crept along buildings, streets, and walls like an inky tide. But Shin was considerate enough to leave the sky uncovered—light remained, casting their terror into stark relief.
The spirits he had absorbed had not gone to waste. His mastery over Yin Release had grown, and now he would put it to the test.
"Come forth, my Shadowkhan Legion."
From the abyssal darkness, an army emerged. Grotesque figures, monstrous beings composed entirely of living shadows. Some had been strengthened with souls Shin had devoured, while others were pure embodiments of Yin energy. Even the weakest among them stood on par with elite Chunin.
The legion was divided into specialized groups: Ninja Khan, Razor Khan, Bat Khan, Ogre Khan, Samurai Khan, Crab Khan, Striker Khan, and Shadow Khan. Each had distinct abilities and strengths.
Gulps of fear echoed in the crowd.
Shin crossed his arms, his voice calm but absolute.
"I give Kirigakure a choice—surrender or perish. Mizukage, what will it be?"
Yagura clenched his fists. His heart pounded as he scanned the battlefield, weighing their chances. Then, his eyes burned with determination.
"We of the Bloody Mist will never surrender! Our will is unbreakable!"
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"
Weaving hand seals, Yagura summoned a massive water dragon. With Kirigakure's abundant moisture in the air, the technique formed instantly and lunged at Shin with fanged fury.
"Fūinjutsu: Sealing Absorption."
Shin raised a hand. The water dragon dissolved into chakra and vanished into his palm.
Yagura's blood ran cold.
Impossible. How could someone absorb jutsu so effortlessly?
Shin sighed. "So, that's your answer? Then I will bring destruction."
His eyes shifted—the Six-Tomoe Rinnegan.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Those aren't the Mangekyō Sharingan!?"
"I've read about them in old texts… The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths…?"
"What!?"
Yagura recognized them instantly. The legendary eyes—manifested in an Uchiha?
Desperate, the Kirigakure shinobi bombarded Shin with a storm of jutsu. But before a single technique could touch him, the Sealing Absorption barrier swallowed them all.
Despair gripped the battlefield.
And deeper despair spread—like the ever-consuming darkness of the Shadowkhan.
Shin remained still, letting his army move first.
This was their debut. He intended to observe their combat capabilities.
A jonin trembled as a Razor Khan advanced toward him. The creature's limbs were scythe-like blades, sharper than any steel.
"No—stay away!"
He formed hand seals in a panic, but the Razor Khan moved faster.
Shing!
A flash of silver. Blood sprayed as his arms were severed in one motion.
Before he could even scream, a bladed foot slashed across his throat.
Scarlet mist filled the air.
Similar scenes played out across the village. The Ogre Khan, towering brutes covered in thick armor, tore through enemy ranks with brute strength. Ninja Khan, their movements fluid and silent, dispatched opponents with surgical precision. Bat Khan soared above, striking from the air.
Shin analyzed their performance.
"The Ogre Khan are durable and can shrug off most attacks, but they're slow. They'll need cover."
"The Razor Khan are the fastest and most lethal, but too fragile. Still, their ability to respawn renders that meaningless."
The Samurai Khan and Ninja Khan had the best balance of speed, power, and defense. But the most terrifying part?
The Shadowkhan adapted.
They weren't mindless. Shin had instilled them with killing instinct and strategic intelligence. They were learning. Cooperating.
Kirigakure had momentarily stabilized the battlefield—until the Shadowkhan adjusted.
Then the tide turned.
"No… No! They're unkillable! This is the undead army!"
An elite jonin collapsed to his knees. He had killed the same shadow creatures over and over, only for them to rise again. In sheer despair, he abandoned his blade, his will to fight broken.
The next moment, the Crab Khan's pincers pierced his torso.
Shin descended slowly, watching the carnage unfold.
"They're working well. It's over."
Yagura panted heavily, watching his forces dwindle. He was the Mizukage. He had to fight until the bitter end.
Tightening his grip on his staff, he prepared to enter his Version 2 Tailed Beast state.
But then he stopped.
A sharp pressure pressed against his skull—Shin's almighty push.
A whisper.
"Sink into the abyss."
With a sickening crack, Yagura's body crumpled.
The Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure was no more.
The village's will, once indomitable, shattered with him.
Uchiha Shin turned to the remaining forces.
"Kneel. Or perish."
The surviving shinobi dropped their weapons.
Konoha's army would arrive soon, but there was nothing left for them to conquer.
The Land of Water had already fallen.
Shin closed his eyes, listening to the winds carry the scent of blood.
Another step closer to his dominion over the world.
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