Despite being blind, the Third Mizukage cast an eerie stillness wherever he turned.
The Uzumaki ninja kept their guard up, unsure how the Mizukage would enter the battlefield.
The Kirigakure ninja grew increasingly cautious, deliberately distancing themselves from the Uzumaki.
The Kumogakure ninja began slowly retreating.
When a Kage-level ninja appears, everyone on the battlefield—enemy or ally—must tread carefully.
If caught in the crossfire of such a ninja's jutsu, one might die without even knowing how.
Suddenly, the great river running through Uzushio Village began to churn violently.
A colossal lobster erupted from the water and spewed bubbles toward the Third Mizukage.
The Uzumaki had hidden a giant summoning beast in the river.
The Mizukage heard the commotion and raised his hand.
The entire river was nearly split in two. A huge sphere of water rose into the air, encapsulating the giant lobster.
Water Prison Technique?
The scale of the Mizukage's Water Prison was enormous—it completely trapped the giant summoning beast.
Unfortunately, the foam hadn't even reached him before it was swallowed by the massive prison.
The sphere, dozens of meters in diameter, made every Uzumaki ninja feel a deep sense of despair.
The Third Mizukage formed hand seals, and a dark cloud appeared above his head.
It rose swiftly and expanded, morphing into an oppressive storm cloud that shrouded all of Uzushio.
Rain began to fall.
Yako nearly crushed his binoculars, a chill spreading through his entire body as he stared at the image within.
'If I were there… I'd definitely die…'
Each raindrop that fell turned into a Water Prison Technique the moment it touched a living being!
No matter how fast one's Body Flicker Technique was, it couldn't escape this kind of area-of-effect attack.
Every Uzumaki ninja—and even the massive summoning beast—was trapped in a water sphere.
Some villagers who had fallen, barely breathing, were also detected as alive and instantly imprisoned.
The battlefield fell silent. No more fighting—just water spheres of all sizes dotting the village.
One by one, Uzumaki ninja struggled inside the orbs.
They flailed their arms and legs, but it was futile. They couldn't reach the walls of the water prisons.
Some tried to form hand seals, but that too was pointless. They couldn't break the Third Mizukage's Water Prison.
Inside the spheres, Uzumaki ninja blew out bubbles, choked on water, convulsed, their faces turning crimson as they gasped for air.
Yako clicked his tongue. The Mizukage's range was insane—he had blanketed an entire village.
Just like the legends said: a single Kage-level ninja could destroy an entire village.
And not only that—the Third Mizukage could precisely control the technique, targeting only the Uzumaki while sparing the Kiri and Kumo forces.
'So that's why Danzo never made a move… maybe he was too scared.'
Just as Yako thought things couldn't get worse, the Mizukage opened his eyes.
Eyes that had remained shut for decades.
There were no eyeballs—only a dark red, sinister fluid swirling inside the sockets.
A fan-shaped crimson light burst forth from his eyes.
Any water sphere caught in the red light began to glow—and the Uzumaki ninja inside instantly exploded, dissolving into blood.
'This... being a ninja is just too damn dangerous… One look and you're dead.'
Just opening his eyes once had killed half the Uzumaki present.
One more glance, and all the Uzumaki men would be wiped out.
Without Konoha's support, this ninja clan—once ranked among the top three—was utterly helpless before the Five Great Villages.
In this age of "One Village, One Nation," no matter how powerful a clan was, it couldn't stand against a shinobi village. Any clan that defied their village was doomed to perish.
The Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan were destroyed one after the other, yet neither ever tried to break away from Konoha.
Leaving Konoha only meant a faster death.
The Mizukage turned his head.
He was now looking at the other half of the Uzumaki.
It was over. This clan was finished.
Yako looked at Danzo, puzzled as to why the man hadn't moved.
Was he really paralyzed by the Mizukage's presence?
It was possible. Danzo feared death, and without becoming Hokage, he'd never risk his life.
Just as the Mizukage's eyes cracked open again and the red glow reappeared—
A massive lizard suddenly appeared!
It was the Invisible Lizard, one of Nagato's later summoning beasts.
It appeared by the riverbank and opened its mouth toward the Mizukage.
Inside its mouth stood the old patriarch of the Uzumaki Clan—Mito's older brother.
His once-red hair had long turned white, his appearance frail and withered.
Before appearing, he had already completed the hand seals inside the lizard's mouth.
A translucent Shinigami emerged above the river!
Reaper Death Seal!
The Mizukage didn't even need to form seals—he raised a Water Formation Wall behind him instinctively.
But the Shinigami ignored all physical matter. Its transparent, curse-covered hand reached through the wall and grabbed the Mizukage's head—
Or rather, his soul.
The Mizukage's spirit was pulled out!
He struggled for just a moment before collapsing completely.
His body decayed instantly, like a corpse left rotting for years.
Reaper Death Seal was not an ordinary jutsu. It attacked the soul directly—far beyond standard shinobi understanding.
At the same moment, the Uzumaki patriarch fell out of the lizard's mouth.
The seal was complete. The Mizukage's soul was sealed, and the patriarch's own soul was offered up as the Shinigami's price.
His face bore a satisfied smile.
He had given everything for the Uzumaki Clan.
'A man is not guilty, but possessing rare treasures brings disaster.' The clan's powerful sealing techniques had drawn the envy of every shinobi village—including Danzo from Konoha, who demanded they be shared.
Unfortunately, Hashirama Senju had only sought to appease the other four villages. In chasing his fool's dream of peace, he ignored the Uzumaki's plea for a Tailed Beast.
Had the Senju not insisted otherwise, the Uzumaki might have been entrusted with one.
Looking back now, the decision to station a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki permanently in Konoha had been a terrible compromise.
The Third Mizukage and the Uzumaki Patriarch perished together.
"Patriarch!"
Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, Uzumaki women wept.
Yuka turned toward Konoha. 'Why haven't they sent reinforcements yet?'
Even the Kiri forces were stunned. Some of them dropped their ninja blades to the ground in disbelief.
Their Mizukage… was dead?
This was a man who had attended the Five Kage Summit alongside the First Mizukage.
Though old, he had been a fearsome force. How could he be gone?
The Kumo shinobi exchanged glances.
They had come at Kirigakure's invitation, hoping to wage a large-scale war against Konoha—originally to create chaos behind enemy lines and gain an edge in the main battlefront in the Land of Hot Water.
Now, Konoha hadn't even shown up, and their Mizukage was dead?
Several battalion leaders looked toward the Uzumaki shrine.
They couldn't let all those lives be wasted. If Konoha didn't arrive, then they would seize the Uzumaki's sealing techniques!
Those sealing arts were terrifying. They had killed the Mizukage—just like that.
With such techniques, they'd never lack a perfect Jinchuriki.
As for the Kiri ninja—they had gone completely mad. With no coordination, they charged at the Uzumaki in a blind frenzy!
Their eyes were bloodshot with rage. All they wanted was revenge on every red-haired Uzumaki.
Red-haired people... deserved to die!
The Water Prison Technique had been too powerful. The Uzumaki ninja who just escaped were still coughing, struggling to breathe.
One by one, they were slaughtered by the Kiri shinobi.
Yako lowered his binoculars. Surely Danzo would move now.
The Mizukage was dead. The Uzumaki Patriarch was dead.
Uzushio Village was soaked in blood.
Danzo stood up.
Three battalion commanders rushed forward to receive orders.
Each commander then turned to their squad leaders, relaying instructions down the chain.
The Captain Black Ape found their three team leaders.
"Rush the Four Violet Flames Formation at full speed! Fox and I will take the center, the other two squads will flank! Wedge formation! Do not stop!"