Outside Uzumaki Village, the Spirit Turtle, as large as a small mountain, slowly crawled toward the village.
Its shell was double-layered, with plates on the underside that could open to form a slope. Villagers who climbed into the shell from the slope disappeared inside.
The Spirit Turtle of Uzumaki Village was actually a mobile refuge for the villagers.
It constantly blew fierce winds from its mouth, sending Cloud ninja attacking its head flying.
As for its hard shell, the Cloud ninja's attacks were ineffective.
Yoru watched the Spirit Turtle, thinking: what if someone disguised themselves as a villager and entered the refuge, where defenses were insufficient? That would be disastrous.
The Spirit Turtle moved extremely slowly, making it impossible to distinguish whether those below the belly were Cloud ninja spies or villagers.
After a few minutes, large bloodstains were left in the Turtle's path.
Vibrations from inside caused the Spirit Turtle to cry out in grief.
It opened the plates on its belly, revealing heaps of corpses.
Cloud ninja had infiltrated the double-layered shell refuge and slaughtered mercilessly.
Behind the Spirit Turtle lay layers of bodies, all with their throats cut, blood pouring around their necks.
Cloud ninja favored simple throat-slitting techniques when dealing with civilians, executing them with skill.
Above, the spear heron continuously flew overhead, dropping explosive eggs into densely packed Mist ninja formations.
The eggs glowed red, and the fire-style chakra inside each suddenly detonated. Each explosive egg had the power equivalent to two or three explosive tags.
The Four Purple Flame Formation's energy was being drained by the Mist ninja's water jutsu, so the spear heron primarily targeted Mist ninja releasing water techniques.
After the initial batch of Mist ninja was killed by the explosions, the enemy adapted.
Some Mist ninja used water jutsu to create thick geysers that launched the spear heron's explosive eggs into the air, detonating them harmlessly before reaching their targets.
The Mist ninja were too numerous, so the spear heron's harassment had only limited effect.
Yoru shook his head silently—outside the Four Purple Flame Formation, the situation was horrifying.
Negotiations near the Four Purple Flame Formation were progressing nowhere.
The Uzumaki clan could not protect the villagers; the Mist and Cloud ninja continued their massacre.
Three hours passed, and the efficiency of the Mist and Cloud ninja was terrifying—they had almost killed all the villagers.
The river carried away wave after wave of corpses. Downstream, the river choked on them, piling up hundreds of meters along the surface.
Even more corpses surrounded the Spirit Turtle, tripping its sluggish movements.
Its enormous size carried mountain-like weight. If its feet accidentally stepped on civilian corpses it couldn't avoid, it crushed them into a pulp.
To crush the Uzumaki clan's resolve, the Cloud ninja exhausted the Spirit Turtle, then tied it up with steel cables, flipping it onto its back.
Explosive tags and ninja tools continuously attacked the Spirit Turtle.
The Turtle retracted its head and limbs into its shell. Though the shell's gaps were small, the Cloud ninja managed to seep the Turtle's blood continuously through them.
Adding lightning-style jutsu paralyzed the Turtle completely.
The cries from inside the shell were deep and sorrowful.
After enduring for five hours, the Four Purple Flame Formation finally exploded.
The barrier shattered, sending waves of heat and shock outward.
Nearby houses collapsed; the Cloud and Mist ninja were startled, and many died from the shockwave.
More Mist and Cloud ninja, now frenzied, surged forward.
Yoru lowered his telescope, glancing again at Danzo.
Danzo remained unmoved.
The Anbu's will was cold as steel; the deaths of allied outsiders mattered little.
A second Four Purple Flame Formation appeared.
This one was smaller, surrounding the Uzumaki clan's ancestral shrine.
Looking through his telescope, Yoru saw many women and children near the shrine.
Among them must be Uzumaki Kushina.
Besides women and children, even the clan head remained outside this new Four Purple Flame Formation.
The head stood in front, forming hand seals, and slammed his hands onto the ground.
Four massive plumes of white smoke erupted.
The Mist and Cloud ninja paused, observing, unsure of what other trump cards the Uzumaki clan had.
Suddenly, four giant summoning beasts burst forth from the smoke:
Giant Multi-Headed Dog, Giant Multi-Headed Dog, Giant Centipede, and Giant Crustacean.
Yoru was surprised—weren't these the same giant summoning beasts that Nagato's Animal Path later used?
No wonder Nagato had so many powerful summonings—it was all accumulated by the Uzumaki clan.
But why hadn't this power been passed to Uzumaki Kushina? Instead, it ended up with an Uzumaki orphan in the Land of Rain.
Ordinary ninja could not contend with giant summons.
The Giant Multi-Headed Dog easily bit and killed ninja one by one. Fuguki Suikazan personally attacked, driving it back. The dog didn't linger, splitting into two and charging at other Mist ninja.
Any attack the dog couldn't withstand caused it to split into more.
Smaller dogs were more agile, biting Mist ninja in half, swinging their heads violently, and severing enemies mid-body.
Intestines dangled from their jaws, making them appear gruesome.
The Giant Rhinoceros had thick armor; kunai and tools were useless.
It lowered its head and rammed enemies, killing and scattering Cloud ninja.
Mist ninja's water barriers were like small waterfalls in front of such summons—they were easily broken.
The Giant Centipede cut across the battlefield, isolating small groups of Mist ninja, allowing Uzumaki ninja to attack selectively.
Chains of diamonds flashed, and many Mist ninja died under secret sealing techniques.
With the help of these giant summons, the Uzumaki ninja launched a brilliant counterattack.
Mist and Cloud ninja suffered heavy casualties.
Yoru realized the Uzumaki clan was staging a comeback.
Given Danzo's character, Konoha would have to intervene soon to support the Mist and Cloud ninja.
An advisor opened a sealing scroll containing disguises and headbands of the Cloud ninja.
As Yoru suspected, the Anbu were preparing to intervene, disguised as ninja from other villages.
Once suspicion was removed, they could strike without hesitation.
However, Captain Yellow Dog discovered a new development and halted the advisor's action.
Upstream, a fast-moving boat approached Uzumaki Village.
At the bow stood a figure with long hair, eyes closed.
More importantly, he wore the Mizukage's ceremonial robe—the Third Mizukage!
Yoru never expected the Mizukage to come to Uzumaki Village in this battle.
Every Kage leaving their village signified an event of extreme importance.
Danzo shifted slightly, stepping forward.
The Uzumaki clan's attempt to seal the wild Three-Tails had truly stirred a hornet's nest. The Mist Village came to exact revenge on Uzumaki Village without restraint.
They promised Cloud ninja high rewards, determined to annihilate the village.
Furthermore, this act angered Konoha's higher-ups; negotiations failed, so they resorted to force. Danzo came to seize Uzumaki Kushina.
Yoru wondered if the Uzumaki would resent the First Hokage for giving tailed beasts to the great ninja villages but leaving none for their clan.
He nervously tugged at his collar—if he, as Anbu, guessed the truth, would Danzo silence him?
The danger came not only from Mist and Cloud ninja but also from within the Anbu.
Yoru watched carefully through his telescope, curious about the abilities of the Third Mizukage.