Once the tasks were assigned, the entire team split into three groups. Their objective was to attack the Hidden Mist's main base in Yujin Harbor from the left, center, and right flanks.
The central battlefield was managed by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, bolstered by the Inuzuka and Moonlight clans.
On the left flank, the Hyuga clan led the assault, with support from the Aburame and Kurama clans, along with other smaller clans.
As for the right flank, the Uchiha clan took it on alone.
This wasn't an attempt by Minato Namikaze to isolate the Uchiha; in fact, he had confirmed with Fugaku Uchiha before the mission if they needed any assistance. Fugaku, however, declined.
The other Uchiha shinobi did not show any fear in response to this; instead, they wore expressions of confidence. As Konoha's largest clan, they naturally felt no need to cooperate with others.
Seeing this, Seimei could only shake his head.
What could he say?
Even Fugaku Uchiha, the clan leader, couldn't go against his clan's pride. What could he, a young man, add to the matter? Still, the Uchiha certainly had the strength to back up their decision.
The Uchiha shinobi present, aside from Seimei himself, all had activated their Sharingan to the level of three tomoe, making them at least at the level of Jōnin. This level of strength certainly allowed them to operate independently.
Seeing Fugaku's refusal, Minato didn't press further. With one last glance at Seimei, he gave the command, "Move out!"
The three groups immediately set off, heading towards Yujin Harbor in unison.
Thanks to Minato's Flying Thunder God technique, they bypassed enemy blockades and appeared directly on the outskirts of Yujin Harbor.
Now, they only needed to break through one final line of defense to enter.
And this last defense wouldn't hold for long.
In the center, Choza Akimichi, the head of the Akimichi clan, took the lead. He skipped any pretense and launched his most powerful move—Super Multi-Size Technique! In seconds, he grew from a sturdy warrior into a towering giant over ten meters tall. Swinging his massive iron staff, he broke through the Hidden Mist's defensive line with one blow.
"Watch out!"
"Get out of the way!"
"Counterattack!"
Cries filled the air as all the Hidden Mist shinobi focused on the enormous figure of Choza Akimichi.
At this moment, Shikaku Nara, head of the Nara clan, acted. He pressed his hands together, concentrated, and used his shadow jutsu, manipulating his shadow to split and creep unnoticed into the battlefield, ensnaring several Hidden Mist shinobi in an instant.
Taking advantage of this, Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka clan, used his Mind Disturbance Jutsu, sending his spiritual energy precisely into the minds of the Hidden Mist shinobi trapped by Shikaku's shadow.
With this, Shikaku released them to control others, while Inoichi made the captured shinobi turn on their own allies.
Meanwhile, Choza continued to press the attack, drawing attention and shielding his teammates, giving them an opening to press forward. The three leaders coordinated seamlessly, dismantling the Hidden Mist's defenses in mere moments.
Following suit, other ninjas from the three clans, along with members of the Inuzuka and Moonlight clans, surged forward into Yujin Harbor.
While the battle raged here, the other two flanks were equally intense.
On the left, Hiashi Hyuga, head of the Hyuga clan, fought alongside his brother, Hizashi, and several branch members, driving forward with powerful Gentle Fist techniques. Alongside them, Aburame clan members unleashed hordes of parasitic insects, overwhelming the Hidden Mist's resistance.
On the right, although the Uchiha shinobi were quieter, they were no less effective. With their Sharingan, every movement on the battlefield seemed to slow down before their eyes. Hidden Mist shinobi who lacked the skill to match them barely lasted a few exchanges. With the added illusionary prowess of the Sharingan, the Mist shinobi's defenses crumbled quickly.
In this way, Seimei and the others displayed their abilities, shattering the final line of Mist shinobi defenses in just a few minutes, and advancing into the heart of Yujin Harbor.
From there, they raced straight towards the Hidden Mist's command center.
---
Meanwhile...
In the Hidden Mist command center, leaders from each division had gathered in response to Konoha's surprise attack that night. Before they could formulate a plan, they received word that several Konoha Jōnin had already broken into the camp.
At that moment, they understood Konoha's intent.
While Yujin Harbor was the Mist's main base on this battlefield, it was similar to Konoha's camp in that it didn't have a large number of fighters stationed there; most of those left behind were either wounded or support personnel.
Without many active fighters, they had lost their primary line of defense once the outer barrier was breached.
Under these circumstances, they had to find a solution immediately.
Quickly, two orders were issued from the Mist command center. The first was for all remaining personnel to gather around the command center, tightening the defensive perimeter. The second was to call in all external shinobi for reinforcements.
The first command was easy to implement. Familiar with the camp layout, the remaining Mist shinobi quickly gathered near the command center and engaged Seimei's group in a fierce battle.
However, the second command proved difficult.
It wasn't that the shinobi outside didn't want to return, but the Konoha commanders, comprised of the Nara and Yamanaka clans, had taken control of the battlefield. Konoha had stabilized their positions and began actively engaging the Mist shinobi, preventing them from retreating to the command center.
Even those who found brief openings to return could offer only minimal help against the intensity of the battle raging within Yujin Harbor.
In short, the battle's outcome was sealed from the moment the Mist failed to detect Konoha's plan in time.
The Mist ninjas in the base simply couldn't hold off Seimei and his team.
Seimei had previously worried that Madara Uchiha might leak their plan to the Mist, given his insight into their ambush strategy. If Madara had warned the Mist to prepare a countertrap, it could have made this mission far more challenging.
Fortunately, that didn't happen.
As for why Madara didn't intervene, Seimei guessed there were two possible reasons: first, Nara Kikaru's precautions had been effective. Even he, one of the mission's executors, had only learned the specifics of the plan a few hours earlier via encrypted message. The critical details, such as using Minato's Flying Thunder God technique for transport, had been disclosed just an hour before.
This meant Madara may not have received the information in time to alert the Mist.
The second reason was that Madara simply had no interest in helping.
Yes, it wasn't about willingness; he simply wasn't interested.
Madara's previous maneuvers had only been meant to draw Minato away.
Now that Minato was gone and his plan could proceed smoothly, he had no further reason to concern himself with the Mist's fate. For Madara, discarding allies like worn-out tools was hardly unusual.
In any case, Seimei's team's mission seemed destined for success.
With these thoughts, Seimei turned his attention to the Mist shinobi in front of him.
*(End of Chapter)*