Against the pristine blue canvas of the sky, a crimson comet blazed across the heavens at breathtaking velocity. Its fiery tail stretched behind it like a celestial brushstroke, painting a brilliant arc that connected earth and sky in a display of raw power.
The thunderous roar began as a distant whisper but rapidly crescendoed into an overwhelming cacophony that shook the very air.
Every combatant on the battlefield turned their gaze skyward, transfixed by the sight of the falling star. It descended with apocalyptic force, as if the heavens themselves had chosen to intervene in mortal affairs. The comet's trajectory was unmistakable—it would strike at the heart of the conflict.
There was no time to flee, no moment to prepare. The crimson projectile carved its spectacular path through the atmosphere, wreathed in flames that burned with otherworldly intensity.
"BOOM!!!"
In the instant of impact, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Then reality shattered.
The earth split and buckled, creating massive fissures that spread outward like a spider's web. Pillars of fire and smoke erupted skyward, their fury so intense that they momentarily eclipsed the sun itself. Day became twilight in the shadow of destruction.
A blinding flash erupted from the point of impact, forcing every eye to close against its brilliance. The light was so intense it seemed to burn through closed eyelids, leaving afterimages dancing in everyone's vision.
The shockwave followed immediately—a perfectly circular wall of transparent force that expanded outward with unstoppable momentum. Everything in its path was obliterated. The Rock shinobi, caught at ground zero, had no chance to mount any defense against this force of nature. Their screams were lost in the roar as countless bodies were hurled through the air like leaves before a hurricane, only to be consumed by the following waves of flame and debris.
The devastating wave continued its relentless advance. Human bodies were tossed aside like dolls, ancient trees were ripped from the earth with their roots exposed to daylight for the first time, and all vegetation was instantly vaporized or shredded. When the shockwave reached the valley walls, it struck with the force of a god's fist.
Massive sections of rock face crumbled and fell, adding their own thunderous voices to the chaos. Boulders the size of houses tumbled down the mountainside, crushing anything unfortunate enough to be in their path.
The hurricane that followed the initial blast was no less devastating. It howled through the valley like a primordial beast, its winds sharp enough to flay skin from bone. Dust and smoke created an impenetrable curtain that transformed day into night, plunging the battlefield into a hellish twilight.
The comet had struck directly at the heart of the Rock shinobi formation. They bore the full brunt of nature's fury, their organized ranks scattered like rice before a typhoon.
"Watch out!"
"Get clear!"
"AAAHHH!"
"Form up! Defensive positions! NOW!"
The Leaf shinobi, though farther from the epicenter, still faced the approaching destruction. With desperate efficiency, they clustered together, combining their chakra and techniques to create barriers against the onslaught. Their smaller numbers actually worked in their favor, allowing them to consolidate their defenses more effectively than their scattered enemies.
Gradually, agonizingly, the maelstrom began to subside. The howling winds dropped to whispers, and the thick curtain of dust started its slow descent back to earth.
In the aftermath, an eerie silence descended upon the battlefield—a quiet so profound it seemed almost sacred.
"Tap. Tap. Tap."
Clear, measured footsteps broke the silence. A figure emerged from the devastation, stepping over the groaning bodies of fallen Iwagakure ninja with casual indifference. Each footfall rang out like a bell in the supernatural quiet.
The battlefield held its collective breath. Friend and foe alike waited in tense anticipation for the figure to reveal itself.
"Whoosh..."
A pale hand emerged from the smoke, its fingers gracefully parting the dusty veil. Sunlight poured through the opening like liquid silver, catching on the edges of flowing fabric. A man stepped forward, a pitch-black blade held loosely in one hand, his features finally visible to all.
"Whooosh..."
A sudden breeze swept across the battlefield, rapidly clearing the remaining smoke and dust.
The revealed figure stood bathed in radiant sunlight that seemed to embrace him like a divine mantle. Rainbow halos danced around his form while warm light created patterns that shifted and flowed with each movement. The very air around him shimmered with heat distortion, creating an almost supernatural aura.
His eyes held the depth of stars, while tongues of flame danced across his body like living jewelry. Each flicker of fire caught the light differently, creating a dazzling display reminiscent of diamonds catching the sun.
The sheer presence of this man pressed down upon the battlefield like a physical weight. Warriors who had faced death countless times found themselves frozen, unable to act in the face of such overwhelming power.
"Bastard! Who the hell are you?! You did this!"
Finally, one Iwagakure ninja found his voice. Clutching a bleeding shoulder wound—courtesy of flying debris—he stumbled forward, rage overcoming his survival instincts.
This newcomer was clearly not from Iwagakure. The devastation that had decimated the Rock forces could only have been caused by this god-like figure. He was the enemy.
And enemies deserved no mercy.
Shihouin Naraku maintained his forward stride, holding Kurikara with casual grace. He didn't spare the approaching Rock shinobi even a glance, as if the man were nothing more than a speck of dust beneath his notice.
"Damn you! I'm talking to—"
Naraku's grip on Kurikara shifted minutely. An invisible flash of cold light danced along the pitch-black blade.
The cursing Rock shinobi froze mid-gesture, his body suddenly rigid as if transformed into stone. His mouth remained open, caught forever in the middle of his final insult.
Naraku continued walking, passing by the motionless ninja without acknowledgment.
"Splash!"
Only after Naraku had moved past did blood erupt from the Rock shinobi's chest. Countless razor-thin cuts materialized across his body, each one perfectly placed to sever vital points. Life fled from his eyes in an instant.
"THUD!"
The ninja's body crashed to the ground, his shocked expression frozen on his face. Blood began pooling beneath him, spreading outward in a growing crimson mirror.
"He's an enemy!"
"Kill him! Now!"
"Attack!"
"For Iwagakure!"
Rock shinobi converged from every direction, their training overcoming their fear. Kunai, shuriken, and elemental jutsu filled the air in a lethal storm aimed at the lone figure.
Shihouin Naraku lifted his gaze to observe the incoming assault. Flames flickered more intensely around his form as he adjusted his grip on Kurikara. A gentle breeze stirred—
And he vanished like smoke on the wind.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
Weapons and jutsu struck empty ground, raising clouds of fire and debris. The Rock shinobi spun frantically, searching for their vanished target.
None of them noticed the long furrow that had appeared in the earth, stretching far into the distance as if something had moved through the ground itself at impossible speed.
"SHING!"
The piercing whistle of a blade cutting air shattered the confusion. Shihouin Naraku materialized in the midst of the Rock forces, Kurikara completing its deadly arc. He paused, turning slowly to face the assembled enemies.
"Splash!"
The Rock shinobi never saw the blade that claimed their lives. Thirty-seven ninja suddenly erupted in fountains of blood, their bodies crumpling to the earth seconds later like marionettes with severed strings.
Every single one died with eyes wide open, their faces masks of incomprehension. They had lived as warriors and died without even understanding how death had found them.
Only the countless cuts covering their bodies—each one precisely placed to ensure instant death—revealed the truth of their demise.
Naraku's devastating entrance had shaken every soul present to their core.
"SHING!"
Shihouin Naraku raised Kurikara toward the heavens, the black blade catching the light despite its dark surface. His voice rang out across the battlefield with the force of a war drum:
"Konoha shinobi!"
"COUNTERATTACK!!!"
The battlefield froze for a single heartbeat. Then the Leaf forces erupted in a deafening war cry that shook the very mountains.
"CHARGE!"
"Lord Naraku has come!"
"Lord Naraku fights with us!"
"For Konoha!"
"Death to Iwagakure!"
The morale of the Leaf forces soared from the depths of despair to the heights of fervor. They surged forward as one, a tide of green flak jackets and glinting steel crashing against the depleted and demoralized Rock forces.
The momentum of battle reversed in an instant. Where moments before Konoha had been on the verge of annihilation, now they pressed forward with the unstoppable force of an avalanche. The Iwagakure lines, already devastated by Naraku's arrival and now facing reinvigorated enemies, began to crumble.
Meanwhile, Naraku accelerated again, his blade seeking out priority targets with surgical precision. The elite jonin of Iwagakure, particularly the feared Explosion Corps, found themselves hunted by death incarnate.
These demolition specialists posed the greatest threat to regular Leaf forces. Each one represented years of training and irreplaceable expertise. Their loss would wound Iwagakure for years to come.
"Gurk!"
A Rock shinobi's hands, still molding explosive clay, suddenly lost all strength. His eyes widened in shock as he felt the cold kiss of steel across his throat. Blood fountained from the perfect cut, and darkness claimed him before his body hit the ground.
The clay fell from nerveless fingers, splattering harmlessly on the earth. Without chakra to activate it, the explosive clay was merely mud—harmless and inert.
"That's four," Naraku murmured, his cold gaze already fixed on his next target.
In the distance, a renowned Explosion Release user was preparing his bloodline limit technique, unaware that death approached on silent feet.
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