A gentle sea breeze blew head-on, carrying a nauseating stench of blood. Every breath taken by those standing on the shore brought with it an urge to faint.
Bodies lay sprawled across the beach, their bright red blood staining the sand and gathering into small streams that slowly flowed into the sea, dyeing the waters red as well.
Hizashi Hyuga stood atop the cliff and looked down. His body suddenly swayed, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
Even having lived through the Third Shinobi World War, he had never witnessed such a horrific sight. The entire shoreline was carpeted with corpses.
"Hizashi, if you feel sick, then throw up!"
Hyuga Hiashi walked over and said calmly, "Even during the Ninja World Wars before this, nothing like this ever happened. Konoha had suffered losses of several thousand shinobi before, but those were the combined casualties from several battlefields.
"We have never lost so many shinobi on a single battlefield."
He paused, lowering his gaze toward the shinobi collecting bodies below. "Give up your fantasies. The first battle alone cost the Allied Forces one-third of their shinobi, and this is only the beginning.
"This is the Fourth Shinobi World War. It is different from every war before it. Any one of us could die."
At those words, Hizashi fell silent.
Before the war began, not even the most pessimistic shinobi had expected the Allied Forces to suffer such enormous losses. Some had even believed that the Allied Forces would sweep through the opening battle with unstoppable force.
After all, this was the unprecedented alliance of shinobi villages from the Five Great Nations! "Brother!"
Hizashi suddenly remembered something. He hurriedly looked behind him and pointed at the little boy wrapped layer upon layer in white cloth. "Senju Nawaki. Are we really giving