Outside Konoha, batch after batch of figures clad in Sound Ninja uniforms poured out from hidden strongholds like hyenas that had caught the scent of blood. They launched a new charge toward smoke-filled Konoha, attempting to drive the chaos to even greater heights.
At least several dozen Sound Ninja wore cruel, excited smiles beneath their masks, as if they could already see themselves wreaking havoc and slaughtering at will. They sprinted forward, kicking up clouds of dust.
Yet they failed to notice that on a high slope not far away, a pair of eyes gleaming with intertwined cruelty and excitement had them firmly locked in its sights.
Just as this group of Sound Ninja was about to rush into the village outskirts.
Several clay creations disguised as ordinary birds silently swept over their heads. Then, little white objects rustled down from the clay birds' bellies, landing precisely in the middle of the running Sound Ninja formation.
"Hmm?"
The white objects falling from the sky made several Sound Ninja freeze instinctively, their steps slowing as well. Yet that brief hesitation became the final moment of their lives.
"Detonate!"
With that cold command from afar.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!!"
A continuous barrage of explosions instantly swallowed the Sound Ninja force! The tiny Clay Spiders unleashed terrifying power utterly disproportionate to their size, as blazing fire and shockwaves mercilessly reaped lives.
The screams were drowned out by the explosions. Severed limbs and shattered ninja tools flew everywhere, and the force that had been so imposing moments ago was wiped out in an instant, leaving behind only charred craters and the lingering stench of blood.
"Ha ha ha ha! So, what do you think? If you can't understand the true essence of art in an instant, this is what happens!"
Standing atop the heights,