"What is that!?"
The armored samurai raised his head, his gaze piercing the thin haze as he stared in terror at the crimson chakra rapidly swelling and condensing into a mass within the city walls.
Its savage aura made their souls tremble. The thick fog that the explosion had briefly dispersed silently spread across the battlefield once more.
"It's a Tailed Beast!"
The rogue ninja fighting alongside them dodged Kunai thrown from the shadows. His shouted warning spread across the battlefield alongside the blasts of Explosive Tags.
The nine Tailed Beasts that had suddenly appeared within Kirigakure brought the battlefield to a standstill, but their roaring howls reignited the flames of war.
"These are separated Tailed Beasts. They aren't that strong!"
"That's right! Our forces are receiving constant reinforcements. As long as we hold out, those Mist ninja are no match for us!"
The commanders' voices, steadying the troops, reached the samurai's ears amid the endless sounds of slaughter and flashing light.
Yet another sound filled the ears beneath his helmet.
A beast claw that blotted out the sky came whistling down. The violent gale bore down on him with the weight of a thousand pounds, leaving him unable to move. He could only stare wide-eyed at the claw tearing through the thick mist.
Bang!
A scarlet, nauseating wave of blood burst from the armor embedded deep in the earth. Beneath the shattered plates lay the samurai's pride—flesh stained bright red with blood.
A broken longsword lay fused into the pool of blood.
"The heavy siege weapons are here!"
The endless reinforcements had brought weapons that had proven unstoppable in wars among the nations: heavy ballistae gleaming coldly with Explosive Tags attached, as well as massive Shuriken launchers forged from steel and ready to fire.
The steel constructs concealed in