I raised a hand and caught the Heavy Coat tossed my way.
The coat was covered in coarse sand and smelled of cheap tobacco.
"Old man, worry about yourself. I'm not scared of swallowing a little sand."
I casually wrapped the tattered coat around myself.
The Wood Dragon growled and carried me straight into the darkened sky.
The wind howled fiercely, whipping the ragged strips of my coat in every direction.
"Sen, look ahead! The Ten-Tails' chakra is about to explode!"
The ANBU girl clutched the carriage curtain, her face tense beneath her mask.
"The barrier around the Land of Lightning's main camp has already been crushed flat by that energy!"
Her voice was shrill, and her hands shook as she gripped the large wooden door.
Standing atop the dragon's head, I brushed the hem of my coat with some distaste.
"What's the rush, lady? It's just a tree stump that can breathe."
I narrowed my eyes at the red glow deep within the massive sandstorm ahead.
The once-clear sky had turned completely bloodred.
Black chakra flames churned in midair like soot from the bottom of a pot.
"ROOOAR!"
An unusually deep beastly roar came from within the swirling sand.
It was the Ten-Tails' voice, heavy and thick with the stench of rot.
The ten enormous tails on his back swept wildly across the sand.
They smashed several nearby barren mountains into showers of stone fragments.
"Lord Raikage! Get out of the way! That black ball's coming down!"
Darui shouted from behind, his long blade swaying in the cold wind.
The Ten-Tails opened his enormous mouth, revealing rows of black wooden pillars.
A black iron ball of chakra, a full hundred meters across, spun inside.
Purple light flowed across its surface, scorching away all the surrounding windblown snow.
"We're done