The others looked around at the Hyuga Ninja's warning, but saw nothing. Someone asked, "Is there something out there?"
"You can't see it?" The Hyuga Ninja froze for a moment, then realized that its exterior must have blended almost perfectly into the night. Ordinary eyes couldn't distinguish it, but the Byakugan, which observed chakra directly, was unaffected by the darkness. "Right there! Be careful, it's huge! We need a large-scale Ninjutsu to stop it, or the wall will collapse!"
The Hyuga Ninja's words sounded alarmist, but the others didn't let their guard down. The ninja sprang into action, and the samurai braced themselves. Still, none of them could see where this enormous thing was until it blocked out the moon.
A shadow swept over their faces. They stared, dumbstruck, at the massive object blotting out the moonlight. They couldn't make out its exterior clearly, only its immense size and a faint metallic sheen on its surface. Combined with that scraping sound, it had to be made of metal.
"Wh-what is that...?"
"It's enormous!"
"Quick, use Earth Release! No, Fire Release—"
Confusion broke out atop the City wall. This thing had appeared so suddenly and was far beyond anything they had imagined. They didn't need to think to know how destructive it would be. If it struck, the City wall would probably be finished, and none of them had a good idea how to stop it.
Good idea or not, everyone who could act threw everything they had at it. It was moving too fast and would reach them any moment. An Earth-Style Wall rose, only to be smashed through effortlessly. The Fire Release that followed failed to melt it, either. Just as it was about to strike the wall and despair filled their hearts, a figure rushed out.
That fleeting