Almost at the same moment, far away in the Land of Lightning, in Kumogakure.
A piercing alarm instantly tore through the once-peaceful night. Sharp and urgent, it slashed through the silence above the village like the claws of the Reaper, jolting every sleeping villager awake.
"What's going on?"
"It's an enemy attack alarm!"
Lights came on in countless windows as people rushed out of their homes in panic and looked up at the sky. Then they all saw a sight they would never forget.
The night sky was no longer a deep black, but an ominous orange-red. At the edge of the heavens, a vast rift seemed to have opened, and countless burning fireballs trailed long, scorching tails as they hurtled toward Kumogakure with unstoppable force!
"Wh-what are those?!" a young ninja cried out, his voice distorted by fear.
"Meteors! It's a meteor shower!" an experienced old ninja roared in despair, his face ashen.
Panic spread like a plague. Cries, screams, and the sounds of doors and windows being smashed open mingled together. In mere dozens of seconds, the entire village plunged from peaceful slumber into apocalyptic terror. This was no ninjutsu. This was a natural disaster! Divine punishment!
"All ninja! Organize the evacuation immediately! Get the villagers to the highest-grade shelters in your sectors!"
"Medical Corps! Stand by at the shelter entrances, all of you!"
"Hurry! Hurry! Leave your belongings! Your lives come first!"
At this critical moment, Kumogakure's well-trained ninja forces demonstrated their formidable efficiency.
Countless figures raced across the rooftops, shouting as they guided panicked civilians as quickly as possible toward the village's sturdy underground shelters. Ninja carried children in their arms and helped the elderly along, while the crowds surged like a flood toward their only chance of survival.
Boom!
A violent blast of air shattered