"I'll go alone and smash straight through them."
Wind and snow raged together. The sky over the Land of Iron was a oppressive gray-white. Snow fell steadily, piling into thick layers on the ground.
Chiya walked toward the enormous black fortress with Ryūjin Jakka in one hand. His military boots crunched through the snow. Snowflakes evaporated into white mist the instant they drifted within half a meter of his head. An invisible field of intense heat surrounded him, keeping the wind and snow at bay.
Sasuke stood behind him, silently watching his figure disappear into the blizzard, then turned to set up the outer barrier.
Inside the fortress.
A shrill alarm pierced the Land of Iron's defensive lines.
Clad in heavy armor and holding a famed sword, Mifune stood atop the high wall above the fortress's main gate. The cold wind stirred his graying beard. Samurai packed the wall beside him, ready for battle. Thousands of them surrounded the broad plaza leading to the conference room, sealing it off completely.
These samurai normally practiced only swordsmanship and rarely took part in shinobi conflicts. Now, they drew the Tachi at their waists, their blades gleaming with chakra of every color.
"General, there's only one target. He's approaching the main gate," a samurai reported on one knee, his voice trembling.
Mifune tightened his grip on his sword, his palm slick with cold sweat. News of the frontline collapse had long since reached the Land of Iron. One man had smashed through the Five Great Nations Allied Forces. The Sannin had been driven out of the fight. His record was staggering.
"Gentlemen." Mifune drew his Tachi and raised it overhead, his chakra-amplified voice carrying across the plaza. "The Five Kage are discussing countermeasures in the building behind us. As a neutral nation, the