"The absence of those two crucial NPCs proves precisely that this upheaval is meant for all of us players to take part in."
After Master of Open Stratagems finished speaking, the doubts in the other four's minds were finally dispelled.
Then Master of Open Stratagems brought out his "crystal ball" again.
Images flashed across the crystal ball in succession, showing players scattered throughout the forest converging on this battlefield.
The Hidden Jun players' collective "migration" also triggered a chain reaction.
The contestants from the Five Great Shinobi Villages had long since sensed the terrifying fluctuations deep within the dense forest.
Now they saw so many people streaming toward its depths.
Driven by curiosity, they set aside their fear and headed deeper into the forest as well.
Master of Open Stratagems stopped hashing things out with the other four shinobi. Coordinating personnel was his specialty.
Besides, once everyone had assembled, he would need to take overall command of the battle.
After briefly meeting up with the four, Master of Open Stratagems soon left again.
Raijin looked at the increasingly violent battlefield before him, then at the dense crowds rapidly gathering outside it.
He drew a deep breath and said:
"All right, it's our turn to act!"
He flipped his hand over and slammed his palm straight into the ground.
A summoning circle shimmered beneath his palm.
"Screee!"
A dark cloud quietly drifted overhead, followed by an enormous black shadow descending from the sky, bringing savage winds and arcs of electricity.
Azure Bird: Thunderclap lowered his head slightly, obligingly letting Raijin climb onto him.
Raijin settled astride him and shouted:
"Brothers, see you in a bit!"
Fierce winds and electrical arcs entwined once again, and the enormous black shadow shot into the sky.
Corpse Bearer and Bullfighting Master brushed the dust off