Before dawn, Konoha was jolted awake by a muffled rumble.
It was not an earthquake, but footsteps, dense and overwhelming, rolling in from afar like a vast army trampling the night to pieces. The sound made hearts tighten.
Shuo sat up amid the pile of Fragments, and the little ones beside him instantly woke, without a trace of grogginess.
Hand Princess Big swiftly crawled to his feet, the eye in its palm fixed on the outskirts of the village.
Hand Princess Small followed close behind.
Hand Princess Three bounced over, deliberately easing its landing so it left no crater-this kid had actually learned to be gentle.
Hand Princess Four floated in midair, squinting into the distance; Hand Princess Five's torso slowly shifted over, all thirteen eyes on its belly wide open, its body taut.
The even smaller ears, noses, and toes crowded behind them, forty-five eyes all staring in the same direction.
The horizon beyond the village was frighteningly black. Darker than the dead of night, it looked like a churning sea slowly bearing down on Konoha. Countless points of light hid within that Black Tide-pale gold, densely packed. They were not starlight, but the eyes of living creatures, radiating a bone-piercing chill.
Kaguya hurried to Shuo's side, her expression as grim as could be, her voice very low. "It's Isshiki. He's brought every last trump card."
Shuo did not panic. He leisurely took a candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth. Sweetness spread as he chewed, raising his eyes to the approaching Black Tide. "How many?"
Kaguya shook her head, her tone heavy. "Too many to count. There's no way to count them."
Shuo nodded and looked back at the Fragments behind him. All forty-five eyes watched him without a trace of retreat. "Scared?"