Shinobi World No. 1.
Autumn, Year 43 of Konoha.
Southern Land of Fire, Southern Army Flank Defense Line.
A dark-red tide surged silently forward under cover of night.
Ten thousand true believers had no matching armor, no standard weapons, not even regular formations. But they shared one thing-dark-red, flamelike light burned in all their eyes. It was the light of evil power, the light of pain, the light of-madness.
They had come.
Like demons pouring out of hell.
Roughly two thousand ninja had originally been stationed along the Southern Army's flank defense line. They belonged to Danzo's Southern Army and were responsible for monitoring movements in the Land of Rain. But the deployment along this defense line had been flawed from the outset-Danzo had transferred most of the elite troops to the main front to fight Sunagakure's "Iron Cans." The bulk of the flank's defenders were ninja of common birth, members of small and medium-sized clans, and wounded soldiers withdrawn from the battlefield.
Their fighting strength had been inadequate to begin with.
Their morale was even lower.
And when they saw that dark-red "sea of people" surging toward them like a tide, their last shred of courage collapsed completely.
"Wh... what is that?!"
The kunai in a young Konoha genin's hand trembled.
"It's the Jashin Cult... it's the Jashin Cult!"
"How... how are there so many?!"
"Run... run!"
"No running!"
A chunin shouted sternly, but his voice was trembling too.
"Lord Danzo ordered us not to retreat! Anyone who retreats will be killed without mercy!"
"B-but we can't beat them!"
"Then fight anyway!"
Gritting his teeth, the chunin drew his ninja blade.
"There are no cowards among Konoha's ninja!"
Just as he finished speaking, a pillar of dark-red light shot into the sky from the Jashin Cult's ranks.
It was