It was the tenth day since the war began.
At the border of the Land of Lightning, the sky hung low and dark.
Gray-black clouds spread from the northern mountains, their edges tinged with purple, as though something were writhing behind them.
It was dazzling lightning.
Lightning was common in the Land of Lightning. At certain times, the sky would darken and clouds would churn, bringing thunder and lightning without rain. The village was built among the mountains, and the towering peaks often attracted lightning, so every household had a lightning rod.
At this moment.
The formations of the Fourth Division, Sixth Division, Tenth Division, 11th Division, and Twelfth Division had already spread out before Kumogakure's mountain entrance.
Their black-and-white Squad uniforms looked subdued and orderly beneath the overcast sky.
From afar, they resembled a slowly advancing tide, boundless yet unstoppable.
The fifty-thousand-strong ranks made no unnecessary sound as they marched. These professional division soldiers had undergone countless training sessions. They were the most formidable killing machines.
The sound of footsteps crossing gravel and grass grew fainter as the wind swallowed it.
Konan floated ahead of the Fourth Division, the edges of her snow-white haori stirring gently in the wind.
Her gaze rested on the magnificent village ahead. Built among the mountains, it was easy to defend and difficult to attack, with lightning as its year-round companion.
As part of its defensive deployment, Kumogakure had moved its military fortifications forward to the village entrance.
A sealing barrier technique reached into the heavens. Lightning Release chakra formed a spherical shield over the entire village, arcs of electricity leaping across its surface seemingly without pause.
"I didn't expect Kumogakure to have something this good."
Kakashi opened his dead-fish eyes wider and looked at the spectacular barrier technique.
"Don't underestimate any shinobi village's