On September 11th, in the 27th year of Konoha, a sandstorm swept across the western front. On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, two completely different "clouds of military power" stood facing each other from afar— the Land of Grass had mobilized three million troops, recruited by all the nobles in the country, like ants swarming a dike. The gleam of their armor spread across the open fields for hundreds of miles, of which two million and two hundred thousand were private soldiers of nobles. The family crests on their armor were even more densely packed than the flags of the Land of Grass the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the 100,000-strong Vermilion Bird Corps of the Land of Fire stood silently behind the defensive line. The Yin Shadow of the silver-gray mecha array and fighter jets on the flat ground resembled a wall of steel, and the energy fluctuations of Chakra and runes caused the air to tremble slightly.
"They're just relying on the meager resources left by the Third Hokage. Do they really think the Land of Fire can forever ride roughshod over us nobles?" The vanguard general of the Land of Grass's noble alliance roared, slamming his iron armor. The samurai behind him raised their spears in agreement.
The Daimyo of the Land of Grass stroked his beard on a high platform behind him. The crystal projection showed the magnificent scene of three million soldiers. The nobles around him all had their eyes shining. The news that the Land of Fire had become rich in recent years due to rune technology had spread throughout the Shinobi World. Those flying iron birds and iron giants that could split mountains were all fat meat waiting to be divided in their eyes.
"Use the full strength of the nation to crush Konoha's western front!" The Shinobi World's voice trembled as he gave the order, half excitement and half greed. "In this Noble Alliance against the Land of Fire, the nobles of the Land of Grass are tasked with capturing the seven border cities. Then, the Land of Fire's rune techniques and land resources will be enough to keep the nobles of the Land of Grass rich for another thousand years!"
As dawn broke, the pale light of day struggled to pierce the morning mist along the border of the Land of Grass. On the open plains, the vanguard army of the Land of Grass was already arrayed. Three million warriors, clad in heavy black iron armor, formed hundreds of ironclad squares in units of ten thousand men each. The sounds of rubbing armor, the clatter of horses' hooves, and the shouts of generals mingled into a deep, rumbling roar.
Their long swords pointed diagonally at the ground, and the grass and leaf patterns on their armor gleamed coldly in the dim light. They were adjusting their final stances before charging in time with the drumbeats. The ninjas at the edge of the armor formation had already begun to Hand Seals, and the pale green Wind Release barrier rippled in front of the formation. The air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and earth.
Suddenly, a low hum came from the eastern horizon, initially like distant rumbling thunder, but instantly transforming into a deafening roar that blotted out the sky. The lookout from the Land of Grass abruptly stood up from his watchtower, his copper whistle not yet sounding, his pupils contracting sharply in utter horror.
The morning mist was torn apart by an invisible wave of air, and a dark flock of iron birds swooped down from the clouds, their wings whistling Space Break, piercing the eardrums. Two hundred and twenty Thunder Falcon Type III fighter jets, like a migrating swarm of locusts, blocked out the light of day. The Yin Shadow cast by their outstretched wings swept across the open field, instantly crushing the armored formation's sharpness.
"Enemy attack! Form a defensive formation!" The general's roar echoed from the armored formation, but before the words had even finished, the fighter jets had already deployed the " Three Powers Eclipse the Sun " formation in the clouds. The front row of fighter jets pierced straight into the center like sharp blades, while the fighter jets on both sides formed an arc to surround them. Suddenly, the rune slots under the wings lit up with a dazzling purple light, and six thousand " Violet Thunder " rune bombs, like an inverted rain of stars, pierced through the morning mist with sharp whistles, leaving dense purple light trails in the sky.
"It's a rune fighter from the Land of Fire! Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!" The ninja captain in the front row rapidly Hand Seals, causing the earth to tremble violently. A several-meter-high earthen wall rose from the ground, instantly covering the thick soil with rock-like textures.
The Water Release ninjas on the left flank simultaneously slammed their fists into the ground, shouting, " Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" Muddy river water gushed forth from the earth, condensing into an arc-shaped water curtain in front of the formation, the water vapor mingling with the morning mist to create a vast white barrier.
The Wind Release ninja on the right flank unleashed a fierce gust of wind, unleashing " Wind Release: Wind Wall!" High-speed spinning wind blades formed a wall of wind in mid-air, attempting to tear apart the diving bomb.
But all of this was in vain before the Violet Thunder Bomb. The first bomb exploded at the top of the Earth Style Wall, and the blinding purple light instantly engulfed the earthen wall. The violent lightning spread along the soil and shattered the several-meter-thick rock wall into dust. The rubble turned into dust in the lightning.
Immediately afterwards, six thousand purple lightning bolts pierced the clouds at the same moment, instantly ionizing the air within a thirty-mile airspace. The crackling lightning coiled towards the ground like a living giant python.
The Water Formation Wall was vaporized into white mist the Setsuna it came into contact with the lightning. The scalding steam mixed with the lightning exploded, turning the Water Release ninja and his technique into a bloody mist. The wind barrier was torn apart by the lightning, and the spinning wind blades rolled back, slicing a nearby armored warrior in half at the waist.
The sky was completely transformed into a sea of thunderstorms, with purple lightning bolts weaving through the clouds, each flash illuminating the hellish scene below. The heavy iron armor of the ironclad phalanx twisted and melted in the lightning, the molten iron seeping in through the seams, sizzling and burning the warriors' bodies, their screams drowned out by the thunder.
The ninja army's Hand Seals were still frozen in mid-air when their Chakra was torn apart by the violent lightning. Their meridians felt like they were being branded with hot irons, and some people bleed purplish-black blood from their seven orifices. Their bodies convulsed violently in the electric current and finally turned into charred remains.
The warhorses, startled, galloped wildly, only to be tripped by the lightning net spreading across the ground. The sounds of hooves and bones shattering echoed as the burning horses dragged flames across the open field, igniting the grass that had not yet been affected by the lightning.
The Thunder Falcon fighter jets swooped and climbed through the clouds, their wings flashing as purple lightning cascaded down like a waterfall. A hilltop where a hundred archers had gathered was hit by three bombs at the same time. When the lightning exploded, it formed Lightning Ball with a diameter of ten feet, instantly leveling the hilltop. Rocks and human fragments were thrown dozens of feet into the air, only to be burned to ashes by the lightning as they fell back to the ground.
The river was boiled by lightning, and half-charred corpses floated in the steam. The once clear river water turned into a murky soup of blood. The reeds on the bank were engulfed in flames, and the flames licked the sky, turning the morning mist into an eerie orange-red.
Half an hour later, the last Violet Thunder Bomb fell, and a wall of fire stretching for dozens of miles across the wilderness ignited. The rune arrays on the fuselages of the fighter jets suddenly lit up, and the blue light of "instant return" spread like ripples. The entire formation soared into the clouds, the hum of the engines gradually fading away, leaving only the lingering power of the purple lightning and the thick smoke of burnt metal. From takeoff to withdrawal, it was only an hour, and the armored formation of the Land of Grass's army had been reduced to nothing.
In the main camp of the Land of Grass, the surviving noble warriors hid in the bunkers behind the main camp, only daring to peek out when the tremors of the ground stopped. Leaning against the charred ruins, they looked out and saw that the area within thirty miles had been turned into barren wasteland. The once flat wilderness had been plowed into countless deep furrows, filled with molten iron and congealed blood.
The charred corpses were piled up like charcoal, some still in running postures, others still in hand Hand Seals, but all were burned beyond recognition, with even the bones exposed, scorched gray by the lightning and fire.
The air was thick with the stench of roasted meat, sulfur, and scorched earth; even a single breath sent a burning sting down your throat. In the distance, the wall of fire still burned, crackling and crackling with the lingering thunderclaps.
"That's... what kind of Ninjutsu is that?" A noble samurai collapsed to the ground. His family's secret barrier, which he was so proud of, couldn't even last a second in the thunderstorm. His protective ninja tools had turned into charcoal and stuck to his skin. His hand holding the sword trembled uncontrollably. The gem on the hilt had already shattered, and the blade was chipped by the scorching lightning, reflecting his pale face.
The guard ninja beside him was pale and bluish-purple, blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth. His left arm had been charred by the lightning strike, revealing the stark white bone. Each breath was accompanied by a painful whimper. " Chakra... my Chakra shield has been torn apart... that wasn't Ninjutsu, it was Heavenly Punishment..."