The stone walls of Iwagakure groaned in agony amidst the black flames; those sturdy rock walls, which embodied the hard work of generations of Iwagakure Ninja, were now melting like mud scorched by the blazing sun.
The Immortal Golden Crow in the sky left a trail of black flames hundreds of meters long as it flapped its wings. With each dive, it tore a burning trench in the ground. The cries of the villagers mingled with the roar of collapsing buildings, making the entire village tremble in despair.
Tian Uguisu stood atop the highest point of the watchtower, her knuckles white from clenching her fists. Behind her stood Tian Yueqing, Tian Muyan, Tian Zhiyun, their robes fluttering, their faces smeared with soot and blood. The earth to the north continued to tremble. The stone golems of the Moryo had already smashed through the third line of defenses. These giant stone creations, driven by Super Kage Level Chakra, left half-meter-deep footprints with every step they took, and with a sweep of their thick stone arms, entire rows of houses crumbled like building blocks.
"They retreated another fifty meters to the west!" Tian Yueqing suddenly shouted. The golden runes that had formed at her fingertips were dissipating in patches. The spirits of the Land of Ghosts surged forward, stepping on the bones of their companions. The eerie light in their empty eye sockets merged into one in the twilight, as if to drag the entire village into the underworld.
Wind God Saku's azure whirlwind exploded among the undead, but it could only temporarily clear a small area before it was filled with even more undead in an instant.
"Don't let them near the granary!" Tian Yueqing bit her fingertip, dripping blood onto the rune scroll. Golden light suddenly surged, drawing a burning arc on the ground. "Shuo, wrap the flames with your wind!" Wind God Saku understood, and with a wave of his hands, a gale arose. The golden wall of fire instantly transformed into a rotating pillar of fire, burning the approaching undead to ashes. But just as he was about to catch his breath, he saw another dark, surging tide of undead coming from the horizon.
The shouts of battle from the south grew closer. The cursed warriors of the Land of Birds, their bodies wrapped in purplish-black runes, did not retreat Kunai after being hit by the ninjas' kunai; instead, they grinned and pounced even more fiercely. Meanwhile, the Star Ninja of the Land of Bears transformed into golden eagles and black bears in mid-air, their sharp claws and beaks tearing through the Iwagakure Ninja ' defenses.
Tian Zhiyun was unleashing the full power of her Konoha Dragon God Taijutsu. Her figure transformed into a pale green streak of light amidst the enemy ranks. The vortex generated by her fists could shatter the armor of warriors, and her toes could kick the beak of a golden eagle, forcing the beast to retreat with a strange cry.
"Want to enter the village? Ask my fists first!" Tian Zhiyun kicked the captain of the Land of Bears flying, and upon landing, she grabbed Ninja Blade from the ground and slashed away the incoming curse. " Muyan, the archer on the left!"
Tian Muyan's ice bow was now radiating a chilling blue aura. She stood at the edge of the watchtower, the bowstring vibrating incessantly, and icy arrows trailing white mist shot towards the Star Ninja in the air.
An arrow struck the golden eagle's wing with pinpoint accuracy, ice crystals instantly spreading across its entire plumage. The beast screamed as it plummeted to the ground, crashing into the allied forces and causing chaos. "Did you see that? That's real archery!" She flicked her wrist, and three ice arrows were simultaneously nocked. "I'll handle the puppet soldiers on the east side; you all hold the front!"
Before the words were even finished, the stone golems to the north had already breached the last line of defense. The Moryo, perched on the shoulder of the largest golem, roared with laughter, "Remnants of Iwagakure, taste what it's like to be crushed to dust!" The golem's giant hand slammed down towards the watchtower. Suddenly, Tian Uguisu roared, and the skeleton of Susanoo rapidly materialized behind her. A black giant wielded the Earth Spirit Divine Spear, its tip colliding with the golem's hand, sending shards of stone flying everywhere.
" Tian Yueqing, use Sealing Jutsu to trap their joints!" Tian Uguisu's voice Susanoo. " Tian Zhiyun, don't let the allied forces get close to the main battlefield!" She controlled the black giant to sweep across, forcing back several stone golems, but more golems were pouring in through the gap, and the undead on the west side of the village also broke through the fire wall, making the situation increasingly critical.
Just then, a streak of light flashed across the sky, Tsubasa's figure broke through the clouds. The Senjutsu Chakra surrounding him shimmered with golden and green patterns in the sunlight. "You beast, your opponent is me!" He stared at the Immortal Golden Crow circling in the sky. The strange bird seemed to sense the threat and suddenly turned around, spewing out black flames. Tsubasa, however, neither dodged nor avoided it. Instead, he suddenly accelerated and passed right through the black flames.
" Sage Art: Evil-Slaying Thrust!" The sphere of Senjutsu energy he condensed in his right hand, carrying a spiraling current, slammed into the back of the Golden Crow. The black flames, powerful enough to melt rocks, were forced back by the power of the Senjutsu. The Golden Crow let out a shrill cry, its massive body tumbling through the air, black feathers mixed with Mars falling everywhere.
But just as it fell, sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on it, and its shattered wings regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye, while the black flames gushing from its wounds grew even more intense.
"It's not over yet!" Tianyi rapidly Hand Seals, the immortal Senjutsu mark on his Tsubasa emitting a dazzling golden light. "Sealing Magic - Vajra Prison!" Countless golden runes flew from his palms, weaving into a giant birdcage in the air. The rune chains coiled around the Golden Crow like living things. The strange bird flapped its wings angrily, black flames burning some of the runes to ashes, but more chains surged in, tightly constricting its body.
The Golden Crow's giant claws scraped against the cage walls with a piercing sound, black flames repeatedly crashing against the runic barrier, dyeing the entire sky an eerie purplish-black. It suddenly rose higher, attempting to crash the cage into the sun, but Tsubasa held the top of the cage down firmly. "With me here, you won't be able to borrow the sun's power!" Senjutsu Chakra flowed through the chains, and the Golden Crow's body began to tremble violently. The black flames were gradually suppressed by the golden light, and finally, with a mournful cry of unwillingness, it shrank to the size of an ordinary firebird, firmly locked in the cage.
"Good!" Cheers erupted from the watchtower, but Tian Uguisu's expression grew even more grave—while Tianyi was distracting Tsubasa, Moryo had already manipulated ten Golden Crow golems to pounce below the watchtower. Susanoo's giant spear swept across, smashing three golems, but the remaining golems grabbed the spear shaft, the immense force causing even the black giant to sway slightly.
" Tian Muyan, freeze their feet!" Tian Uguisu shouted. Tian Muyan's ice arrows immediately shot towards the puppets' ankles, and the ice crystals spread rapidly, temporarily immobilizing these behemoths. But the undead from the west had already rushed into the street. Tian Yueqing and Wind God Saku stood back to back, their runes and wind blades intertwined to form the last line of defense, yet they were still retreating step by step.
The allied forces to the south also launched a general offensive. The cursed warriors advanced in square formations, while the Star Ninja hurled ninja tools from the air. Although Tian Zhiyun had taken down dozens of people, she couldn't stop the endless waves of enemy troops. "If this continues..." She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, looked at the approaching enemy troops, and gripped her Ninja Blade tightly.
Tianyi hurled the Tsubasa sealing the Golden Crow to the ground, leaving it to the Water God Zhang to guard, while he charged at Moryo: "Your Puppet Technique is useless against me!" Senjutsu Chakra transformed into a giant axe in his hand, splitting the stone golem's head in two. Moryo, filled with shock and rage, manipulated more puppets to surround him.
On the watchtower, Tian Uguisu looked at the village surrounded by enemies and suddenly took a deep breath. "Sisters of the Ten Family, have experts come to help?" Tian Yueqing's runes suddenly became denser, Tian Muyan's ice arrows were imbued with ice crystal storms, and Tian Zhiyun's Taijutsu even produced pale green Konoha patterns.
"That's my husband, Tsubasa! Everyone, let's cheer him on and buy Tsubasa some time!" Tian Yueqing and Tian Zhiyun's voices rang out simultaneously. Tian Uguisu, Susanoo, was stunned for a moment, then unleashed even stronger power to kill the giant stone golem. Tian Muyan was also stunned for a long time; Tsubasa had turned into a child.
Awakened by the sound of the puppet shattering, she activated her Reincarnation Tenseigan to its fullest extent, and her entire body suddenly burst forth with ice-blue, gold, and yellow light, echoing the golden light of Tsubasa's immortal Senjutsu, erecting a solid defensive line above the burning village.
The puppets of the Moryo continued their rampage, the howls of the undead were deafening, and the battle cries of the allied forces grew ever closer. But on the walls of Iwagakure, five figures unleashed overwhelming power, halting their advance. Behind them were ninjas and villagers who refused to surrender, and their homes burning yet not extinguished. This desperate battle had only just begun to enter a phase where a chance of turning the tide was possible.