On Mars.
The Azure Dragon Corps's encampment was bustling with activity, red dust billowing up from the passing aircraft like a thick fog. Legion Commander Tenmei stood atop the command tower, clad in azure armor, his halberd planted diagonally in the ground, his gaze sweeping over the orderly evacuation of the crowd below.
"Li, your squad is responsible for covering the civilians as they enter the teleportation pod. Anyone who tries to cut in line will be taken down!" Tenmei's voice echoed throughout the entire base through the loudspeaker.
A boy in a green bodysuit below immediately responded, "Understood! Mission accomplished!" With that, he pushed off with his feet, his body transforming into a streak of green light as he rushed to the entrance of the teleportation pod. He stood with his hands on his hips, staring intently at the queue of people, looking like a gatekeeper.
The deputy legion commander patted Tenmei on the shoulder. "Legion Commander, half of them have already retreated. The rest will probably take another two hours. But what if the Ōtsutsuki's airship arrives ahead of schedule?"
Tenmei turned to look at him, his eyes resolute. "So be it. As long as the teleportation array remains, we cannot retreat. Have you forgotten what the Immortal King said? We must defend against the enemy beyond Mars and absolutely not let the flames of war reach Shinobi Planet!"
As they were talking, a purple light suddenly flashed across the distant sky, followed by a buzzing sound. Tenmei's expression changed, and he grabbed the communicator. "It's the Flying Zombie Corps! They've arrived!"
Soon, a dozen or so dark figures appeared in the sky above the encampment; it was Orochimaru's Flying Zombie Corps. The leader Flying Zombie and saluted Tenmei: " Lord Orochimaru has ordered that we assist the Azure Dragon Corps in evacuating the civilians and be ready to fight at any time!"
Tenmei nodded and pointed to the defensive warships in the sky. "Go over there and set up defenses in the starry sky. Remember, don't launch any attacks first. Wait for the Immortal King's reinforcements to arrive!"
The Flying Zombie didn't say much, and turned to fly towards the defensive fortifications. Tenmei watched their eerie backs and felt a little more at ease—although these zombies looked scary, their strength was undeniable. Last time, the Ōtsutsuki's advance team was swarmed and scattered by them.
In a corner of the camp, a little girl with pigtails was hugging a small yellow dog, looking up at her mother and asking, "Mommy, where are we going? Why are all those uncles and aunties wearing armor?"
Mom knelt down, patted her head, and said in a gentle but slightly nervous voice, "We're going back to Shinobi Planet. There are even prettier flowers and sweeter fruits there. Those uncles and aunties are protecting us."
The little girl nodded, seemingly understanding, then suddenly pointed to the sky and exclaimed, "Mommy, look! What's that?"
Everyone looked up and saw a faint spatial fluctuation spreading across the distant starry sky, like ripples on water, growing larger and clearer.
Tenmei's heart leaped into his throat. He grabbed the communicator, his voice trembling, " My Immortal King! Spatial fluctuations detected on the outskirts of Mars! At least two hours earlier than expected!"
In the command center of the Immortal Venerable Hall, Tsubasa had just received a message from Tenpi saying that the ore from Jupiter had been loaded onto a ship and was being transported to Shinobi Planet via a teleportation array when he heard Tenmei's urgent communication.
He abruptly stood up straight and shouted at Shikamaru, " Shikamaru! Accelerate the Nine-Tails Kurama! Reach Mars orbit ahead of schedule at all costs! Also, notify all the Golden Core Immortal Venerable and High Immortal who have already assembled to immediately depart via the ultra-long-distance teleportation array. We can't wait any longer!"
Shikamaru's fingers flew across the keyboard again, his expression grave. " The Nine-Tails Kurama said they can activate the ' Tailed Beast Nuclear Boost,' which would shorten the time to six hours. However, this would cause significant wear and tear on the nuclear engine, requiring at least half a month of repairs after the battle."
"We can't worry about that now!" Tsubasa's voice carried a hint of ruthlessness. "Tell them, even if the engine explodes, they have to get to Mars and engage the enemy!"
Shikamaru nodded and immediately issued an order to Nine-Tails Kurama). Then, he looked at the teleportation array control room beside him. "The teleportation array is ready. The first batch of Golden Core Immortal Venerable and High Immortal are already inside. It can be activated at any time!"
Tsubasa walked to the teleportation array and looked at the densely packed figures inside—there were white-haired old men, vigorous young men, and women with sharp eyes and weapons. They were all the top combat forces of Shinobi Planet, the strongest barrier protecting this planet.
"Gentlemen," Tsubasa's voice echoed around the teleportation array, " the Ōtsutsuki have arrived, with their regular army, and with ambitions to destroy us. This trip to Mars may be their last."
The crowd was silent; no one spoke, and no one retreated.
"But!" Tsubasa raised his voice, "Behind us are the billions of people of Shinobi Planet, our families, our homeland! If we retreat, what will happen to them?"
An elderly man with white hair stepped forward, slamming his cane heavily on the ground. "Rest assured, Immortal King! We have cultivated for many years; the Will of Fire is not meant to hide in the shadows and enjoy the spoils! Even if we die today, we will drag those scum of the Ōtsutsuki down with us!"
"Yes! Let's fight them!"
"Let the Ōtsutsuki know that we Shinobi Planet are not to be trifled with!"
The crowd erupted in cheers, their shouts of battle shaking the entire hall.
Tsubasa nodded in satisfaction, turned to the control room, and shouted, "Activate the teleportation array!"
"Yes!"
With a blinding flash of white light, the figures inside the teleportation array gradually disappeared. Tsubasa looked at the empty teleportation array and silently prayed: Hold on, wait for me.
He turned to Shikamaru: "We're also preparing to set off. We'll head over as soon as the second group of High Immortal gathers."
Shikamaru nodded, and was about to speak when the crystal screen next to him suddenly lit up, showing a communication between Rasa and Deidara.
Rasa was drenched in sweat. Behind him, in the research base, a massive superconducting nuclear bomb was being lifted by a crane. Deidara stood beside him, gesturing wildly and shouting, "Faster! Faster! If this thing could blow up the Ōtsutsuki's fleet of ships, how spectacular would that be! I can't wait to see the greatest work of art in the world!"
" My Immortal King!" Rasa's voice carried a hint of weariness, "The core of the superconducting nuclear bomb has been debugged. All that remains is to install the guidance device, which should be completed in two hours at most! Deidara and I will take it and leave with the third batch of High Immortal!"
"Good!" Tsubasa breathed a sigh of relief. "Remember, this is your last resort. Don't use it unless absolutely necessary."
"Don't worry!" Deidara snatched the communicator, grinning excitedly. "I'll show the Ōtsutsuki what true art is!"
The communication ended, Shikamaru stared at the rapidly changing time on the screen, his brow furrowed. "Master, the Ōtsutsuki's spatial fluctuations are getting stronger and stronger. At this rate, they'll reach Mars orbit in five hours at most. Our Nine-Tails Kurama ) will need another six hours..."
"In other words, our vanguard will have to fight the Ōtsutsuki's regular army for at least an hour without aircraft carrier support?" Tsubasa's face darkened.
"Yes," Shikamaru nodded. "Furthermore, while the vanguard has many powerful fighters, most are at the High Immortal Level, with fewer than fifty at the Golden Core Immortal Venerable Level. The Ōtsutsuki's regular army, even a small squad, has High Immortal Level combat strength..."
Tsubasa remained silent, walked to the interstellar map, and pointed heavily at the location of Mars. He knew this was an unknown and tough battle, a battle that would gamble the fate of the Jonin Star, and it all depended on how many Domain Level experts the Ōtsutsuki Clan had brought.
Just then, the door to the command center was pushed open, and Tenpi rushed in, covered in dust and ore powder from Jupiter: "Father! The Jupiter ore and Helium-3 have arrived. Scorpion said that the mass production speed of the rune mechs can be doubled again, and we can gather a hundred sets by tomorrow!"
"Great!" Tsubasa's eyes lit up. "Let Scorpion prioritize equipping the High Immortal Warriors of the Mars Azure Dragon Corps with mechs. Even a half-finished product is better than nothing!"
"Understood!" Tenpi immediately took out his communicator and sent the order to Scorpion.
Inside the command center, everyone was busy. The light from the crystal screen reflected on everyone's faces, revealing tension, worry, but even more so, determination.
On the distant Shinobi Planet, countless beams of light rose from teleportation arrays across the land, like shooting stars, converging towards the Immortal Venerable Hall. Those who were originally cultivating, mining, or healing all put down their tasks, picked up their weapons, and rushed to the battlefield.
At the Azure Dragon Corps's base on Mars, the last group of civilians had entered the teleportation pods. Tenmei watched the teleportation array close and let out a long sigh of relief. He turned to the soldiers behind him, raised his halberd, and shouted, "Brothers, it's our turn!"
The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the sky. They drew their weapons, Senjutsu Chakra surged within them, forming colorful shields that enveloped the entire encampment.
Orochimaru, the leader of the Flying Zombie Corps, walked up to Tenmei: "Commander Tenmei of the Azure Dragon Corps, don't worry, our Zombie Corps is the main force this time. We'll go first."
Tenmei glanced at him and smiled, "Alright, then let's give those Ōtsutsuki bastards a good lesson in war together!"
In the starry sky, the spatial fluctuations grew increasingly violent, and a huge black rift was slowly opening. On the other side of the rift, the Kageko of countless divine wood spaceships could be vaguely seen, like a swarm of greedy locusts, flying towards Mars.
Inside the teleportation array of the Immortal Venerable Hall, the second batch of High Immortal had already assembled. Tsubasa stood at the forefront, his long sword humming as it was drawn from its sheath, its sword energy soaring into the sky, piercing through the dome of the palace and piercing straight into the clouds.
"Set off!"
With a command given, a dazzling white light shone again, and Tsubasa and the second batch of High Immortal disappeared into the teleportation array.
Shikamaru looked at the empty command center, took a deep breath, turned around and sat back down in his seat, his fingers once again tapping on the virtual keyboard. He knew that the next few hours would be the crucial moment that would determine the fate of the Shinobi Planet.
He looked up at the interstellar map; Mars ' location was now covered by a red alert, and the countdown timer beside it was decreasing second by second.
"We have to win..." Shikamaru murmured to himself, his eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses filled with determination.
In the starry sky, the Kageko of the Shinki spaceship became clearer and clearer, and the Chakra fluctuations of the Ōtsutsuki clouds, enveloped the entire orbit of Mars.
Meanwhile, in Mars ' outer orbit, Tenmei and his Azure Dragon Corps, along with Orochimaru's Flying Zombie Corps and numerous squads of Immortal Venerable Level powerhouses, were ready for battle. Behind them lay the evacuated civilians, the teleportation array leading to the Shinobi Planet, and their Mars home, which they were determined to protect at all costs.
A great battle concerning the survival of Shinobi Planet is about to begin.