"My lord, breakfast is ready."
The servant stood respectfully three steps away, holding a food box.
Iron Wall waved his hand, his gaze still fixed on the distant horizon.
Judging by the time, the enemy would arrive soon. He absolutely could not let his guard down and had to protect Dragon-Locking Pass.
As for the source of confidence...
Besides the elite Third Knight Order, there were two colleagues who rushed to the aid of Martial Capital overnight: ' Wind Chaser ' Martial Saint and ' Heaven Burner ' Martial Saint.
At this moment, the Martial Saint Wind Chaser is training new recruits in the training ground.
The lean, middle-aged man had a neatly trimmed short beard and a long scar across his left eye, said to be from a fight against rebels when he was young.
He is skilled in the ultimate use of Wind Release Chakra, able to compress Chakra into his legs and dual swords, achieving near-instantaneous speed.
Ten years ago, he single-handedly suppressed the rebellion in the east, fighting three opposing Martial Saint and annihilating them all, thus gaining fame in one fell swoop.
As for the Martial Saint Heaven Burner, he is nearly two meters tall and his body is covered with flame tattoos.
He focuses on combining Fire Style Chakra with Taijutsu, and can transform Chakra into high-temperature flames that wrap around his fists and feet. His strength is comparable to that of the Martial Saint Wind Chaser.
But the real trump card is the long sword wrapped in black cloth at the Martial Saint Iron Wall's waist, one of the treasures of the Martial Capital's secret vault.
' Fallen Star '!
Just then, an unnatural wisp of smoke began to rise on the distant horizon.
"They've arrived."
"Martial Saint Iron Wall," he said in a deep voice, his tone as cold and hard as metal.
The Martial Saint Wind Chaser on the training ground suddenly stopped moving. In the instant his twin swords were sheathed, he leaped onto the ten-meter-high watchtower.
He narrowed his intact right eye, a glint of blue light flashing in its pupil.
"A silver-gray shell... Is this the monster the intelligence reports mentioned? It just looks like a bunch of lumps of iron."
The burly Martial Saint Heaven Burner had somehow already reached the highest point of the city wall. He stretched his neck, and his joints made a popping sound.
"Finally, I can stretch my muscles a bit."
thump thump thump--
Inside the Dragon-Locking Pass, the rapid sound of war drums exploded like thunder.
The heavy cavalry of the Third Knight Order quickly formed a wedge formation, their armored horses snorting and their iron hooves pawing restlessly at the cobblestones, sending sparks flying.
On the city wall's gun emplacements, dozens of steam-powered heavy cannons slowly adjusted their firing angles.
The brass-cast cannon barrel gleamed coldly in the morning light, the high-pressure steam in the boiler hissed through the pipes with a chilling sound, and the pressure gauge readings trembled violently, pointing towards the red alert zone.
The garrison troops rushed back and forth between the ammunition depot and the artillery positions, the heavy ammunition boxes dragging on the stone floor with a screeching sound.
The soldiers of the new steam-powered rifle skillfully turned on the steam valves to conduct final pre-battle checks.
The pressure gauge at the end of the barrel immediately started ticking, and scalding steam gushed out from the exhaust port, condensing into streaks of white in the cool morning mist.
On the watchtower of the city wall, the flag bearer nervously adjusted the signal flag, the lens of the bronze telescope reflecting a cold light.
Messengers darted back and forth through the narrow city streets, the sound of their leather boots clattering on the stone steps mingling with the roar of the steam engine.
The entire Dragon-Locking Pass resembled a steel behemoth awakened, slowly unfurling its sharp claws.
On the mountain road ten miles away, Tsunade to signal the troops to stop.
A Hyuga ninja reported, " The Dragon-Locking Pass is just ahead; the garrison has spotted us."
"Prepare the white flag," Tsunade said in a deep voice. " Kakashi, you take a team to persuade them to surrender."
Kakashi smiled wryly, " Lord Hokage, I'm afraid they won't accept our offer of surrender."
"We have to try." Minato Namikaze stepped forward and said with a smile, "Every battle we avoid can save countless civilians."
Might Guy gave a thumbs up, his white teeth flashing.
"Youth is about daring to try peace! But..."
He turned to Tsunade, "If negotiations break down, allow me to be the first to charge!"
Tsunade nodded, took a white flag from the ninja beside her, and personally selected three experienced medical Jonin as envoys.
"Remember," Tsunade instructed sternly, "No matter how provoked they are, you must remain restrained. Our goal is to avoid unnecessary casualties."
Shizune nodded solemnly and said, "Understood, Lady Tsunade."
The messenger team, escorted by Kakashi, slowly advanced towards the Dragon-Locking Pass.
Minato Namikaze stood on high ground, toying with a specially made Kunai in his hand, ready to activate the Flying Thunder God Technique to rescue him at any moment.
On the city wall, the Martial Saint Iron Wall coldly watched the approaching white flag.
"Sir, shall we fire the arrows?" the adjutant inquired.
The Martial Saint Wind Chaser toyed with the short sword in his hand. "No rush, let them come over, it'll be a good opportunity to test their strength."
The Martial Saint Heaven Burner stood with his arms crossed, "I want to see what tricks these ninjas can pull."
When the messenger arrived at the city gate, Shizune took a deep breath and amplified her voice with Chakra.
"Soldiers of Dragon-Locking Pass! We have come to negotiate peace on the orders of the Fifth Hokage! Lay down your weapons, and we guarantee the safety of all soldiers and civilians!"
A burst of laughter erupted from the city wall.
A burly garrison commander poked his head out. "Go back and tell that so-called Hokage, at Dragon-Locking Pass, there are only warriors who die in battle, not cowards who surrender!"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly upon hearing this and calmly said, "Please tell the Martial Saint Iron Wall that war will only bring unnecessary sacrifices. You have no chance of winning against the Shinobi Alliance."
"Such arrogance! You think you can compete with mere magic trick ninjas?"
Suddenly, the Martial Saint Wind Chaser appeared at the edge of the battlements, leaning against the wall with one hand, looking down at the envoy team from above.
"Sigh!" Kakashi sighed helplessly, then turned to his colleagues and said, "See? They won't surrender. Let's go back."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Martial Saint Heaven Burner suddenly roared, his entire body engulfed in raging flames.
"Since you're here, you're not leaving!"
He slammed his fist into the city wall, and a wave of scorching fire swept down.
"Watch out!" Kakashi quickly Hand Seals.
The earthen wall rose instantly, blocking the oncoming flames.
The Shizune and the medical-nin quickly retreated, but another Martial Saint had already turned into a blur and blocked their retreat.
"Trying to leave?" The Martial Saint Wind Chaser's twin blades gleamed coldly in the sunlight. "Perfect for using you as a sacrifice!"
At this critical moment, Minato Namikaze appeared.
In a flash of golden light, several specially made Kunai were aimed precisely at the vital points of the two Martial Saint, forcing them to retreat and defend.
"Withdraw!"
At Minato Namikaze's command, the Flying Thunder God Technique was activated, and the messenger squad vanished from their spot in an instant.
Boom boom boom--
Almost at the same moment, the cannons on the city wall roared deafeningly, blasting huge craters in the places where they had been standing.
Amidst the smoke and fire, the Martial Saint Iron Wall's Fallen Star Sword was finally fully drawn, its dark blade radiating an ominous aura.
"All troops, attack! For the glory of the empire!"
On the distant mountain road, Tsunade watched the rising smoke, her face ashen.
"A bunch of arrogant and conceited Martial Saint, they really don't know anything."