The Kirigakure forces arrived in the Land of Frost, and a new wave of attacks followed shortly after.
The troops of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure formed an allied force and marched in an orderly fashion toward the border of the Land of Frost… Konoha's defensive line.
Then a brutal offensive-defensive battle erupted.
"They're coming!"
The Konoha's Ninjas, who had formed up according to headquarters' orders, stared warily at the dark mass of the allied Ninja forces ahead. Many swallowed nervously.
Because the enemy's allied forces included users of the Explosion Release bloodline, they could no longer use the tactic of defending the city wall. They had no choice but to form battle formations and face the enemy's charge head-on.
Fortunately, the reinforcements of five thousand troops sent by the village three months earlier had arrived, offering some comfort to the frontline soldiers' morale.
Five hundred meters, one hundred meters, fifty meters, ten meters...
When the three great nations' allied forces crashed into Konoha's battle line, the brutal slaughter had only just begun.
"Charge! Kill all Konoha's people and plunder everything they have!"
A dark-skinned burly man led the charge, using his hoarse voice to bolster the morale of his fellow soldiers.
The next second, a piercing sound of cutting air reached his ears. His entire body was lifted off the ground as if struck by a heavy blow. A kunai had silently and accurately hit his forehead in the night.
"With this level of skill, you still want to plunder the Land of Fire? Go to hell, you Kumogakure bastards!"
A Ninja with a long ponytail, equipped with four or five types of ninja tools, opened his crimson eyes. Three tomoes spun slowly, forming a powerful oppressive pressure.
"U-Uchiha?"
The once powerful Ninja Clan that had shaken the entire Ninja World appeared on the battlefield, making many who had experienced the previous wars recall the fear of being dominated by them.
"Don't be afraid of them! Our troop strength is twice theirs!!!"
An Iwagakure's Ninja in red battle gear charged toward that Uchiha with his eyes closed, his large blade swinging fiercely toward his head.
The clash of short-range weapons produced a crisp metallic friction sound. The loud crash of Earth Release and Fire Release colliding echoed across the battlefield, forming a tiny corner of this massive slaughter.
The cries of battle permeated the noisy battlefield. Every inch of land was stained with blood. Scattered kunai, explosive tags, and forehead protectors covered the forest before the two warring sides. There was scorched earth everywhere, with burning trees scattered about, fallen in disarray.
"Mother, let me go up there!"
At the rear command post, Sato Sakura's emerald eyes reflected the turmoil dozens of kilometers away. A bloodthirsty smile appeared on her emotionless face.
"Mm, go!"
Sakura, who was coordinating Medical-Nins to treat the wounded, wiped the sweat from her forehead and agreed to Sato Sakura's request without even looking up.
The next moment, the mad beast was unleashed.
Amidst the brief clashes and back-and-forth of the Ninjas, a colossal being surpassing buildings had calmly and leisurely crossed a distance of dozens of kilometers.
The mythical beast Behemoth looked down upon the many Ninjas below with its intimidating figure.
This scene was terrifying, inspiring a helpless feeling of powerlessness that could not be stopped.
"Roar!!!"
Sato Sakura's roar echoed across the entire battlefield. Following Sakura's orders, she manipulated her ability, forcibly pulling down a massive meteorite from beyond the atmosphere.
The meteorite, over three hundred meters in diameter, streaked across the sky like burning steel, carrying gravitational potential energy like a nightmare, and plummeted down with a crash.
"Damn it! Stop that thing!!!"
The commanders of the various Allied Ninja Forces, veins bulging on their foreheads, roared with bloodshot eyes.
The Ninjas who received the orders worked even harder. A continuous downpour of kunai flew through the air. Earth Release, Water Release, Lightning Release… they dared not stop for a moment.
Unfortunately, no matter how their Ninjutsu erupted, they were all reduced to nothing by the Mach rings emanating from the scorching red surface of the falling meteorite.
Boom—!
The lament of the earth-shattering collapse was drowned out by the loud crash. A massive cloud of dust rose from the center of the battlefield. A storm suddenly arose, and shockwaves swept through.
Countless Ninjas were turned to dust in the first wave of impact. Then more people were severely wounded by the heat and the potential energy of the projectiles. In an instant, the three great nations' allied forces suffered countless casualties.
"To dare to create such a biological weapon, fight these Konoha bastards to the death! Follow me in the charge!"
Smelling the nauseating smell of roasted flesh in the air, the new commander roared, leading the reassembled Ninjas to attack Sato Sakura.
The nearby Ninjas who could still move responded one after another, drawing their weapons in unison. Even more ninja tools and Ninjutsu were poured toward Sato Sakura.
Have faith. Faith can turn disadvantage around.
Cut a bloody path with your bloodlust, no matter the cost, you must kill that monster!
But at that moment, the Uchiha combat units covering Sato Sakura from all sides launched simultaneous attacks. The main force of Ninjutsu users spat out ferocious Fire Release, alternately covering each other, instantly sealing off all room for evasion and submerging the large group of Ninjas charging into close combat.
Unfortunately, this was not the sea where strength is determined by willpower alone. Having faith alone was not enough to bridge the gap between them and Konoha.
With the commander's death once again, the battle formations formed by Konoha's other Ninjas gradually pressed forward. The allied forces of the three great nations, already fighting each on their own, were split by Sato Sakura and the many Ninjas with her into even more fragmented combat zones.
The remaining allied Ninjas gradually went from initially having multiple people surround and attack one Konoha's Ninja, to now being surrounded by Konoha.
Looking at the overall situation, Konoha's Ninjas were slowly advancing, while the allied forces, which had charged fiercely at the start, were retreating while fighting.
From time to time, someone would fall forever, either caught in a Genjutsu and taken out by a kunai flying from somewhere, or perish amidst several Ninjutsu, their body falling covered in burns.
Their numbers steadily, gradually decreased.
The craters blasted by Ninjutsu were occasionally spotted with the bloodstained mutilated remains of Ninjas.
Inside the belly of the night bird circling the sky, seeing this scene, his Observation Haki constantly receiving the wails of Ninjas, Naruto frowned.
"War is truly cruel!" The blond-haired boy exhaled a murky breath and mused quietly.
The small ship spirit emerged from the shadow behind him and knocked on his head. "This is still the main battlefield. If Sakura and the others lose and these people pour into the Land of Fire, you will see scenes tens of times more cruel than this!"
"If possible, I want to stop war from happening." Naruto closed his eyes, his fists clenched tightly. "But look at me now. Even though I seem to have mastered powerful strength, I can't do anything."
"You're still young. Think less about this kind of stuff!"
Leviathan, stepping on a chair condensed from darkness, jumped up and hit Naruto's head again. "War isn't those Ninja Games you usually play. It's the most brutal resource plunder. If you can't find a way to create enough resources to satisfy everyone's needs, then every period of peace is just stockpiling strength for the next, even greater war!"
In that moment, the inhuman ship spirit revealed to Naruto the underlying truth hidden beneath the peace built by humanity, leaving the boy stunned and speechless for a long time.