A soft whistle drifted across the mountaintop.
Shihouin Naraku reclined against a boulder still warm from the flames, his feet resting on ground covered in gravel and white ash. His leisurely tune echoed across the battlefield ruins, creating an almost surreal atmosphere of tranquility.
The sounds of combat, the screams of the dying, the clash of steel—all had vanished as if they never existed.
Only the dancing flames remained, swaying to some unheard rhythm with a beauty that belied their destructive nature. They seemed almost joyful, celebrating their freedom to burn without restraint.
This peaceful interlude proved brief. At the mountain's base, Cloud shinobi forces began assembling once more. They started their ascent along the winding path Naraku had deliberately preserved through the inferno.
The enemy approached steadily, yet Naraku maintained his casual whistling, showing no concern for the advancing threat.
His melody intertwined with the crackling flames, causing clusters of fire to flicker and dance in response. The entire mountain seemed to pulse with an otherworldly rhythm.
Cloud shinobi battle cries grew louder as they climbed, their determination evident in every shout. But just as the lead elements prepared to crest the summit, all sounds of advance ceased abruptly.
"Where is everyone?"
"The enemy's gone!"
"What's happening here?"
No jutsu attacks descended upon them. No hail of kunai or shuriken greeted their arrival. The Cloud shinobi assault team froze in confusion, their momentum completely disrupted.
This was far too easy. Something was terribly wrong.
The sea of flames still burned on either side of the path, tongues of fire reaching skyward, but an eerie calm had settled over the mountaintop. Such an abnormal situation left the Cloud forces paralyzed with indecision.
Should they continue the assault? Or fall back immediately?
The team leader made rapid hand signals, ordering his subordinates to warn the following waves not to advance yet. Better to assess this strange development before committing more forces.
The Fourth Raikage, summoned by concerned subordinates, arrived to find his forces in disarray. Several teams had already retreated from the mountain while only the initial assault group remained frozen near the summit.
"Why has the fighting stopped? There's no sound of combat at all."
Ai's tactical instincts screamed warnings. In his experience, when battlefields went quiet this suddenly, catastrophe usually followed.
Atop the mountain, Shihouin Naraku rose gracefully to his feet. His star-bright eyes gazed calmly at the hesitant Cloud shinobi team, a slight smile playing at his lips.
"Not coming up?" His voice carried clearly despite the distance. "Then I'll come down to you!"
His whistle resumed, sharp and clear, jolting the Cloud forces from their paralysis.
"Whatever Konoha's planning, we can't show weakness now!"
"That's right! We charge forward and retake the summit!"
"Forget the danger—advance!"
"Attack!"
Gathering their courage, the Cloud shinobi team surged forward once more, determined to seize their objective regardless of the trap they suspected.
A low rumble suddenly echoed from the distant heavens. All eyes turned skyward as a crimson comet blazed across the sky, growing larger with each heartbeat as it plummeted toward Thunder Gorge.
"Take cover!"
"Get back!"
From within the fiery trail burst forth an ancient dragon of impossible majesty. The Sky Comet Dragon struck the mountaintop with devastating force, the impact shaking the entire peak to its foundations.
The explosion of dust and debris obscured everything. When it cleared, a massive crater marked where the Cloud shinobi team had been standing. Countless boulders tumbled down the mountainside in a deadly avalanche.
"What in the Sage's name was that?"
The Fourth Raikage squinted at the sky, trying to process what he'd witnessed. That flash of crimson light—was it a meteor? Some new jutsu? Or something far worse?
Remembering the reports of abnormal activity on the summit, Ai's voice cracked like thunder across his forces:
"All units—MAXIMUM ALERT! Defensive positions, NOW!"
Well-trained Cloud shinobi instantly snapped to attention, weapons drawn and chakra flowing as they faced the mountain with grim determination.
At the summit, debris scattered as a massive tail swept through the rubble. The Sky Comet Dragon emerged from its impact crater, wings spreading wide as it shook dust from its scales.
As for the Cloud shinobi team that had been advancing—they had simply ceased to exist. Between the dragon's velocity and the kinetic force of impact, survival would have required a miracle.
Footsteps crunched across broken stone as Shihouin Naraku approached the crater's edge, surveying his companion's handiwork.
"Excellent work, my friend."
The dragon's thunderous roar shook the air in acknowledgment.
"This is merely the beginning," Naraku continued, his voice carrying an edge of anticipation. "Since the Raikage insists on prolonging this conflict, let's present him with a gift that will finally open his eyes."
Another roar of agreement rumbled from the dragon's throat.
Naraku vaulted onto the dragon's back with fluid grace, settling between its wings. With a gesture of his hand, he called out:
"Come forth!"
The sea of flames blanketing the mountain suddenly surged with renewed life. Fire streamed together from all directions, condensing and taking shape. The air filled with the crystalline sound of birdsong—beautiful yet somehow terrible.
Two phoenixes of breathtaking majesty materialized from the concentrated flames. Their bodies blazed with internal fire, every feather a work of art wrought in crimson and gold. They stretched their elegant necks skyward, releasing cries that resonated with primal power.
Sharp talons gripped the scorched earth as they tested their forms. Intricate patterns of flame danced across their wings, creating designs that hurt to look at directly.
With synchronized movements, both phoenixes launched themselves skyward, their wings leaving trails of fire in the air.
"Shall we begin?"
The Sky Comet Dragon snorted jets of superheated air from its nostrils, eyeing the phoenixes with curious interest.
"Let's go!"
The dragon's wings unfurled to their full, impressive span. With a single powerful downbeat, they rocketed upward, piercing through the air like a crimson arrow. The acceleration was so intense that sonic booms trailed in their wake.
The twin phoenixes flanked them in perfect formation, creating a V-shape of destruction as they climbed toward the clouds.
"Watch this," Naraku murmured to his dragon.
One warrior. One dragon. Two phoenixes.
Their target: the Cloud Shinobi Village encampment.
The Sky Comet Dragon tucked its wings and dove, transforming into a living missile. The phoenixes followed suit, their bodies becoming streaks of flame against the sky.
They descended faster than falling stars.
"What's that sound?"
The Fourth Raikage and his forces looked up as distant thunder rolled across the sky. Was a storm approaching?
Then they saw them—three specks growing rapidly larger against the blue.
"INCOMING! DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!"
The warning came too late.
The sky erupted in flame as countless fireballs rained down upon the Cloud shinobi camp. Tents, supplies, and unfortunate ninja were consumed in expanding spheres of destruction. Each impact created overlapping blast waves that flattened everything in their path.
The aerial assault transformed the orderly military camp into a vision of hell within seconds. Flames spread with supernatural hunger, devouring everything they touched. Screams of agony mixed with shouted orders as chaos reigned supreme.
Circular shockwaves rippled outward from each explosion, tossing ninja like leaves in a hurricane. Those caught directly by the flames were reduced to ash before they could even cry out. Others were hurled against debris with bone-crushing force.
"Take cover!"
"Return fire!"
"Somebody stop them!"
The Fourth Raikage's desperate commands were nearly drowned out by the continuous explosions. His eyes blazed with helpless fury as he watched his forces decimated. Blood painted the cratered earth in gruesome patterns, a canvas of destruction that would haunt survivors forever.
Those who tried to counterattack found their efforts futile. The attackers moved too fast to target—crimson blurs that crisscrossed the sky at impossible speeds. By the time a ninja raised their hand to form seals or throw weapons, their attackers had already passed.
The Phoenix and Sky Comet Dragon executed their assault with terrifying precision. Each pass brought fresh devastation as fireballs erupted across the camp. Their speed was such that Cloud shinobi could only glimpse red streaks cutting through the smoke-filled air.
Every flash of crimson light heralded another wave of destruction. The earth shook continuously from the barrage of explosions. Smoke and flame rose in towering pillars while debris rained down like deadly hail.
Through the chaos and carnage, the Fourth Raikage could only watch as those red lights continued their deadly dance, systematically destroying everything he had built. His mighty army, reduced to fleeing figures silhouetted against walls of flame.
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