[The Land of Water's Daimyo Residence]
Back in the era when bloodline limits in the Land of Water were as countless as the stars, the Land of Water's Daimyo played more the role of a mediator, balancing the various factions.
However, when Obito arrived and turned the Hidden Mist Village upside down, everything changed.
The clans that once possessed powerful bloodline limits were wiped out one after another in that catastrophe, and the Land of Water's national strength plummeted, instantly falling into an abyss.
Faced with such a predicament, the Daimyo's Residence had no choice but to devote all its strength to fully supporting the Hidden Mist Village.
Only then could the country continue forward through the storm.
Fortunately, with Rengoku's intervention, Karatachi Yagura successfully obtained several crucial sources of funding.
Combined with the overwhelming combat power displayed by his Mirror Clone, even the powerful Hidden Cloud Village was left battered and humiliated.
As these achievements accumulated, Karatachi Yagura's prestige quickly recovered.
At the same time, merchant caravans from the Land of Fire showed the Land of Water exceptional care and support.
As a result, after several years of heavy effort, the country gradually began to recover its former vitality and made up for part of the enormous losses it had previously suffered.
The Land of Water's Daimyo was undoubtedly an extremely intelligent man. He understood well that maintaining a good relationship with the Hidden Mist Village was vital to the country's survival.
Because of this, the Daimyo's Residence and the Hidden Mist Village had long maintained a close and harmonious relationship.
Although the city where the Daimyo's Residence was located stood some distance from the Hidden Mist Village, it was still a rather eye-catching large city thanks to its prosperity.
Its streets crisscrossed the city, shops lined both sides, people came and went, and it was full of activity.
Whether it was the cries of street vendors in the alleys or the noisy bargaining of customers inside the shops, they blended together, giving the city a strong sense of everyday life.
Not only did this place gather merchants and travelers from all over the country, but many of the Daimyo's relatives and close friends had also settled here.
However, compared to other places, the number of ninja here was very small. The vast majority of the residents were ordinary civilians.
The Daimyo's Residence had gone many years without experiencing war. Aside from taking some precautions against bandits in daily life, they had never even conducted a single emergency drill.
At that moment, a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out.
Whoosh... Whoosh...
In the next moment, two Tailed Beast Balls containing terrifying power streaked across the sky like meteors and crashed straight toward the city wall.
Accompanied by two earth-shaking explosions...
Boom!
Boom!
In an instant, rocks flew everywhere and dust rose into the air. The originally solid city wall was blasted open with a huge breach by the destructive force.
At once, terrified screams rang out one after another, "Ahhhh!"
"Help!"
"Ah! My arm!"
"My leg!"
"Mom!"
Countless civilians scattered in every direction like frightened birds, desperately trying to find what they believed was a safe place to hide.
Those closest to the city wall suffered the worst. They did not even have time to let out a cry before being mercilessly killed by the flying debris.
Those who were a little luckier were not spared either. Some had broken bones, others had their muscles twisted by the impact. Blood splattered everywhere, and the entire scene was unbearably gruesome and chaotic.
But this was only the beginning. Less than half a minute later, that chilling whistling sound came again.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Immediately after, another two Tailed Beast Balls, carrying overwhelming force, slammed into the city.
This time, with no city wall to block them, the tremendous power of the Tailed Beast Balls struck a towering building in the city directly.
A deafening explosion rang out, and the entire building was blown to pieces in an instant, turning into countless bricks and rubble of all sizes that rained down from the sky.
Like meteors, the falling debris smashed into the ground, throwing everything into chaos wherever it landed.
People screamed in terror as they fled in every direction, and the streets instantly descended into confusion and panic.
At that moment, a dazzling beam of light suddenly shot out from the direction of the Daimyo's Residence building, soaring straight into the sky.
Then, high in the distant sky, the light exploded, forming a huge crimson circular pattern.
It was a flare calling for reinforcements.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The clear, urgent ringing of wind chimes echoed continuously, drawing closer from the distance.
Accompanied by the chimes, a large force of fully armed soldiers rushed out like a tide.
Each of them wore armor, held sharp weapons, and had solemn expressions.
"Don't panic! Everyone evacuate in an orderly manner through West Street!"
"Everyone, leave this place immediately! Return to your homes as quickly as possible, and do not come outside unless necessary!"
The soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs, trying to calm the panicked crowd and guide them toward safe areas.
These soldiers were the elite troops directly under the Land of Water's Daimyo, normally responsible for protecting the Daimyo and his residence.
Faced with such a sudden disaster, they did everything they could to maintain order in the city and protect the lives and property of its residents.
Among the troops were also a handful of ninja.
They were all elite experts from the Hidden Mist Village, sent by the Daimyo to assist in dealing with this crisis.
The ninja swiftly moved through the crowd. As they ran alongside the soldiers, they loudly shouted instructions, "Do not go outside recklessly! Maintain order at the scene, rescue the injured immediately, and remember that the enemies outside are extremely powerful. They are not opponents ordinary civilians can fight!"
"Our reinforcements are on the way! Please remain patient!"
"Our top priority is to ensure the safety of every villager!"
In the ninja world, the existence of ninja who could leap across rooftops and come and go without a trace was something these soldiers were already accustomed to.
Although they had heard the warning about the danger ahead, not a single one overestimated themselves by trying to capture the jinchuriki who was launching the Tailed Beast Balls.
Even so, despite the enormous risk posed by the relentless bombardment of the Tailed Beast Balls, they still did everything they could to guide the panicked crowds to safety and race against time to rescue the wounded.