"Zzzzt…"
The sound of electric currents filled the sky, incessant.
The Allied Shinobi Forces, detecting the commotion, didn't need orders and unanimously dispersed, yielding open space.
The next second, four rays containing heart-stopping terrifying energy shot forth, falling uniformly towards the city's central tower as if wanting to destroy the city along with it.
But before they could approach, they were blocked by a translucent pale yellow dome.
Seeing this, the Allied Shinobi Forces all widened their eyes in shock.
Shikaku, who issued commands as a leader and planned strategy as a strategist, even more, shot up from his seat.
"This is the Uzumaki Clan's defense barrier!"
The energy dome enveloping the Mechanical City was identical to the one that had previously defended against the Chakra Cannon, even surpassing it in thickness and stability.
Even someone without barrier knowledge could tell just by looking at the appearance.
"What do we do now?"
Subordinates looked towards the Third Raikage and Shikaku.
They all knew Sunagakure possessed the infinite energy from Dragon Vein. Now, with a barrier that could steadily block even the moon-blasting Chakra Cannon, breaking through only with Nuclear Cannons comparable to Bijudama was unrealistic.
"Don't worry!"
Kushina's voice transmitted to every member of the Allied Shinobi Forces via the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transmission Technique.
"That's a defense barrier developed specifically against energy attacks. It has no defense against physical impacts."
"Physical attacks, huh…"
Everyone instinctively looked at the Second Tsuchikage, Mu.
"This is indeed the time for our village's people to display their skills." Mu said calmly, then suddenly shouted within the Mind Transmission network. "Who's currently in charge of Iwa's suppressive fire unit?"
"It's me, Iwaseki. What are your orders, Mu-sama?"
"Lead your unit to destroy the defensive equipment on the Mechanical City!"
"Please rest assured, sir. I will destroy the Mechanical City's city walls along with them!"
"Be careful!"
Ending the communication, Mu looked at the decision-makers in the room. "I've already set people in motion. Wait for the results."
...
In the hall, Iwaseki looked at his unit… a total of seven hundred Iwagakure's Shinobi.
Although Shinobi from various villages were mixed up, to ensure combat effectiveness, some specialized units still retained their original strength.
"You all heard Mu-sama's orders. This is the time to display Iwagakure's style in front of other villages. Put your effort into it!"
"Yes!"
As the command was issued, Iwaseki was the first to jump from the Sky Castle.
The suppressive fire unit members followed closely behind.
Iwaseki was a person with average build, ordinary looks, and an extremely ordinary personality.
If placed in a crowd, no one would give him a second look.
But just like rock, ordinariness doesn't mean incompetence.
Iwaseki's strength and leadership were top choices in Iwagakure. In the original work, he once led his unit to almost wipe out an opposing Konoha unit, leaving only four survivors.
If not for Minato's timely support, he would have achieved a major victory with small losses for large gains.
He landed on the Floating Continent, first stomped the ground hard to feel the land's solidness before nodding satisfied. "The geology is the same as on land, doesn't affect Earth Release usage."
Then, he scrutinized the entire battlefield.
Due to the Nuclear Cannons and arrow formations, the air force had already retreated, and the Mechanical City's machines had stopped firing.
But from the arrows on the ground, he could infer the range.
"Range approximately 1,600 meters. Effective range probably only around 500. But considering density, accuracy isn't needed, so effective range is around 1,000 meters." Iwaseki made a rough calculation, his face revealing a smile. "This distance is just right!"
"Follow me!"
Iwaseki waved his hand grandly towards his men and ran towards the Mechanical City first.
The rest of the unit maintained formation as they followed closely.
The distance from here to the Mechanical City's walls was around over 5km. At Shinobi speed, they could reach it in two minutes.
They stopped at a position around 1,000 meters away, separating into groups of twenty people standing side by side.
Then…
[Earth Release: Opening Earth Rising Excavation!]
Rumble…
With the earth trembling, rocky mountains sprouted from the ground.
Instantly, all the mountains seemed to erupt like volcanoes, spewing a large amount of rocks and dirt.
Using the earth's momentum, the rocks and dirt crossed the 1,000-meter distance, impacting the Mechanical City's city walls with thudding sounds.
The walls weren't really damaged.
Constructed from a blend of various metals, 100 meters high, 20 meters wide, with shock absorption devices installed behind… not to mention such small rocks and dirt, even a Bijudama hitting them wouldn't cause any problems.
But the various equipment mounted on them suffered large-scale damage.
Naturally, the top of the walls couldn't be without defensive measures. Those defensive equipment were also made from sturdy materials strictly crafted, naturally wouldn't be destroyed by one wave of rock and dirt strikes.
However,
The Iwagakure's suppressive fire unit members placed their hands on the mountains or nearby ground, injecting Chakra into them, causing the mountains to continuously erupt at a five-second frequency.
Under this large-scale intense damage, some equipment began to suffer damage.
Besides the Gatling crossbow cannons, unused kunai launchers and shuriken burst launchers were also damaged.
Although not smashed to pieces, these finely crafted things suffering part damage would result in greatly reduced power or even render them unusable.
…
"Put in more effort! Try to destroy these walls along with them." Outside, Iwaseki, still unaware of the Mechanical City's full extent of the walls, continued dreaming an impossible fantasy.
His subordinates also increasingly diligently used Chakra.
Allied Command.
Seeing this, they decisively had the main forces seize the opportunity to attack.
Not only the air force flying in the sky, but ground force members without Wind-Nature Chakra and unable to fly also advanced quickly towards the Mechanical City like ants.
However,
No matter how powerful Iwaseki's unit's suppressive fire was, when Allied members approached within 1,000-meter range of the Mechanical City, the arrow formations would activate once again, with firepower not diminishing in the slightest.
Using weapons to parry simply couldn't keep up.
Using Ninjutsu to defend, facing arrow formations blocking out the sky, just average Chunin or Jonin-level Ninjutsu also couldn't defend against.
Whether in the sky or on the ground, whether Jonin or Chunin, no one could charge to a position close to 500 meters.
…
"What's going on!?"
Shikaku was incredulous.
With such powerful fire cover, the enemy's firepower showed no sign of diminishing. This simply didn't follow logic.
Because sensing abilities were blocked by unknown means, Shikaku had to pick up binoculars to look at the Mechanical City.
On the thick, broad walls, were densely packed with equipment, but most were in an inactive state.
Only every five meters, there was a crossbow cannon loaded with arrow quivers continuously firing arrows.
The cannons weren't being controlled by anyone, but were firing automatically as if alive. Beside each cannon was a fixed large metal box. A mechanical arm fixed nearby from time to time grabbed quivers from it to reload cannons that had finished firing.
And the cannons damaged by rock strikes were also quickly restored under a burst of purple lightning, then resumed firing arrows.
"…"
Shikaku put down the binoculars, falling into silence.
He thought of Ryuji's mechanical bird and Iron Fortress.
These defensive equipment were eighty percent similarly possessing self-consciousness.
With no one controlling them and damage immediately repaired, naturally there would be no gaps, so firepower couldn't possibly decrease.
"Damn it! He still had this trick!" Shikaku angrily hammered the wall, filled with reluctance.
"It seems we can only serve as the vanguard!" The Third Raikage stood up, his imposing build giving a strong sense of oppression.
"We should have taken the field long ago." The Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, laughed. "We are summoned by Impure World Reincarnation, possess immortal bodies. We're the best choice for dealing with this situation. I don't understand what this strategist of yours is thinking, not letting us act even now?"
"…"
Shikaku remained silent.
Although the initial strategy was to have the Impure World Reincarnation army serve as vanguard to reduce losses,
However, Ryuji was no ordinary person.
He might have already anticipated this situation.
If the enemy was well-prepared, and he rashly dispatched the Impure World Reincarnation army, how would that differ from handing it over for free?
But the current situation no longer allowed him to hide any longer. If he didn't let the Impure World Reincarnation army take the field now, and tried to forcefully attack with just the Allied Shinobi Forces, by the time they breached the gates, probably little would remain.
"Then…"
"Let me go!"
A deep voice sounded in the room.
Everyone startled in their hearts, instinctively turning towards the back and adopting defensive stances, only to see Hashirama and Tobirama, who had previously vanished after being hit by the Chakra Cannon, standing there.