Chapter 339: The Reinforcements Finally Arrive

They looked at each other in silence.

“So… today is the day,” Naruto finally spoke. His voice was hoarse and low, as if every word that came out had to be forced through his own throat.

“The enemy is starting to move.” Naruto's words were not an announcement, but a bitter acknowledgment—and there was a faint fear behind them, as if stating the reality too loudly would hasten the arrival of disaster.

Naruto's eyes, which usually shone brightly like morning light in spring, were now dull, submerged in anxiety that had no chance to be released.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his gaze like an unfathomable abyss—flat and cold. Sasuke's expression barely changed, like the surface of the sea before a great storm rolled in from below.

“So what? Wait and see?” Sasuke said quietly, almost as a whisper. His tone was stiff, cold as metal in the morning. “Or believe that our true bodies won’t fall so easily.”

Where Naruto shrugged slowly, Sasuke's movement was lazy, but not due to carelessness—rather, it was a frozen conviction. Silently, Sasuke had already measured the final outcome of all this.

Suddenly, another explosion was heard—closer, heavier. The vibrations traveled from their feet to their chests. The two ninjas turned simultaneously towards the sky, which appeared pale blue, empty, so innocent. The contrast was piercing: a bright sky, and a world that would soon burn.

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Beneath that sky, Fortress City 085 groaned in suffering.

On the western side of the city, the West Gate—a grand gate that once stood tall, layered in deep black steel and adorned with the emblem of human protection—was now in ruins. Thick smoke billowed high into the air, curling like a hungry black dragon. The smell of burning metal and charred flesh filled the air.

The Soul Collector organization had executed their brutal attack. They not only destroyed the gate but also opened the way for waves of the Dead and Horror—rotten creatures with empty eyes, sharp fangs, their skin cracked and smelling of decaying wet earth.

Panic swept through the Western District.

Children cried hysterically as they searched for their parents in the crowd. Adults shouted, calling out the names of separated family members. Some ran, some fell, trampled unintentionally. Blood began to stain the cobblestone streets, mingling with sweat and tears.

Amidst the sea of panic, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi stood firm. The small house where Kaori and Kyoko took shelter appeared fragile amidst the chaos, but for them, that house was a fortress that must not fall.

Leaving that place meant surrendering Kaori and Kyoko to death.

They knew that fleeing was not the answer. That place was already too crowded, too chaotic. A single mistake could turn everything into a slaughterhouse.

And they, the protectors, would not let that happen.

Moreover, they were already at the eye of the storm. The Western District would soon be filled with the Dead and Horror. The wind blowing now carried the stench of death, replacing the aroma of spring flowers that had lingered that morning.

Even if they escaped, where would they go? The entire city had now become a giant trap.

For hundreds of years, Fortress City 085 had stood proudly as the last bastion of humanity. Its walls, thick as several meters, were built to withstand attacks even from the largest monster armies. Yet today, for the first time, the gate had fallen.

And that fall shook not only the stone walls—but also the hearts of men.

The Dead and Horror, which usually moved randomly, now surged in like a tidal wave, wild yet seemingly directed by an invisible hand.

The citizens witnessing this did not think long. They only knew one thing: to run.

But wherever they ran, horror chased them.

Reinforcements finally arrived, the sound of war trumpets shattering the air.