Countless chakra blast bombs shot out like a sudden downpour from the invading puppets, raining down toward Kagetsu and the others below.
Under the blinding light, the chakra bombs silently approached and exploded one after another right beside them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions stirred up thick smoke and intense light, blocking everyone's vision. But the puppets had their own unique way of locking onto enemies.
It seemed the puppet master behind the attack knew that this ambush wouldn't be enough to take out Kagetsu and the others.
So, spinning blades shot out from the puppets, swooping down from above toward their position.
Wood Style: Wood Blooming Wall!
With a loud crack crack sound, a thick, solid wooden wall rose up, shielding Naruto and the others inside.
Naruto, eyes tearing up from the harsh light, rubbed them furiously inside the wooden wall.
"What the heck is this?!"
Naruto sounded frustrated and irritated.
"Stop complaining!"
Sakura clenched her fists and expanded her chakra sensing ability.
Next to her, a ninja who had stayed silent all this time—with a dull, gloomy expression—unrolled the scroll on his back, picked up brush and ink, and began to draw.
A tiger, a bird, a giant snake, and a mouse all emerged from his scroll, lifelike and vivid, appearing beside him. Then, like extra eyes, they rushed out toward the unknown situation outside.
"Take out that glowing puppet first!"
Yamato immediately gave the order to Sai.
But before Sai could act, the glowing puppet in mid-air suddenly exploded in a burst of fire.
As the bright light faded, the underground space returned to its dim purple glow.
It was the power of the Ryūmyaku vein, pulsing like the breath of the earth, shifting between light and darkness.
Thin black threads shot out from under Kagetsu's feet like the quills of a startled hedgehog, spreading in all directions.
The puppets that dived down were pierced by those threads mid-air and came to an abrupt stop. In just a brief struggle, Kagetsu had seized control of them.
Shadow Puppetry.
Two groups of puppets clashed violently in mid-air, parts clattering down like rain.
Sparks flew as blades collided, flickering briefly like falling stars in the dim underground space, leaving behind only the sharp, rapid sound of clashing weapons.
"Shikamaru's clan's secret technique can be used like that?!"
Seeing the countless thin black threads erupting from Kagetsu's body, taking control of the enemy puppets and using them in battle, Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
But when even more puppets surged in, flooding the space like a black tide, Naruto and the others exchanged glances and didn't just stand by.
They all jumped into the fight.
In an instant, Naruto created dozens, even hundreds, of Shadow Clones. With Rasengan forming in hand, he shouted and charged straight ahead.
Blades from the puppets slashed through the Shadow Clones, and with each explosion of smoke, broken puppet parts scattered, losing all ability to fight.
Baki, who had been secretly observing Yamato's group with caution, saw Naruto's chaotic charge and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, at a loss for words.
He knew about Konoha's Shadow Clone Technique, and he was well aware of both its strengths and its weaknesses.
Every time a shadow clone is destroyed, its memories and pain are transferred back to the original body.
With so many shadow clones, either the person using them has a special body that can handle the side effects and has become numb to the pain, or they're just a total madman.
Who in their right mind would make so many clones and share their chakra and strength like that?
But there was no denying it — with Naruto's huge number of clones joining the fight, the tide of puppet soldiers was finally being pushed back.
At the same time, Naruto himself became a marked target, swarmed and focused on by the puppets.
Under the relentless, fearless attacks of the puppets, Naruto — who usually overwhelmed enemies with the sheer number of his clones — was now experiencing what it felt like to be outnumbered.
Even with his teammates rushing in to back him up, he still couldn't avoid getting slashed by the puppets' blades. Bloody gashes started appearing all over his body.
Boom!
With a powerful punch, Sakura Haruno smashed one of the puppets to pieces. The broken shards flew forward like a storm of petals, cutting down the enemies in front of her.
"Captain Yamato!"
Sakura landed next to Naruto, reaching out to heal his wounds.
"Don't worry about me. These cuts will heal quickly on their own," Naruto said, stopping her with practiced confidence.
"You're being reckless again!"
Sakura scolded him for charging in like always.
"Found you!"
Ignoring Naruto's group and their efforts, Kagetsu paid them no attention. He continued stealing control over more and more puppets, following the puppet strings to trace back the mastermind controlling them all.
Soon, Kagetsu's gaze shifted to the space above the dark underground cavern.
Fine scales appeared at the corners of his eyes, and his black pupils turned into golden snake-like ones.
In this underground space filled with natural energy, Kagetsu quickly entered Sage Mode of the Ryūchi Cave.
"This state feels a bit unfamiliar… but as long as I control the mix ratio well, it should be usable." Kagetsu formed hand seals.
Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!
All of a sudden, Kagetsu seemed to establish a dominating connection with all the lifeless matter around him. It was as if the earth itself had come alive.
From the darkness above, under the pull of Inorganic Reincarnation's power, a figure wrapped in rock was spat out from the ceiling.
It was a tall man, probably in his thirties, with a beard. Clearly shocked, the man struggled, surprised that he had been pulled underground and sealed within stone, unable to move.
In the next moment, countless puppets, like loyal bodyguards, threw off their opponents and surrounded the man protectively, just like royal guards defending their king.
Some high-grade puppets, capable of using specific ninjutsu, even began to cut away at the rock encasing the man, trying to free him completely.
But before they could finish, chunks of rock suddenly fell from the air, crushing the puppets.
Upon hitting the ground, the rocks were reshaped by a strange force into giant stone warriors who grabbed the man tightly at the center.
"You're Mukade, aren't you?"
Kagetsu looked at the man, sealing the surrounding space with Inorganic Reincarnation's power. Then, using a sealing technique, he cut off the man's chakra and stepped forward to question him.
****
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