Hiding behind the tree, Pakura couldn't help but laugh.
"You're fine, aren't you? The real problem now is figuring out how to deal with this bunch."
The ghost army possessed immortality. Even when shattered, they would repair themselves just like Edo Tensei. This was the power of the Mōryō—undying and indestructible.
Until the Mōryō itself was sealed, it would never stop moving.
And if it was sealed, it could simply create more.
That was why the Five Great Nations had chosen to delay rather than seal it.
Edo Tensei required flesh, blood, information, and a sacrifice. But the Mōryō's ghost army only needed its power, some land, and weapons to be formed. The materials were ridiculously simple, and only that one monster could use it.
Even if the Five Great Nations learned this technique, they probably wouldn't have enough chakra to drive such a massive ghost army.
After all, few in the shinobi world had chakra reserves vast enough to command such numbers.
Perhaps only Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, after consuming the Chakra Fruit, could manage it.
Even someone like Senju Hashirama wouldn't be able to withstand controlling the ghost army for days on end.
Shatter them, and they would restore themselves. Seal them, and it was pointless. These creatures were truly a nightmare.
A row of ghostly soldiers raised their longbows, drawing arrows.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Arrows poured down like rain. Ghost soldiers also rushed to the base of the tree, hacking away at the trunk.
The tree shook violently. Half-buried arrows lodged into the wood. Everyone except Kiyosuke felt this was bad news.
Right now, Kiyosuke was their savior.
Braving the storm of arrows, he dove down and swung the Kusanagi Blade, cleaving a ghost soldier in two.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several giant snakes shot from his sleeves, wrapping around ghost soldiers. With a twist of their bodies, the soldiers were torn apart.
Kiyosuke swung his arm, using the snakes like weapons, smashing a cluster of ghost soldiers into a tree where their bodies exploded into fragments.
Pakura and the others were freed from immediate danger. They jumped down and attacked at full speed, using taijutsu to shatter as many soldiers as possible.
"This won't last long," Ao warned. "They'll regenerate soon enough."
"True. But it buys us time, Kitsuchi-san."
"I know. Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
The ground around them sank dozens of meters, leaving only the area beneath their feet intact. The ghost soldiers that regenerated now faced climbing sheer cliffs before they could reach them again.
"Let's go. Those kids are in trouble too."
Kiyosuke's sensing ability told him the younger group had been stuck in place for a while.
"Move out."
They left quickly, unaware that once they were gone, the ghost soldiers began sinking into the ground, slowly disappearing without a trace.
...
Meanwhile, at Sasuke's position, the younger shinobi were facing an even larger number of ghost soldiers than Kiyosuke's group had. The fight was grueling.
"Damn it, there's too many! They just won't go down!" Kankurō shouted, controlling a human puppet once belonging to Sasori.
Most of Sasori's collection had been burned by Kiyosuke, but Kankurō had salvaged and repaired one. It had since become his strongest puppet.
"Seriously—these bastards!!"
Sakura dodged an attack, then launched a punch. Her fist looked delicate, yet the raw power behind it was monstrous. With one blow, she shattered several ghost soldiers along with the ground beneath them.
Naruto's shadow clones broke into a cold sweat.
Note to self… never make Sakura mad again. Staying alive is more important.
"Idiot, what are you staring at?!" Sasuke's Chidori Blade suddenly extended, cutting down a ghost soldier sneaking up on one of the clones.
The clones were crucial for distraction. Losing them now would ruin the plan.
"Sorry. Lost focus."
Omoi, Samui, and Karui fought in tight coordination, holding back a squad of ghost soldiers. Meanwhile, Chōjūrō wielded the Hiramekarei, their shape-shifting blades glowing with chakra as he fought off enemies alone.
The special trait of Hiramekarei was that the more enemies it cut down, the more chakra it absorbed, amplifying its power.
For Chōjūrō, ghost soldiers were the perfect opponents—slow but strong, ideal for stacking buffs. Cutting them down was almost effortless.
"Lava Release!"
Kurotsuchi spat out a torrent of fast-drying cement, trapping a group of soldiers' legs.
Water blasted into the cement, spreading it wider and hardening it further. More soldiers were ensnared, immobilized in hardened stone.
The trapped ghost soldiers couldn't break free quickly. One squad was taken out in record time.
"This works! Iwa-nin, use your jutsu to pin all of them down!" Sasuke's eyes lit up.
"Hey, who do you think you are? Don't order me around! I know what to do!" Kurotsuchi snapped, but still did as he suggested, binding more of the soldiers.
By the time she finished, she collapsed onto the ground, breathing hard. Her chakra reserves were nearly spent.
"Ugh… I'm exhausted. These things are way too troublesome."
"No kidding."
"Just think—Kakashi-sensei and the others are facing this same kind of enemy. That's terrifying."
"The Mōryō must be sealed. Otherwise, these monsters will never stop."
Their determination hardened—they would see the Mōryō sealed, no matter what.
"Not a bad resolve."
The voice came from above. They looked up to see Kiyosuke crouched on a tree branch, with the other four adults standing beside him.
They had been watching for a while, waiting to see how their juniors would handle things. The results were impressive.
"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
Kitsuchi sank the immobilized soldiers deep underground.
Walking up to his daughter, he said, "Well done."
"Of course! Who do you think I am?" Kurotsuchi grinned proudly, pushing herself to her feet.
Time had slipped away. After some rest, the sun was already tilting toward the horizon. Evening approached, and the sealing palace in the Land of Marsh was still a long way off.
"Everyone, pick up the pace," Kiyosuke urged. "The longer we delay, the greater the risk. To prevent unexpected disasters, we need to resolve this as quickly as possible."
The reasoning was solid. Everyone rose together, preparing to head for the sealing palace.
Right now, only Naruto was there with Shion. They had to hurry.
If something happened, Naruto couldn't be left alone and defenseless.