Chapter 72: Boiling Point
Before the sun could dip below the horizon, it vanished behind the gathering storm clouds.
Three figures glided silently and swiftly through the gloomy canopy.
Up until this point, the main body and the two clones had all used the advanced technique of the Mind's Eye of Kagura to temporarily seal their Chakra, relying solely on physical ability and Cursed Energy reinforcement to travel.
This forest, located southeast of the Lake of the Moon, was one of the main battlefields between Suna and Konoha. Passing through it, the next town was a significant Konoha stronghold.
Therefore, the density of Konoha scout ninja here was unprecedentedly high.
"This is the limit. Any further, and we won't have time to switch to combat mode if we encounter enemies."
'Muta Kokichi' cracked his neck, estimating based on the intel extracted from Kūren and gathered by Suna, then leaped down from the canopy, unsealing his Chakra.
'Gojō Satoru' and 'Fushiguro Toji' also entered combat readiness, prepared for the assault.
With the full release of Yin Release, the fire of Cursed Energy, previously constrained by reason and calculation, burned with reckless abandon once more.
That heart-eating, bone-etching gloom... even a non-sensor ninja would probably notice it. Since it couldn't be completely hidden anyway, and he planned to go wild with this momentum, why not go to the extreme?
Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram—
Summoning Jutsu: Shukaku Type-Zero!
The moment the ten-plus-meter-tall giant puppet appeared, it crushed swathes of trees. Its disaster-like roar and massive figure were enough to draw anyone's attention.
"But this is perfect!"
Whether it was 'Muta Kokichi' in the cockpit, or 'Gojō Satoru' and 'Fushiguro Toji' standing on the puppet's shoulders, none of them showed any fear. Instead, they wore the smiles of "good citizens" who looked like they could fuse even with their eyes closed.
"My ride's gonna be bumpy!"
Roughly jamming more external neural cables into his body and slamming the control stick to the max, 'Muta Kokichi', eyes bloodshot, let out a near-manic shout.
The massive tail, designed to mimic Shukaku's and constructed from dozens of stacked segments, unfolded section by section, revealing numerous thrusters hidden beneath. The steel beast's limbs adjusted their stance, and it leaped forward violently!
Limiters, all released. Structural damage, ignored. Thrust calculation, maximum!
"Everyone from Konoha, obediently sink into the shining abyss with me!"
Mud flew as the dense array of thrusters erupted with scorching tail flames. Relying on this immense impact force, the behemoth burst forward with terrifying speed, launching itself like a missile toward the Konoha stronghold with sheer brute force.
The heavy G-force was not a burden, but the best antidote to stimulate his nerves, dulled by 'reason.'
Feeling the pain from his entire body, 'Muta Kokichi' laughed and smashed his fist onto the panel in front of him. Shukaku Type-Zero's limbs, spine, and even its head slowly opened in the howling wind, revealing dark cannon muzzles.
The massive Cursed Energy and intensely gloomy Chakra, generated faster than could be stored in the pendant, were continuously drawn by the mimetic neural circuits and converted into thick, majestic beams of heat.
Then, scorching beams capable of blinding anyone who looked directly at them traced elegant arcs through the air, slicing everything in their path to pieces. It was like a red-hot knife through tofu; there was no resistance.
Whatever they touched evaporated instantly, leaving no time to even burn.
No matter how dull they were, the Konoha forces witnessing this couldn't fail to react. Earth Style Walls and Water Formation Walls rose one after another, followed by layers of high-level barriers.
As the true ally of the Uzumaki Clan, Konoha's mastery of Barrier Jutsu was far beyond what Suna could catch up to with just a few years of Rinko's teaching.
Among those barriers were even a few that Rinko couldn't identify at a glance.
"Just crush them with firepower!"
Gritting his teeth until his gums bled, 'Muta Kokichi' plugged even more neural circuits into his body, wildly venting the Cursed Energy and Chakra that had nowhere else to go.
However, the cannon muzzles, originally just test armaments, couldn't withstand this level of output. Before they could fully shatter the barriers, they began to melt and collapse under the intense heat.
"! This is why materials science is a pain in the ass!"
Just as he was complaining, a giant two-headed dog seized the opportunity to leap out from the side of Shukaku Type-Zero.
It was a Combination Transformation used by the Inuzuka Clan and their ninja hounds. Whenever the Sannin's summons weren't around, they were often the ones who came out to stop Rinko's Shukaku Type-Zero.
Judging by the direction, it must have been a Jōnin on scouting duty in the forest.
"You're an eyesore, stray dog!"
'Fushiguro Toji's' pupils, shrunk to pinpoints, seemed dyed with the color of blood. He had no leisure to collect data right now.
"Disappear—"
Before the beast-like roar could fully leave his mouth, 'Fushiguro Toji' vanished from Shukaku Type-Zero's shoulder.
A human figure wrapped in pitch-black flames, nearly solid, streaked across the sky like a living meteor. Then, the massive two-headed dog was reduced to scattered chunks of meat, falling weakly from the sky as meaningless gore.
Unable to withstand the intense reinforcement of Chakra and Cursed Energy, 'Fushiguro Toji's' limbs collapsed into a pile of Iron Sand, only to re-form immediately after.
Not returning to the puppet's shoulder, the Heavenly Tyrant snatched his three-section staff from the air, stepping on compressed air platforms as he charged forward. Simultaneously, 'Gojō Satoru' arrived from another direction, wrapped in a fierce gale.
Rinko's Iron Sand Clones could replenish energy to some extent using natural magnetic fields. Combined with the constant support of Cursed Energy, moving like this was the best choice.
"Fine! Since you don't want a shootout, let's do close combat!"
He quickly switched output modes, covering Shukaku Type-Zero in a layer of Cursed Energy, forming a shield similar to a Tailed Beast Cloak, and crashed into the remaining barriers.
Amidst the terrifying sound of shattering that chilled the Konoha ninja to the bone, Shukaku Type-Zero smashed through the layers of barriers and landed with a boom before their eyes.
Its outer shell was scorched black from the intense friction, yet its green eyes, which should have been devoid of emotion, clearly conveyed the pilot's killing intent.