Swoosh
A figure burst out from the rift carved open by the slash.
It was Yagami. Who else could it be?
"This… Yagami-sensei!"
Kakashi blurted it out instinctively.
He had thought he already understood just how strong this teacher was.
But now…
He realized his understanding had been laughably shallow.
His gaze locked onto the massive scar torn into the ground—over ten meters long, three or four meters wide. Just looking at it made his heart tremble.
Is this really just the aftermath of a single slash?
That was absurd.
Tekuno wasn't doing much better.
The strength of their captain had completely overturned his common sense as well.
"Hehe. My dad is strong," Naruko said smugly. "You guys can't even imagine how strong he'll be in the future."
Seeing the two of them staring like country bumpkins who'd never seen the world, she sneered without mercy.
She'd seen slashes far more terrifying than this from her dad.
When Kakashi and Tekuno were mocked like that, they could only force bitter smiles.
They really wanted to strangle this sharp-tongued brat.
But considering she was Yagami's future daughter…
They endured.
"Haa… haa… I'm… saved…"
Only now did Sārah finally gasp for breath, collapsing weakly to the ground.
For a moment there, she had truly believed she was going to die.
She had even felt like she'd glimpsed the so-called Pure Land—the place where the dead were said to go.
"Thank you, sir… thank you for saving our queen…"
"Thank you… thank you so much…"
The people of Rōran began to regain their senses one after another. They hurried forward, bowing deeply toward Yagami in gratitude.
BOOM!
Two thunderous crashes echoed out.
The gigantic puppet that Yagami had split clean in half finally collapsed to the ground.
Click—boom!
From atop the central tower, chakra threads lashed out once more.
Before anyone could react, the bisected puppet reconnected—merging and reassembling itself as if nothing had happened.
"Damn it!"
Mukade roared furiously as the giant puppet resumed movement.
He had thought victory was within reach.
Yet once again, he'd been stopped.
"You forced me to do this!!!"
The puppet's mouth opened wide, releasing a furious howl.
In the next instant, countless chakra threads erupted from its body, spreading outward in all directions like the petals of a grotesque flower.
Woosh—
A sound like crashing ocean waves rolled in from all sides.
From the sky, countless human puppets floated in, converging from every direction.
They wrapped themselves around the giant puppet, layer upon layer.
"Sārah—go shut down the Ryūmyaku!"
Yagami's voice suddenly turned sharp and serious.
The situation had already gone far beyond the events of the original movie. He couldn't afford to treat this lightly anymore.
"What? Shut down the Ryūmyaku?"
Sārah hesitated, panic flashing across her face. "But the Ryūmyaku is the energy source of this country. If it's sealed—"
"If you don't shut it down, this thing will keep coming back to life!" Yagami snapped, cutting her off. "At that point, will Rōran even exist anymore?! Have you thought about these people?!"
Sārah fell silent.
This was no longer a choice she could delay.
The Ryūmyaku wasn't just Rōran's lifeline—it was also her mother's final wish, meant to bring prosperity to the kingdom.
She looked up at the towering city of Rōran.
Then at the frightened people around her.
Finally—
She made her decision.
For a fleeting moment, she felt as if she saw her mother smiling at her, gently reassuring her. The hesitation in her heart slowly faded, replaced by resolve.
"I'll… shut down the Ryūmyaku!"
Her expression hardened.
Turning around, she took off at a run...without looking back.
da da da
"Kakashi. Tekuno. You two—protect Sārah!"
Yagami barked the order without hesitation.
There was no room for mistakes now.
"Yes!" ×2
The two immediately responded, sprinting after Sārah.
Woosh—
At that moment, the future Kakashi leapt up from the trench Yagami's slash had carved into the ground.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
Staring at the giant puppet—now tens of meters tall and still growing—his eyes widened in shock.
"All I can do now is buy time until the Ryūmyaku is sealed," Yagami said, exhaling slowly, his voice heavy.
"Sārah…"
A strained, anxious hiss escaped from the puppet's mouth.
Mukade had seen her retreating figure.
How could he not know what she intended to do?
He wanted to stop her.
No—he had to stop her.
But Ryūmyaku's power was already eroding him from within. He didn't even have the luxury to act freely anymore.
"You'd better run," Yagami said, glancing at the stunned Rōran citizens. "Once all the puppets finish merging… this entire place is going to be wiped out."
Seriously—was this really the time to stand around gawking?
Was this what it meant to risk your life just to watch the spectacle?
After Yagami's warning, the crowd finally snapped out of it, faces turning pale.
"Run!!!"
"Everyone, run!!!"
No one knew who shouted first, but the crowd suddenly scattered, fleeing like startled birds.
Even so, a few people still paused to bow deeply to Yagami before turning and running for their lives.
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