Anrokuzan felt a profound dread toward Shiraishi's strength. After their brief skirmish and probing attacks, he understood the massive gap between them and decided to pivot his strategy.
Specifically, his attitude toward Naruto Uzumaki shifted from hostility to a desperate attempt at recruitment. Seeing Queen Sara present, he tried to sway the Leaf ninja to his side.
His fusion with the Dragon Vein was only one step from completion; until then, he needed the Leaf's strength to hold off the Sand's assault.
As Sara prepared to step toward her "trusted minister," Naruto suddenly grabbed her arm. "Sara, don't trust him!"
Anrokuzan's expression flickered as the blonde boy pointed a finger at him. "You're Mukade, aren't you? Even if it's been six years and you've gotten fat, I recognize you!"
"Fine, I am Mukade," Anrokuzan admitted, shifting instantly to a look of tragic piety. "But I am also a part of Roran now.
I made a vow to the previous Queen to protect this land. I cannot stand by while the Hidden Sand and the Land of Wind swallow us whole!"
He gestured toward a crowd of citizens cheering and waving flags in the distance. "I have lived here for six years and grown to love this soil. I won't allow invaders to trample it—and neither will they!"
Naruto simply shook his head and flicked a kunai. The blade sliced through the air, severing invisible chakra threads. Several of the "citizens" instantly collapsed, revealing themselves to be wooden puppets. Anrokuzan's act fell apart instantly.
"They're all puppets..."
Naruto channeled his chakra into one of the severed threads, turning it into a brilliant streak of light that traced back to the massive pipes above the city—conduits for the Dragon Vein's power. "Sara, is this the kind of man you want to believe in?"
Though Naruto was often air-headed, his instincts were razor-sharp. He felt a natural affinity toward Shiraishi, whereas this "Minister" felt oily and repulsive. He chose to trust the Sand.
Exposed, Anrokuzan retreated, only to find his path blocked by a rain of silver needles.
"Sand shinobi!"
Arashi and Shikasa closed in from two sides. Anrokuzan's body began to twist unnaturally as puppet parts fused into his flesh, fueled by the Dragon Vein.
He let out a cold laugh. He had murdered Sara's mother after she discovered his plot, and now, his puppet legion was complete.
Though the Sand were a nuisance, his newfound power made him believe he could finally achieve his dream of destroying the Five Great Nations.
Thousands of puppets emerged from the shadows. Shikasa swallowed hard; the sheer volume was beyond anything he had ever imagined.
"Be careful," Shiraishi warned. "Their durability has increased significantly."
Shiraishi clapped his hands. Silver sand erupted from the ground, forming massive hands that swatted groups of puppets like flies.
Black Mist Shiraishi!
Recognizing the threat, Anrokuzan struck. Clay condensed into a gargantuan puppet blade that swung at Shiraishi, but a wall of silver sand caught the blow.
In response, the sand transformed into thousands of silver kunai that shredded the puppet's body—only for the wood and clay to knit back together instantly.
High-speed Regeneration.
As long as the Dragon Vein remained open, Anrokuzan and his army were immortal. Shiraishi glanced at Naruto. "Get her to close the Dragon Vein's flow, or we can't kill him!"
"Got it!"
As Naruto led Sara away, Shiraishi manifested a colossal sand hand that pinned Anrokuzan to the ground.
Silver needles pierced the monster's hide, discharging high-voltage electricity that made Anrokuzan scream like a slaughtered pig.
"I might not be able to kill you yet, but I can certainly make you suffer."
Shiraishi's voice was ice-cold. As Anrokuzan regenerated into an even more grotesque form, Shiraishi summoned a giant silver hammer and smashed him into the crater.
For over an hour, Shiraishi used Anrokuzan as a training dummy, testing dozens of different Magnet Release execution methods on the immortal target.
"Damn you! I'll kill you!" Anrokuzan's mind was beginning to fracture. He couldn't break Shiraishi's defense, yet he had to endure endless, agonizing destruction.
"Who are you?! Why was there no one like you in my history?!"
Mukade deeply regretted his arrogance. He had revealed his trump card to a monster he never knew existed.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sara reached the depths of the city, discovering the enslaved citizens and the truth of her mother's murder.
Resolving to end the nightmare, they fought their way toward the source. Arashi and Shikasa held the line against the swarms of mechanical spiders, allowing Sara to reach the seal.
Sensing his power source was about to be cut, Anrokuzan launched a final, desperate counterattack.
He forcibly connected to over a thousand puppets at once, his own flesh rotting under the strain of the massive chakra throughput.
"GO! MY STRONGEST LEGION!"
A literal tide of puppets surged forward. Shiraishi stood calm as silver dust expanded into a specialized zone around him. He gripped the Sage's Blade, and a violent gale began to howl around the edge.
Fusing the massive atmospheric pressure of his new wind technique with his Magnet Release, Shiraishi swung:
"Wind Release: Infinite Silver Sand Great Breakthrough!"
The resulting storm swallowed everything. Buildings crumbled, and the puppet legion was ground into splinters in an instant. Shiraishi stood suspended in the air amidst the settling dust.
"How..." Anrokuzan gasped, his mangled form twitching. "Are you the One-Tail Jinchuriki?" Only a Jinchuriki should have the chakra to produce such a localized natural disaster.
"I am no Jinchuriki," Shiraishi replied flatly.
In the distance, Sara initiated the final closure of the Dragon Vein. As the spatio-temporal energy began to warp and scream, a Golden Skill Card engraved with ornate, glowing runes began to manifest within the chaotic rift.
Some Gold-tier cards existed in the system's database but required specific environmental triggers to "materialize." This card, born from the friction of the Dragon Vein's space-time energy, had finally come into existence.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon.com/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 60 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.