On a high cliff.
The four members of Anbu Squad Eleven, either crouching or standing, lined up along the cliff's edge, all gazing intently at the towering palace in the distance.
At this moment, the shrine maiden's palace was protected by a barrier as thin as a cicada's wings. The puppet soldiers surrounding it seemed unable to breach the barrier, merely encircling the palace layer upon layer.
Seeing this, Kakashi let out a long sigh of relief. "Looks like the shrine maiden's palace hasn't fallen yet. We still have a chance!"
Guy exclaimed anxiously, "But with so many puppet soldiers outside, how are we going to get in?"
Turning to Hyuga Kagami, Kakashi asked, "Kagami, can you find a route into the palace?"
Hyuga Kagami shook his head. He had already observed thoroughly—there was no gap or blind spot left. The puppet soldiers had completely surrounded the palace.
Shisui spoke grimly, "Seems like we'll have to break through by force."
A direct assault was clearly no easy feat.
Squad Eleven had already fought these puppet soldiers before. Though clumsy, the puppets were immensely strong. Once they formed ranks, engaging in a pitched battle would be grueling.
Suddenly, Hyuga Kagami pointed toward another high cliff. "Look over there!"
Everyone turned to see several figures appear atop the opposite cliff. Judging by their attire, they were Sand Ninja.
Kakashi, the squad leader, paused for a moment and then said, "They must be reinforcements sent by the Hidden Sand. Maybe we can team up with them to break through the puppet siege and reach the shrine maiden."
Given the threat of the foreign monster, no one objected to working with the Sand. All nodded in agreement.
Soon, both squads met up.
The Sand's reinforcements were also a four-man team. Their leader was Pakura, a famous Scorch Style user and second in fame only to the Fourth Kazekage. Her strength was formidable.
Kakashi exchanged a few words with Pakura and quickly reached an agreement.
Kakashi and Pakura would lead the charge. The middle ranks would be handled by the three other Sand ninja and Guy. The rear guard would be Hyuga Kagami and Shisui.
Once the formation was set, the assault began.
*Zzz...!*
With a sharp screech like birdsong—
Short in stature but leading the way, Kakashi shot forward like a lightning-laced spear, piercing into the puppet formation.
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
*Boom!*
With a series of thunderous impacts, puppet soldiers fell one after another.
In that instant, Kakashi fully showcased the piercing power of his Chidori. In mere seconds, he had torn through five or six layers of puppet lines, his body cloaked in crackling lightning.
Hot on his heels, Pakura formed hand seals and shouted, "Scorch Style: Five Ring Fire!"
Five fireballs, seemingly sentient, orbited her, burning nearby puppets into pieces and further tearing holes in the puppet ranks.
The three Sand ninja in the middle section acted in unison: "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
In an instant, two massive earth walls shot up from the ground, forming a temporary corridor of safety through the puppet army, shielding Kakashi and Pakura.
At the back, Hyuga Kagami said to Shisui, "You go to the middle. I'll handle the rear."
Understanding Hyuga Kagami's strength, Shisui didn't argue. He wasn't well-suited for brute-force combat against these puppets, so he accelerated to join the others.
Now covering the rear alone, Hyuga Kagami activated his Tenseigan at full power. In his vision, the puppet attacks appeared like lagging frames in a movie. Aside from the occasional Heavenly Spin when unavoidable, none of the puppets could threaten him.
Through this close-quarters combat, Hyuga Kagami quickly noticed that all the puppets shared identical chakra signatures, clearly originating from a single source—one that radiated malevolence and rage.
"If that chakra source is the foreign monster 'Moryo'..."
He shook his head.
The chakra was far too vile and chaotic to serve as the basis for an artificial Tailed Beast. That ruled out Moryo as a viable option.
Though the two squads totaled just eight ninja, they were among the elite of their respective villages. Especially Pakura, who was part of the Sand's leadership. In no time, the joint team had broken through the puppet encirclement and entered the palace, protected by the barrier.
As soon as they stepped inside, the palace guards erupted in cheers.
When the monster descended, the shrine maiden was the first target. The guards hadn't dared to rest even a second. Now that powerful reinforcements had arrived, their fear and anxiety gave way to joy.
Inside the temple—
The shrine maiden sat solemnly on a meditation cushion, brows furrowed. Beside her was a toddler, just over a year old, who bore a strong resemblance to her—clearly her daughter.
Nearby stood a squad of Stone Ninja.
They had arrived ahead of Squad Eleven. Each Stone ninja carried themselves with arrogance, clearly proud and unruly.
The moment Hyuga Kagami saw them, fury boiled up.
They were the same ambush squad from Iwagakure that had attacked him outside the Hidden Leaf while he was escorting wounded comrades. It was the closest he had ever come to death during the entire war.
Had the reinforcements from the village arrived a moment later, he would have died in frustration just a few miles from home, like most of his team.
Afterward, Hyuga Kagami had investigated this bold and powerful unit. He learned they were part of Iwa's infamous Beheading Unit.
Meanwhile, the Iwa ninja were sizing up the new arrivals.
There was no need to mention Pakura—during the war, she had been one of the Sand's most prominent figures, renowned across the ninja world. So the Beheading Unit's captain ignored her and instead taunted the members of Squad Eleven:
"Hmph, Konoha only sent a few kids to die? Looks like the Leaf's finished."
Among Squad Eleven, the oldest was barely fifteen. The youngest, Shisui, was barely eleven. Compared to the towering Sand and Stone ninjas, they looked like children.
Hyuga Kagami coldly replied, "You better watch yourself. Don't get yourself killed by one of those kids."
Had the taunter been someone else, Hyuga Kagami might have ignored it. But facing the squad that had nearly killed him, he couldn't suppress his anger.
The Iwa captain crossed his arms and scowled. "You little brat, are you looking to die?"