Tie Zhu rushed forward. Naruto couldn't hold his clone back either, so he channeled chakra into the scroll.
Bang.
From the left scroll appeared two loudspeakers, with all wires connected and batteries included.
From the right, two musical instruments: a suona and an erhu.
The suona is an instrument that can be played from your birth celebrations all the way to your funeral rites. If you move a grave, it can even be there. It's the king of ruffians in the world of instruments;
whether against Western instruments or classical ones, even if you bring an entire orchestra, it can completely throw off their tune.
Naruto knew how to play the suona, but not particularly well. Back home, the band master next door specialized in ceremonial music for weddings and funerals, and Naruto often tagged along to play. He couldn't perform at funerals due to their solemnity, but at weddings, it was casual, all for the sake of joyous celebration.
The erhu wasn't as formidable as the suona, but both instruments shared a common trait: if played mischievously, the sounds they produced would be like a defiant "Come hit me!", maddeningly provoking.
He tossed the suona to Naruko. Naruto sat down, picking up the erhu. He couldn't play the erhu, it was purely for show; with the suona overshadowing it, no one would notice anyway.
With Monk Fayi's chain ability uncertain, Naruto wasn't going to approach him. Everything would be handled by his clones. It wasn't that he was cowardly,
but he didn't want to implicate the Nine-Tails. If his main body made a mistake, his foxy friend would suffer greatly. At that point, he'd have no choice but to drag Jiraiya in for a rescue.
Tie Zhu walked into the attack range. Monk Fayi's chains, which were in the air, suddenly turned and thrust directly towards him.
Dropping his iron staff, Tie Zhu took off running, circling around the monk. Behind him, the chains slowly drew closer.
Naruko flipped the switch on the loudspeaker, then without a word, brought the suona directly to her lips and began to play "Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix."
The slightly cheerful music, amplified by the speakers, spread throughout the entire battlefield.
It started normally, but ten seconds later, Tie Zhu chuckled because the chains behind him twitched. Soon after, they twitched again, their speed significantly slower than before. Tie Zhu even had time to turn back and wave.
I am Tie Zhu, a Jinchuriki clone. I'm currently being chased by chains similar to those spat out by the Ten-Tails, but I'm not panicking at all, because they can't outrun me.
Seeing the effect, Naruto waved his hand, and ten more clones charged towards Fayi.
When he had first arrived, Monk Fayi only had three chains around him. But now, Naruto could clearly see the sealing formulas on Fayi's body transform into ink, then into chains,
their shape and color quite similar to those spat out by the Ten-Tails. Including those binding Gaara and Fu, there were a total of nine chains.
The clones ran circles around Fayi, with seven chains chasing behind them. When the chains touched each other, they would pass through without entangling. Because of their sheer speed, it looked as if Monk Fayi had propellers growing above his head. Perhaps if they sped up even more, he could take flight.
The chains initially just twitched, but as Fayi was led further and further astray, they began to show a tendency to sway along with the music.
Shukaku was furious. If you're going to strike, then strike! What are you twitching for, damn it?!
Progress was smooth, so Naruto put down the erhu. The other forty-odd clones received the signal, drew steel swords, channeled wind-natured chakra into them, and threw them into the air.
Naruto leaped into the pile of swords, using Cloud Ascending Steps to orient his body horizontally, his head pointed towards Fayi. He formed hand seals: "Twentyfold Wind Entanglement!"
The first time he practiced Wind Entanglement, Naruto couldn't control it, and it turned into a tornado. This time, he deliberately amplified his chakra to create a tornado. Countless steel swords were caught in the tornado,
swirling around Naruto. As Naruto changed the direction of the Wind Entanglement, the steel swords were blown towards Fayi.
Then, amidst the accompaniment of "Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix," a loud shout echoed.
"Myriad Swords Returning to the Source!"
Naruto had planned this move long ago because the names "Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" and "Myriad Swords Returning to the Source" were simply too fitting together. Moreover, he was here to "mess around" in this exam.
Speaking of messing around, who could be more reckless than Moye, who strums the erhu at full health and wreaks havoc across the entire map on a sliver of health?
Monk Fayi watched the incoming swords and decisively chose to defend. Six emerald-green, bamboo-like pillars rose, covered in intricate, interconnected symbols. A defensive barrier instantly formed.
Clang, clang, clang... The steel swords struck the barrier, were deflected, and fell.
Naruto smiled. This barrier was exactly what he was waiting for. Monk Fayi's barrier could not only withstand normal attacks, but also the chain attacks. This, in turn, gave Naruto time to approach Fayi without being attacked.
Knowing the enemy's abilities beforehand felt incredibly satisfying.
"Keep throwing swords, don't stop, make him maintain the barrier." After giving the order, Naruto went back to playing the erhu.
His main body wouldn't go; not in this lifetime. Only by sending clones to their demise would it not count as a death wish.
Time passed bit by bit.
Suddenly, one chain abandoned chasing the clones and struck the barrier, creating a spark.
"Hmm?" Monk Fayi was puzzled.
Before he could think further, crack... the ground split open, and two hands emerged. The hidden blades on their arms slashed through the Achilles tendons of his feet, and blood gushed out.
"Next time you erect a barrier, don't forget the ground beneath." The clone retracted its hidden blades, grabbed Fayi's legs, and pulled down forcefully.
A purple light glowed around him. The clone, pressing close, said, "Come, I'll take you to a good place."
The barrier, no longer maintained by Fayi, shattered. The chains attacked the clone, but unfortunately, a body in teleportation state was untouchable. The chains passed through the clone. Two seconds later, the clone vanished with Fayi, and the chains turned back into ink, scattering across the ground.
"Retreat, retreat, retreat." Having rescued the Jinchurikis, Naruto didn't plan to linger. He used a giant magnet to retrieve all the steel swords, then sealed the loudspeakers and the magnet separately into scrolls. Naruto's breathing was heavy.
Tenten, with her special talent, only got this tired when sealing extra-large items. Naruto didn't have that talent, and his sealing jutsu was still rudimentary, so he had to force them in using raw chakra.
The two loudspeakers and the magnet were not small; each consumed approximately one hundred units of his chakra. Even with his abundant chakra, a sudden expenditure of over three hundred units was still a bit much to bear.
He split off another clone to wait for Gaara, then Naruto teleported away.
Half an hour later, Fu recovered some stamina and dispelled her insect cocoon. She proudly said to Gaara, "See? I told you someone would come to save us."
"Don't fuss yet." Gaara looked up at the person on the stone wall and asked, "Did you save me?"
Moye, transformed, stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "Indeed."
"Why?"
"A peaceful Hidden Sand Village benefits us."
"Who are you all? And who are you?"
Moye slowly walked to the other side of the stone wall. "Moye, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"We are fated to meet again. Farewell." With that, he leaped, pulled out a kunai in mid-air, and stabbed himself to death.
For the organization to develop, fame was essential. First, a small goal: to gain renown in two villages.
The last one to infiltrate the exam like this was Orochimaru, and what he did was clear for all to see. With such a precedent, the Hidden Sand Village would definitely investigate his infiltration of the exam. Konoha, needless to say, would also investigate.
The identities of the three people he fought were each more special than the last. Neji, from the village's top financial clan. Sakura, the Hokage's disciple. Even if the clan and the Hokage didn't want to investigate,
Inoichi, the head of the Intelligence Department, would go talk to the Hokage and make her investigate. Because he was in charge of intelligence.
Meanwhile, Naruto also returned to Jiraiya's side, carrying two fish in his hand.
"How's the progress?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto told Jiraiya that he had been diligently training in Sage Mode these past two days, and fishing to clear his mind.
"Same as always." Naruto threw the fish onto the table, feigning annoyance.
Jiraiya also knew Naruto's training progress. The boy's Sage Mode was truly too slow; his speed was perhaps only one-third of what Jiraiya's had been. Jiraiya encouraged him, "Sage Mode varies from person to person.
Your situation is normal, so don't fret. Even without Sage power, you have another power. If you use it well, it's no weaker than Sage Mode."
Jiraiya decided to train Naruto to control the Nine-Tails' power. After organizing his thoughts, he continued, "You also tapped into that power last time. Once you master it..."
Naruto's hand erupted with red chakra bubbles, which attached like claws. He clenched his fist and asked, "Like this?"
Jiraiya swallowed his remaining words, dumbfounded, and asked, "How did you do that!?"
Naruto wanted to tell him, but the Nine-Tails' situation was special; he dared not speak the truth. He could only make something up.
Naruto solemnly declared, "The Power of Music."
Pffft! Jiraiya spat out a mouthful of old blood.
The power of music, my ass! You can control Tailed Beast power with music? Why don't you just say it's the power of a mother's love, damn it?!
Indeed, the previous discussion about a mother's love between two motherless children had been too much of a shock for Jiraiya; he still remembered it vividly.
🚨 Note : Consider to Support this Story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access +300 advance Chapters & 2 Chapters Daily and To Support The Daily Update