Just then, heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the underground passage, accompanied by the clanking sound of metal joints.
A tall figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
Anrokuzan, or rather, the Sunagakure rogue ninja Mukade. His expression was cold, radiating a chilling killing intent.
"Princess Sāra, you shouldn't have come here. And even less should you have brought Konoha ninja to disrupt my plan." His voice was low and distorted, grating like metal scraping.
Shun sneered, "Hey, you boring guy, just surrender. You're weak, no match for me."
Mukade let out a sinister laugh, slamming his hands onto the ground. "You're the most arrogant person I've ever met. Since you're so eager to die, puppet legion, activate!"
Rumble...
The underground walls suddenly cracked open, and puppets continuously surged out from all sides. Soon, the puppets surrounded the area, blocking every escape route. Just by their numbers, there were probably thousands of puppets. They wielded sharp blades, their joints flexible, and their eyes glowed with a crimson light as they furiously charged at Shun.
Shun sneered, rapidly forming hand seals. "Mere puppets dare to act so presumptuously before me? Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang! Bang! Bang...
Over three hundred Shadow Clones instantly appeared. With his current Chakra reserves, he could summon even more, but there was no more space around him.
Shun said gently, "Princess Sāra, quickly take them and leave. I'll handle things here."
Sāra shielded the citizens of Rōran, directing them to leave.
Boom... Boom... Boom...
The more than three hundred Shadow Clones were quickly wiped out but the people of Rōran had already safely escaped.
Looking at the somewhat stubborn princess, Shun frowned slightly. "Princess Sāra, why aren't you leaving? It's very dangerous here."
Sāra stood beside him, feeling an inexplicable sense of security.
She said with firm eyes, "I want to stay and fight with you."
Shun picked up Sāra and jumped to a safe area. "You haven't fallen for me, have you? Is that why you're looking for an excuse not to leave?"
Sāra's eyes flickered, and she was about to say something when countless puppet parts rapidly flew towards Mukade.
Mukade's voice became distorted and insane. "Hahaha! I feel it. This is the power of the Ryumyaku. You Uchiha brat, you don't understand the greatness of this power."
At this moment, his body was assembled from countless metal joints, with a dazzling purple crystal embedded in his chest. A continuous stream of energy poured into his body, making his Chakra almost inexhaustible.
Soon, he transformed into a giant puppet over a hundred meters tall, his massive body crushing the entire palace.
The giant puppet's arm smashed down, causing the entire underground palace to tremble, and large amounts of rubble began to fall.
Shun once again picked up Sāra, dodging the falling debris.
Seeing this scene like a doomsday catastrophe, Sāra leaned her head against his chest, her heart pounding rapidly.
The hundred-meter-tall giant puppet, which Mukade had transformed into, let out a maniacal laugh like grinding metal.
"It's useless! You Uchiha brat! Your power is indeed great, but now I am even stronger than you!"
Shun clapped his hands together, summoning over three hundred Shadow Clones. These Shadow Clones quickly charged at the giant puppet. They bypassed the puppet's defenses, striking the giant puppet's chest with punch after punch.
Super Strength... Super Strength... Super Strength...
The giant puppet kept cracking like a broken biscuit, then constantly healed.
Boom... Boom... Boom...
"Hahaha! You Uchiha brat, your power is indeed great, but you can't kill me!"
Sāra was horrified to discover that each time the giant puppet was destroyed and revived, it would become even larger.
She trembled as she looked at Shun. "His power is growing stronger and stronger."
Shun didn't even frown. "A boring trick, just a clumsy use of Ryumyaku's energy. If I wasn't considering that this is the city center, I would have killed him already."
The entire underground space began to shake again. Countless puppet parts flew in from all directions, and the giant puppet grew another 40 meters taller.
Mukade's voice was like grinding metal, harsh and arrogant. "What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger, right? As long as the Ryumyaku exists, I am immortal and your Chakra will eventually run out. The ultimate victory will belong to me."
The giant puppet's arms slammed down suddenly, the ground instantly cracked, and rubble flew everywhere.
Shun picked up Sāra, dodging once more.
Feeling Sāra's body tremble slightly in his arms, he lowered his head and kissed her.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here for everything."
Sāra was slightly stunned, then her face turned red.
Shun used Super Strength to throw a Flying Thunder God Kunai into the distance, then took out another Flying Thunder God Kunai and shot it at the giant puppet.
He looked up at the colossal creature, a cold sneer on his lips. "Immortal? What if I cut off your connection to the Ryumyaku?"
Mukade controlled his massive arms, clapping them together from left and right, just like swatting a mosquito.
Splat!
"You Uchiha brat, you're like an annoying little mosquito. I can make countless mistakes, but if you make just one, I can swat you dead."
Even while holding Sāra, Shun's movements were extremely fast.
He dodged the attack and said with a smile, "Princess Sāra, don't be afraid. I'll show you what true power is."
Sāra eyes widened as she watched Shun rapidly form hand seals, and then the giant puppet in front of them suddenly vanished.
And in the distance, a giant puppet was falling from the sky.
Immediately after, both of them also disappeared from their spot, appearing high above the outskirts of the city. Their bodies rapidly plummeted from over 1600 meters in the sky. The intense sensation of weightlessness made Sāra's heart pound.
"Princess Sāra, don't you think this is exciting?"
Suddenly, a giant Susanoo appeared in mid-air.
Soon, the giant puppet hit the ground, and Susanoo's feet landed precisely on the giant puppet's waist, crushing it in half.
Mukade let out a mournful shriek, "No! I won't accept this! The Ryumyaku is mine! Rōran is mine!"
Shun held Sāra and said, "Everything should end now."
Susanoo raised its great sword, slicing the giant puppet in two.
Without the support of the Ryumyaku's energy, the giant puppet's body began to collapse, its parts falling off one by one.
Boom... Boom... Boom...
The giant puppet completely collapsed, and Mukade's true body fell from the wreckage, barely clinging to life.
Sāra looked at the dying Mukade, her eyes filled with anger and sadness.
She tremblingly asked, "Why... why did you betray Rōran?"
Mukade struggled to lift his head, revealing a twisted smile. "Heh heh... Rōran is just a tool. The power of the Ryumyaku... that is the true..."
He died before he could finish his sentence.