Two hours later.
"We're about there."
Chiyo looked around. "Byakugan boy, it's your turn."
"My name is Hyuga Neji."
Neji corrected her seriously, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, bulging veins appeared around them.
"Byakugan!"
The surrounding situation immediately appeared in his mind in detail, without omission.
The Byakugan penetrated the ground, observing the situation below.
"How is it?"
Chiyo couldn't help asking.
"Shh!"
Guy immediately motioned for her to be quiet. "Please be patient. If he finds the target, Neji will say so."
Chiyo glanced at him and stopped talking.
Not long after, Neji finally made a discovery.
"Found them!"
He immediately turned and pointed not far away. "Underground over there, one hundred meters deep."
"Troublesome."
Chiyo frowned deeply.
The enemy being underground was really cunning.
Even if they wanted to forcibly attack, if they collapsed the underground cave and crushed Gaara, the purpose of their trip would be wasted.
But finding a way to enter without destroying it was also a technical challenge.
At the very least, they needed someone proficient in Earth Release.
But their Sunagakure's Shinobi mostly specialized in Wind Release.
She herself specialized in controlling puppets and didn't use elemental techniques much.
"How is Gaara's condition?"
Chiyo turned to ask about Gaara's state.
"He's still alive, but his Chakra is very weak."
Neji's expression was grave. "Besides Gaara, there are several other Chakra Sources underground."
"Nine?"
Guy's expression immediately became grave. "This is troublesome."
"..."
Neji continued, "Seven of them have somewhat strange Chakra, as if they aren't really here."
"It must be some kind of unique technique."
Chiyo immediately judged. "Can you tell what they are doing?"
"They are extracting some kind of Chakra from Gaara. It's red, probably the Tailed Beast's Chakra."
Neji observed carefully. "They have been maintaining a certain posture, as if continuously using some kind of technique."
Soon, they arrived above the Akatsuki's hiding place.
"How do we get down?"
Guy frowned.
"Wait."
Chiyo sensed something was wrong.
The surrounding sand gradually condensed and suddenly transformed into figures resembling Guy and his team.
"What is this?"
Guy looked grave.
This was definitely a measure left by the enemy, and he hadn't even noticed. He was too careless.
"Be careful."
Chiyo hadn't gotten close, so her copy didn't appear.
Just then, a gust of wind blew, exposing several talismans on the ground.
"A sealing technique!"
Her extensive knowledge immediately recognized it.
And she simultaneously understood what those beings identical to Guy and his team were.
"Watch out!!
Chiyo immediately warned, "They are your clones, but not ordinary clones. They possess all your abilities."
"You are now like looking in a mirror. The enemy has all your abilities. You absolutely cannot be careless!"
Chiyo's expression was grave. She hadn't expected the enemy to set up such precautions.
Originally worried about how to get down, now they had to consider how to get rid of the clones created by the sealing technique.
"Even if they have our abilities, without our will, they cannot defeat us!"
Lee immediately stepped forward and charged directly at his clone.
Lee's clone revealed a smile, directly opened the first gate of the Eight Gates, his speed instantly increased, and he kicked Lee flying with one blow, then quickly followed up.
"It seems they really do possess all our abilities."
Neji's expression was grave.
Sometimes, having a rash partner like Lee wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
At least it could reveal a lot.
Although their side remained on standby,
The enemy would obviously not do the same.
After Lee's clone kicked Lee away, he ran off to fight him in the distance.
The other clones also sought out their originals.
Sometimes, people are unaware of their own weaknesses.
So, when facing an opponent identical to themselves, with the same strength, they can appear somewhat helpless.
Even Guy was experiencing this situation for the first time.
"This is bad."
Chiyo had a headache. She didn't dare approach rashly.
Afraid that her own copy would appear, making the situation even more complicated.
But if she didn't intervene, relying on Guy and the others obviously wouldn't resolve these clones quickly.
Just then, she sensed someone approaching from behind.
Turning around, it was Kakashi's team and Baki.
"Wait!"
She quickly stopped Kakashi and the others. "There's a trap here!"
Kakashi immediately stopped, also grabbing Naruto who hadn't managed to brake in time.
Then, he saw the identical Guy Team and Guy Team clones in the distance.
"What are those?"
He lifted his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan.
Through the Sharingan, he could see more, but still couldn't find any flaws.
Whether in movement or technique, the clones performed identically to the originals.
Apart from distinguishing them by their facial expressions, they were almost exactly the same.
"A type of sealing technique."
Chiyo pointed gravely at the sealing array revealed ahead. "Don't go over rashly, otherwise your clones will also appear."
"The Akatsuki are down there, right?"
Kakashi immediately understood. "Is there a way to break it?"
"I'm thinking of a way."
Chiyo stared at the sealing array, her mind racing.
The Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals were nearing completion.
At this moment, everyone opened their eyes.
"The trap has been triggered."
Black Zetsu spoke. "Someone needs to go delay them. The clones won't last long."
Pain immediately looked at Kisame and Itachi. "You two go. The only ones with enough remaining strength to deal with these guys are you."
To speed up the process, everyone's Chakra had been significantly drained.
Now, everyone had about half their Chakra left.
But with half his Chakra, Hoshigaki Kisame was still several times higher than everyone else present.
After all, being called a Tailless Tailed Beast was not undeserved.
"No problem."
Itachi didn't refuse. Kisame also lowered his hands, preparing for long-range control combat.
"I'll help too."
Black Zetsu said.
"Wait, don't go."
Sasori interrupted Black Zetsu. "After the sealing ends, you immediately retreat with Deidara."
"He doesn't have much combat power left. I'll stay behind to hold them off."
His words were calm, but carried a tone that refused refusal.
"Don't forget, Takumi is behind them."
Pain looked at him, his gaze grave.
The implication was clear: 'Can you beat Takumi?'
"I didn't go all out last time."
Sasori sneered. "This time, I'll try going all out. And to deal with him, I specially made so many adjustments to my puppets."
"Now, it's time to test them."
Sasori himself felt a bit expectant.
Last time, his Hiruko was broken. To avoid damaging his real body, he had no choice but to retreat.
Having made thorough preparations this time, he decided to use all his means.
If it didn't work, then he would die here.
Fearing death means one is unworthy of being called a Shinobi.
Although he was a Rogue Shinobi, he was still a Shinobi.
"Wait!"
Deidara said dissatisfied, "Sasori-danna, this means you don't trust me! How do I have no combat power!"
"Besides, I want to meet Takumi-senpai and personally tell him how I captured this guy!"
"Then, Takumi-senpai will definitely look at me with new eyes!"
Deidara's gaze was full of expectation.
Sasori shot a glance at Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu immediately understood. "Got it. I'll do as you say."
The others also immediately understood why Sasori wanted to send Deidara away.
It wasn't because he lacked combat power, but purely because he was troublemaker.