206-210

Chapter 206: The Puppet Queen 

Naruto Uzumaki's already not-so-bright mind was now even more bewildered. It looked like these people were out to get Sara, but Shindai was saying they were just oppressed civilians rising up. 

Someone turned on the lights, illuminating the dim room. The ten or so people wrapped tightly in cloaks and masks in the room all removed their disguises. 

The kid who'd just screamed "Help me!" and clutched his head when Naruto's chakra blade scared him, spoke up, "I'm Sarai, and I'm not some suspicious person!" 

The woman who had initially threatened Sara also introduced herself. "My apologies, my name is Yataka." 

Little chubby Sarai scratched his head. "We just have something we need to ask Lady Sara." 

Sara asked, puzzled, "What exactly do you want me to give back to you?" 

Yataka was silent for a moment before saying, "Please follow me, Lady Sara." 

Yataka and little chubby Sarai led Shindai, Naruto, and Sara through a sewer, popping out of a manhole cover onto a bustling street where a parade was happening. 

Seeing the brightly lit streets and the cheering crowds, Sara's mood brightened considerably. "It's so beautiful! Enjoying the parade here makes it even more wonderful!" 

Naruto sighed. "Hey, this isn't the time to be admiring things, you know." 

Sara smiled. "This grand parade was arranged by Anrokuzan. He and the citizens started this event to cheer me up after my mother's sudden passing, since I was so sad." 

Little chubby Sarai piped up, sounding strange, "That's really weird." 

Sara frowned. "What's weird about it?" 

Little chubby Sarai replied, "Everyone's been calling Lady Sara a 'puppet princess,' and they're all making fun of you!" 

Sara looked a bit stunned. "A puppet princess?!" 

Yataka scolded little chubby Sarai, "Idiot, shut up!" 

Little chubby Sarai casually responded, "Okay~" 

Yataka apologized to Sara. "I'm very sorry, Your Majesty, but you can't blame Sarai for saying that. It's because everyone's family members were taken away one morning. We heard it was Lady Sara's command." 

Sara retorted, "You're lying! Don't tell lies, I never gave such an order!" 

Little chubby Sarai looked at Sara angrily. "Is that true? My father and brother were both taken away!" 

Yataka continued, "We heard they're being forced to build weapons of war somewhere in this country, so everyone had no choice but to come directly and plead with you, Lady Sara..." 

Shindai now understood everything. He stroked his chin, deducing, "So, Mukade disguised himself as Anrokuzan and manipulated your mother. He used the power of the Ryu Myaku to develop and strengthen Roukran, making it a prosperous nation, but it also fell into Mukade's scheme. Mukade, disguised as a minister of Roukran, forced the people of this country to build weapons of war in your mother's or your name. Looking at it that way, this little chubby kid is right: you're a puppet princess, and you're about to become a puppet queen." 

Naruto tilted his head, thought for a moment, then slapped his palm with his fist. "Oh, you're right, Big Bro Shindai! That makes so much sense!" 

Sara excitedly refuted, "This must be a lie! If that's the case, why would so many of my people still welcome me so warmly?" 

Little chubby Sarai grumbled, "What cheering people? What are you talking about?!" 

Sara pointed at the crowd ahead. "Aren't all these people cheering and welcoming me?" 

Shindai squinted at the crowd. "Don't be so harsh, little chubby. If her people are puppets, then yeah, they're pretty enthusiastic." 

Sara glared at Shindai. "What do you mean by that?!" 

Shindai snapped his fingers, and a mass of iron sand floated forward, enveloping one of the people in the crowd. The person immediately fell to the ground. Shindai used his iron sand to pull the fallen person closer. 

"See? Your puppet citizen. Those are all puppets, there isn't a single living person there. I work with puppets, so you can't fool me." 

Sara looked at the puppet on the ground in disbelief. 

Naruto crouched in front of the puppet, injecting chakra into it. Blue chakra threads appeared, connecting to pipes in the air, and many chakra threads extended from those pipes. 

Naruto looked at the chakra threads in the pipes and told Sara, "Sara, do you see it now? The chakra threads are extending from that pipe." 

Sara looked grimly at the pipes. "That's where the power source flows, the power of the Ryu Myaku." 

Shindai and Naruto looked at the numerous pipes above. "So that's how they're feeding chakra to the puppets!" 

Just then, a door on a building's balcony opened, and a puppet wearing the same clothes as Sara from earlier stepped out, waving to the puppets below. 

Sara's pupils constricted to their limit. "What in the world... is going on?" 

Naruto guessed, "That Mukade guy, he's planning to turn you into a puppet too." 

Shindai gloated, "Thought you were so beloved, huh? Turns out it was all fake. Mukade was just playing with you~" 

"It's a lie! This isn't real! Anrokuzan wouldn't do something like this!" Completely unable to accept it, Sara rushed straight into the crowd of puppets. 

"Sara! Wait! Where are you going, wait for me!" Naruto tried to chase after her and stop her, but Sara had already disappeared into the puppet crowd. 

With Sara vanished without a trace, Naruto could only go back and meet up with Shindai. 

Naruto grumbled, "Big Bro Shindai, can't you be a little less provocative?!" 

Shindai spread his hands. "She won't get far, what's the rush? Let's go." 

Naruto asked, surprised, "Big Bro Shindai, you know where she is?" 

Shindai nodded. "Yeah, I attached some iron sand to her. We just have to follow it." 

Naruto immediately brightened up again, giving Shindai a thumbs-up. "You're the best, Big Bro!" 

Shindai proudly tilted his head. "Hmph, how else could I be your Big Bro without a few tricks up my sleeve? Come on, let's go. That 'puppet queen' is really quite willful." 

Naruto sighed, "Don't call her 'puppet queen,' though. If you keep saying that, she's definitely going to get upset." 

Shindai cocked his head, scoffing, "What do I care?!" 

Naruto sighed again and told Yataka and Sarai, "Wait for us here. We're going to bring Sara back." 

Yataka and Sarai replied, "Okay." 

Shindai followed the iron sand's location and quickly found Sara sitting dejectedly on the stairs inside a building. 

Looks like Sara just had a massive reality check, dattebayo! And Shindai's not exactly the most sensitive guy, is he? Do you think they'll be able to convince Sara about Mukade's true intentions and stop his plans? 

Chapter 207: The Underground Factory 

Shindai led Naruto to find Sara, who was sitting on the stairs, singing. 

Shindai, ever the provocateur, remarked, "Oh, still got the time to sing, huh?" 

Naruto pulled Shindai aside. "Big Bro, please don't cause any more trouble! I'm begging you!" Naruto grumbled softly, "Seriously, if my two sisters were here, they're the only ones who could keep you in line." 

Because Naruto's muttering was so quiet, Shindai didn't quite catch it. "What? You have sisters? Are you twins? Or did Lord Minato and Sister Kushina have another... wait, wouldn't another one be a younger sister?" 

"No, I'm an only child, just me! Remember that and stop talking!" Naruto felt so helpless. He regretted agreeing to let Shindai tag along. 

Naruto sighed deeply, then walked up to Sara and said, "You were singing that song when I first met you, too." 

Sara wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her chin on them as she replied, "Mother used to sing it to me all the time. Anrokuzan advised Mother to use the power of the Ryūmyaku for the people. Mother's control over the Ryūmyaku's power, combined with Anrokuzan's technology, transformed Loulan into a city with thousands of towers in the blink of an eye. But... Mother died before she could fulfill her ambitions. After Mother passed, only Anrokuzan remained by my side. No one else... no one else..." 

Shindai commented mockingly, "The others were probably killed by that Anrokuzan, right?" 

Naruto glared at Shindai. "Big Bro, if you keep this up, I'm going to tell on you!" 

Shindai suddenly felt a shiver down his spine and stopped talking. Huh? Wait a minute! Why was he so scared? Naruto could at most tell on him to Kushina Uzumaki, since she was the only one who could make him flinch a little, but his reaction shouldn't be that strong. 

Naruto earnestly told Sara, "I've gained precious things from many people, like my ninja way, and the fierce determination to stick to my decisions no matter what. I want to pass these precious things on to others. Your mother must have left you something precious too, right? So, recall what precious thing your mother passed on to you. Then you'll know what you should do now. As a future queen, you should also pass on what your mother gave you to your people, and do what you must do! Never give up!" 

Sara stared blankly at Naruto. Naruto gave Sara the same gentle smile as Minato Namikaze. Shindai's eyelid twitched at the sight. This Sara... she's doomed! Minato's smile, at times, even he couldn't handle. 

Sure enough, Sara, who had just been lost in confusion, now had a look of unwavering determination. 

Sara's voice was firm. "First, I must confirm the true situation of this city. As queen, I have the power to sense the flow of the Ryūmyaku. If I can determine where the pipes transporting the Ryūmyaku's power lead, perhaps I can find those who were taken." 

Naruto was full of enthusiasm. "Alright! Let's go right away!" 

Sara walked in front, with Shindai and Naruto following behind her. Shindai whispered a reminder, "Hey, Naruto, you're here because you time-traveled. She's much older than you. You're basically hitting on an auntie who's more than ten years older than you. That's irresponsible flirting, like a scumbag, you know." 

Naruto retorted, annoyed, "I'm not flirting at all, and I'm definitely not a scumbag! Speaking of old, who's older than you, Big Bro?!" 

Shindai raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "What do you mean? You mean I'm old? Isn't it normal for me to be older than you?" 

Naruto glanced away. "I wasn't talking about you! Alright, let's catch up to Sara!" 

Shindai, Naruto, and Sara rendezvoused with Ayako and the chubby boy, Salai, who were waiting for them. The five of them followed the pipes to a ventilation shaft. 

Sara stood in front of the vent, her voice resolute. "This ventilation shaft should connect to the central convergence point of the city's overall Ryūmyaku flow!" 

Naruto turned to Ayako and Salai. "If I find your families, I promise I'll rescue them. So, you two wait here with your comrades." 

The chubby Salai eagerly asked, "Really?" 

Sara placed her hand over her chest and firmly declared, "I guarantee it, as Queen!" 

Shindai spoke in a mocking tone, "I~ guarantee it as Queen. With absolutely no power, yet she's making guarantees. It all depends on us, doesn't it?" 

Veins pulsed on Sara's and Naruto's foreheads. Sara angrily said, "You! Why are you so awful?!" 

Shindai scoffed. "Awful? Naruto, you know me well enough. Tell her how excellent I truly am!" 

Naruto sincerely apologized to Sara. "Sara, my big brother is just like that. There aren aren't many people who can tolerate his personality. Even we can't stand his personality sometimes. I apologize on his behalf, don't worry about it." 

Just as Shindai was about to retort, Naruto immediately clapped his hand over Shindai's mouth. "Big Bro, can your mouth just quiet down for a bit?! No more talking! I know a lot of your secrets, and if I tell them, you'll be in big trouble!" 

Shindai slapped Naruto's hand away from his mouth and asked, bewildered, "Them? Do you dare to say names?! Being a riddle-speaker is unethical!" 

Naruto shrugged. "Unethical is unethical, you've led me into plenty of unethical situations already, so one more won't hurt. Alright, let's go." 

Naruto pulled open the iron cover of the ventilation shaft and said, "Let's go!" Shindai, Naruto, and Sara entered through the shaft. 

Once inside, Sara witnessed an unbelievable sight. It was an underground factory. Many people were inside, toiling away like beasts of burden, ceaselessly pushing levers, with a puppet overseeing them. These people's hands and feet were shackled, and the steam spewing from the machines made the entire space incredibly hot and stuffy. 

On another conveyor belt, puppet parts were being mass-produced. Sara was in utter disbelief. "Anrokuzan is actually using the power of the citizens to create weapons! I must... I must stop him!" 

"Alright, this is the core point for redirecting the Ryūmyaku's power, right? Destroying it should do the trick, shouldn't it?" Shindai had already started forming hand signs. Sara quickly stopped him. "If you destroy it directly, the Ryūmyaku's power here will go out of control and explode!" 

Shindai stopped forming hand signs, his brow furrowing slightly. "Then what do we do?" 

Chapter 208: Naruko #6 

Shindai was about to destroy the core that powered the factory with the Ryu Myaku's energy, but Sara stopped him. If they just broke it by force, the Ryu Myaku's power here would go out of control and explode. 

Sara looked around, muttering, "It should be here..." 

"Found it!" Sara pointed ahead. "Please take me there! I can cut off the Ryu Myaku's power there!" 

The spot Sara pointed to had a sealing jutsu formation on the ground. 

"Alright, hold on tight!" Naruto Uzumaki scooped Sara up in a princess carry. 

Shindai's eye twitched. Couldn't he just carry her with his iron sand? Why the princess carry?! If that wasn't flirting, what was?! 

Naruto jumped down with Sara in his arms, and Shindai followed. After avoiding the patrolling puppets, the trio reached the sealing point. 

Sara told Naruto and Shindai, "Please step back a bit. I'll cut off the Ryu Myaku's power." 

Shindai and Naruto stood at the edge of the sealing formation, waiting. 

Sara knelt in the center of the sealing jutsu, clasping her hands tightly. "By the Queen's command, cut off the Ryu Myaku's torrent, suppress its power!" 

Sara spread her hands, and a purple orb of light appeared in the center of the sealing formation. From Shindai and Naruto's perspective, this purple orb looked just like an eyeball, and the sealing jutsu was absorbed by it. 

With the Ryu Myaku's power to this factory cut off, the factory machines stopped running. 

Sara stood up. "It's done. I've completely cut off the Ryu Myaku flowing into the factory." 

"That's great! Quick—" 

Naruto hadn't even finished his sentence when a massive number of purple chakra threads appeared, connecting to the puppets in the factory. Even newly produced puppet parts reassembled themselves into complete puppets. 

Anrokuzan appeared above them. "Your Majesty, what are you doing in a place like this?" 

Sara's heart sank. "Anrokuzan!" 

Shindai and Naruto both stared wide-eyed at Anrokuzan. 

"So this fatso is Anrokuzan, huh? Looks like Roukran's pig-farming techniques are pretty good." 

Anrokuzan ignored Shindai's taunt and even bowed to Sara. 

Sara spoke with a stern, serious tone. "I have stopped the flow of the Ryu Myaku. I will not allow you to use this power for war! As Queen, I command you! Stop the development of puppet weapons and immediately release the enslaved citizens!" 

Seeing that Sara already knew, Anrokuzan dropped his act. "Oh? So you've learned so much already, Your Majesty? Then I can no longer let you live. A puppet doll to replace you will suffice, because my puppet army is already assembled. I no longer need you to control the Ryu Myaku's power." 

The surrounding puppets began closing in on the trio. 

Naruto instructed Sara, "Sara, take everyone and escape quickly! I'm going to grab that guy! Go, now!" 

"Understood!" 

Sara left Naruto and Shindai's side, preparing to lead the enslaved people to safety. 

Naruto also joined Shindai in taunting Anrokuzan. "You, are you really Mukade? You've gotten a lot fatter, just like Big Bro said. Roukran's pig-farming really is good." 

Anrokuzan scoffed. "You Leaf ninjas have filled the Queen's head with too many unnecessary things. We haven't seen each other in six years, have we?" 

Naruto sneered, "Hmph, to me, we just saw each other yesterday! I don't know when you turned into a pig, but as long as you're Mukade, I won't let you get away! My Big Bro's Magnet Release ninjutsu completely counters puppet jutsu!" 

Shindai puffed out his chest, looking proud. 

Anrokuzan chuckled sinisterly. "You said Mukade? I've long forgotten that lowlife's name! I am now the Minister of Roukran! His Excellency, Anrokuzan! Uh..." 

A long blade of iron sand suddenly pierced Anrokuzan's chest from behind. Shindai's Kanna appeared behind Anrokuzan. While Anrokuzan was blustering, Shindai had already secretly manipulated his iron sand to gather behind him, forming Kanna, then directly impaling Anrokuzan. 

Naruto was thrilled! "Big Bro, nice work! You're the best! My distraction was pretty good too, right?" Naruto had noticed Shindai secretly manipulating his iron sand, which was why he had mocked Anrokuzan, preventing Anrokuzan from noticing Shindai's sand. 

But Shindai had no happy expression on his face. "You're celebrating too early, Naruto. This guy is a puppet, or rather, he's converted himself into a puppet. Besides Sasori, I can't believe there's another disgusting guy like this." 

Naruto looked closely and saw that no blood flowed from Anrokuzan's pierced chest. 

Shindai formed hand signs. "Magnet Release: Iron Sand Coffin!" 

Kanna dispersed into iron sand, enveloping Anrokuzan's body, compressing it and invading his interior, attempting to paralyze him. However, Anrokuzan erupted with powerful purple chakra—the Ryu Myaku's power—blasting all the iron sand away from his body. Anrokuzan's riddled body instantly regenerated. "In Roukran, my power is limitless! Magnet Release is nothing but a cheap trick!" 

Shindai pursed his lips, furious. Seriously, any random punk can counter his Magnet Release now?! 

Sara, who was trying to escape, was forced back by the puppets. Shindai, Naruto, and Sara were surrounded by a huge number of puppets. 

Anrokuzan laughed maniacally. "I told you! The puppet army is complete! You can't escape!" 

Naruto told Sara, "I'll clear a path. You escape as fast as you can!" 

Naruto pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. 

"Summoning Jutsu!" 

A puff of smoke appeared, and a stunningly voluptuous woman who looked very similar to Naruto appeared. Even Sara was stunned, because... this hot woman's clothes were really revealing. 

Shindai's eyes instantly sparkled. "Naruto, could this be...?" 

"That's right! It's your masterpiece, Big Bro Shindai! Naruko #6!" 

Naruto couldn't operate puppets, so he reached behind Naruko #6's head and pressed a button. Naruko #6's eyes instantly glowed red, and a pleasant female voice spoke. 

"Battle mode activated." 

A ninja blade appeared in Naruko #6's right hand, and a device in her left. Naruko #6 swung her ninja blade, unleashing incredibly fierce slashes at the puppets. From her blade-wielding movements, Shindai could see Kakashi's influence. As Naruko #6 slashed, she raised her left hand, releasing ninjutsu from the device, blasting the puppets. The power was quite impressive; it took about two ninjutsu to destroy one puppet. 

Shindai was overjoyed! "Naruto, did I invent scientific ninja tools in the future?!" 

"No time for that now! Sara, quickly follow my Naruko #6 and get out of here!" 

"Okay!" 

Sara ran forward, following behind Naruto's Naruko #6. 

Whoa, looks like things just got even wilder! Naruto's got a super cool, and very revealing, new ally! What do you think will happen next with Naruko #6 in action? 

Chapter 209: Naruto's Big Move 

Sara tried to break through the puppet horde with the help of the Naruko #6 clone that Naruto summoned. However, there were simply too many puppets. Even though Naruko #6 was a fierce fighter, it couldn't handle such a massive number of them. Plus, these puppets could be immediately repaired with replacement parts and rejoin the fight. Soon enough, Naruko #6 was damaged beyond repair and couldn't fight anymore. 

"Magnet Release! Iron Sand Tsunami!" Shindai unleashed a wave of iron sand that swept over the surrounding puppets. 

Anrokuzan cackled, "Useless! I came from the Hidden Sand Village. How could I not know that Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai jutsu from the Sand Village can counter puppets? My puppet army isn't affected by Magnet Release! That's the power of the Ryūmyaku!" A surge of purple Ryūmyaku power erupted, scattering Shindai's iron sand. 

Shindai urged, "Naruto, do you have some big move? Let's see it already!" 

Naruto blinked. "Big move? Do I really have to use my big move here? It doesn't feel right, does it?" 

Shindai urgently said, "What are you talking about?! If you don't use a big move now, when are you going to?! Hurry up!" 

"Alright!" Naruto created a large number of Shadow Clones, and they all performed hand signs simultaneously. 

Shindai found it strange. He thought Rasengan variants, like the Great Ball Rasengan, were hand-sign-free jutsu. And this hand sign... it looked familiar. 

Shindai's face changed. "Idiot! That's not the big move I told you to use!" 

But it was already too late. 

"Harem Jutsu!" Naruto's Shadow Clones poofed into clouds of smoke. As the smoke slowly dissipated, the clones revealed themselves as curvaceous beauties, barely covered by wisps of smoke. 

"Oh, Lord Anrokuzan~" The clones provocatively winked at Anrokuzan. 

Even though Shindai wouldn't admit to being a pervert, seeing this highly impactful scene made his nose itch a little. Shindai, pinching his nose, roared, "That guy turned himself into a puppet! He doesn't even have a concept of gender! What good is this going to do?!" 

Naruto looked bewildered. "Huh?! But Big Bro, you told me to use my big move! And you were the one who said this was my big move! It always works, and I love it! But you're right, Big Bro, it really is useless against a puppet." 

Shindai's face turned red, either from anger or Naruto's Harem Jutsu. "Is my future self that much of a pain? He's crazy!" 

Shindai manipulated Kaminazuki to his side and fired missiles at Anrokuzan. Anrokuzan simply waved his hand, and puppets instantly formed a shield, blocking the missiles for him. Anrokuzan wiggled his ten fingers, and all the surrounding puppets disassembled, then reformed around Shindai and Naruto, creating a giant puppet that trapped them both inside, binding them. 

Shindai indignantly demanded, "Where's your Big Ball Rasengan?! Where is it?!" 

Naruto struggled but found he couldn't break free. Helplessly, he said, "But I was just listening to you, Big Bro!" 

Shindai was almost speechless with frustration. "You're full of it! I told you to use a big move, and you pull out this?!" 

Anrokuzan scoffed, "What? Internal strife? Is this all you Leaf ninja are capable of? Can't you use your power anymore? Hahaha! Because that puppet is absorbing your chakra!" 

Naruto and Shindai tried to gather chakra, but whatever they accumulated immediately vanished. 

Sara pleaded, "Stop it, Anrokuzan!" 

Anrokuzan stepped onto a rising platform, slowly descending, his face sneering with contempt. "I'm deeply grateful for your previous help, Lady Sara. You've diligently worked towards my grand goal in your deceased mother's stead. But you're useless now. You can die like your mother!" 

Sara looked disbelieving. "Don't tell me... you killed my mother..." 

Anrokuzan chuckled sinisterly. "You finally figured it out, did you? Your mother was a cunning queen. She quickly saw through my true intentions and refused to cooperate, so I had no choice but to kill her. I never expected she would ask for help from the Leaf ninja. And you, you're an excellent puppet on strings, just like a puppet I control. But it's almost time to swap you with a real puppet." 

Shindai excitedly told Naruto, "See? I'm amazing, right? I guessed from the beginning that the queen was killed by Mukade, not some accidental death!" 

Naruto felt completely dismayed. "Big Bro, that's not the point right now! The point is we need to find a way to get out of this puppet quickly! Sara's in danger!" 

Shindai replied, "Actually, I might have a way to break free from this puppet." 

Naruto turned to look at Shindai in disbelief. "Huh? Then hurry up, Big Bro! What are you waiting for?!" 

Shindai self-righteously said, "You're the protagonist. I'm just here to follow along and take advantage. Why would I steal your thunder?" 

Anrokuzan was already walking towards Sara, who was on her knees, crying uncontrollably. He manipulated sharp kunai to float in the air, aiming them at Sara. 

Naruto's face was covered in black lines, and he urgently urged, "Big Bro, sometimes I really want to fight you! Hurry! What's the way?" 

Shindai explained to Naruto, "This puppet doesn't absorb our chakra all at once, so I can still control my iron sand. Although the Ryūmyaku's power can nullify my Magnet Release ninjutsu, any energy has a magnetic field! So, the magnetic field is still effective. And this puppet trapping us is made of countless parts held together by Ryūmyaku power, so there must be gaps! Therefore..." 

Shindai manipulated his iron sand to cover the giant puppet restraining him and Naruto. The iron sand filled into the gaps between the parts. 

"Therefore, by changing the Ryūmyaku's magnetic field, we can break free!" 

The iron sand filling the gaps of the giant puppet's parts began to spark with electricity. A magnetic field cannot directly produce electrical energy, but it can generate it through a changing magnetic field. The appearance of electrical arcs indicated that the magnetic field was indeed changing. 

The Ryūmyaku's power became unstable due to the changing magnetic field, causing the giant puppet to tremble and its parts to fall off. As the giant puppet's parts loosened, it could no longer hold Naruto, who broke free and rushed out. 

"Couldn't you have taken me with you?!" Shindai was highly annoyed because he still hadn't broken free. After all, his physical abilities couldn't compare to Naruto's. He was more of an extreme high-attack, low-defense type, with very average physical strength and much less raw power compared to Naruto. 

Chapter 210: The Unexpected Happens (As Expected) 

With Shindai's help, Naruto Uzumaki broke free from the giant puppet's grasp. Just then, Anrokuzan's kunai shot towards Sara. 

Naruto made a cool entrance, drawing his chakra blade to deflect the kunai, then stepping in front of a crying Sara. Naruto's voice was serious, leaving no room for argument: "Sara, snap out of it! You're not a puppet! This isn't the time to cry. You need to push forward and do what you have to do! This guy?! I'm gonna beat him to a pulp!" 

Shindai's Byakugan was nearly rolling out of his head. If that's not flirting, what is?! He completely forgot about his big brother just to flirt with a girl! 

"You bastard!" Naruto roared, charging at Anrokuzan and punching him square in the face, knocking his hat off and smashing his face in. But the next second, Anrokuzan's face returned to normal. "It's useless. I told you, in Roukran, my power is limitless!" 

Anrokuzan once again manipulated numerous puppets, closing in on Naruto and Sara. Naruto again shielded Sara, looking troubled at the sheer number of puppets, and yelled to Shindai, "Big Bro, quickly use your magnetic field thing to deal with them!" 

Shindai snapped, "Magnetic field my foot! You don't think of your big brother when you're trying to impress a girl, but when you're in trouble, you remember me, huh?!" 

Naruto looked at Shindai, realizing he was still trapped inside the giant puppet. "Big Bro, how are you still in there?!" 

Shindai glared, shouting, "My chakra's almost drained! You think my chakra can compare to yours? You were helping me earlier, but now that you're free, this simple-minded puppet is sucking my chakra even faster! I can't maintain the magnetic field anymore, you big idiot!" 

Naruto awkwardly scratched his head. "Sorry, Big Bro, I'll get you out right away." 

Anrokuzan suddenly let out a sinister laugh, and his body began to swell, transforming into a massive, human-headed centipede-bodied puppet. "Hahaha! Behold! This is my ultimate form!" 

Naruto stared at Anrokuzan in shock. "What's going on with your body?!" 

Anrokuzan raised his two sharp, scythe-like legs high. "You and Sara will be buried here!" 

Anrokuzan's scythe-legs continuously slashed at Naruto, while the puppets continued to close in on Naruto and Sara. Naruto dodged the relentless scythe attacks. 

Anrokuzan's mouth opened, revealing a high-speed rotating drill that shot towards Sara. Naruto dodged, carrying Sara. But Naruto and Sara were now cornered, with no way out. 

"There's no point in running anymore!" 

Just as Anrokuzan and his puppets were about to attack Naruto and Sara again, several kunai rained down from above, striking the puppets. The kunai had explosive tags attached, causing many puppets to explode and be destroyed. 

"Chidori!" 

Kakashi used Chidori, piercing through the giant puppet that was restraining Shindai, and pulling Shindai out. Minato Namikaze, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara made an even cooler rescue than Naruto. 

Minato asked Naruto, "Are you alright?" 

Shindai, leaning on Kakashi, grumbled, full of resentment, "Lord Minato, who exactly should you be asking if they're alright?! Your precious son was too busy trying to get the girl, and when I helped him break free, he just abandoned me!" 

"Uh..." 

Minato and Naruto both froze awkwardly. Naruto apologized again. "Sorry, Big Bro, it was a split-second thing back there. If I wasn't fast enough, Sara would have been in danger." 

Minato cleared his throat. "Alright, Naruto, quickly get Her Majesty the Queen out of here while you can!" 

Naruto nodded. "Sara, go, take everyone and escape to the surface!" 

"Okay, got it!" 

Sara left to find the people being used as slaves in the factory. Sara found the chained people. "Everyone, hurry and escape together! It's very dangerous to stay here. Quickly remove your chains and please follow me. Your families are waiting for all of you above! Come this way!" 

Sara helped these people remove their chains and led them out of the underground factory. 

Minato, Obito, and Kakashi cleared out the surrounding puppets. Shindai sat on the ground, refining his chakra. Naruto, meanwhile, effortlessly formed a Rasengan with a single hand, without the need for Shadow Clone assistance. 

"Rasengan!" 

Naruto's Rasengan struck Anrokuzan's body. The small orb had massive power, blasting the enormous Anrokuzan straight into the wall. 

Minato and the other three finished dealing with the surrounding puppets and stood with Naruto, looking at Anrokuzan, who was embedded in the wall. Obito examined the large, centipede-like Anrokuzan. "Tch, no wonder they call him Mukade [Hundred-legs]. He really does look like a centipede." 

Rin shivered. "So gross, I'm getting goosebumps." 

Just when everyone thought it was over, Anrokuzan suddenly moved again. 

Naruto was shocked. "This guy can still move?!" 

Minato said seriously, "It's best not to let your guard down. This guy's abilities, enhanced by the Ryu Myaku's power, are unfathomable." 

Anrokuzan fell from the wall to the ground, and his voice echoed. "You think that's enough to defeat me?" 

Purple Ryu Myaku power burst from Anrokuzan again, and all the surrounding puppet parts seemed to be drawn to him, coalescing into Anrokuzan's body. Anrokuzan's size increased even more, his aura incredibly oppressive. "I've said it many times! My power is limitless! All your efforts are futile!" 

"Watch me!" 

Obito stepped forward. 

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" 

Obito spewed a massive fireball from his mouth, striking Anrokuzan. Anrokuzan, who had just been boasting, was once again blasted into the wall by Obito's fireball. 

Then Obito yelled back at Shindai, who was refining his chakra, "Shindai! Can you do it?" 

"A real man never says he can't!" 

Shindai formed hand signs, then extended his palms towards Anrokuzan. 

"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Coffin!" 

A massive amount of iron sand enveloped Anrokuzan's body. Arcs of electricity crackled within the iron sand as Shindai altered the magnetic field, affecting the Ryu Myaku's power within Anrokuzan. 

Anrokuzan crashed to the ground again, and due to his increased weight, he smashed straight through the floor, falling to the level below. Minato, Naruto, Obito, and Shindai all walked to the hole Anrokuzan had created in the floor and looked down. 

Naruto murmured, "Did it work?" 

But as expected, the unexpected happened. 

A purple column of Ryu Myaku energy shot up from the hole in the floor, and many threads extended from the energy column, pulling all the puppet parts throughout the factory towards it. 

Looks like Anrokuzan is proving to be a real pain, even with the Fourth Hokage and his team on the scene! How do you think they'll deal with his "limitless" power now that he's absorbing all the puppet parts?