346-350

*Chapter 346: Triple Gates! The Eerie Phenomenon!*

At this moment—

On a mountain peak standing independently beside the giant pillar where the Tenshukaku was located—

"Hmph!"

"Can this thing really break through Susanoo’s defense?"

Hyūga Shōta, his Byakugan wide open, cast a sidelong glance at the smoking chakra cannon beside him. His face carried a hint of arrogance, as if he looked down on this kind of weapon from the Hidden Cloud.

"Only you Cloud shinobi would resort to such despicable tricks."

"For a ninja, this kind of scrap metal is utterly useless!"

Nearby, Killer Bee adjusted his sunglasses and shot a peculiar glance at this Hyūga clansman, who had come as reinforcements from the Land of Fire’s Daimyō. Still, he patiently explained,

"In response to the skeletal giant defense that Shinji displayed in the last battle at Yunming, we specifically upgraded the chakra cannon to fire solid tungsten shells with enhanced armor-piercing capabilities. Their penetration force rivals that of an S-rank jutsu."

"Even the old man’s strongest Lightning Release: Lariat would suffer minor damage against this cannon."

"Shinji…"

Killer Bee’s expression darkened as he gazed toward the northern gate, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

"There’s no way he can withstand this attack!"

"Which means… he will meet his end here because of this one small detail!"

—

*Creak!*

*Crack!*

*Boom!!*

A deafening explosion erupted as thick smoke billowed into the sky. The incoming shell, crashing down like a meteor, blasted a crater nearly a hundred meters wide in front of the city gate.

The earth trembled violently!

A web of cracks spread across the ground.

"Is that brat dead?"

"Did our shot work?"

Even standing atop the city walls, the shockwaves were so intense that the ninja and samurai watching were filled with horror. Their eyes were wide with shock and unease as they stared at the impact site.

It was as if thunder had struck right beside their ears. Even as trained shinobi, the sheer scale of destruction sent shivers down their spines.

"Silence, all of you!"

Ramii turned his head and barked coldly,

"Return to your positions and prepare for the next attack!"

"Move it!"

Maintaining a tense expression, he stabilized the troops before quickly turning to Motoi, lowering his voice,

"Well? Motoi, is that brat dead or not?"

"I… I…"

However, Motoi was trembling all over, his hands frozen in place, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at the smoke-covered ground below.

"Such a terrifying, eerie, and evil chakra…!"

"W-What the hell is that?!"

Seeing this, Ramii’s expression changed drastically. Realizing something was wrong, he wasted no time and shouted at his subordinates,

"Quick!!"

"Send word to the battle command! Initiate Plan B immediately! Launch the jutsu now!"

At his command, the ninja who had previously used Lightning Release: Lightning Illusion Pillar Technique swiftly retreated. From the kilometer-long city wall, a group of shinobi dressed in unique attire emerged.

They wore red Iwagakure uniforms, their foreheads adorned with red headbands.

As soon as they arrived, they began forming hand seals.

Meanwhile—

In front of the city gates—

The sulfurous, smoke-filled air trembled.

Suddenly, a massive, flaming hand tore through the dense haze and came into view. It swung violently in all directions!

A powerful gust instantly surged forth, sweeping away the thick smoke and revealing the horrifying figure within!

It was the skeletal giant surrounding Shinji.

At this moment—

Its raised hand and forearm had completely vanished, along with its shoulder and half of its terrifying skull-like face, which had been blown apart.

Flames burned fiercely at the severed parts.

The entire Susanoo was covered in cracks.

But the most shocking sight was the young man within the half-destroyed Susanoo.

The left side of his body, including half of his head, had been reduced to a bare skeleton. Threads of blood and flesh were rapidly spreading over the pale, newly formed bones, regenerating his organs at an astonishing speed.

*"Cough, cough…"*

"Son of a… you guys really went all out. Armor-piercing shells, huh?"

His injuries healed in an instant. After grabbing a new outfit from an emergency storage scroll and draping it over himself, Shinji coughed hard twice and spat out a mouthful of black phlegm.

"No wonder Orochimaru got driven off—these savages are advancing their tech tree in all the wrong ways!"

Meanwhile, atop the city walls, when the surrounding shinobi and samurai heard the robust voice cursing from below and saw Shinji standing unharmed in the middle of the crater—

The entire battlefield fell into a deathly silence.

Shinji blinked in confusion, tilting his head as he looked up at them.

"...Huh?"

*"How could they be so shocked? There's no way the name 'Shinji' slipped out."*

The next moment, relying on his keen hearing, he caught the murmurs from the crowd atop the city wall.

"Could it be... that kid is the leader of that terrifying organization?!"

"That outfit... no doubt about it, Akatsuki! That evil organization is definitely linked to Shinji!"

Following their gazes, Shinji finally realized that the garment he pulled from the scroll was the very robe Yahiko had gifted him.

At that moment, the black robe adorned with red clouds draped over his body, instantly exuding a villainous aura.

Shinji was momentarily stunned.

Surveying the massive crater surrounding him, he suddenly felt an illusion—like he was Pain, attacking Konoha. As if he could say, "Just pay me off, and when I unleash my Super Shinra Tensei, I'll spare your house. Watch its value skyrocket like a rocket!"

Shaking his head to dispel the random joke he somehow remembered from a forum in his past life, Shinji coughed lightly, about to utter something dramatic to liven up the atmosphere.

Suddenly—

*BOOM!*

An explosion erupted from the east gate!

The ground shook violently, and smoke rose just as it did on his side.

The next moment,

"Quick! We can't let him break through now!"

On the city wall, Rami Yi slapped the battlement and shouted urgently,

"Unleash your jutsu, damn it!!!"

If Shinji was fine, then they were in big trouble!

If they didn't initiate the next phase of their plan now, they were doomed!

Shinji's gaze shifted toward the city wall.

At that moment,

A row of Iwagakure shinobi in red uniforms raised their hands and performed a jutsu, pressing them against the wall.

In the next moment,

*"Combined Earth Style: Ten Thousand Mile Earth Flow Wall!"*

With their collective roar,

The ground rumbled and lifted.

Before Shinji's eyes, the 20-meter-high city wall began to rise even higher!

30 meters... 50 meters...

*100 meters!*

The surroundings were suddenly engulfed in a deep shadow. As the earth trembled and stones flew,

The originally black stone walls transformed into earthen fortifications.

From the base, the 100-meter-high wall loomed like an impassable chasm before him!

Shinji was stunned.

Only by observing the shifting environment did he realize—

The walls weren't rising; the altitude of Rami Yi and his Cloud Shinobi hadn't changed at all.

It was—

*The ground beneath him was sinking!*

The jutsu seemed like an Earth Style: Ten Thousand Mile Earth Flow Wall.

But raising a city wall to nearly 100 meters in such a short time would be a massive waste of manpower and resources. It would also be ineffective for defense and impractical as a quick construction project.

However, if one were to reverse the thinking—

By using Earth Style: Earth Core Shift to hollow out the ground beneath the inner city's perimeter, causing attackers to fall into a 100-meter-deep trench, things suddenly became much simpler.

Therefore, this jutsu was actually a combination of multiple Iwagakure shinobi's efforts,

*"Combined Earth Style: Super Earth Core Shift!"*

Meanwhile, within the inner city,

The second line of defense was executed using an entirely different strategy.

Countless elite Cloud Shinobi simultaneously cast another Earth Style jutsu,

*"Earth Style: Earth Flow Fortress."*

They elevated the central ground of the inner city by nearly 50 meters, forming a 50-meter-tall fortress wall, nearly impenetrable by conventional means.

Coupled with the already elevated central citadel atop a towering stone pillar,

The inner city now formed a *three-tiered pyramid-like fortress!*

This strategic manipulation of terrain granted the Cloud Shinobi an overwhelming defensive advantage.

Occupying the high ground with a clear, panoramic view,

They gained an enormous intelligence advantage, nullifying the setback of the breached barrier.

Moreover, the elevated position provided more diverse attack options for the defenders.

At that moment,

Shinji looked up, frowning slightly, just in time to see—

A torrent of kunai, laden with explosive tags, raining down from the 120-meter-high wall!

Beneath his feet, he sensed the *Explosive Flame Array*,

The same jutsu that once crippled Nagato in the original story.

The Cloud Shinobi intended to wear him down, just like Konan's relentless paper bomb assault on Obito,

Attempting to deplete his chakra through sheer attrition.

But Shinji paid it no mind, casually completing his *Susano'o* to protect himself.

After all, with nearly half of the Eight-Tails' chakra at his disposal, he wasn't worried about the cost of activating his *giant chakra avatar*.

What truly bothered him was something else:

*"Where did all these Iwagakure shinobi come from?"*

Shinji frowned, looking up at the red-clad Iwagakure on the wall, feeling an unease deep within.

"Even if the Daimyo of the Land of Earth supported this, and Iwagakure agreed to the alliance... isn't this a bit too many?"

Chapter 347: The Deadly Trap of Intelligence! Counterattack! Yasaka Magatama!

They hollowed out the land within a kilometer radius of the inner city, almost at the cost of abandoning the capital of the Land of Lightning,

all for the sole purpose of killing one man!

A colossal fortress with a three-tiered pyramid structure, spanning 10 hectares, stood majestically between heaven and earth.

Its imposing presence inspired awe and reverence at first sight.

At this moment,

Standing before the highest and most central tower, Jiraiya looked down, his gaze fixed on the shifting terrain below, his expression heavy with concern.

There was no doubt about it—this manipulation of the landscape, jointly orchestrated by the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Stone, was a deadly trap set for Shinji!

"This trap was meticulously planned based on the intelligence they gathered on Shinji!"

"The skeletal giant known as Susanoo appeared three times during the last battle. After the third time, the Hidden Cloud realized that Shinji had exhausted his chakra."

"Losing the Zero-Tails at Hell Valley wasn't without consequences for Shinji either!"

"In the end, if it weren't for that unique sage technique powered purely by natural energy without the need for sage chakra fusion,

Shinji wouldn't have survived against two Jinchūriki in a direct confrontation."

"Therefore—"

Jiraiya glanced to his side, where a young A stood, peering through binoculars at the city walls, issuing orders to his subordinates with a stern expression.

Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya continued:

"Faced with Shinji, who possesses immortality, rapid regeneration, monstrous strength, impenetrable defense, mysterious sage arts, exceptional sensory abilities,

and near-perfect mastery of genjutsu and ninjutsu, the Hidden Cloud could only target his one exposed weakness—"

"His chakra reserves!"

"But this offensive alone... it's not enough! Merely trapping him won't be enough to kill Shinji!"

With this thought, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and subtly performed a hand sign with his toes, making it appear as though he was just scratching his leg with his wooden sandals.

*Poof!*

A tiny puff of dust rose as a minuscule frog, no bigger than a fingernail, hopped out from behind a rock and stealthily approached A, trying to eavesdrop on his strategy.

---

"Lord A, as planned, Shinji has fallen into the trench."

"Currently, the first line of defense is executing the strategy to deplete his chakra."

Hearing the report from his intelligence officer, A continued observing the distant city gate, his lips curling into a cold smile as he saw the plan unfolding smoothly.

"Excellent!"

"Deep trenches, explosive flame arrays, and ninja tool rain embedded with explosive tags—these attacks won't kill Shinji but will force him to expend chakra."

"But that's not enough to stop that brat,"

"That's why the first line of defense is focused on draining his chakra as much as possible. Our second line of defense is designed to force him to use that troublesome sage technique!"

"This battle will escalate quickly. I can't stay here any longer."

With a determined look, A's eyes gleamed with fierce resolve.

"You stay here and ensure Bee keeps firing the chakra cannons, maintaining pressure on both fronts to hinder their advance!"

"I'll personally oversee the battlefield!"

"Understood!" The intelligence captain immediately stood at attention and accepted the order.

But just then,

From the captain's perspective, something unusual occurred at the first line of defense in the distance.

"What?!"

The intelligence captain's eyes widened in shock.

"Lord A, wait! Look over there!"

A's heart skipped a beat as he turned to look,

At that moment,

From the northern city gate,

A young voice roared with fury:

*"Compound Ninjutsu: Grand Sky Cannon! Ha!"*

A massive blast of fiery energy shot into the sky, seemingly powerful enough to pierce the clouds!

Countless ninja tools that had been falling into the valley were launched back into the air by the shockwave!

*"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"*

The earth trembled as if the entire fortress was being rocked by continuous explosions from beneath its foundations.

With each impact, the city shook violently!

Clearing everything in its path with Wind Release, a giant formed by Susanoo was climbing out of the hundred-meter-deep valley.

Every time its skeletal hand gripped the mountainside, the city trembled.

Finally, with a resounding crash,

A colossal skeletal hand clutched the city wall,

and with a single swipe, it sent countless ninjas and samurai flying off the ramparts.

A menacing giant skull rose from the edge of the wall, casting an enormous shadow over the city.

Two blazing lights ignited in its hollow eye sockets, staring coldly at the people behind the wall with a terrifyingly emotionless gaze.

As the radiant morning sun rose, its light gradually bathed the entire fortress.

Clouds drifted by, birds scattered in fear, and a chilling silence fell over the scene.

On that day,

the people of Hidden Cloud finally remembered the terror of being dominated by those eyes,

and the shame of imprisonment within a cage.

"Quick!"

A snapped out of his shock and roared in fury,

"Where are those Hidden Stone guys?"

"Push him back! Bury him in that trench we built just for him!"

The intelligence officers behind A quickly relayed the command down the chain,

But at that moment,

"Wait, Lord A, what is that guy doing now?!"

The intelligence captain gasped, staring in horror at the city gate,

There,

The colossal skeletal giant that had clung to the wall finally pulled itself up,

Standing thirty meters tall, the half-bodied skeletal giant towered over the twenty-meter-high city wall,

its hollow eyes locked on the central keep.

Then,

It slowly raised one of its massive hands toward the sky!

"Is it coming?!"

A's pupils contracted as he stared at the Susanoo on the wall, muttering under his breath:

"Is that brat about to summon that terrifying thunder sword again, like last time?!"

However,

contrary to A's expectations,

At that moment,

The sunlight seemed to dim, consumed by the skeletal hand!

Brilliant flames erupted from the palm of the giant,

forming what looked like a miniature sun in the sky above Cloud Ring City,

Amidst the blinding light,

a massive, terrifying, dark, and eerie mass of chakra gathered—

Finally,

it condensed into a blazing red Magatama!

"That's not the Thunder Sword?"

"Then... what is that?!"

A's eyes narrowed to the size of a needle, his face pale with horror.

Then,

He seemed to see an illusion—a vision of the young man within Susanoo,

coldly staring back at him and uttering:

*"Watch closely, for this is—"*

*"Yasaka Magatama!!!"*

Chapter 348: Can You Block the First One? Then, What About the Next Eight?

Atop the mountain peak to the left of the Tenshukaku—

Boom!

A deafening blast erupted!

A brilliant yellow chakra beam spewed from a monstrous steel cannon, shooting straight toward the eastern side of the city.

The moment the beam struck the ground—

A small mushroom cloud burst into the sky.

Shattered stones, thick white mist, swirling dust, and severed limbs were hurled chaotically by the scorching heat and shockwave.

However, despite being a surefire strike—

It missed.

“Damn it! I should have adjusted three units to the right. I can’t believe this mist is interfering with my flawless Byakugan!”

Hyūga Shōta widened his eyes, straining to observe the eastern side. He clenched his teeth in frustration.

“And that water monster—what the hell is that thing? It actually managed to deflect the cannon blast?!”

After the first shot of the massive cannon, a specialized armor-piercing shell had blasted away half of Shinji’s body—

Securing the success of Kumogakure’s battle plan at the northern city gates.

Following that, Killer Bee and Hyūga Shōta, under the intelligence division’s coordination, continued to operate the chakra cannon, relentlessly bombarding Akatsuki forces infiltrating from the east.

Despite the collapse of the sensory barrier, Kumogakure’s intelligence flow remained largely unaffected.

With the assistance of Konoha’s Hyūga Clan and Iwagakure’s Uesuiryū Clan—both invited by the Daimyō—plus the advantage of the terrain, the encirclement of Akatsuki forces quickly tightened.

However, just as the chakra cannon was expected to turn the tide—

Terumi Mei’s Hiding in Mist Technique and Hozuki Mangetsu’s Water Release: Shield Uebōshi disrupted the entire battlefield.

Under the cover of the thick mist, Akatsuki’s two assault squads—empowered by the superior vision of Mangekyō Sharingan and the even greater Rinnegan—continued to break through the defensive lines.

Kumogakure had clearly underestimated their strength.

Even after mobilizing their largest military force, they still couldn’t stop the invasion.

The enemy was now dangerously close—

Only fifty meters away from the second ring of defense, where Kumogakure’s true elite troops stood guard atop a fifty-meter-high wall.

“Lord Bee! Hurry up! The defense line is about to collapse!”

Below the mountain, an intelligence officer urgently shouted.

“I got it!”

Killer Bee took a deep breath, drawing another surge of chakra from Gyūki. He turned to Hyūga Shōta, frowning.

“Hyūga brat, can you aim properly this time?”

“No need for you to tell me!” Hyūga Shōta scoffed and declared coldly:

“This time, just follow my lead. I won’t miss!”

“A bunch of mere traitors—how could they possibly escape my eyes?”

But just then—

A sudden crisis erupted!

From the direction of Tenshukaku, a blinding flash of lightning illuminated the battlefield. A thunderous voice roared through the chaos—

“Bee—!!”

Killer Bee’s head snapped toward the source of the voice.

His elder brother, a younger Raikage A, was rushing toward him with a face full of urgency.

At the same time, A shouted,

“Watch the north!”

A jolt of alarm shot through Killer Bee’s body. He instantly turned his gaze toward the northern city gate.

At that moment—

Perched atop the twenty-meter-high northern city wall, standing within the head of a towering thirty-meter-tall skeletal Susanoo—

Shinji swung his colossal arm.

A meteor-like object hurtled straight toward Killer Bee’s location!

A blinding light consumed Killer Bee’s entire field of vision—

As if a miniature sun had risen from the battlefield.

The radiant sphere gleamed intensely—

Only upon closer observation did it become clear—

It was a massive, ten-meter-wide, rapidly spinning crimson Magatama!

It cut through the air with a howling force, tearing apart the wind as it screamed toward its target.

If this attack landed—

Given the chakra cannon’s slow mobility, destruction would be inevitable.

Killer Bee immediately prepared to adjust the cannon’s aim, ready to fire a counterattack against the Yasaka Magatama.

But before he could act—

Disaster struck again.

Beside him, Hyūga Shōta’s expression suddenly shifted, his eyes widening in shock. He grabbed Killer Bee’s sleeve in panic.

“Wait, wait, wait—no way…”

“Kumogakure, look east!”

“There’s something else flying at us!”

Hearing this, Killer Bee’s heart clenched. His face tensed as he swiftly turned eastward.

At that moment—

Standing beyond the Akatsuki forces that had already breached the fifty-meter city wall—

A red-haired youth observed the battlefield coldly.

With sharp precision, he seized the moment when Shinji launched the Yasaka Magatama toward the chakra cannon.

Then—

Without hesitation, he unrolled a summoning scroll.

From the smoke emerged a massive, two-meter-long artillery barrel—

Aimed directly at the two men operating the chakra cannon.

Next—

Sasori curved his lips into an eerie smile.

He clenched his fist and smashed it against the cannon’s chakra core.

Boom!!

A golden-yellow chakra beam, no weaker than the chakra cannon itself, roared forth—

Shooting straight toward its target!

As if sounding the horn for a counterattack—

Two simultaneous assaults from both the north and east formed a perfect right-angle pincer strike!

The chakra cannon could only block one direction!

Meanwhile, A, the swiftest among them, had already sprinted from the other side of Tenshukaku to deliver his warning.

However—

The mountain peak where Bee and the others stood was nearly a hundred meters away.

A wasn’t Shinji in Sage Mode—he couldn’t leap that distance in an instant.

“Damn it!”

Killer Bee clenched his teeth, sweat pouring from his forehead as his heartbeat pounded furiously.

“We can’t let them destroy the chakra cannon.”

“If we lose the cannon, our plan to force Shinji into using Senjutsu in the second ring of defense will fall apart.”

With this realization, Killer Bee’s expression darkened.

Without hesitation, he raised his hand—

“*A-BU!!*”

With a deafening roar—

Eight massive octopus tentacles erupted from his back!

The seventy-meter-tall Gyūki burst from the mountaintop!

It tilted its head back—

Spewing a Jet Black Ink Blast straight at Sasori’s incoming chakra beam.

Then, Gyūki curled its eight tentacles tightly around the mountain—

Shielding everything beneath its massive body.

At that moment—

The Yasaka Magatama struck.

Spinning violently, it smashed into Gyūki’s enormous frame!

BOOM!!

A storm of fire and shockwaves exploded outward!

The mountaintop was engulfed in a fiery mushroom cloud.

—

Meanwhile—

At the northern city gate—

Perched atop the combined height of a twenty-meter city wall and his thirty-meter Susanoo—

Shinji narrowed his eyes.

Watching the Yasaka Magatama strike, his expression showed a flicker of surprise.

“Oh? That was Sasori’s chakra cannon?”

“Two simultaneous blasts—and they still blocked it?”

After all—

His attack was no ordinary Yasaka Magatama.

It was an enhanced version, summoned through the divine artifact Yata no Kagami combined with Uchiha bloodline power—

A strike strong enough to rival Madara’s Perfect Susanoo.

A force capable of shaking the very earth itself.

“…Well, no matter.”

Shinji smirked coldly.

His gaze locked onto the chakra cannon’s location.

He had to admit—

Kumogakure’s oddly advanced armor-piercing rounds were a problem.

His skeletal Susanoo couldn’t block them indefinitely.

Allowing them to keep firing would be a nuisance.

With that in mind—

He raised his hand.

The Yata no Kagami around his neck glowed faintly in response.

Then—

The Susanoo swung its arm.

Summoning—

Eight more blazing Suns.

Eight identical Yasaka Magatama.

“Now then—”

“A, you blocked the first one.”

“But what will you do… about the next eight?”

Chapter 349: The Sun-Chasing Warrior, Sage Art: Illusion—Heavenly Sun Mirror!

The moment the crimson Magatama, condensed from chakra, touched the ground,

blinding light burst out from the cracks on its surface like fangs bared in fury!

The highly compressed chakra rapidly released its stored energy, transforming into mechanical force, light, and heat.

In an instant, the explosion of light expanded uncontrollably!

A visible shockwave erupted from the mountain peak beside the Tenshukaku, radiating outward in all directions.

Boulders, dust, and massive chunks of the Tailed Beast’s flesh were blown away in an instant!

Amid the roaring winds,

Hyūga Shōta stood frozen, staring blankly at the ruins before him, his entire body turning cold.

*“Is this… the power of the Uchiha?”*

To be fair, as a member of the Hyūga Main Branch who had always lived in comfort within Konoha, Hyūga Shōta had heard too many legends about "Shinji" over the past three months.

Yet, he had never taken them seriously. Even when he accepted the Daimyō’s invitation to aid in the protection of the Land of Lightning, he did so with the simple notion that *“a mere Three-Tomoe Uchiha is nothing special.”*

But now—right now—

facing this overwhelming disparity in power, he finally came to a stark realization—

That man. That lone figure he had passed countless times by the Naka River.

That same man whose hard-earned sack of aluminum cans he had once kicked back into the river three months ago.

That man he had once scorned for endlessly repeating dull D-rank missions.

*What kind of… monster is he?*

*"No!"*

Hyūga Shōta’s face turned deathly pale. His heart pounded wildly as the explosion’s heatwave rushed past the massive frame of the Eight-Tails and slammed into his face.

Yet, instead of feeling warmth, his body turned ice cold, his palms damp with sweat.

*"This is too dangerous! I have to get out of here!"*

*"I am the hope of the Hyūga Clan!"*

Just as the self-proclaimed "artillery support" of the battlefield was about to make his escape,

a figure suddenly leaped down from the rocky cliffs of the Tenshukaku—

A young A, his face tense, landed before the severely wounded Eight-Tails.

*"Bee, are you alright?"*

Slowly retracting its enormous octopus tentacles, the battered Killer Bee emerged,

his face covered in dust and debris.

Meeting his brother’s concerned gaze, he forced a grin despite the lingering shock in his heart.

*"I’m fine, big bro. The Chakra Cannon is fine too."*

Hearing that, Young A exhaled in relief,

*"Good, that’s good."*

For Kumogakure, their available methods of attacking Shinji were extremely limited.

Even Tailed Beast Bombs were ineffective—after all, back in Hell Valley, Shinji had overpowered two Tailed Beast Bombs with a single *Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Bomb—Dark Spiral Sphere.*

At this point, their only hope of wounding him lay in the specialized armor-piercing shells and the Chakra Cannon they had brought from the village.

If deployed properly,

alongside the combined jutsu of the Kumogakure forces and an unexpected *"ally,"*

they had a significant chance of forcing Shinji into revealing his *final trump card*—his last remaining Sage Technique.

Or perhaps—

*they could kill him outright in the open terrain between the Earthen Fortress and the Tenshukaku!*

But if their final weapon was destroyed before the plan could even begin,

then the first two defensive lines would be nothing more than a joke to Shinji.

*"Bee, we don’t know how many more times Shinji can unleash an attack like that. To be safe, you need to transform into full Tailed Beast Mode and transport the Chakra Cannon to the Earthen Fortress on the second defensive line."*

Young A immediately formulated a new strategy,

*"With the Allied Ninja Army providing cover, you can—"*

But before he could finish—

Killer Bee’s eyes suddenly widened in horror as he looked past his brother.

*"Wait… Big Bro…"*

His voice was filled with confusion as he raised his head,

his expression frozen in shock as he stared blankly at the sky.

*"What… are those!?"*

*"Huh!?"*

Startled, Young A quickly turned around—

and the next moment,

he saw it.

There was no time to catch their breath.

From thousands of meters away,

the terrifying, skeletal giant raised its arm once more!

At that instant—

*The sky lit up again—this time with eight radiant orbs, each shining like miniature suns!*

Trailing fiery tails like falling meteors,

they shot straight toward the location of the Chakra Cannon under the horrified gazes of over ten thousand ninja!

That sight—

It was as if the Survey Corps from a *Titan battlefield* were witnessing the Beast Titan hurling massive boulders at them, knowing they were powerless to escape death.

Or like the people in myths who had barely managed to seal away the relentless Amaterasu-ōmikami in the Celestial Rock Cave,

only to realize in horror—

*This wasn’t Japanese mythology.*

*This was Chinese mythology.*

*And what they had sealed away… was a Golden Crow.*

*And there were eight of them.*

Yet—

within their ranks, there was no *Hou Yi* to save them.

A suffocating despair spread across the battlefield.

Even Young A, for a brief moment, faltered under the overwhelming pressure of the attack.

But soon, he clenched his fists tightly,

lifting his head as he stared at the incoming *eight suns* with bloodshot eyes.

*"Bee!"*

*"Big Bro, I’m here!"* Killer Bee responded instantly, his face dark with dread.

*"At this point… we have to abandon the Chakra Cannon. If we leave now, we can still make it!"*

Even at full power, a single Yasaka Magatama could unleash the destructive force of a *fully charged Tailed Beast Bomb.*

Even with the Eight-Tails’ durability and Killer Bee’s strength as a perfect Jinchūriki, surviving *five* of them was the absolute limit.

If he were to endure *all eight*, he would die on the spot.

However—

*"No!"*

Young A’s expression hardened.

*"We cannot abandon it!"*

*"Our strategy is working—Shinji has already walked into our trap!"*

*"The next phase of our plan has already begun. As long as we withstand this counterattack, victory will be ours!"*

*"Bee! Do it for Kumogakure!"*

*"We must stop this attack here—*

*even if it costs us our lives!"*

Hearing this, Killer Bee took a deep breath.

When he reopened his eyes, they were ablaze with determination.

*"Alright, Big Bro! Then let’s fight side by side!"*

*"We are the strongest A-B Combo!"*

The brothers exchanged a firm glance, seeing unwavering resolve in each other’s eyes.

Then, they stepped forward in unison,

their faces steeled as they faced the blazing Magatama descending upon them!

Meanwhile—

Standing atop his towering *Susano’o*,

Shinji gazed down at the battlefield, his eyes sweeping over the panic-stricken faces below.

His gaze landed on the two brothers who had bravely stepped forward.

And in that instant—

A smirk of amusement played across his lips.

*"A fine display of willpower… still struggling to resist?"*

*"But—"*

His smile faded, his expression turning cold and indifferent.

*"It’s nothing more than a futile struggle."*

*"It’s about time."*

As his words fell—

Shinji raised his hand.

*Snap!*

With a crisp snap of his fingers,

the seeds planted at the moment he stepped onto the battlefield—

*finally took root and bloomed!*

*"Sage Art: Illusion—Heavenly Sun Mirror!"*

Chapter 350: The Vanished Magatama! Blossoming Sea of Flowers!

Snap!

A crisp snap of the fingers echoed.

Accompanying this seemingly ordinary action,

In an instant,

a transparent ripple quietly spread through the air.

---

“What was that?”

“It looked like a barrier fluctuation.”

“What’s going on? Didn’t the barrier shatter just now?”

In the distance, the Hidden Cloud sensory unit, who were cautiously observing Shinji's actions on the city wall and constantly relaying intelligence to the castle keep, began whispering amongst themselves.

A group of Hidden Cloud shinobi stared blankly at the sky, where the shattered barrier seemed to reappear, rippling ever so slightly, almost imperceptible unless closely observed.

They had just reported that Shinji dispelled the barrier at the city gate. They were certain they hadn’t been mistaken—the barrier had indeed turned red in a strange way and exploded due to Shinji’s peculiar technique.

Logically, it should have vanished.

Yet now, the barrier in the sky had bizarrely reappeared, sending out faint ripples.

---

“Could it be that the barrier shattering was just an illusion?”

“An illusion technique?”

The leader of the sensory squad, Nurui, frowned slightly as he considered this possibility. His expression grew serious as he turned to his left.

“Regardless, report this immediately. Yurui, contact the castle keep.”

“Wait, Captain, what are you looking at?”

“I’m right here!”

Hearing Yurui’s voice suddenly coming from his right, Nurui was stunned.

“You’re on my right?”

“What are you talking about, Captain? I’ve been behind you the whole time!” Yurui responded in confusion.

“What did you say? Yurui, you were clearly in front of the captain!” another team member interjected, frowning.

“What nonsense! I haven’t moved from my spot since the beginning. What are you all talking about?!” Yurui retorted angrily.

Listening to his team’s argument, a realization dawned on Nurui.

“In my perspective, Yurui is on my left, but his voice came from my right. He claims he’s behind me, but another teammate sees him in front of me?”

A chill ran down Nurui’s spine.

He instinctively looked up in the direction where Shinji had thrown the eight Yasaka Magatama.

However,

The eight blazing Magatama that should have been hurtling toward the mountains,

Had vanished without a trace!

---

“What the...!?”

“What’s happening?!”

“What’s going on?”

“Was it because of Shinji’s earlier action?”

“The barrier that had shattered reappeared, our senses were distorted, and the attack in the sky vanished...”

He couldn’t help but recall the ripples that had spread across the sky moments before.

The next instant,

Nurui’s body began to tremble uncontrollably, his muscles spasming as his teeth chattered, and his eyes widened in horror.

“An illusion!”

“No! This is an illusion!”

“It must be an illusion!”

“An unimaginable illusion that distorts sight and sound, covering a vast area of 10 hectares, hypnotizing everyone within the city!”

“This information... We have to get it to the castle keep immediately... We must—”

Suddenly,

Nurui’s frantic thoughts came to an abrupt halt,

Because he saw—

Not far away,

Atop the menacing skeletal giant,

Shinji slightly lowered his head, his cold eyes glancing in Nurui’s direction.

At that moment,

Nurui felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss!

---

*Sage Art: Illusion Technique: Sunlight Sky Mirror.*

This technique was an unrankable illusion based on the principles of Sage Art: Yin Release Illusory Form, combined with the barrier enveloping the city, as well as the illusions of the Sharingan, Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, Nirvana Temple Technique, and Bubble Illusion.

Its range: 10 hectares.

The principle was similar to the illusion technique Uchiha Shinichi once cast on Shinji, transferring Sharingan illusions onto the pond beneath their feet using the Bubble Illusion.

Anyone within the barrier who looked at it would be akin to making eye contact with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, continuously subjected to illusions.

The method to dispel it was simple, the same as countering the Sharingan: two people disrupting each other’s chakra flow.

However, the key issue was,

Even if you broke the illusion,

Within this barrier, unless you stared at the ground or closed your eyes entirely, giving up your vision, no matter where you looked, you would see the sky-encompassing barrier and trigger its vast Yin Release natural energy, plunging you back into the illusion.

This was an illusion that combined the strengths and mitigated the weaknesses of multiple techniques,

A godlike art crafted through the Uchiha clan’s mastery of illusions!

Like a heavenly mirror descending, everything touched by sight was illuminated by the sun!

---

*“The Magatama... disappeared!?”*

Standing atop the mountain, A and Bee watched the eight Yasaka Magatama fall with steely resolve,

Their eyes meeting in shared confusion.

Thousands of meters away, following a shinobi’s logic and instincts, it never crossed their minds that they could be under an illusion.

The slight delay in information relay sealed their fate—

---

“Is that a property of this technique?”

“Can the Magatama turn invisible?”

“If that’s the case... I can still hear the sound of them falling, but the sound isn’t coming from that direction.”

“Then, is Shinji targeting something else?”

“But he doesn’t have a reason to...”

“No, it’s getting hotter around here!”

“...”

“Could this be... an illusion!?”

Even with A’s quick reflexes, by the time he methodically eliminated each impossibility and finally neared the correct answer,

It was already too late!

---

“Bee! Break the illusion with the Eight-Tails, then break mine!”

A’s face contorted with urgency as he swung his arm, aiming to touch Bee’s shoulder based on his memory of his brother’s position—only to grab at thin air. Realizing the danger, he roared in anger.

This illusion distorted his sight, hearing, and touch all at once!

Trusting his brother’s voice, Bee immediately complied!

However,

After breaking his own illusion and regaining his vision, seeing the eight Magatama hurtling down,

He was once again ensnared, delaying his attempt to free A.

After repeating this cycle, Bee finally deduced the illusion’s mechanism, closed his eyes, and freed A, relaying the information—

Just then,

The blazing Magatama, spinning wildly, crashed down like meteorites!

In an instant,

Countless fiery explosions converged into chaotic petals,

Atop the mountain peak,

They bloomed like a sea of Mandala flowers!

*(End of Chapter)*