Chapter 352: Sakura Becomes the Breakthrough Point
"Naruto, be careful. The enemy still has an even stronger new form,"
Sasuke reminded Naruto, who was standing beside him.
"Yeah." Naruto nodded and gave a wry smile. "Hard to believe he still hasn't used his full strength even now."
"Naruto, Sasuke! I'm here to help!"
After Naruto and Sasuke had already gone one round with the darkened Shunhi, Obito finally arrived late with his shield in hand.
"Captain!"
Naruto greeted Obito as he arrived. The three of them standing together gave off the distinct feeling of a reborn Team 7.
"I'll handle the defense. You two take care of the attacks."
Obito spoke to Naruto and Sasuke. Compared to offense, his role was clearly better suited to protecting his teammates with his vibranium shield.
Obito took point with the shield, Naruto close behind, and Sasuke bringing up the rear. The three of them charged toward the darkened Shunhi in a single file formation.
Dark Shunhi immediately saw through their strategy—Obito would block his attacks while Naruto and Sasuke seized the opening to strike.
Even if Shunhi tried to dodge Obito's charge, Naruto and Sasuke could still take advantage of his movement to launch a pincer attack.
But in the end, they were still outnumbered.
"Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu!"
After weaving hand seals, Dark Shunhi summoned two wood clones from either side. Due to the limitations of wood clones, they couldn't fully replicate his strength—but just blocking Obito was no problem.
The two wood clones charged in and blocked Obito's shield. At the same time, vines began rapidly growing from their sides, curling around the shield toward Obito at a speed visible to the naked eye.
If he didn't act quickly, Obito would soon be entangled.
"Sasuke!"
As Naruto shouted, he slowed his pace to let Sasuke move into the second position. Sasuke swung the Kusanagi Sword, cutting through the vines and helping Obito.
"Giant Rasengan!"
Dark Shunhi suddenly leapt into the air, forming a Rasengan that swelled in size as he spun it in his hand. He bypassed Obito, who was locked down by the two clones, and targeted the rear lines directly from above.
"Kurama!"
Naruto entered Tailed Beast Mode, and Kurama's massive form enveloped both Obito and Sasuke, shielding them from the Rasengan falling from above.
Dodging was an option, but if they moved away, Obito—trapped by the wood clones—would be left vulnerable.
"Majestic Attire: Susanoo!"
With Susanoo armor cloaking Kurama, the massive fox swatted away both the Rasengan and Dark Shunhi. Then, with a swift motion, it drew out a forty-meter-long Susanoo greatsword and slashed at Shunhi.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
While being blasted away, Shunhi formed a clone mid-air. The clone grabbed his legs and threw him to safety, narrowly avoiding Naruto and Sasuke's follow-up attack.
"That was close..."
Landing on the ground, Shunhi exhaled in relief.
Meanwhile, an explosion rocked another part of Konoha.
"What the hell?!"
Though the villagers had already been evacuated, the sudden explosion still made Naruto's heart sink—after all, this stuff costs money. At Konoha's current pace of destruction every three days and reconstruction every five, even the Fire Daimyō's fortune wouldn't hold out.
"Could there be another enemy?"
Obito spoke after destroying the two wood clones in front of him.
Naruto, now in Sage Fox Mode, focused his senses on the source of the explosion.
"It's… Boruto..."
"What?!"
Both Obito and Sasuke's faces turned to shock.
"Did you forget about me?"
Dark Shunhi sneered as he launched a barrage of energy blasts at the three of them.
"Leave it to me!"
Obito raised his vibranium shield to block the attack.
"Relax, Naruto. Boruto and I are only here to destroy Konoha's buildings this time."
"What did you do to Boruto?!"
Naruto shouted from behind Obito's shield, struggling against the pressure of Shunhi's relentless assault.
"This wasn't me. It was Kakashi—your guy—who did it."
Through a space-time portal, Dark Shunhi had arrived at Konoha with Boruto in tow, beating Kakashi to the scene.
"Kakashi-sensei?!"
"Now's not the time to think about that, Naruto."
Sasuke reminded him from the side.
"Naruto… Sasuke..."
Standing nearby, Sakura watched with worry written all over her face as Naruto and Sasuke struggled under the pressure.
"Damn it, why hasn't his chakra run out yet?!"
Obito gritted his teeth behind the shield. Though it had blocked all the attacks, the vibrations from each impact were starting to wear on him—his arm was already going numb.
"This shield's more annoying than I expected..."
Not just Obito—Dark Shunhi, who had been on the offensive the whole time, also began to feel the strain in his arms. Finally, he stopped attacking and leapt into the air. A golden radiance began to emanate from his body.
He was about to unleash a massive area-of-effect chakra burst from within, radiating outward endlessly.
Obito's small shield couldn't possibly block all of it. But due to the diffusion, the attack's power was also reduced. Sasuke and Naruto could still rely on Susanoo and the Nine-Tails for protection.
However, Dark Shunhi's blast also swept toward Sakura, who had been hiding off to the side.
"Sakura!"
Sasuke instantly teleported to her side just as the attack struck.
"Haruno Sakura, is it..."
Dark Shunhi halted his attack and appeared directly in front of Sasuke.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto, gasping for breath after the brief pause in combat, warned Sasuke loudly.
Dark Shunhi entered the second stage of his Super Saiyan Mode. Lightning crackled around his body, and chakra blasted outward like a jet stream.
"This mode again..."
The overwhelming pressure forced Sasuke to instinctively step back. But remembering that Sakura was right behind him, he stood his ground.
"Final Flash!"
He gathered and compressed the vast majority of his chakra into a plain-looking orb in his outstretched palms, then fired it at Sasuke.
Sensing the terrifying energy laced within the attack, Sasuke's eyes bled tears as he burned through all of his ocular power to summon his full-body Susanoo.
The explosion roared out. The shockwave blasted Obito away—only Kurama's claw managed to catch Obito's leg in time. But even Naruto was pushed back by the force, sliding across the ground.
Sasuke collapsed unconscious in front of Sakura, his eyes shut. He had shielded her completely, leaving her exposed right in front of Dark Shunhi.
"Sakura!"
Naruto shouted. At the same time, a blade of chakra formed from Shunhi's energy was pressed against her neck—a feat only possible for someone with extreme control over their chakra.
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