Queen Seramu led the group toward a hidden passage deep inside the palace. A heavy stone door ground open with the sound of shifting mechanisms, revealing a steep staircase descending into darkness.
"This is the secret path to the Dragon Veins' core," the queen said, her voice tired but resolute. "An Lushan—Mukade—he has to be down there."
Taiichi nodded and signaled for Kakashi and Rin to guard the queen while he, Yamato, and Naruto formed a forward triangle.
Naruto was practically vibrating with energy, his blue eyes blazing. "Finally! We're gonna find that bastard Mukade! This time I'm gonna send him flying!"
Yamato gave him a light pat on the shoulder, silently telling him to stay focused.
The calm didn't last long.
They had only descended into a wide underground hall when the trap sprang.
Clack. Clack. Creak.
The sickening sound of metal grinding against metal echoed through the chamber. The royal guard puppets that had been standing motionless along the walls and in the corners suddenly lit up with glowing red eyes.
Their weapons snapped toward the intruders.
"Ambush! Protect the queen!"
Kakashi's sharp shout cut through the noise. He drew his short blade in a flash and positioned himself in front of Seramu, eyes tracking every movement.
Taiichi's expression hardened. "So he finally made his move." He had expected this. An Lushan wasn't the type to go down quietly.
Dozens of puppets lunged from every direction, spears flashing and hidden weapon ports opening as they charged with mechanical precision.
Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall.
Yamato reacted instantly. His hands flew through seals and slammed into the ground. Thick wooden tendrils erupted and wove together into a massive curved barrier, shielding the queen and Rin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The puppets slammed into the wood, sending splinters flying.
"Damn it! These things are stronger than the ones upstairs!" Naruto growled. He created a dozen shadow clones, each one forming a glowing blue Rasengan as they charged the puppets swarming from the left.
Multiple Rasengan Barrage.
Explosions rocked the chamber as several puppets were blown apart, their cores shattered and metal bodies reduced to twisted wreckage.
Kakashi moved like a silver streak through the chaos. His blade flashed, striking joints and energy cores with surgical precision. Lightning chakra crackled around his arm.
Chidori.
With a piercing shriek, he drove the lightning blade straight through the chest of a heavy puppet, destroying its core in a single strike.
Rin stayed close to the queen, deflecting stray projectiles with her kunai while keeping a steady flow of medical chakra ready. "Your Majesty, stay behind me!"
Queen Seramu watched in horror as the very guards she had once trusted now attacked the people protecting her. The last of her hesitation shattered.
"An Lushan—Mukade! You monster! You traitor!" Her voice shook with rage. "You betrayed Roran and everyone who believed in you!"
Taiichi didn't throw himself into the melee right away. He moved along the edges of the battlefield, his perception spread wide as he analyzed the flow of chakra threads connecting the puppets. At the same time, he gave calm, precise commands.
"Kakashi, three o'clock—three fast ones incoming. Naruto, work with Yamato on the left flank. Rin, keep the queen covered. They're trying to split us up."
"Got it!" Kakashi answered, Chidori flaring again.
"Leave it to me!" Naruto shouted.
Wood Release: Tree Bind Eternal Burial.
Yamato's hands moved again. Thick roots burst from the ground and wrapped around the puppets attempting to flank them.
The fight was fierce but short. The guard puppets were numerous and relentless, but with coordinated attacks from all sides, they were quickly reduced to scattered parts.
"Everyone okay?" Taiichi swept his gaze over the group.
Kakashi was breathing hard from repeated Chidori use. Naruto wiped sweat from his face but still looked fired up. Yamato released his Wood Release, and both Rin and the queen were unharmed.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Rin asked gently.
Seramu took a deep breath, her fear replaced by burning anger. "I'm fine. Thank you. Now more than ever, I understand—we have to stop him. The Dragon Veins cannot fall into that madman's hands. We keep moving."
They pressed forward, clearing several more waves of puppets along the way. Finally, they reached the end of the passage.
The space opened into a massive underground chamber. At its center stood a towering altar surrounded by four stone statues. In the middle of the altar, a half-open eye-shaped structure pulsed with immense, quiet power—the Dragon Veins, the ultimate convergence of the land's strength and natural energy.
On a complex control platform built from metal pipes and platforms at the edge of the altar stood a single figure.
An Lushan. Or rather, the Sunagakure rogue ninja Mukade.
The humble, loyal expression he had worn for years was gone. In its place was pure, unrestrained greed and triumph.
He spread his arms wide, as if embracing the vast energy of the Dragon Veins, and laughed wildly. "Hahahaha! Seramu! And you little insects from Konoha! You finally made it! Too bad… you're too late!"
His gaze swept over the group and paused briefly on Naruto and Yamato with mild surprise before being swallowed by madness.
"Oh? What's this? Little rats from another timeline? Perfect! Saves me the trouble of hunting you down later. Today, you'll all witness how Lord An Lushan seizes the power of creation!"
"Mukade! Stop this insanity right now!" Yamato shouted, hands already forming seals. "Releasing the Dragon Veins' power will only bring destruction!"
"Destruction? No! Rebirth!" Mukade roared. "Look at this power! It's endless! With it, I'll create an infinite army of puppets that will sweep across the shinobi world! The Five Great Nations, the Kage—everyone will kneel before me! Roran is just the beginning. The entire world will bow to my will!"
"Delusional!" Naruto snarled, pointing at him. "You killed so many people for your own ambition! Today I'm gonna beat you into the ground!"
"With you?" Mukade sneered. "In front of the Dragon Veins, your power is nothing but ants!"
He slammed his hand down on a large button on the control panel.
Vmmmm!
The entire underground chamber shook violently. The Dragon Veins' energy surged wildly. Thick, tangible chakra was forcibly drawn out and twisted in the air like massive serpents before wrapping around Mukade's body.
"AAAAAHHHHH—!"
Whether it was a scream of pain or a roar of ecstasy, Mukade's body rapidly expanded. Metal components fused with his limbs. Chakra pipes became his new veins and power source.
In mere seconds, a colossal puppet monster—dozens of meters tall and constructed from metal pipes, armor plates, spinning blades, and menacing weapon ports—stood before them. At its core, Mukade's twisted, manic face was still visible.
"Despair, insects!"
The massive puppet roared and raised one enormous metal arm. Countless kunai rained down toward the group below.
"Scatter!" Taiichi shouted.
The battle exploded into chaos.
Kakashi's Chidori screamed as he targeted the puppet's joints. Naruto's Rasengan smashed into one of its support legs. Yamato's Wood Release roots wrapped around its body, trying to restrict its movement. Rin stayed back with the queen, ready to support or heal at a moment's notice.
Queen Seramu watched the man she had once trusted become this monstrous thing, her eyes filled with grief and fury.
For a moment, it seemed like victory was within reach—the giant puppet had lost both legs and was being restrained.
Then Mukade let out a deafening roar. Ignoring the damage, he tore his own body apart to break free from Yamato's bindings. Parts flew everywhere—only to be pulled back together by the Dragon Veins' power and reassembled. Not only that, the puppet grew even larger, doubling in size. Its two legs became six, and its arms split into four, each ending in razor-sharp blades.
The fight reignited with renewed intensity.
The puppet's power and defense had increased dramatically. Chidori and Rasengan, which had once dealt heavy damage, now only left minor scratches that quickly regenerated.
"Taiichi, this isn't working!" Kakashi shouted after cutting through another metal arm that immediately reattached. "Its energy is basically infinite!"
"You keep it busy," Queen Seramu said, stepping forward despite her exhaustion. "As the queen of Roran, I can sever the Dragon Veins' connection."
Her declaration clearly enraged Mukade. He ignored the others and charged straight toward her.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Yamato moved to intercept.
Wood Release: Tree Bind Eternal Burial.
Lightning Release: Chidori.
Big Ball Rasengan.
The three attacks combined—binding, piercing, and smashing—to pin the colossal puppet in place. It couldn't advance, even if it couldn't be destroyed outright.
Just as Seramu was about to reach the altar, Mukade let out a thunderous roar.
"Seramu! Look!"
The armor on the puppet's chest suddenly split open, revealing a small, heavily protected core chamber. Inside, bound and unconscious, was a young girl wearing Roran royal attire.
"Sara!" Queen Seramu screamed in anguish.
"Hahahaha!" Mukade's distorted laughter filled the chamber. "Do you see now, Seramu? Your precious daughter is right here! One more step and I'll cut her throat!"
A blade arm extended, pressing a sharp edge against the girl's pale neck. A thin line of blood began to trickle down.
The threat froze everyone in place.
Kakashi, Naruto, and Yamato's attacks halted. Rin's heart seized. Queen Seramu looked ready to collapse.
"Sara… my daughter… no…" the queen whispered in despair.
The entire underground space went deathly silent, broken only by the sound of straining bindings.
Mukade's twisted grin looked even more grotesque on the massive puppet. He believed he had won.
At that critical moment, a figure appeared inside the giant puppet without warning.
It was Taiichi.
During the earlier fighting, countless pieces of the puppet had been blasted off. He had quietly marked many of them with Flying Thunder God seals. Those marks now covered the puppet's interior.
"What—?!"
Mukade's triumphant expression twisted into pure shock and disbelief. He had no time to react.
Taiichi moved at blinding speed.
One hand formed a massive chakra blade that sliced through the weapon threatening Sara's neck. The other tore away the restraints. He scooped up the unconscious girl and kicked off hard.
Painful Sky Leg.
CRACK!
The chest of the colossal puppet shattered outward. Taiichi used the recoil to launch himself and Sara safely away from the monster.
"Extraction successful! Now!"
His voice rang out clearly to his teammates below. In the next instant, he flickered and reappeared beside Rin and the queen.
"Rin!" he called, handing Sara over. "Check her!"
"On it!" Rin immediately began treatment.
"Now's our chance!" Kakashi's visible eye flashed with killing intent. All the lightning chakra he had been holding back erupted at once.
Chidori.
He became a streak of white lightning, aiming straight for the gaping hole Taiichi had created in the puppet's chest.
Naruto wasn't about to be left behind. He formed an enormous Rasengan and charged right behind Kakashi, slamming it toward the puppet's head with everything he had.
Yamato poured even more power into his Wood Release, thick roots erupting to further immobilize the puppet and create the perfect opening for the two finishing blows.
The final assault had begun.