Interception

After dealing a heavy blow to the Yomi Cult and resolving the problem of ninja raids, they could immediately proceed with escorting the Miko to Mount Fengmo in the Land of Swamps.

Before setting out, the Miko hid little Shion in a secret chamber at the bottom of the palace.

No one knew what the Miko had told little Shion in the secret chamber, but it was clear that even with Hyuga Kagami's assurance, she had set out for the Land of Swamps prepared to die.

Once everything was ready, Pakura of Sunagakure, who possessed the Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai, took charge of clearing the way ahead. Konoha's Anbu Team 11, with their wide range of methods, was responsible for protecting the Miko at close range, while Iwagakure's Decapitation Unit, skilled in Earth Release, brought up the rear.

Before long, the group broke through the encirclement of Terracotta Puppets outside the palace and sped toward the Land of Swamps.

Along the way, the Miko guided them while sensing Moryo from afar.

Based on the Miko's ongoing sensing, everyone was surprised to discover that the demon was moving incredibly fast, no slower than an elite ninja traveling at full speed.

Fortunately, Moryo had not shown itself during the previous battle with the Yomi Cult. Otherwise, if it had remained outside the palace barrier, their breakout would have been extremely perilous.

Seeing the distance between the group and Moryo steadily shrinking, the captain of the Iwagakure Decapitation Unit could no longer remain calm. "Hey, this can't go on!"

The Iwagakure ninja were not the only ones growing restless.

Pakura of Sunagakure nodded as well. "We're burning through chakra traveling like this. Even if we reach Mount Fengmo, I'm afraid we won't have the strength left to fight that demon."

Unlike the tireless Moryo, everyone was consuming enormous amounts of chakra by traveling at top speed. If they could not shake Moryo soon, the situation would only become more unfavorable for them.

As Team 11's captain, Kakashi proposed, "Then let's pick a suitable place and ambush it!"

The Miko, carried on Guy's back, pondered for a while before saying hesitantly, "I can set up a temporary sealing barrier. If it works, perhaps it can trap Moryo for a while."

Pakura said, "Then we'll be relying on you."

With the plan decided, everyone immediately got to work.

They chose a steep canyon for the interception, with a winding river running through it.

With everyone's assistance, the Miko set down Sealing Jutsu formulas on the rock walls along both sides of the canyon.

These sealing formulas were extraordinarily complex. Merely glancing at them from afar made others feel slightly dizzy. Even Hyuga Kagami, with his Tenseigan, felt mildly uncomfortable if he examined them closely. This showed just how powerful these sealing formulas were.

Not long afterward, the demon that had been chasing them finally appeared.

Moryo looked like a creature neither dragon nor crocodile, dark purple all over and radiating black mist that seemed both illusory and real. Most of its body was hidden within the mist, making its exact shape impossible to see.

Previously, the barrier set up by the Miko outside the palace had kept both Moryo and its Terracotta Puppets from approaching. They could only send Yomi Cult followers to assault the palace and attack the Miko.

Now that the Miko had left the protection of the barrier, Moryo would no longer stand idly by.

"Th-this thing is so huge!?"

Everyone looked up at Moryo's massive, grotesque body and cried out in unison.

Though most of its body was concealed in the black mist, its exposed head alone was enough to show that Moryo was comparable in size to a Tailed Beast—a monster in the truest sense.

Pakura of Sunagakure also furrowed her brow slightly. Dealing with enormous enemies was not her specialty.

Kakashi and Guy were even more alarmed. The instant they saw Moryo, unpleasant memories surfaced in their minds. The monster before them seemed to overlap with the Nine-Tails that had ravaged the village more than half a year ago.

Without a doubt, gigantic monsters like Tailed Beasts and Moryo were nightmares to the vast majority of ninja. Even some Kage-level ninja had no particularly good way of dealing with creatures of such immense size.

So everyone's reaction to Moryo was only natural.

If anyone present was not shocked, it was the Miko, who knew something of Moryo's origins, and Hyuga Kagami, who possessed vague memories from his previous life.

As for Shisui, having the Mangekyō Sharingan meant that he was not actually very afraid of massive monsters.

It was simply that he did not dare use the Mangekyō's ocular techniques. His techniques were far too feared, and once exposed, Konoha's higher-ups would find it difficult to tolerate him.

Seeing that Moryo had entered the ambush zone, Hyuga Kagami remained composed as he shouted, "Now!"

Everyone snapped back to their senses, steadied themselves, and launched the ambush according to plan.

"Earth Release: Great Mud River!"

"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"

"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

"Earth Release: Earth and Stone Flow!"

The four members of the Iwagakure Decapitation Unit stationed on both sides of the canyon formed hand seals simultaneously and unleashed a chain of Earth Release Ninjutsu.

In an instant.

Quicksand, mud, earthen walls, and stone pillars descended from every direction, temporarily trapping Moryo within the canyon.

Roar...

A soul-shaking roar erupted from Moryo's mouth, leaving everyone's minds in a daze.

The Miko warned, "Everyone, be careful! Don't get too close!"

Moryo's violent struggles quickly shattered the stone walls pinning it down, but it could not break free from the muddy swamp beneath it for the moment.

"Scorch Release: Great Scorching Hell!"

To stop Moryo from escaping, Pakura immediately used her trump card, striking its head hard and forcing it back into the muddy swamp below.

At that moment, the prepared Miko began chanting an incantation under her breath.

As the Miko chanted, the sealing formulas on both sides of the canyon emitted a faint glow. A barrier as thin as a cicada's wing emerged, enclosing Moryo within it.

Guy hurriedly asked, "Did it work?"

The Miko nodded weakly.

Clearly, even a temporary sealing formula was a considerable drain on the Miko.

Kakashi did not dare waste time and immediately urged everyone onward. "Let's go. We don't know how long this temporary seal will last, so we need to reach Mount Fengmo as quickly as possible!"

In an instant, the scattered group re-formed into an assault formation and rushed toward Mount Fengmo.

Rumble...

Loud crashes continued to come from behind them. Moryo was clearly struggling violently against the seal, and every impact made the canyon tremble, showing that its strength was simply beyond imagination.

The Miko, carried on Guy's back, weakly reminded them, "Moryo can control minds. Whatever you do, don't get too close to it, or it will be easy for it to control you and turn you into its puppets!"

At her words, everyone's scalps tingled.

No one wanted to deal with a monster like that, but the situation left them no room to retreat...