"Roar!"
The moment Araki finished speaking, a soul-shaking roar rang out beside him.
Uzumaki Kushina's originally pitch-black eyes instantly turned fiery red, replaced by beast-like vertical pupils.
Whisker-like markings began to appear on both cheeks, while her canine teeth sharpened and lengthened. Baring her fangs, she let out a threatening growl at Araki.
"O((°皿°))o Grrr~"
Araki: ...
Honestly, he wasn't scared at all. If anything, he found it kind of adorable.
So this was the Nine-Tails, king of the nine adorable beasts?
He was sold!
But this wasn't the time to focus on that.
"Release Lady Kushina!"
Shiroyama, who had been observing from the sidelines, watched as Uzumaki Kushina was hoisted onto Araki's sword in the blink of an eye. Panic immediately filled his heart.
He and Uzumaki Kushina had abandoned the main force and rushed here as quickly as possible. Their mission was to ensure her safety.
When the Nine-Tails had blotted out the sky and chains had filled the air, he had had no chance to intervene.
But now, he had to prove himself!
Clang—
Drawing his ninja sword and gripping it in reverse, he charged at Araki at his fastest speed.
A powerful invisible wind pressure gathered around his blade. With a sweep of his arm, it transformed into a crisscrossing net of wind blades that descended upon Araki.
"Vacuum Sword!"
Whooo—
Condensing wind into blades and weaving swords into a net, Shiroyama's mastery of Wind Style was indeed impressive. It was no wonder he was one of Konoha's most renowned swordsmen.
Though the name of this technique had a rather Shimura Danzō-like flavor to it.
As the sword net swept forward, the air let out a trembling "whooo," making it clear that its power was not to be underestimated.
Yet Araki remained completely unmoved in the