Outside the Four Violet Flames Formation, Hatake Sakumo was fighting Rasa and Karura. Inside the barrier, Uzumaki Kuming wasn't in a hurry to attack after completing the formation. He simply watched Pakura and Ichikawa Zo, who stood some distance away. A tense atmosphere filled the barrier.
"What's this? A barrier ninjutsu?"
Ichikawa Zo warily examined the purple barrier surrounding the two of them and spoke quietly to Pakura.
"Exactly. It looks like this Konoha shinobi wants to fight us inside the barrier."
"He's trying to keep Lord Rasa and Lady Karura from supporting us."
Pakura pressed a hand to her chest and took a gentle breath, calming herself. Uzumaki Kuming's attack had left her with some internal injuries, but this brief chance to recover had made her feel a little better.
"He dares face both of us alone. Is this guy looking down on us?"
After hearing Pakura's analysis, Ichikawa Zo's expression turned cold. He moved one hand, bringing his humanoid puppet before him, then let go of Pakura and pulled a scroll from behind his back. He opened it, and the next moment a gigantic snake-shaped puppet appeared in front of them. Ichikawa Zo released Chakra Threads from both hands, connecting them to the puppet.
"Now that I've finished the barrier, I can attack without holding back, right?"
Uzumaki Kuming glanced at Hatake Sakumo, who was fighting Rasa and Karura outside the barrier, then changed the barrier's properties. The once-transparent purple barrier began to darken. Before long, the purple had turned a deep black, completely cutting off the view between the inside and outside.
Only after finishing all this did Uzumaki Kuming turn his attention back to Pakura and Ichikawa Zo. He began focusing his mind and gathering Chakra.
"What's he doing?"
Ichikawa Zo watched from a distance as