"Boom!"
"Clack!"
Countless shadows darted and flickered within, explosions sounding everywhere. Yet amid the darkness, a golden gleam flashed and danced.
"Shion! Can you hear me? Shion! If you can hear me, answer me!" Naruto shouted anxiously as he moved swiftly around the area.
"Damn it!"
"Clang!" A tentacle lashed at Naruto. Unable to dodge in time, Naruto could only take the blow head-on. The violent impact shook his entire body and sent him staggering backward.
"Boom!" At that moment, more than a dozen tentacles followed close behind, whipping toward Naruto while he was still unsteady on his feet.
"Bastard!" Having seen Shion swallowed into that mass of black mist by Moryo earlier, Naruto was completely restrained in this fight. He did not dare use ninjutsu recklessly.
Would hurting Moryo hurt Shion too?
I promised Shion... I promised her I'd protect her! Naruto cursed himself inwardly, frantic and anxious, yet utterly at a loss over what to do.
"Jingle, jingle!"
"Buzzz..."
Within the dark valley, amid the blazing magma, the evil aura seemed to be scattered by the crisp ringing of a bell.
"Moo!!!!" A roar like a bull's bellow echoed through the space. As though it had been fiercely provoked, the countless tentacles went wild the instant the bell rang, lashing savagely against the surrounding walls!
The ground shook violently, while the boiling magma splashed in every direction like fiery rain.
"Gurgle, gurgle."
"That's Shion!" Naruto's eyes lit up as he spotted a faint glow within the enormous black object that viciously burst out of the ground.
Vaguely, it seemed to be Shion's figure!
Staring at that pitch-black opening, Naruto did not hesitate. He leaped forward rapidly and plunged into the space that was essentially inside Moryo's body!
Meanwhile, outside the sealing altar, the Kumogakure shinobi, Neji, Shikamaru, and