Inside the cave,
The sound of the shadow clone disappearing outside still caught Nakashita So's attention.
He put his mask back on, called to Black Snake, and then the man and snake emerged from the cave.
Black Snake was remarkably obedient to Nakashita So's commands.
In fact, both Black Snake and White Snake were Orochimaru's summoned beasts. They only obeyed Nakashita So because Orochimaru had instructed them to.
Nakashita So also relied on the two snakes as intermediaries to communicate with Orochimaru.
"Anbu again." Before he had even left the cave, Nakashita So spotted Naraku, who was wearing a mask. With his abilities, he couldn't tell that this was only a shadow clone.
Though Naraku wore a mask, Nakashita So judged from his height that his abilities probably weren't impressive—at most, on par with the one who had used Wood Release earlier.
At that, Nakashita So felt much less tense.
As Nakashita So emerged from the cave, the shadow clone said nothing. The next instant, his hands began to move, and he completed a set of Hand Seals in the blink of an eye.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The shadow clone opened his mouth and spat out a massive fireball. Its glow sent the temperature around them soaring.
Boom!
The scorching fireball hurtled toward Nakashita So like a cannonball.
Nakashita So's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected Naraku to attack so quickly.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall."
A wall of earth rapidly rose from the ground, blocking the fireball's path.
Boom!
The fireball slammed into the earthen wall. In an instant, most of the wall crumbled, but it had just barely managed to stop the attack.
The tremendous impact kicked up a cloud of smoke.
Hiss!
Just then, the Black Snake beside Nakashita So suddenly moved, sweeping its thick tail through the air like a steel whip.
The gust it created instantly dispersed the smoke, but Naraku had already vanished.
"Let's see if you can handle this one." The shadow clone was now standing on a tree some distance away.
After quickly forming Hand Seals, he cried out,
"Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A fireball even more powerful than the last burst from his mouth. The intense heat made the air crackle repeatedly.
Nakashita So stared at the fireball in brief surprise. Then, without hesitation, he rapidly formed Hand Seals and shouted, "Water Release: Water Style Wall!"
A pale blue wall of water rose in front of the fireball, but the next instant, the intense heat evaporated it, and it vanished in a cloud of steam.
Nakashita So's pupils shrank. He immediately darted to the side.
Boom!
The next instant, the fireball crashed down beside the cave entrance. A thunderous blast rang out, and a huge chunk of the mountainside caved in.
"Oh, you actually dodged it!"
The shadow clone chuckled and flashed to the cave entrance.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a thick steel whip tore through the air and lashed down at him.
Swish!
The shadow clone used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the attack. At the same time, he flicked a hand, sending a Shuriken hurtling toward Black Snake.
"Heh. What an ignorant fool. That kind of attack could never hurt it." Nakashita So emerged from the other side and quietly positioned himself behind the shadow clone.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Spear!"
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Two shouts rang out at once. The ground beneath Naraku began to shake violently, and the next instant, a massive earthen spike burst from the ground.
At the same time, the Shuriken flying toward Black Snake multiplied into dozens.
"Hiss!"
Black Snake's enormous body suddenly coiled up. It tucked its head and belly inside its coils, exposing only the hardest parts of its body.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Dozens of Shuriken struck its scales at once, sending up a dazzling spray of sparks.
Meanwhile, the shadow clone used the Substitution Technique to escape the Earth Dragon Spear.
He turned to look at Black Snake, feeling a flicker of surprise. He had seen plenty of Orochimaru's summoned beasts, but never one as intelligent as this Black Snake.
The shadow clone was starting to find the situation troublesome. If Nakashita So had been alone, the fight would have been over by now. But with Black Snake backing him up, even a shadow clone was under considerable pressure.
Forget it. I can only hold them off for now.
But the next instant, Nakashita So launched an attack. Several long whips of water lashed fiercely toward him.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Naraku exhaled, releasing two blades of wind that sliced through all the water whips. The next instant, a huge black shadow suddenly lunged at him.
It was Black Snake. Its jaws gaped open, sharp teeth gleaming with a chilling light as it lunged to bite Naraku.
"What a pain!"
The shadow clone formed a Hand Seal with one hand. With a pop, a cloud of white smoke appeared, and Naraku vanished, leaving a piece of split wood in his place.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
The shadow clone shouted. A massive blade of wind appeared and hacked toward Black Snake.
Slash!
The blade struck Black Snake's body, opening a vicious wound. Dark, murky blood slowly seeped from it.
Just then, the ground suddenly shook, and a mud dragon burst from the earth.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
At Nakashita So's command, the mud dragon spat out one mud bullet after another, blasting them toward the shadow clone.
The shadow clone reacted instantly, pushing off the ground and retreating rapidly while forming Hand Seals.
"Wind Release: Beast Wave Palm!"
A powerful surge of wind-natured chakra gathered in his hands. The shadow clone swept one hand forward, sending several blades of wind rushing toward the incoming attacks.
Bang! Bang!
The blades of wind collided with the mud bullets. At the same time, Black Snake lunged forward again.
The shadow clone frowned. "You really think I'm afraid of you?"
He formed Hand Seals, and a pale golden glow appeared behind him.
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
A pale golden chain shot from his back. Compared with before, it looked more solid.
But using the Adamantine Sealing Chains had nearly drained the shadow clone's chakra.
The pale golden chain shot forward like a bolt of lightning, reaching Black Snake in the blink of an eye.
Faced with the chain rushing toward it, Black Snake paid it no mind and charged straight into it with a sudden burst of strength.
The chain shifted slightly and dodged Black Snake's attack. Then it darted onto the snake's body and began coiling around it.
As the chain wound tighter and tighter, Black Snake gradually began to feel the strain. Its forward momentum slowed to a halt, and its entire body began to coil.