Fierce Battle of the Shadow Clones

Inside the cave, the sound of the shadow clone dissipating outside caught Nakashita So's attention.

He put his mask back on and signaled to the Black Snake, and then man and serpent emerged from the cave together.

The Black Snake was remarkably obedient to Nakashita So's commands.

In truth, both the Black Snake and the White Snake were Orochimaru's summoning beasts; they only followed Nakashita So's orders because they had received instructions from Orochimaru.

The connection between Nakashita So and Orochimaru was maintained entirely through these two pythons as intermediaries.

"Anbu again," Nakashita So muttered before he had even cleared the cave entrance, spotting the masked Naraku. With his level of strength, he could not tell that this was merely a shadow clone.

Although Naraku wore a mask, Nakashita So deduced from his height that he wasn't particularly strong—at most, he was on par with that fellow who had used Wood Release earlier.

At this, Nakashita So's slight tension eased considerably.

Seeing Nakashita So emerge from the cave, the shadow clone said nothing. The next moment, his hands moved, and in the blink of an eye, he had completed the seals for a ninjutsu.

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

The shadow clone opened his mouth and spat out a massive fireball; under its glow, the surrounding temperature began to rise rapidly.

BOOM!

The scorching fireball surged toward Nakashita So like a cannonball.

Seeing this, Nakashita So's pupils constricted. He had not expected Naraku to strike so quickly.

"Earth Release, Earth Style Wall."

A wall of earth rose rapidly from the ground, blocking the path of the fireball.

BOOM!

The fireball slammed heavily into the earth wall. In an instant, the wall was mostly destroyed, but it had managed to barely withstand the attack.

The massive impact kicked up a cloud of smoke.

Hiss!

At that moment, the Black Snake beside Nakashita So suddenly moved, its thick tail sweeping through the air like a steel whip.

It instantly generated a gust of wind that blew the smoke away, but Naraku's figure had already vanished.

"I wonder if you can withstand this one," the shadow clone said, now standing on a large tree not far away.

After quickly weaving hand seals, he let out a low shout.

"Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

A fireball even more formidable than the last erupted from his mouth. Under the intense, scorching heat, the air began to crackle and pop.

Nakashita So was slightly stunned at the sight of this fireball, but he didn't hesitate for a second. His hands flew through seals as he roared, "Water Release, Water Style Wall!"

A pale blue wall of water blocked the path of the flame bullet, but the next moment, the wall was evaporated by the intense heat, vanishing into a cloud of steam.

Nakashita So's pupils shrank, and he immediately dodged to the side without hesitation.

BOOM!

A moment later, the flame bullet slammed into the side of the cave entrance. A violent crash echoed out, and a large chunk of the mountainside was blasted inward.

"Oh, so you managed to dodge it!"

The shadow clone chuckled, then flashed over to the cave entrance.

SWISH!

Suddenly, a thick, steel-like whip tore through the air, lashing down toward him with lethal force.

WHOOSH!

The shadow clone used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the attack, simultaneously flicking his wrist to send a shuriken streaking toward the Black Snake.

"Heh, how ignorant. How could such an attack possibly hurt it?" Nakashita So revealed his position from the other side, having quietly moved behind the shadow clone.

"Earth Release, Earth Dragon Spear!"

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

Two low shouts rang out simultaneously. The ground beneath Naraku began to shake violently, and the next moment, a massive, pointed pillar of earth erupted from the earth.

At the same time, the shuriken aimed at the Black Snake multiplied into dozens.

"Hiss!"

The Black Snake's massive body suddenly began to coil, tucking its head and belly inside its coils, leaving only the hardest parts of its body exposed.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Dozens of shuriken struck the snake's body at once, throwing off a shower of brilliant sparks.

Meanwhile, the shadow clone used the Substitution Technique to dodge the Earth Dragon Spear.

He turned his gaze toward the Black Snake, feeling a hint of surprise. He had seen many of Orochimaru's summons, but he had never encountered one with such high intelligence as this Black Snake.

The shadow clone felt things getting tricky. If it had just been Nakashita So, the battle should have been over by now, but with the Black Snake's assistance, he was definitely feeling the pressure with only a shadow clone at his disposal.

Forget it, I can only stall them for now, the shadow clone thought to himself.

"Water Release, Water Dragon Whip!"

But the very next moment, Nakashita So launched an offensive against him, and several long whips formed of water lashed out at him fiercely.

"Wind Release, Great Breakthrough!"

Naraku opened his mouth and spat out two wind blades, severing all the water whips. The next instant, a massive black shadow suddenly lunged at him.

It was the Black Snake. At this moment, it opened its maw wide, its sharp fangs glinting with a blinding, icy light as it lunged to tear into Naraku.

"What a nuisance!"

The shadow clone formed a single hand seal, and with a poof, a cloud of white smoke appeared. Naraku's body vanished, leaving only a severed log in his place.

"Wind Release, Wind Blade!"

The shadow clone let out a low shout, and a massive wind blade appeared, slashing viciously toward the Black Snake.

Squelch!

The wind blade struck the Black Snake's body, carving out a ghastly wound as foul, dark blood began to ooze from the gash.

"Earth Release, Earth Dragon Bullet!"

Just then, the ground began to tremble, and a mud dragon erupted from the earth.

Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

Under Nakashita So's control, mud projectiles were spat from the dragon's mouth, bombarding the shadow clone.

The shadow clone reacted with lightning speed, pushing off the ground to retreat rapidly while simultaneously forming hand seals.

"Wind Release, Beast Wave Palm!"

Dense wind-attribute chakra gathered in his hands, and with a single wave, several wind blades surged forward.

Bang! Bang!

The wind blades collided with the mud projectiles, and at the same time, the Black Snake lunged out once more.

The shadow clone furrowed his brows. "Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

He then formed hand seals, and a pale golden light flashed behind him.

"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

A pale golden chain shot out from his back, looking significantly more solid than before.

However, after unleashing the Adamantine Sealing Chains, the shadow clone's chakra was nearly exhausted.

The pale golden chain darted out like a bolt of golden lightning, reaching the Black Snake in the blink of an eye.

Facing the sudden incoming chain, the Black Snake paid it no mind, exerting its strength to slam directly into it.

The chain shifted slightly to evade the Black Snake's assault, then lashed out, wrapping around the serpent's body and beginning to coil.

As the chains tightened, the Black Snake gradually felt the pressure; its forward momentum ground to a halt, and its entire body began to coil up.