"Lord Raikage!" the sensory ninja answered loudly. "The puppets have limited chakra! They can't replenish it like living people. If we hold them off, they'll eventually run out of chakra and stop moving!"
This discovery gave the Kumogakure ninja hope.
"Listen up, everyone!" a Special Jōnin commanded from high ground. "Use delaying tactics! Don't fight them head-on! Use our mobility to wear these puppets down!"
"Darui, C! Each of you hold off one of those two powerful human puppets! Everyone else, clear out the ordinary puppets!"
The strategy worked. As time passed, some of the ordinary puppets began to slow as their chakra dwindled, until they finally stopped moving altogether.
But just as the Kumogakure ninja thought victory was within reach, the figure on a distant peak smiled faintly.
The White Zetsu Clones hidden throughout the village were silently observing every detail of the battle. They recorded the Kumogakure ninja's fighting patterns, deployment, reaction speed, and all manner of vital intelligence.
"I've seen just about enough," Toru Kujyo's Wood Clone murmured to himself. "Time to show them my true strength."
He slowly raised both hands and began forming hand seals. The sequence was extraordinarily complex, consisting of a full thirty-six seals, each carrying terrifying fluctuations of chakra.
"Since you're so fond of delaying tactics..." Toru Kujyo's voice drifted through the night breeze, tinged with mockery. "Let me show you what absolute numerical superiority looks like."
"Ninja Art: Shuriken Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Suddenly, countless shuriken filled the sky, blotting it out like a swarm of locusts. Every blade gleamed with a razor-sharp chill. Their sheer number inspired despair.
"What technique is this?!" The Kumogakure ninja looked up, their faces filled with shock and terror.
This was no ordinary shuriken rain, but a veritable torrent of death.
The locust-like torrent of