Temujin's body abruptly froze in midair.
Shikamaru's shadow split into several branches like a venomous snake come alive.
One wound around his legs and torso through the shadows of the floating rubble, locking Temujin in place.
The other two slender shadow threads quietly stood by.
"Shadow Imitation Technique, successful."
Shikamaru held his hands in a seal, his gaze frighteningly calm as sweat kept sliding down his temples.
He controlled three shadows simultaneously-one restrained the enemy, while the other two stood ready to protect Naruto and Miki Yūya. Coordinating the entire battlefield throughout revealed the strain on his mind.
Trapped by the shadow, Temujin's body grew stiff and sluggish.
But the energy within him, drawn from the Gelel Stone, surged wildly. In an instant, it slammed brutally against the black shadow chains, making Shikamaru's shadow threads tremble and stretch to the brink of snapping.
"It's useless!
Do you really think your childish ninja tricks deserve to restrain a power passed down from ancient times?"
Temujin threw back his head and roared, green light blazing around him.
The Gelel Stone crystal armor covering his body crackled loudly, fine arcs of electricity bursting along its crystalline patterns.
The violent pressure of his energy blasted the surrounding rubble away, completely breaking Shikamaru's technique.
Meanwhile, Naruto descended from the sky. The densely packed clones were struck by flying rubble and burst into clouds of white smoke.
But several clones still charged down, driving the Rasengan in their hands toward Temujin.
"Naruto, is this all you've got?!"
Temujin caught Naruto's Rasengan with both hands. Green energy surged through his palms, forcibly shattering the Rasengan. A ring of green energy erupted from his body and destroyed every Shadow Clone, leaving none of the Narutos around him.
"Still talking tough, huh? Did the Gelel Stone reinforce your mouth