"The first 'Holy Grail War' isn't going very smoothly. It seems I rushed things a little."
Uchiha Naruto stood on the steel framework of Kobe Bridge, surveying the whole scene from above.
Mist swirled over the bridge deck, a sea of clouds churning.
Although Zabuza Momochi's Hidden Mist Technique could obscure the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, it was useless against the Mangekyō Sharingan. He had watched the entire battle from beginning to end.
"Whether it's Zabuza Momochi or Might Guy's Shadow Ninja, they can barely muster Chunin-level fighting strength."
Uchiha Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled.
"Ultimately, there just isn't enough natural energy being supplied to the Shadow Ninjas, leaving them flailing at each other like a couple of amateurs."
Over the past few days, Uchiha Naruto had set up a barrier throughout Kobe City, then established connections between the Shadow Ninjas and the ley lines, drawing on the natural energy within them to supply the Shadow Ninjas with magical power.
Too little time had passed, and the accumulated natural energy was too meager. Shadow Ninjas of Jonin level or above could not exert even a tenth of their strength.
At his peak, Zabuza could have swept away the entire Kobe Bridge with a single Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique. Might Guy needed even less explanation. He was the man who had nearly kicked the story straight to its ending; beneath his iron fists, Kobe Bridge would have been no sturdier than a pile of building blocks.
"Mm-hmm. I've collected the data on how well the Shadow Ninjas fit their possessed bodies in actual combat. Using living people as vessels for the Shadow Ninjas is a sound approach."
Shadow Ninjas were inherently unstable beings that should not have existed in this world, so they needed vessels to give them physical form