boom--
Amidst the roar, dozens of puppets were crushed into scrap metal.
The Second Elder's face grew increasingly grim, and he rapidly Hand Seals, chanting, " Earth Release: Rock Prison Technique!"
Countless stone pillars rose abruptly from the ground, attempting to block the sand warriors' offensive.
Rasa sneered and thrust out with both palms, " Magnet Release: Gold Dust Sharp Spear!"
Golden sand transformed into thousands of sharp spears, piercing the stone pillars with precision and shooting towards the ninja beside the Second Elder with undiminished force.
The Scientific Research Department captain immediately ordered his men to concentrate their fire, "Aim at the puppet's joints!"
Bang bang bang--
The energy beams from the Chakra rifles rained down, tearing gaps in the puppet army's lines.
The battle did not last very long.
The night sky over Sunagakure was stained dark red by the Kakkō of the explosion.
Gold Dust and sandstorms intertwined to form a web of death, tearing the remaining puppet army to shreds.
The precise bursts of the Chakra rifle were reaping the lives of the fleeing ninjas.
Hoshino's cybernetic body traversed the battlefield, each strike paralyzing key enemy nodes.
With the combined efforts of the three and the cooperation of over a hundred mechanized cybernetic ninjas, the Second Elder, under the desperate cover of his personal guards, was forced back step by step and eventually cornered in the ruins of the plaza.
By now, his fine clothes were tattered and his meticulously groomed white beard was blackened by gunpowder smoke.
When Rasa's Gold Dust was pressed against his throat, the nearly 100-year-old man suddenly burst into manic laughter.
You think you've won? The real war has only just begun!
boom--
Almost simultaneously, a deafening roar came from the direction of the southern mining area.
The land of Sunagakure began to tremble, not from the aftershocks of Ninjutsu, but from the awakening of some long-dormant behemoth.
Upon seeing this, Rasa couldn't help but shout sternly, "What exactly did you do?"
The second elder remained silent, only bursting into wild laughter.
" Hoshino, an extraordinary Chakra reaction has been detected in the southern mining area! The energy intensity is rapidly increasing!"
Temari's trembling voice came through the communicator.
Hoshino frowned and said, " Temari, you continue monitoring!"
Then, looking at Gaara and Rasa continued, "I'm going to check out the southern mining area. One of you stay behind and extract the information from them."
Gaara nodded. "I'll do it. The Inspection Department is best at this."
As they spoke, Gaara and Rasa launched a fierce attack, with ninjas falling one after another and puppets being shattered into pieces.
Hoshino, on the other hand, turned towards the southern mining area, leaped into the air, and six pairs of mechanical bone wings unfurled with a roar, dazzling arcs of electricity bursting from between the metal frames.
boom--
The air emitted a piercing sonic boom.
Like a black meteor streaking across the night sky, Hoshino left a fleeting, dark trail as it sped toward the southern mining area.
As Hoshino's figure disappeared into the night sky.
Gaara's palm tightened suddenly, almost suffocating the Second Elder.
"Tell me, what the hell is that thing?!"
Shukaku's Chakra flowed into the sand, and the old man's face turned an eerie bluish-purple.
"Cough cough cough... What good would it do to tell you!" The Second Elder coughed violently and laughed, blood splattering on the ground. "If you won't let me live, then we'll die together."
Looks like you're looking for trouble!
"Who doesn't care? But I can tell you, it's one of the Council of Elders ' masterpieces. Modifications aren't something only you can do!"
"How inexplicable!" Gaara frowned and shook the Second Council of Elders a few times.
Explain it to me clearly.
"Hahahaha!" The Second Elder tilted his head, a twisted smile on his lips, and a crazed glint in his eyes.
"It's just a beast capable of using Senjutsu. We helped it gain immense power, and in return, it chose to be loyal to us. Isn't it a mutually beneficial arrangement?"
What a load of nonsense.
Gaara still didn't understand what the Second Elder was saying.
What is Senjutsu? Is it some kind of Chakra Ninjutsu?
At this moment, Rasa finished clearing out the puppet army and came to face the Second Elder. He stared at the Second Elder's bloodshot eyes with disbelief on his face.
Judging from his expression, Rasa had clearly heard of the term "Senjutsu."
" The Senjutsu of the Three Great Sage Lands? When Council of Elders...?"
The words came to an abrupt halt as Rasa suddenly remembered something, a record that was still kept in the former Kazekage's Office.
The scroll reads that the Third Hokage's summoning beast came from Ryūchi Cave; it was a giant red serpent that could use Senjutsu and was extremely powerful, belonging to the elite among Kage Level creatures.
It's just unclear why he later turned against the Third Lord and even canceled the Summoning Contract.
Could the beast that the Second Elder spoke of, capable of using Senjutsu, be the Third Kazekage's former summoning beast?
But why would it willingly Council of Elders? And why is it in the Southern Mining Area? What is the connection between the tentacle monster in the live stream and the red giant serpent of Ryūchi Cave?
"Is that beast you mentioned related to the Third and Ryūchi Cave?" Rasa's gaze toward the Second Elder grew increasingly cold as he asked sharply.
The Second Elder's crazed smile remained unchanged; he merely let out a few muffled chuckles without replying.
"Don't be stubborn. If you don't confess honestly, I have plenty of ways to make you wish you were dead!"
Gaara tightened the sand rope in his hands, leaving deep bloody marks on the Second Elder's neck.
The Second Elder, struggling to breathe despite being choked, still managed to speak haltingly, "Even if you know, so what... its power is already unstoppable."
Just then, the ground trembled more violently, and cracks spread from the direction of the southern mining area.
The Hoshino pierced the night sky like an arrow, and the arcs of electricity emitted by the six pairs of mechanical bone wings dyed the clouds an eerie purplish-black.
The Sunagakure has fallen into chaos.
On the streets, villagers equipped with weapon modules are locked in fierce combat with remnants of the Council of Elders.
The clanging of weapons and the shouts of the people mingled together, echoing throughout the village.
Not far away.
More and more people are being drawn into this conflict, causing the scope of the battle to continue to expand.
The burning building ruins swayed precariously in the howling wind, with large pieces of debris falling from time to time, splashing up clouds of dust as they hit the ground.
The aftershocks of the Chakra explosion, like a surging wave, tore slabs of stone into the air, adding even more danger and destruction to the already chaotic street.
Hoshino flew at an extremely high speed in the air, but he still remembered to lend a helping hand when passing through some dangerous areas.
As they got closer to the southern mining area, the ground tremors became increasingly intense.
At this moment, the two groups below are engaged in a fierce battle.
The rebel force led by Shayan originally numbered several dozen, but now only three or four are still fighting valiantly; the rest have either died or fled.
Opposite them, a square formation of nearly two hundred puppets and seventy or eighty ninjas were almost completely unharmed.
But thinking about it, it makes sense.
Ninjas learn various killing techniques from a young age, and their puppets are created specifically for slaughter.
The rebels were a hastily assembled force with poor combat skills; even losing a hand or a foot would frighten them, let alone kill.
Their ability to persevere and continue fighting is truly remarkable.
However, Hoshino did not stop, because the Armed Forces Department led by Arashi was less than half a minute away from Shayan, enough to arrive in time.