The three of them went down the stairs, stepping into the dark Underground.
After their recent fight, Kakashi was sure that Sarutobi Ryo was amazing at Body Art.
He now thought that Young Master Sarutobi Ryo was the only person in Konoha who deserved to teach him Body Art.
The powerful punch he had seen kept playing in Kakashi's mind, making him really want to learn.
Clack, clack, clack!
Suddenly, they heard a rustling sound in the air.
The three stopped and looked up, surprised.
Pieces of Puppets were flying everywhere from the many paths and tunnels above, around, and below them.
All these Puppet parts were heading towards a dark, hidden spot deep in the Underground.
"Well then... let me show you the power of the ultimate Puppet weapon I've built!"
Mukade's loud, confident voice echoed from the depths.
"I've been getting ready for this for so long... all for today... to get rid of you, and then... take your place!"
It turned out that Guren's injury wasn't real.
It was a trick Mukade used to lure Sarutobi Ryo into this place.
And it included Namikaze Minato, too.
Sarutobi Ryo didn't know exactly what would happen in the Future, but it was clear that Mukade was after him and the Golden Flash.
"Feel my new body!"
The ground started to shake.
It felt like a huge earthquake was happening.
The three of them lost their balance and stumbled.
Then, a massive giant, over 20 meters tall, burst out of the Underground.
It had a strong upper body and a tail like a centipede or scorpion.
Its arms were as thick as towers.
It was as tall as one of the Tailed Beasts.
Its power came from the Dragon Vein of Roran, which was also the source of power for the entire city.
Mukade, in his giant form, was more than 40 meters long.
If he stood up straight, he would be 30 meters tall.
This made Sarutobi Ryo think of snakes, slugs, and other similar creatures.
"Hahaha, what's wrong? Are you scared now!"
Mukade roared in triumph, his voice like thunder, shaking the whole city of Roran.
"The entire Dragon Vein is my power source! My power... is endless!"
With the Dragon Vein as his base, Mukade had become like the Dragon Vein itself.
There was only one Puppet in front of them, but it held the power of the entire Dragon Vein.
Mukade opened his mouth and shot a purple Chakra Cannon.
The giant Chakra Cannon was over 6 meters wide.
It was as big as a Tailed Beast Ball when a Tailed Beast used it.
The three of them quickly dodged the attack.
The orb flew far away and exploded.
The night sky lit up like it was daytime.
"Young Master Ryo, we have to seal the Dragon Vein..."
Namikaze Minato decided to go back Underground and seal the Dragon Vein in its deepest part. That was the only way to stop Mukade's power.
Sarutobi Ryo wondered why Uzumaki Naruto hadn't shown up yet. Had something changed in the Future?
"No problem, leave this to me."
Sarutobi Ryo nodded, telling Namikaze Minato to go seal the Dragon Vein.
After agreeing on their plan, Namikaze Minato quickly used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared.
"Summoning Technique!"
After Namikaze Minato left, Sarutobi Ryo immediately summoned Katsuyu.
Kakashi ran to the side to watch the fight.
This kind of battle didn't happen often. It was a great chance to learn by watching.
But he also knew he couldn't help in a fight like this.
"Young Master Ryo, let me see your power!"
The giant Katsuyu appeared, ready to face Mukade.
The two huge monsters, like mountains, began their battle.
Katsuyu opened her mouth and shot out biological acid.
The acid hit Mukade, and the surface of his body instantly evaporated into smoke.
But a purple light came down from the Tower, and his Puppet body started to heal itself.
"Hahaha! It's no use, as long as the Dragon Vein is here, I can't be beaten!"
Mukade's hands turned into sharp blades, spinning like chainsaws.
"Puppet Revolving Fist!!!"
The 20-meter-tall giant spun around with incredible power.
Mukade swept across the area, knocking down everything in his path.
Boom, boom, boom!!!
After a series of explosions, Mukade crashed into Katsuyu, making her tilt to one side. Katsuyu wasn't as strong as other Summoning Beasts of the same size.
But Mukade's attack didn't hurt Katsuyu.
Even if Katsuyu's body was cut open, she could just put herself back together.
"What should we do?" Katsuyu asked in a deep voice.
Because of the Dragon Vein, this guy could heal himself forever.
And when the Summoning Technique ended, Katsuyu would have to go back to Shikkotsu Forest.
"Lend me your Chakra."
Sarutobi Ryo didn't hesitate and asked Katsuyu to share her Chakra.
The Summoning Beasts from the Three Great Sage Locations had special abilities.
One of Katsuyu's abilities was to give Chakra to others.
This was a powerful technique that only Medical Ninjutsu users and perfect Jinchuriki could do.
"Crystal Release..." Standing on top of Katsuyu, Sarutobi Ryo started to make Hand Seals.
Katsuyu hesitated for a moment but then lent her Chakra to Sarutobi Ryo.
With this huge amount of Chakra, the Chakra inside Sarutobi Ryo's body grew to an unbelievable level.
"...Crystal Wall Eight Formation!"
Clack, clack, clack!
Eight giant crystal pillars began to appear around Mukade.
These crystal pillars grew quickly and connected, trapping Mukade inside.
As a Barrier Technique, it completely cut off the area from outside Chakra.
Mukade tried to break free, but the Barrier kept getting stronger.
In the end, he could only watch as his body froze, turned solid, and then...
"Hehehe... As expected of the Black Grim Reaper..."
Mukade's voice came from inside the Barrier.
Before he completely froze, he still had something to say.
"But, this isn't the end. It's not... the end..."
Sarutobi Ryo didn't have time to think about what those words meant.
The light in Mukade's eyes faded and disappeared.
"Katsuyu, thank you."
Sarutobi Ryo stared at Mukade in front of him.
He was now trapped by the Barrier.
All the Chakra from a clone of Katsuyu had been used to power the Barrier.
Mukade wouldn't be able to escape for a while.
And when Namikaze Minato shut down the Dragon Vein and cut off his power, he would be completely helpless.
Sarutobi Ryo: "It's settled..."
----
On the other side.
Namikaze Minato had gone deep Underground and reached the Dragon Vein Eye.
But the conversation that followed changed everything he thought he knew.
"Hehehe, Golden Flash, I've been waiting for you for a long time..."
Mukade stood near the Dragon Vein Eye, watching Namikaze Minato approach.
"?!"
Namikaze Minato immediately held his Flying Thunder God Kunai, ready to attack.
Mukade reached out and activated a Technique.
A white flash of light appeared, shining on Namikaze Minato.
It was like sunlight, and even Namikaze Minato couldn't avoid it.
"Crap..."
He thought he was being attacked, but the familiar Chakra made him feel strange.
"This is... my Chakra?!"
In the white flash, many images of memories flashed before his eyes.
They were brief and incomplete.
But from these images, Namikaze Minato saw memories he never had before.
Memories of the Future!
Not the Future that the Great Toad Sage had predicted.
But a twisted Future that had gone in a different direction.
"You... just survive in the vortex of terrifying memories..." After sending the memories, Mukade's body began to break apart. With a burst of Chakra, he killed himself in front of Namikaze Minato!
"..."
Namikaze Minato's eyes were empty as he continued to see those future versions of himself, the memories they transmitted to the past now flooding his present consciousness.
*
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[T/N:
Latest Chapter translated on Patreon - Chapter Access up to Ch 254 (Vol 2 Ch 196)
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 128 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
Here are the novels I'm currently translating:
-> Naruto Paradise: An Evil Uchiha's Rise
-> One Piece: I'm Destined to Be the Son-in-Law King!
-> Young Master, Please Become Hokage!
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]