Chapter 147: Mukade's Assault
After introducing himself to Naruto, Mukade let out a loud, arrogant laugh, his eyes gleaming with wild ambition as he declared:
"Hahaha..."
"I believe I mentioned this already, my puppet legion is fully assembled."
"Now, I'll show you the power that will overturn the Five Great Nations!"
Perched atop the boiler, Veigar heard everything clearly. Though he was still attuning to the new changes within himself, he was fully prepared to strike at a moment's notice.
The instant Mukade spoke of toppling the Five Great Nations, Veigar's lips curled into a cold, mocking sneer.
Clearly, he found Mukade's claim laughable.
Ever since gaining access to the power of the Ryūmyaku, Mukade had grown absurdly arrogant, deluded enough to believe that such strength alone could allow him to conquer the Five Great Nations and dominate the entire shinobi world.
A foolish fantasy.
Not to mention the likes of Black Zetsu, who had been plotting from the shadows for millennia, or Madara Uchiha, ever waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Even just contending with the Kage of the Five Great Nations, was Mukade truly powerful enough for that?
And beyond that, could his power even be sustained after leaving Rōran?
No, he was nothing more than a tyrant ruling a forgotten ruin.
With a sneer, Mukade extended his hands, sending out an array of chakra threads that latched onto the nearby puppet soldiers.
With both arms raised, he began manipulating them all at once, commanding the puppet soldiers to close in rapidly on Naruto and Sara.
Seeing this, Naruto sprang into motion, attempting to charge through and reach Mukade. But the puppet soldiers blocked his path.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, the puppet soldiers fell beneath Naruto's blows, shattered and scattered across the ground. But almost instantly, Mukade used the Ryūmyaku's energy to reassemble them, returning them to combat.
At the same time, Naruto noticed danger near Sara, she was surrounded, puppet soldiers closing in fast.
"Sara!"
Worry surged in Naruto's chest. He immediately abandoned his attack on Mukade and began charging toward her, cutting a path through the horde.
Sara, initially paralyzed with fear, visibly calmed the moment Naruto arrived at her side.
"Sara, I'll clear the way. Break through as fast as you can, and get everyone out of here."
Naruto's voice was tense, protective. His fear wasn't for himself, it was that Sara might get hurt.
Sara nodded, her expression now serious. "Right."
Facing the wall of puppet soldiers, Naruto first cast a Shadow Clone Jutsu, then summoned a Rasengan.
He charged forward, Rasengan in hand, tearing into the puppet ranks.
"Sara, go, now!"
One by one, puppet soldiers were smashed aside, opening a path for Sara to flee.
Face set with determination, Sara hurried through the path Naruto had carved.
Behind them, Mukade watched with a smirk, like a cat toying with its prey. Puppet soldiers flooded the chamber. Naruto was beginning to tire.
In a moment of distraction, puppet soldiers seized Naruto's arms, then his legs.
"Argh...!"
"Go! Sara, hurry!"
Under Mukade's control, the puppet soldiers broke apart, then reassembled into a massive construct, encasing Naruto within it like a prison.
With Naruto trapped, Sara looked around, fear overwhelming her as the puppet horde closed in. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the floor.
Seeing that the situation was firmly in hand, Mukade descended via a lift platform, calmly approaching Sara.
Above, Veigar, who had been waiting for the right moment, readied his strike. A Phenomenal Evil Rasengan began to coalesce in his hand, enhanced by four shards of Phenomenal Evil Power.
One shard had already fused completely with his body, inscribing the technique of Constant Rasengan. The other three remained modular, able to split or recombine at will.
As Mukade looked toward the giant puppet restraining Naruto, he sneered:
"Can't move now, can you?"
"You can't even muster your strength..."
"That puppet is draining your chakra."
Having delivered his taunt, Mukade turned away from Naruto, considering him as good as dead, just a slab of meat ready for the carving.
He then looked down at the terrified Sara, who had fallen to the ground. In a voice devoid of respect, he said:
"Thank you so much for all you've done, Queen Sara."
"You took your late mother's place, served my grand vision faithfully. I'm truly grateful."
Then, with a sudden edge in his voice, he added:
"But now, you've outlived your usefulness."
"Go join your mother, in death."
The madness in Mukade's voice revealed just how close to the brink he was.
"You... it was you who—?"
Sara stared up at him, disbelief in her voice.
Mukade admitted it freely.
"That's right. You've finally realized."
"Your mother was a cunning queen. She uncovered my real intentions early on, and refused to cooperate further."
"But you? You were the perfect puppet, like a marionette in my hand."
"Heh. Time for a puppet swap."
As Sara crumbled into sorrow, Mukade prepared to implement his Puppet Queen plan.
From within his prison, Naruto shouted in fury:
"Mukade! Your fight is with me! Come at me if you've got the guts!"
"Ugh... Sara! Don't give up, this isn't the time for tears!"
"This bastard, I'll crush him myself!"
BOOM!
Naruto's body surged with power. In an instant, the Nine-Tails' chakra erupted from within him.
"What... what is this?"
"What unbelievable chakra...!"
Mukade recoiled, horrified. He scrambled to tighten control over the puppet, reinforcing it to contain Naruto's outburst.
But just then—
Veigar struck.
Seizing the perfect moment, Veigar launched from the top of the boiler, descending in a flash to appear above Mukade.
Great Phenomenal Evil Rasengan.
Mukade, completely unprepared for a second opponent, never even saw it coming. Veigar slammed the massive Rasengan down directly onto his head.
KRA-KOOM!
Simultaneously, Naruto, empowered by the Nine-Tails' chakra, burst free from the puppet prison, shattering it apart and breaking loose.
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