"...And that's the gist of it. As long as you provide a modest initial investment of labor and a little bit of the Dragon Vein's energy, I can use my puppetry skills to fulfill my promises."
Mukade spoke to the woman above him in the gentlest tone he had ever used. He had no choice; his life was completely in her hands.
Seramu listened, then fell into deep thought. Mukade's plan was simple: use the Dragon Vein as an energy source to enhance both the quantity and quality of puppets he could control. Then, he would use these Rouran-made puppets to give back to Rouran. Constructing houses, cultivating farmland... Essentially, Mukade could use puppets to replace any simple, repetitive labor, freeing up the people of Rouran to have more time to experience life.
Sara glanced at her mother. Though still young, she wasn't entirely ignorant of such matters. On the contrary, thanks to her mother's tutelage, she fully understood the implications. Moreover, she could even see past the surface to some of the deeper, hidden aspects behind Mukade's plan. Mukade's plan sounded wonderful, but it also had a critical flaw— The same puppets that could bring prosperity to Rouran could also, under Mukade's control, be used to overthrow it. After all, neither she nor her mother could be certain what kind of person Mukade truly was.
"I can agree to your plan." Before Mukade could even begin to celebrate, Seramu continued, "However, you must hand over the methods for operating the puppets!"
The benefits of the puppet plan were plain to see. While the risks involved were not insignificant, her mastery over the Dragon Vein gave her the confidence to keep those risks within a manageable range.
"No problem!" Mukade's heart leaped with joy. Afraid she might go back on her word, he hastily agreed.
Beggars can't be choosers, he thought. He wasn't from this era anyway; he felt no psychological burden whatsoever in handing over a secret art of Sunagakure to an outsider. As for whether the Queen of Rouran could use this secret art against him? He could only say that puppet manipulation was a technical skill. If ordinary people who didn't even possess chakra could surpass his years of accumulated experience, he might as well bury himself. Living would just be a waste of resources at that point.
"Starting tomorrow, the people of Rouran will assist you in manufacturing puppets to the fullest extent!"
One month later.
BOOM! The calm surface of the water suddenly erupted as a water dragon as thick as a man's waist coiled upwards, roaring as it charged towards Naruto in the distance.
"Kanshin-ryu: Saku-awase!"
A long, narrow, arc-shaped blade of light radiated outwards from Naruto as its epicenter, slashing in all directions. The reason he didn't use a unidirectional slash like the Crescent Moon was simple: Nagato, who was proficient in all five nature transformations, never launched singular attacks.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
As expected, an earth dragon constructed from mud closely followed the water dragon. The two swiftly intertwined, the mud dragon maintaining the water dragon's high speed while also possessing the earth dragon's immense offensive power, and additionally applying a mire effect.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" "Wind Release: Wind Scythe!"
A fireball, dozens of meters wide, materialized above the water, the humid air instantly turning scorching dry. Nagato clearly hadn't expected to defeat him with a simple combination jutsu; several more followed in quick succession. The sheer number of techniques was dazzling and overwhelming, leaving no room to breathe.
Seeing this, Naruto let out a slow breath and inwardly shouted: "Kurama! Help me out here!"
"It's about time you let me take over!" Kurama retorted with a pout. A massive amount of crimson chakra rapidly enveloped Naruto's body, but it wasn't over. Several chakra tails quickly materialized behind him. Naruto's appearance changed drastically; wreathed in crimson, he looked like a miniaturized Nine-Tails had appeared on the battlefield. At this moment, he had five tails.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The intense battle in the distance was relayed with extreme clarity to Yahiko and Konan through sight and sound.
"Every time I watch these two fight, I feel like I've failed Master Jiraiya's teachings," Yahiko sighed, scratching his head. Konan covered her mouth and giggled softly.
Nearby, the Akatsuki members stationed at the base also watched the distant battle with expressions of shock. But whenever they remembered that one of the combatants was part of their own organization, a sense of pride couldn't help but swell in their chests.
Under Naruto's control, the highly corrosive Nine-Tails chakra slowly spread onto the blade of Kusabimaru. This was an extended application of his Blood Blade Technique. The Blood Blade Technique was something he had developed in the world of the undying. Through long-term use of the Mortal Blade, his body had constantly experienced the miasma it contained, leading him to devise this method of enhancing his attack power. While the Mortal Blade was incredibly powerful, its side effects were also significant. Even with the Power of Dragon Heritage, he couldn't wield it for extended periods. After all, that miasma could slay even the undying.
The reason he wasn't using Wind Release chakra nature transformation was because it focused more on cutting power. Against an opponent like Nagato, who spammed ninjutsu as if it cost him nothing, the area-of-effect Blood Blade Technique was more suitable.
Crimson sword energy slashed through the air. The delicate balance of the combined ninjutsu was instantly shattered, the techniques reverting to raw chakra and dissipating. Empowered by the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruto's body closed in on Nagato at an unimaginable speed.
To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, Nagato was like an SOR (Sorcerer-type), and a fully geared one at that, decked out with six core items. Naruto, on the other hand, was an ANA (Assassin-type), boasting high attack and high defense. If they got close enough, Naruto was confident he could take Nagato down instantly. Conversely, if Nagato maintained an optimal firing distance, Naruto, even with the defense of his Tailed Beast Cloak, likely wouldn't last long against the overwhelming power of those combination jutsus.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Other people's Vacuum Spheres might actually be 'spheres,' but Nagato's were washbasin-sized concentrations of highly condensed Wind Release chakra. To say they bore any resemblance to a 'sphere' would be a masterclass in understatement; they were entirely different beasts.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
The Flame Bullet was a Fire Release ninjutsu that fell between the Great Fireball Technique and the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, possessing the advantages of both. Large area of effect, high damage. It successfully addressed the awkward situations where the Great Fireball couldn't hit its target and the Phoenix Sage Fire couldn't finish an enemy off.
The combination of Flame Bullet and Vacuum Sphere was like a howitzer blast. Naruto didn't dare to take it head-on and hastily dodged to the side. But Nagato, who had been waiting for this moment, unleashed another silky-smooth combination of ninjutsu, successfully predicting Naruto's landing spot.
BOOM! The extreme heat of the Fire Release ninjutsu instantly vaporized a large amount of the liquid water, creating a dense mist. The Akatsuki members watching from the sidelines immediately lost sight of the two combatants. However, for the two engaged in battle, this ordinary steam, so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, posed no obstruction at all.
Nagato's Rinnegan spun rapidly. In its special field of vision, Naruto's chakra signature, right at the center of the damage, hadn't weakened at all. Instead, it had grown even more potent.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Creating two shadow clones, each with two tails, Naruto used his Mind's Eye of Kagura to swiftly lock onto the distant figure, surrounding Nagato from three sides.