### Chapter 36: Sunagakure's Pakura

On a high cliff, the members of Konoha's ANBU Unit 11—some standing, others crouched—gazed intently at the towering palace in the distance. The Priestess' palace was currently shielded by a thin, transparent barrier, preventing the surrounding stone puppet soldiers from breaching it. The puppets could only encircle the palace in layers, unable to penetrate the protective shield.

Kakashi let out a long sigh of relief. "It looks like the palace hasn't fallen yet. We still have a chance!"

Guy, however, was more concerned. "But how are we supposed to get inside with all those puppet soldiers out there?"

Kakashi turned to Kyou, asking, "Kyou, can you find a way into the palace?"

Kyou shook his head. He had already surveyed the area and observed that the puppet soldiers had completely surrounded the palace, leaving no gaps or blind spots.

Shisui suggested grimly, "It looks like we'll have to force our way in."

A direct assault wasn't going to be easy. The ANBU Unit 11 had already encountered these puppet soldiers before. Although clumsy, the soldiers were incredibly strong, and once they formed a battle formation, they became an overwhelming force that was difficult to break through.

While scanning the surroundings, Kyou suddenly pointed towards the opposite cliff. "Look over there!"

The group followed his gesture and saw several figures on the other cliff, their attire indicating they were from Sunagakure.

As the team leader, Kakashi pondered for a moment before saying, "They must be the reinforcements sent by Sunagakure. We might be able to cooperate with them and break through the puppet soldiers' encirclement together."

Given the current crisis involving a foreign demon, the Konoha team was not opposed to the idea of working with Sunagakure. The group quickly reached a consensus and agreed with Kakashi's suggestion.

Soon after, the two teams joined forces. The Sunagakure team was led by Pakura, a renowned user of the Scorch Release kekkei genkai, second only in fame to the Fourth Kazekage in her village. Her strength was formidable.

Kakashi and Pakura quickly exchanged words and reached an agreement. The two team leaders would lead the charge, while the middle section was handled by three Sunagakure ninjas and Guy. Kyou and Shisui would guard the rear.

Once the plan was set, the assault began immediately.

*Chidori!* 

With the piercing sound of a thousand birds, Kakashi shot forward, leading the charge like a spear of lightning. 

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* 

In a series of loud crashes, puppet soldiers were knocked down one after another. The piercing and destructive power of Chidori was fully displayed, and in the blink of an eye, Kakashi had already torn through five or six layers of puppet soldiers.

Following closely behind him, Pakura formed hand seals and called out, "Scorch Release: Super Steam Kill!"

Five scorching fireballs swirled around Pakura, disintegrating the puppet soldiers nearby into ashes and widening the breach in their ranks.

Meanwhile, the three Sunagakure ninjas in the middle simultaneously used Earth Release: "Earth-Style Wall!" 

Two massive earth walls rose from the ground, creating a temporary safe passage through the enemy ranks, reinforcing the path Kakashi and Pakura had cleared.

At the rear, Kyou glanced at Shisui and said, "You should move up to the middle. I can handle the rear on my own."

Knowing Kyou's capabilities, Shisui didn't argue. Since he wasn't suited for fighting the brute force of the puppet soldiers, he quickened his pace and moved away from the tail end of the formation.

Kyou, now at the rear, fully activated his Tenseigan. In his vision, the puppet soldiers' movements appeared as if they were slowed down, like frames from a film. Only when there was no way to avoid an attack did he occasionally use the Heavenly Rotation technique to block it. Otherwise, the puppet soldiers' attacks posed little threat to him.

Through these close encounters, Kyou realized that the chakra inside all the puppet soldiers was identical, clearly emanating from the same source. That source felt malevolent and violent.

"If the source of this chakra is the foreign demon 'Moryo,' then…"

Kyou shook his head, dismissing the thought. The chakra's malicious and chaotic nature made it unsuitable as a source for creating an artificial tailed beast. So, he crossed Moryo off the list of potential candidates for his experiment.

Despite their small numbers, the two combined squads—Konoha's ANBU Unit 11 and Sunagakure's team—were filled with elites. Especially Pakura, who was already a prominent figure in Sunagakure's leadership. In no time, the joint squad broke through the encirclement of puppet soldiers and entered the palace, protected by the barrier.

As soon as they entered, the palace guards erupted in cheers. 

Since the demon's arrival, the Priestess of the Land of Demons had been the prime target. The guards had been under immense pressure, not daring to relax for a moment. Now, seeing strong reinforcements arrive, they were filled with hope and joy.

Inside the shrine, the Priestess sat on a mat, her face filled with worry. Beside her sat a little girl, about one year old, who resembled the Priestess closely, likely her daughter.

Standing nearby was a team of Iwagakure ninjas.

It was evident that the Iwagakure team had arrived before ANBU Unit 11, and judging by their posture and expressions, they were as haughty and arrogant as ever.

Upon seeing the Iwagakure ninjas, Kyou's anger flared. They were the very same unit from Iwagakure that had ambushed his team outside of Konoha during the war. That encounter had nearly cost him his life, and the memory of that narrow escape still burned vividly in his mind.

If Konoha's reinforcements had arrived even a few moments later, Kyou would have met the same fate as the majority of his team—dying a humiliating death just a few miles away from their home village.

After that battle, Kyou had done some research and learned that this Iwagakure unit was part of their infamous Decapitation Squad, known for their ruthlessness and audacity.

At the same time, the Iwagakure ninjas were sizing up the new arrivals. Their leader glanced past the Sunagakure shinobi and sneered at Konoha's ANBU Unit 11. "Hmph, did Konoha really send a bunch of kids to die here? It seems Konoha isn't what it used to be."

It was true that the oldest members of ANBU Unit 11 were only around fourteen or fifteen years old, with Shisui barely eleven or twelve. They were indeed smaller in stature compared to their Sunagakure and Iwagakure counterparts.

But Kyou wasn't one to back down from a challenge. He coldly retorted, "You should watch your mouth. You might just end up dead at the hands of one of these kids."

The Iwagakure captain, arms crossed, glared at Kyou, his face darkening. "You little brat, are you looking for death?"