Whoosh!
When Shisui's sword made contact with the mysterious film, the originally sharp chakra blade actually began sinking into the strange membrane rather than cutting through it.
Susanoo was fundamentally a manifestation of chakra transformation and manipulation. Any construct formed from chakra would inevitably be absorbed by this defensive technique, regardless of its apparent solidity.
However, the absorption rate had clear limitations. While the chakra comprising the sword was being drained away, the massive Susanoo construct had already pressed forward with overwhelming momentum.
Susanoo's free hand suddenly rose upward, bypassing the protective membrane entirely as it reached directly toward the technique's caster with lethal intent.
Screech!
ROAR!
Without warning, spiritual mist began rising throughout the confined barrier once more, accompanied by the piercing cries of predatory birds and the thunderous roars of massive beasts.
A colossal bird of prey materialized on Susanoo's left flank, its razor-sharp beak clamping down on the construct's reaching palm with crushing force.
Simultaneously, a brutal quadrupedal beast charged in from the right side, its massive jaws locking onto Susanoo's sword arm in a vicious bite that threatened to compromise the weapon entirely.
"Let's see where you can escape to now," the man in black chuckled with dark satisfaction from within the barrier's confines.
Just as Kushina and Shisui had anticipated, he had been forced to dismiss the Gedo Statue's summoning to avoid damage to the ancient creature.
However, this tactical decision also meant that Shisui's movements were now restricted within the extremely limited space of the sealing formation—a factor that could be exploited to their advantage.
"Who are these people?" Kushina wondered aloud, her enhanced perception detecting six distinct chakra signatures that had suddenly appeared within the barrier alongside the man in black.
"Reinforcements?" Shisui's expression grew suspicious as Susanoo struggled against the summoned creatures' assault.
Whether it was the beast summoning or the chakra absorption techniques, these had previously been demonstrated exclusively by the man in black himself.
However, the attacks that had just been launched were clearly performed by two different individuals among the six figures who had mysteriously appeared beside their primary opponent.
"Hmph!"
From outside the barrier, Kushina snorted with cold determination as her hand seals shifted to accommodate the changed tactical situation.
The chains that had originally been configured to restrain the Gedo Statue now redirected themselves toward the man in black and his six companions. Hundreds of golden restraints descended upon them like an inescapable net of suppressive energy.
"Scatter!"
The man in black's mental command reached his companions instantly, and the figures who had appeared within the barrier dispersed with coordinated precision.
The individual who had been absorbing Susanoo's chakra immediately ceased his technique and began evasive maneuvers.
Golden chains descended from every conceivable angle, but the movements of these seven combatants displayed unusual flexibility and coordination that defied conventional team tactics.
Several chains managed to entangle the two summoned beasts that were restraining Shisui, but the creatures maintained their death grips on Susanoo despite the binding restraints.
"How is this possible?" Kushina exclaimed in disbelief.
The way these seven individuals coordinated their movements to evade her chain formations wasn't merely a matter of superior agility. Even attacks launched from complete blind spots were effortlessly avoided without any visible communication between the team members.
ROAR!
At that moment, with assistance from Kushina's restraining chains, Shisui managed to maneuver Susanoo into position to pierce both summoned creatures' bodies, destroying them in brilliant explosions of dissipating chakra.
Swoosh!
However, almost simultaneously, two of the mysterious figures appeared at opposite corners of the barrier and extended their hands to touch the formation's physical manifestation.
"This is bad!" Kushina's expression shifted to one of alarm as her sensory abilities detected what was occurring.
Hum!
The entire barrier began emitting brilliant light at that moment before starting to dissolve and break down from the contact points.
"How can two people possibly know the Uzumaki clan's barrier techniques?!" Kushina demanded with shocked indignation.
As the barrier collapsed around them, her enhanced perception could clearly detect that the man in black possessed Uzumaki clan chakra flowing within his body.
Therefore, he should indeed be a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, just as she was—which would explain his knowledge of their specialized techniques.
However, another individual who had demonstrated chakra absorption abilities had somehow identified the barrier's central focal points and was systematically draining the ritual chakra that maintained the formation's stability.
No matter how powerful any barrier technique might be, its foundation always rested upon specific ritual configurations and chakra flow patterns.
Once these underlying mechanisms were discovered and systematically disrupted, even the most formidable barriers would inevitably collapse.
As the sealing formation disintegrated completely, seven figures flashed outward in perfect synchronization, landing in strategically positioned locations that formed a tactical circle around both Kushina and Shisui.
When the remaining dust and debris finally settled, the two Konoha defenders found themselves surrounded and outnumbered.
Six pairs of eyes were now focused upon them with predatory intensity, studying their every movement and preparing for coordinated assault.
"The pattern of these eyes..." Shisui and Kushina's expressions transformed to ones of horrified recognition as they processed what they were seeing.
"Rinnegan?!" they whispered in unison.
The eyes of all six individuals were absolutely identical. Within their purple irises, concentric circles created rippling patterns that resembled the eternal cycle of reincarnation itself.
At that moment, the man in black slowly rose into the air through gravitational manipulation, hovering above the battlefield as he looked down upon them with cold indifference.
His facial features remained obscured through some unknown method, and even Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan proved unable to penetrate the concealment and reveal his true appearance.
"How is it possible for so many Rinnegan to exist simultaneously?" Shisui exclaimed with genuine disbelief coursing through his voice.
There were three legendary dojutsu known to the shinobi world: the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, and the mythical Rinnegan that had supposedly belonged only to the Sage of Six Paths himself.
Kushina recalled that Minato had mentioned how Jiraiya-sensei had once accepted a student who possessed the Rinnegan in the Hidden Rain Village.
Jiraiya had initially believed that this student might be the Child of Prophecy spoken of by the Great Toad Sage, but due to certain tragic events that had occurred later, the disciple had apparently died at the hands of Hanzo, the legendary leader of the Rain Village.
"Are any of you Nagato?" Kushina asked tentatively, knowing only the former student's name without having ever met him personally.
However, none of the six figures responded to her inquiry, their expressions remaining completely unchanged and emotionless.
The man in black, suspended in the air above them, sneered silently at this futile attempt at communication.
"Summoning Technique!"
Suddenly, one of the six Rinnegan-wielding individuals—an orange-haired woman—pressed both palms against the ground with decisive purpose.
ROAR! SCREECH!
As summoning smoke continued to billow outward, massive creatures emerged from the technique one after another.
Among them were a gigantic three-headed dog, a color-changing chameleon large enough to swallow buildings, a heavily armored rhinoceros, and several other monstrous entities.
"They all have Rinnegan as well?" Shisui observed with mounting dread.
Unlike the previous summoned beasts, these creatures didn't have their eyes closed or hidden. Instead, their ocular organs displayed the same distinctive ripple patterns as their six human controllers.
Seeing this coordinated assault developing, Shisui prepared to engage with his Susanoo, but Kushina's hundreds of shadow clones—which she had created for the barrier technique—were already rushing forward to intercept the threat.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Although these clones might appear relatively small compared to the massive summoned beasts, each one possessed absolutely tremendous physical strength. Their enormous dark golden chakra claws hammered downward with devastating force, driving the creatures to the ground and creating impact craters throughout the battlefield.
Golden chains immediately extended from the clones to bind all the fallen monsters in suppressive restraints.
"Heh heh..."
Observing this development, the man in black released another cold laugh as his hands moved through a new sequence of seals, preparing to escalate the conflict to an even more dangerous level.
As his technique activated, the six Rinnegan-wielding individuals around Kushina and Shisui moved as one coordinated unit. Some of them underwent grotesque transformations, growing additional heads and arms while launching missiles from mechanized body parts. Others charged directly toward the two defenders in groups of three.
While this coordinated assault commenced, the man in black himself flew toward the mountainous area where Konoha's civilian population had taken refuge.
"Stop right there!" Kushina shouted as she moved to intercept his flight path.
However, just as she began her pursuit, one of the six attackers raised his hand toward her position and unleashed a devastating burst of repulsive force.
At the same moment, Shisui found himself temporarily blocked once again by another summoned creature that had materialized directly in front of his Susanoo.
"Little Jiraiya, there's an enemy approaching!" Fukasaku Sage suddenly called out in warning from his position on Jiraiya's shoulder.
The sage had been helping maintain pressure on Orochimaru's Eight Branches construct when his enhanced perception detected the new threat.
Jiraiya looked up toward the sky, and his expression immediately shifted to one of alarm and urgency.
"This is very bad!"