The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path stomped, causing the ground to shatter and shake, with rocks scattering and soil flying. It stepped forward, swinging its arm like a giant cannonball toward Kaguya. Even before the statue reached her, its powerful aura was palpable.
Kaguya's expression remained cold as she watched the statue's advance. Only when it was about to reach her did she raise her arm.
"Does she really think she can block it with just her arm? How naive," Obito mocked with a smile. "It's like an ant trying to stop a cart."
What happened next, however, shocked him.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was now in front of Kaguya, raising its massive arm to strike her. Compared to the colossal statue, Kaguya was as small as an insect, just the size of its fingernail.
Facing the overwhelming force of the descending giant palm, Kaguya showed no fear, not even a trace of panic on her face. It wasn't until the giant palm was nearly upon her that she raised her snow-white arm.
Obito's smile widened, thinking the girl was overconfident and completely unaware of the statue's power.
With a thunderous crash, instead of Kaguya being injured or thrown back, it was the statue that was repelled.
As Kaguya's delicate palm and the statue's enormous hand were about to collide, a powerful repulsive force surged from her palm, akin to a massive storm, striking the statue's hand.
The statue's hand was instantly knocked back, and not only that, but its entire body was forced to retreat several steps, leaving deep footprints in the ground.
"What is happening?" Obito was stunned. Although the statue was just the husk of the Ten-Tails, its strength was formidable, yet it had been effortlessly deflected.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path seemed enraged by Kaguya's defiance, roaring deafeningly, the air from its mouth turning into a fierce gale that uprooted the remaining trees. It bent its body, and the tree-like stumps on its back began to crackle with electricity, producing sharp, snapping sounds.
Suddenly, the electricity on its body surged, shooting toward Kaguya like silver snakes.
In the air, Kaguya's eyes lowered, seemingly indifferent to the incoming attack. Without even looking, she raised her arm and casually waved. The lightning was redirected by an invisible force, shooting toward a distant hill.
With a thunderous explosion, the energy-infused lightning struck the hill, causing a massive blast. Smoke and fire billowed skyward, with fierce winds and flying debris. A gray-black mushroom cloud rose from the explosion's center, and shockwaves spread outwards.
"Is this all you can do?" Kaguya's clear eyes were cold and sharp as she glared at Obito. "I'm very disappointed."
Obito's heart sank, and his face changed drastically. Could it be that even the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path couldn't defeat her?
He pulled out a scroll from his chest and spread it out while forming seals with his hands. With a puff of white smoke, a large ceramic jar and a gourd bottle appeared on the ground. These were containers for sealing Tailed Beasts. As long as these containers were thrown into the mouth of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, they could summon the Ten-Tails, albeit an incomplete version since the Nine-Tails was not among them.
Obito had planned to use this trump card in the upcoming war. But the current situation was urgent, and the surrounding space seemed to be sealed by a strange force, rendering his Kamui ineffective. If he didn't act now, he would be at a disadvantage.
Gritting his teeth, Obito held the two containers in his arms and turned around, intending to throw them into the mouth of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Suddenly, he paused as if he had thought of something and glanced into the distance.
At that moment, a deafening roar came from afar. A black shadow was rushing toward them at high speed, smashing buildings along the way, sending debris flying and raising a huge cloud of dust like a bulldozer.
"The Dragon Veins is mine!"
A monster emerged from the cloud of dust; it was the previous puppet, now charging towards Kaguya. Despite its considerable size, it was still dwarfed by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Strangely, the puppet didn't head toward the statue but instead rushed at Kaguya, opening its mouth as purple chakra gathered within, then erupted in a burst.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
A massive wave of purple flames, infused with immense chakra, surged towards Kaguya. The flames were so intense that the surrounding air distorted from the heat, accompanied by a scorching wind. The puppet, anxious about the disappearance of the Dragon Veins, was desperate. It had spent years acquiring the Dragon Veins and couldn't bear to lose it.
In its frantic state, the puppet lacked rationality and only saw Kaguya, sensing the dense chakra of the Dragon Veins emanating from her. It completely ignored the towering Demonic Statue of the Outer Path in the distance.
Kaguya's brow furrowed, and her exquisite face showed a trace of impatience. She raised her delicate hand and waved it lightly at the incoming flames. The fire seemed to be suppressed by an invisible force, flickering and dimming like a candle in the wind, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into sparks that dissipated in the air.
Seeing this, the puppet didn't retreat but instead charged at Kaguya with its massive pincers.
Growing increasingly irritated, Kaguya's arm was suddenly surrounded by several black orbs that rotated around her hand. The orbs gradually merged into a larger black sphere, which rapidly expanded to thousands of times its original size.
Holding the enormous black sphere like a small mountain, Kaguya swung her arm, and the gigantic black sphere shot toward the puppet.
"Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball!"
With a deafening crash, the puppet was obliterated.