It wasn't working as well as he'd hoped, because the wooden pillars weren't human and couldn't be lured into a false sense of security. And Yamato was a spectator, watching and involved from an outside perspective. The dragons moved at his behest; snaking, unpredictable creatures unlike anything he'd previously combated, and the most he could do was circle and avoid as his eyes revealed their trajectories.

Twin pillars slammed into the earth beside him, and he fell a step back as a third blocked him from moving forward. He frowned, eyes screaming at him to turn, but did so a few moments too late. The hit to his shoulder connected and Neji hissed as he took in the cloned figure. He was lucky the strike hadn't been aimed at his blindspot and instantly slammed his palm toward its chest in an attempt to dispel it.