Puppet Decoy

Swish, swish, swish...

Soon, the rapid rustling of leaves and branches suddenly sounded in the canopy.

Three figures shuttled through the branches.

Tejudo's eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile curved his lips. He was about to form the Tiger Hand Seal to detonate the Heavenly Net trap.

However, Umino Sasuke grabbed his wrist and pointed, "Look at their forehead protectors!"

The ninjas caught in the trap were not Sand Ninjas, but members of Konoha's Intelligence Team.

"It's our people?!"

Tejudo's hands, still forming the Tiger Hand Seal, trembled slightly. When he clearly saw the three ninjas wearing animal masks and dark green tactical vests, he was almost so surprised that his Chakra went out of control.

If forming the hand seal didn't require channeling Chakra, this sudden surprise might have caused him to trigger the Heavenly Net trap prematurely.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Tejudo felt a chill down his spine, filled with lingering fear. Fortunately, the captain stopped him in time, otherwise, they would have definitely injured their allies.

Judging by their attire, these three didn't look like Anbu Ninja, nor did they belong to the Defense Patrol Team. Could they be--

Tejudo's eyes brightened, and his pupils rolled. He had clearly realized the identities of these three: they were members of Konoha's Intelligence Team.

The pursuing Sand Ninja behind them had already crossed the Konoha Defense Zone and were still chasing relentlessly, indicating that the intelligence the Intelligence Team was bringing back was of considerable value.

In that case, not only would the risk of this ambush be reduced, but if they could assist in bringing back the intelligence, it might even count as an A-Rank Mission. If it was Top Secret Intelligence, it could even be an S-Rank Mission.

Thinking of this, Tejudo couldn't help but get excited, already fantasizing about becoming a Chunin after completing the high-level mission.

Once he became a Chunin, those forces coveting the Tejiku Family's blade business should restrain themselves, right?

"Wait!" Tejudo snapped back to reality, finally realizing something was wrong. How did the captain know in advance that they were from the Intelligence Team?

Could it be that there was prior information?

Recalling it, it seemed that before the support arrived, the captain had indeed acted somewhat unusually, and just now, he had specifically ordered that the Konoha Emergency Evasion Mark be left in the trap.

However, before he could think further, the three Konoha ninjas fleeing for their lives crossed the core area of the trap. They had already discovered the three kunai arranged in a triangle on the tree bark – that was precisely the Konoha Emergency Evasion Mark.

The two Konoha ninjas wearing the hawk and cat masks, who were trailing behind, had vigilance flash in their mask's eyeholes, but they remained calm and composed, as if nothing had happened, continuing their escape.

Only the ninja with the monkey face mask, who ran at the very front and entered the trap earliest, was the last to discover the coded mark among the three. Moreover, the surprise had disrupted his breathing rhythm and even his running pace had changed.

"Damn it! Aren't the Konoha Intelligence Team supposed to be the elite of the elite?"

Umino Sasuke saw this damned scene and was on the verge of going crazy. This idiot, who lacked the battlefield adaptability that even a Battle-Hardened Veteran would possess, could reveal such a huge flaw?

He really wanted to slam this Mediocre Chunin to the ground and beat him up, questioning if this idiot was a spy sent by Iwagakure.

Among the Five Great Shinobi Nations, only Iwagakure's Intelligence Team could produce such mediocre Chunin. The intelligence ninjas of the other Four Great Ninja Villages are elites among elites, making such low-level mistakes highly unlikely.

Given the quality of this mediocre Chunin, if this Heavenly Net trap were triggered, this idiot would have likely set it off completely long ago.

The part that was least likely to have problems actually had problems. The battlefield changes in an instant; truly, no accident is too strange.

While Konoha had a mediocre Chunin, the Sand Ninja displayed their seasoned expertise. Each was an elite, extremely perceptive, and immediately noticed the abnormality of this idiot.

Three Konoha Ninja had just passed through the trap, and the Sand Ninja Pursuers had just crossed the trap's outskirts, about to enter the core area. At this critical moment, they discovered such a significant flaw.

This nearly caused the ambush to fail.

Especially the Sand Hidden Jonin captain, who was extremely experienced and immediately sensed the anomaly in this area, decisively signaling.

Six Sand Ninja instantly halted their advance to defend and retreated.

Clearly, these Sand Ninja Pursuers cooperated with extreme tacit understanding, all being skilled individuals.

It is not too late to mend the fold.

Since the ambush failed, Plan B would be executed immediately.

Umino Sasuke raised two fingers, issuing the tactical command.

"Explode!"

Tejudo immediately channeled Chakra, his hands forming the Tiger Hand Seal in unison, triggering the trap.

Instantly.

Rumble...

Flames soared into the sky, and the Seventy-two Explosive Tags detonated in response.

Tongues of fire, like a Red Python dancing wildly, erupted from the ground. The Scorching Heatwave twisted the air within a hundred-meter radius into rippling shockwaves.

Tree fibers burned in the intense heat, instantly carbonizing.

The Sand Ninja at the trap's outskirts, though avoiding the explosion's core and the direct damage from the explosive tags, could not evade the scorching heatwaves.

As the heatwaves struck, their Beard and Hair were completely incinerated.

Their skin felt as if it had been burned by a Great Fireball. If they hadn't channeled Chakra for defense beforehand, their Skin Torn Open would have been a certainty.

"Too terrifying. We were almost wiped out."

"They actually set up so many explosive tags. In the entire ninja world, only Konoha Ninja could be this extravagant!"

These Sand Ninja felt a chill down their spines, their hearts filled with lingering fear. If they hadn't discovered the flaw in advance, once they entered the trap's core area, with the terrifying power of these explosive tags, even if they weren't completely annihilated, it's unlikely anyone would have survived intact.

Umino Sasuke used the Sonic Radar Technique to perceive the entire battlefield situation, and nodded with satisfaction.

Although this ambush trap did not inflict a fatal blow on the Sand Ninja, the tactical objective had been achieved.

The Sand Ninja formation immediately scattered like scattered ants.

For a time, they were unable to form an effective defense.

Taking advantage of this golden opportunity.

Umino Sasuke unsealed a sealing scroll from Tejudo's waist. Tejudo, with great tacit understanding, simultaneously grabbed the other end of the sealing scroll.

The two pulled, and the seal was released.

With a bang.

Two giant specially made patterned steel Fuma Shurikens appeared in their hands.

By estimation, these two giant Fuma Shurikens were taller than their owners, reaching two meters, and weighing at least a hundred pounds.

The two giant Fuma Shurikens landed heavily on their shoulders and arms. Chakra surged beneath their feet, causing the bucket-thick branches beneath them to creak.

Just then, while the residual explosions of the trap had not yet subsided.

The Sand Ninja formation was in chaos, unable to form an effective defensive formation.

"Hoo!"

The two spun and threw their deadly weapons in unison. Under the powerful centrifugal force, the giant Fuma Shurikens spun rapidly, slicing through the air.

The piercing sound tore through the air, even drowning out the residual explosions on the battlefield.

The deadly weapons, with a diameter exceeding two meters, transformed into sharp blade pinwheels.

They cut through four or five burning birch trees along the way, spinning in an arc towards the remaining Sand Ninja formation.

Such enormous Fuma Shurikens were somewhat strenuous even for Tejudo, with his physique and strength, the veins on his neck were still bulging.

Umino Sasuke, however, was calm and composed, as if he hadn't exerted his full strength.

It had to be said that the benefits of strong Chakra Control were immediately apparent. With his current Chakra Control, although he couldn't match Tsunade's immense strength, controlling this Fuma Shuriken was indeed effortless.

If he hadn't been concerned about Chakra consumption and the tactical needs of the subsequent battle, he could have even used the principle of the A-Rank Ninjutsu Rasengan, adding Chakra to induce the Fuma Shuriken's rotation, and unleashing a knock-off version of the true Rasengan Fuma Shuriken Technique.

The battlefield was a sea of fire, filled with smoke and mist, making visibility extremely poor. However, under the perception of the Sonic Radar Technique.

It was all laid bare.

The two giant blade pinwheels cut through the burning birch trees along their path, spinning with extreme precision towards the two Sand Ninja captains.

Tejudo's Fuma Shuriken was thrown, aiming for the Puppeteer Captain.

Although this Puppeteer Captain was a Special Jonin, the combat power of puppeteers was inherently strong, not at all weaker than regular Jonin.

Just as the Fuma Shuriken was about to strike him.

This Special Jonin puppeteer completed his hand seals: Un-Si-In.

"Puppet Substitution Technique!"

Crack!

The Fuma Shuriken slashed through, and the puppet exploded into fragments, scattering everywhere.

The main body had already leaped five meters away.

As expected of a Special Jonin-level puppeteer, he actually used the Puppet Substitution Technique at the critical moment.

He used a puppet to block a fatal attack for himself.

However, for a puppeteer, losing a puppet was like losing an arm, and his combat power would surely be greatly reduced.