Moonlight Dancer

"Hah..."

Umino Sasuke broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, inwardly thanking his lucky stars—he'd almost been a goner.

If he hadn't developed the Sonic Radar Technique and gained such sharp perception, with only his chunin-level reaction speed, he'd never have pulled off an effective Substitution Technique against a special jonin's Fatal Ambush.

"Huh?" The Dark-Faced Special Jonin's eyes narrowed, shock rattling his core. He'd been sure that strike would land, yet it was dodged so easily.

So, this Konoha Jonin wasn't just a master of the Transformation Jutsu—he was also highly skilled with the Substitution Technique.

His fundamentals were rock-solid, as expected of a Konoha Jonin.

"Again. Let's see how many times you can dodge."

After the Gale Palm ambush failed, the Dark-Faced Special Jonin pulled out another kunai and charged straight at Umino Sasuke.

"Hmph!" Umino Sasuke smirked with contempt. Since this guy had pulled back, controlling the battlefield rhythm, yet didn't seize the chance to launch a long-range Wind Release attack, it meant his chakra was running low after spamming multiple Wind Release Ninjutsu and suppressing the poison in his body.

Without Wind Release or his puppet, this so-called special jonin was just a slightly stronger elite chunin—nothing to fear.

With the pressure easing, Umino Sasuke expanded the range of his Sonic Radar Technique to check on his teammates' battles.

Overall, it was still a stalemate.

Konoha's side was a bit weaker, but they had the edge in condition and gear. The Sand Ninja were stronger, but all poisoned—they were only suppressing Konoha for now, and a reversal was likely soon.

The scales of victory were already tipping toward Konoha.

The only somewhat dangerous group was Tejudo's trio, facing a Bald Chunin skilled in Earth Release. After he'd used three B-rank Earth Release: Earth Flow Walls in a row, his chakra was nearly spent. If not for the Soldier Pills keeping him going, Inuzuka Ryo's Fang Over Fang would've already taken him down.

Credit where it's due—the Sand Ninja's elite policy had its Unique Aspect.

This Bald Chunin, with chakra depleted and poisoned, still held out under the trio's assault. That showed just how fierce his fighting spirit was.

That Tejudo's group had the upper hand wasn't surprising—he'd predicted it. But Gekko Yoru's fight against the Hedgehog-Haired Jonin, trading blows evenly, was truly impressive.

The Hedgehog-Haired Jonin had only lost the five fingers on his left hand, preventing him from forming hand seals for ninjutsu, but his swordsmanship wasn't much affected.

That sword skill alone was solid jonin-level combat power.

If not for the poison draining his chakra and stamina, he could've easily taken out all six of them by himself.

Still, Gekko Yoru was no slouch either, wielding the Konoha-Style Secret Sword Technique like a Moonlight Dancer, smooth as flowing water.

Those hazy moonlit afterimages were a sight to behold, yet they hid a razor-sharp killing intent.

As for Sarutobi Kagejiro, facing a Half-crippled chunin, victory should come quickly.

"Good one, Moonlight Dancer. This round's in the bag!"

Umino Sasuke's tense heart finally eased, and he handled the Dark-Faced Special Jonin with even more finesse.

Besides, Maruboshi Kosuke's Mobile Patrol Unit was less than half a li away—reinforcements were almost here, victory within reach.

But just then, Sarutobi Kagejiro's side went sideways.

"Yoru, the mission comes first. You guys hold them off—I'm taking the intel and pulling out."

Sarutobi Kagejiro forced back the Half-crippled chunin Puppet Master, spun around, and ran without looking back.

The chunin Puppet Master stood frozen, not even thinking to pursue. He was probably just basking in the joy of surviving—certain he was about to be killed by that Monkey-Faced Konoha Ninja, only to escape. No wonder he didn't bother chasing.

Umino Sasuke: ???

Don't go—reinforcements are almost here! Just hold on a little longer!

In an instant.

The balance of power shattered, tilting the other way.

Now, the Sand Ninja had a free Half-crippled chunin Puppet Master to break the deadlock.

Even though this Half-crippled chunin Puppet Master was deeply poisoned, with barely any chakra left, and looked ready to collapse.

His tenacious fighting spirit couldn't be ignored.

"You three little brats—you're dead meat!"

Under the assault of two Sand Chunin pushed to their limits, Tejudo's trio was in dire straits. If Inuzuka Ryo and his Ninja Hound Akitaru hadn't pulled off the Human-Beast Transformation: Twin-Headed Wolf, they'd have already lost.

"Inuzuka Ryo, hang in there."

Umino Sasuke swung his blade to drive back the Dark-Faced Special Jonin, glancing worriedly at Inuzuka Ryo's fight.

"Worrying about others at a time like this? Aren't you afraid a moment's distraction will let my Wind Release tear you to shreds?"

The Dark-Faced Special Jonin kept taunting, hoping to make Umino Sasuke's concern trip him up and expose an opening.

Umino Sasuke didn't bite, instead firing back with a sneer: "Mr. Charcoal, how much chakra do you have left? Can you even pull off a C-rank Wind Release? I'd love to taste it."

"Hmph!" The Dark-Faced Special Jonin snorted coldly and dropped the verbal jabs—clearly hit where it hurt. His chakra really was running low. Now it was just a matter of who could last.

"Tejudo, retreat to the other side of the river!"

Umino Sasuke shoved the Dark-Faced Special Jonin back, joined Tejudo's trio to ease their burden, and prepared to use the river as a barrier to fall back across it.

Even if they could hold out until Maruboshi Kosuke's reinforcements arrived, there was no need to keep taking risks. Better to play it safe—retreat first, then pursue. That was a solid plan, and these Sand Ninja wouldn't escape anyway.

"I knew it—you really care about those three subordinates."

The Dark-Faced Special Jonin sneered coldly, as if he had finally caught Umino Sasuke in a fatal flaw.

So then, the Dark-Faced Special Jonin focused solely on the three youngsters, forcing Umino Sasuke to parry head-on. Fortunately, the other two Sand Chunin, poisoned, were nearly at their limit—Tejudo and his team could handle them, or it would have been truly dangerous.

Just as Umino Sasuke repelled the Dark-Faced Special Jonin again and was about to retreat with Tejudo and the others, crossing the river—

"Hahaha! Die!"

The Dark-Faced Special Jonin suddenly burst forth, unleashing a long-planned tactical ambush.

"Puppet Mechanism Technique: Rain of Senbon!"

Instantly.

A dense downpour of senbon rained down, blanketing Umino Sasuke and Tejudo's group.

"Didn't expect this, did you? You've fallen into a trap too."

The Dark-Faced Special Jonin's face brimmed with smugness, his posture arrogantly triumphant, and inwardly he laughed wildly—who said you couldn't use the Puppet Mechanism Technique without a puppet? Without your own, couldn't you use someone else's?

He had long since released Chakra Threads burrowing into the earth, taking over Sunajiro's Black Ant Puppet.

When Sunajiro was ambushed by the steel wire, only his legs were severed; his Black Ant Puppet was preserved in perfect condition.

Though this Black Ant Puppet was far inferior to his own, it was still a standard-issue puppet of a Sand Chunin, and handling it came naturally.

With such a wide-area Rain of Senbon, let's see how you dodge this.

Even if you have heaven-defying means to evade it yourself, can you also dodge it while carrying three subordinates?