Silent Sneak Attack

The shock of the memory of a Shadow Clone being killed wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't unbearable. With the nourishment from digested food energy, Umino Sasuke quickly recovered to his peak condition.

Under the perception of the Ultrasonic Radar Technique, everything within the mist was laid bare.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Umino Sasuke threw a large number of Kunai and Shuriken with extreme precision.

While his throwing skills weren't as terrifying as those of an Uchiha ninja, they surpassed most elite Chunin. Even some Special Jonin might not possess such exquisite throwing techniques.

Coupled with his superb Chakra control, each Kunai and Shuriken contained immense power and traveled at incredible speeds.

Thwack! Another Shuriken hit an enemy, slicing across a Chunin's right arm and essentially rendering them incapable of using Ninjutsu.

If not for the fact that Puppeteers were inherently skilled in defense, this volley of Kunai and Shuriken could have taken down several Sand Ninja.

However, even though they used their Puppets to defend against the majority of the Kunai and Shuriken, all the Sand Ninja except for the Special Jonin sustained injuries, albeit not fatal ones.

"Quick, take the antidote pills. These Kunai and Shuriken are poisoned."

"Captain, this is bad! The antidote pills aren't working; they can't detoxify the poison."

"What? Even the antidote pills developed by Elder Chiyo are ineffective?"

The three Chunin had taken the antidote pills but found them completely useless. Their wounds had already begun to numb. If they couldn't suppress it with Chakra, they would have had to commit suicide to prevent captured information from being leaked.

"Qing Lan, keep clearing the path. I'll handle the defense."

The scarred Special Jonin was exceptionally skilled, able to control two Puppets simultaneously. He used one to assist the Chunin named Qing Lan with defense.

The Chunin named Qing Lan quickly formed hand seals again, clearly intending to release Wind Release: Great Breakthrough once more to disperse the Mist Technique and carve out a visible path for retreat, guarding against sneak attacks from within the fog.

Moving rapidly in the pitch-black mist was extremely dangerous; they had to blow the mist away.

The Chunin named Qing Lan completed his hand seals swiftly. Just as he finished the final Tiger seal and was about to release Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

Suddenly, a more intense barrage of Kunai and Shuriken rained down like a shower of petals.

"Mechanical Shield: Thousand Faces Wall!"

Chakra threads flew from the scarred Special Jonin's hand. The Puppet on his left immediately deployed its mechanism, breaking apart into hundreds of small shields. These were quickly reassembled into a defensive wall via Chakra threads to block the attack.

As expected of a Special Jonin-level Puppeteer, he not only protected himself with ease but also ensured that the Chunin Qing Lan suffered no harm.

But at this very moment, the Chunin named Qing Lan seemed to be inexplicably interfered with. The Wind Release Ninjutsu he was about to unleash was interrupted by an unseen force.

Although the force wasn't strong and didn't cause him much damage, it was more than enough to interrupt his Ninjutsu.

Suddenly—

A puff of white smoke rose before their eyes.

A Kunai on the ground in front of them transformed into a human shape. Immediately after, a Kunai pierced directly into the left eye of the Chunin named Qing Lan.

The Kunai was deeply embedded, nearly piercing through his skull, indicating considerable force.

"Damn it!"

The scarred Special Jonin, seeing his inability to protect his subordinate and watching him die, became enraged.

"Mechanical Blade: Chaotic Windmill!"

The scarred Special Jonin activated his Chakra threads, controlling the Salamander Puppet on his right and unleashing a killing move towards the dark silhouette ahead.

A rotating blade exceeding two meters unfolded from the Salamander Puppet's back, forming a spinning slash. The powerful cutting force even sliced the mist into a smooth surface.

Bang!

A puff of white smoke appeared, clearly another Shadow Clone.

"Ah!"

As the Salamander Puppet's rotating blade attacked the front, a scream erupted from behind.

It turned out that the Chunin defending the rear had been silently approached by Water Release: Mist Body Flicker and had his throat slit.

"Despicable!"

This time, the scarred Special Jonin had learned from experience. He didn't use a killing move but instead flung his Chakra threads, sweeping across a large area behind him.

The toughness of the Chakra threads was no less than steel wire, capable of rapid cutting.

"As expected, another Shadow Clone."

As the Chakra threads swept through, the figure behind who had slit his subordinate's throat also turned into a puff of white smoke, clearly another Shadow Clone.

"Red Sand, don't make any rash moves."

The scarred Special Jonin quickly shielded his last subordinate. In just a few seconds, he had lost two capable subordinates, and he clearly didn't want to be careless and lose the last one.

The two backed against each other, moving slowly, while the three Puppets formed a triangular formation, constantly defending against sneak attacks.

"Red Sand, don't be nervous. It'll be alright. I'll definitely get you out of here."

"Gulp!" The Chunin named Red Sand swallowed hard, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. He asked fearfully, "Captain, are we being ambushed by a Konoha Jonin?"

"So what if it's a Jonin? I don't believe he can break through my defenses!"

The scarred Special Jonin appeared to have absolute confidence in his defenses, trying to comfort his now panicked subordinate.

At that moment, a sinister voice, like a specter from hell, rang out.

"Two Sand Ninja sirs, the Silent Killing Technique is about to begin.

Eight vital points: throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart.

Which one do you choose?"

Instantly, the surrounding mist grew even thicker, rendering it completely impossible to see.

The Chunin named Red Sand, hearing such terrifying words, turned deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, his eyes filled with fear.

"Let's go with the heart."

As soon as the words fell, two figures, one on the left and one on the right, struck the Chunin named Red Sand at a speed at least twice that of the basic Body Flicker Technique.

"Ah..."

A scream rang out again.

Four Kunai pierced the limbs of the Chunin named Red Sand, two on each side.

Since none of the wounds were to vital points, and given a ninja's robust vitality, they were not fatal, merely incapacitating him.

"Die."

"Mechanical Storm: Myriad Blade Strangulation!"

The scarred Special Jonin's chakra threads erupted with a faint blue glow.

The shell of the Salamander Puppet automatically disintegrated with a grating metallic tear, revealing thousands of poisoned, curved blade discs that swarmed out like an agitated beehive.

Each curved blade disc spun rapidly, tearing through the air with a shriek like a wailing demon, whirling outwards in all directions.

Clearly.

They had used themselves as bait, unleashing a desperate counter-attack, their ultimate killing move.