Fatty Shows His Might

Puppeteers generally began their battles by opening up the distance, and this was no exception. Termite and Little Boy opened their mouths in unison, firing a rainstorm of senbon at the two Konoha Ninja.

"Leaf Style Swordsmanship: Whirlwind!"

The sword-wielding Konoha Ninja swung his blade so tightly that not even water could pass through, precisely deflecting most of the senbon aimed at the two of them.

Even where he was struck, the hits landed on non-vital areas that would not affect the battle.

Without the Sharingan or exceptionally powerful Dynamic Vision, this was the best he could manage.

"This is troublesome. These puppeteers like coating their weapons with poison."

The middle-aged ninja gave a warning, then flung out several kunai in an attempt to interfere.

"It's fine. I still have a few Antidote Pills made according to Lady Tsunade's formula. They're enough to suppress most toxins."

The sword-wielding ninja calmly swallowed the Antidote Pill he had kept in his mouth since the beginning of the battle.

"Black Secret Technique: Hand Dance."

Sasori tugged on his Chakra Threads, activating the mechanisms installed in the Termite puppet.

Six Puppet Arms clattered as they extended segment by segment, like an octopus. Each tip bore a conical spike, and they lashed out wildly at the sword-wielding ninja.

Clearly, after this puppet had been brought back from the examination, Sasori had extensively modified it. Its performance and power had both risen dramatically.

Shimizu's Little Boy did not have so many flashy functions. One hand was a mechanical claw, the other a Spiral-Toothed Blade, and it moved with astonishing speed.

This B-rank puppet had all its performance focused on agility. Once a puppeteer could bring out its full power, its speed, coupled with a certain degree of offensive ability, was enough to threaten quite a few Chunin-level ninja.

Working together, the two puppets were enough to suppress the sword-wielding Konoha Ninja.

But the sword-wielding Konoha Ninja had help.

He took the Summoning Scroll off his back and released over a hundred shuriken in an instant, scattering them in every direction like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

Termite's six arms abruptly froze in place.

On closer inspection, every shuriken was connected to an inconspicuous steel wire, tightly binding Termite's movements.

Little Boy was faster and smaller, and nearly every wire that touched it was cut apart by its two spinning weapons, allowing it to escape unharmed.

"It's not over yet!"

The middle-aged ninja clenched the steel wires between his teeth and continued forming Hand Seals.

Snake—Dragon—Rabbit—Tiger!

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

A thick stream of fire spewed from the middle-aged ninja's mouth, spreading along the fire oil that had been applied to the steel wires beforehand.

Shimizu tugged on his Chakra Threads and controlled Little Boy to cut the wires, trying to save Termite, but the enemy had already prepared for this.

"Now!"

The sword-wielding ninja stabbed his blade into the ground and performed a ninjutsu as well.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The gale swept over the flames, making the blaze burn even fiercer.

Sasori and Shimizu hurriedly pulled their respective puppets back.

Termite was likely already scrapped. Little Boy was fast enough that only a few components had been damaged.

"Black Secret Technique: Full Shield."

Sasori hurriedly controlled Ibuse to deploy its defense, while looking anxiously at Shimizu.

"Watch yourself."

Shimizu's expression remained calm as he gave Sasori a reminder and prepared to step forward for close combat.

But under the control of Chakra Threads, the hands of the Fatty Puppet had already begun driving the cylinder pistons, compressing air.

"Leaf Style Swordsmanship: Crescent Moon Dance!"

Wind Attribute Chakra coated the ninja blade, extending into a sword aura nearly a meter long. It curved around Ibuse's defenses from the side, attempting to behead Sasori and Shimizu in a single stroke.

Not far away, Miyaki and Kana had already raised their hands, ready to intervene.

"Black Secret Technique: Pneumatic Fist!"

The tall, burly Fatty Puppet swiftly turned and threw a punch.

Driven by the dual power of Chakra and a pneumatic pump, the force of that punch was enough to pierce metal and shatter stone.

The sword aura dispersed, the ninja blade shattered, and the sword-wielding ninja's body flew away like a broken rag doll.

"One down."

The muscular figure, as sturdy as diamond, turned around and strode toward the middle-aged ninja step by step.

"One left!"

The improved Fatty was a B-rank puppet under normal conditions. When Shimizu himself was inside it, piloting it, it could display B+-rank combat strength—two levels stronger than Little Boy.

That represented combat strength capable of defeating most Chunin.

Despair appeared on the middle-aged ninja's face.

His strength was already considered fairly good among Chunin. Though his talent was mediocre, after graduating as a Genin, he had climbed steadily step by step. His cautious way of handling matters had kept him alive until now, and he had traded over twenty years of accumulated military achievements for several ninjutsu.

Even if his aptitude was too limited for him to learn any ninjutsu above B-rank, he had still mastered several Fire Release techniques through hard work and diligence. His foundations were incomparably solid, and he could be considered an elite ninja. Otherwise, he would never have been selected for a mission like this.

But precisely because he was experienced, he knew that in this situation, there was no chance of survival.

"Black Secret Technique: Body Movement."

Sasori excitedly controlled the nearly scrapped Termite to dismantle its body, attempting to block any possible escape routes the middle-aged ninja might take.

Even though there was no way he could escape at all.

The middle-aged ninja still put up a desperate struggle, trying his best to find a way to live.

For a time, even with Shimizu wearing the Fatty Puppet, he could not finish him off—there was no helping it. Though its agility was far greater than Black Gold's, that was only relative.

Ninja specialized in agility and offense to begin with. None of them were slow. As a result, speed had become the Fatty Puppet's weakness.

After all, the Fatty Puppet had originally been designed as a puppet Shimizu wore as armor to protect himself.

Besides, Shimizu was not limited to controlling just one puppet.

Little Boy's agility perfectly complemented the Fatty Puppet.

With Sasori's assistance as well, the death of this Konoha Ninja was only a matter of time.

"They really are... incredible. As expected of members of the Puppet Force."

Kana watched Shimizu and Sasori with a face full of amazement.

The older one definitely possessed the combat strength to defeat most Chunin. The younger one was absolutely among the best of the Genin, and even ordinary Chunin would most likely be unable to take him down.

These two children looked to be only around ten years old, didn't they?

Miyaki was even more astonished.

Sasori's progress had not exceeded Miyaki's expectations, but Shimizu's current combat strength truly caught him by surprise.

"There's no longer any point in letting them continue gaining experience. Brother Kana, let's join hands and deal with the remaining people."

After watching for a few more seconds, Miyaki turned to Kana and spoke.

"Alright."

Kana gave a slight nod, forming Hand Seals with both hands as he prepared to act.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred.