Let's Fight One-on-One!

War wasn't a game of words. Only when you were really on the battlefield did you understand how strong your opponent was.

Even among the many powers in a world dominated by one great power, there were differences in strength.

Hoshino Maki glanced over the battlefield. Even after their successful sneak attack, the Sunagakure Shinobi had only gained a slight advantage overall.

Ultimately, they were outmatched in both the number and quality of their Jonin.

Most of Sunagakure's Jonin had been brought to the front lines by Pakura. The support force had only about a third as many Jonin as the Cloud Ninja, so the rest had to rely on groups of Chunin surrounding enemy Jonin and making up for the difference in strength with numbers.

But the gap between Chunin and Jonin was like a chasm. If Genin and Chunin fought, the side with more people could win, because the difference between them was effort.

When Chunin faced Jonin, however, they could do little more than hold them off, because the difference was talent.

Elite Jonin needed no explanation. Every one of them was among the best in their village.

The Cloud Ninja were gradually turning the tide. These cornered beasts were displaying astonishing fighting prowess against Sunagakure Shinobi who outnumbered them several times over.

"Lord Hoshino, we'll cover your retreat."

A bead of sweat the size of a bean slid down the cheek of the Jonin standing in front of him.

The Cloud Ninja before them wasn't even looking at him, but the sheer pressure of his presence already made the Jonin's heart pound.

"No need. Step aside."

Hoshino Maki withdrew his gaze and looked at Pashira, whose eyes were bloodshot. "One-on-one?"

Pashira hadn't expected a Medical Ninja to dare challenge him to a one-on-one fight.

A cruel smile spread across Pashira's face. He held out his thick hand and beckoned Hoshino Maki with his middle finger.

Hoshino Maki didn't take offense. He nodded and said, "Let me get ready first."

Pashira frowned, unsure what his opponent was preparing to do. Then Hoshino Maki let out a shrill whistle. The Sunagakure Shinobi on the battlefield immediately tossed Smoke Bombs at their feet and quickly withdrew.

Hoshino Maki then pressed his palms together. Six humanoid puppets burst from the ground around the battlefield. They were supposedly shaped like people, but in truth, they looked more like washing machines with six arms.

Click—

The six arms were arranged in a vertical line. Their joints unfolded, and they began spinning rapidly around the battlefield.

The rapidly spinning puppets formed a small tornado that blew away the smoke. By then, the Cloud Ninja on the field had been tightly bound by countless chains. They lay on the ground like silkworm cocoons, writhing helplessly.

"What... What is this?"

After trading blows with the Elite Jonin across from him, Kojima leaped away in perfect sync with his opponent. He stared at the battlefield, too stunned to speak.

With only a few exceptions, everyone had been restrained.

One Cloud Ninja tried to cut through the chains, but a companion beside him grabbed him. "Stay calm! Look at what's on them!"

He looked closely and saw that layers of paper covered in markings were wrapped around the chains.

Explosive Tags!

The Cloud Ninja who had tried to help turned deathly pale and collapsed to the ground, murmuring, "Little brother..."

The battlefield, which had been filled with the sounds of fighting and reduced to rubble, suddenly fell as silent as a library.

The Cloud Ninja couldn't accept that they had been fighting for their lives one moment and turned into prisoners the next. They couldn't even take their enemies down with them.

The Sunagakure Shinobi couldn't believe it either. The Cloud Ninja who had just been locked in a fierce struggle with them had been subdued so easily by Hoshino Maki?!

They couldn't reconcile the powerful Puppet Technique before their eyes with the approachable Medical Ninja who had joked with them just a few days ago.

The Sunagakure Shinobi instinctively thought of one of their village's banners: Chiyo.

Rasa, Pakura, and now Hoshino Maki—the strength of the younger generation made the hearts of some Shinobi who had fought in the last Ninja World War surge with excitement.

Was this a sign that Sunagakure was about to rise?

But the Jonin saw far more than that.

"No... No Chakra Threads?!"

Kojima's eyes widened in shock. What he was seeing overturned everything he had understood about the Puppet Technique.

The Puppet Technique had a short history. The Second Kazekage, Lord Shamon, had created it; Lord Monzaemon had inherited it and brought it to new heights; and in recent times, Lady Chiyo had carried the banner of this Ninjutsu.

Though it was called a Ninjutsu, it was more accurately described as a ninja art. The puppeteer used Chakra Threads to control the puppet's movements.

Every ninja knew, then, not to waste time fighting a puppet when facing a puppeteer. They should attack the puppeteer's vulnerable body instead.

But Kojima would swear on his own Chakra that he hadn't seen any connection between Hoshino Maki and the puppets!

The Cloud Ninja Jonin also understood how puppeteers operated. They tried to cut the Chakra Threads, but faced with 'invisible threads,' they could only look around helplessly, swords drawn.

One ninja refused to believe it. Lightning Release instantly covered his palm, and he struck between Hoshino Maki and the puppets with the speed of a thunderbolt.

His hand passed through the air without obstruction and slammed into the ground. Stones flew everywhere, pelting his bewildered face.

At the same time, the limbs of the nearest Cloud Ninja suddenly snapped. He wailed as he was lifted into the air. The puppet opened its mouth, aimed its dark barrel at him, and unleashed a blazing torrent of fire.

"No—!"

The Cloud Ninja watched his companion explode into pieces right before his eyes. His gaze turned bloodshot as he let out a pained, anguished cry.

"Don't blame me. You disregarded your comrade's safety and attacked me. I was only defending myself."

Hoshino Maki shrugged. At that moment, he felt like a great villain.

But when he remembered that they were at war, it didn't seem so inappropriate.

"If you don't behave, next time there'll be two fireworks."

Hoshino Maki spoke calmly.

His words doused the Cloud Ninja who wanted to risk everything like a bucket of cold water, bringing them to their senses at once.

Their companion had been reckless, but his sacrifice hadn't been in vain. At least they knew now that the puppets weren't controlled by Chakra Threads. That left them with only two options: destroy the puppets or kill the puppeteer before he detonated the Explosive Tags.

Kojima and several Jonin understood the puppeteer's weakness as well. Worried that the enemy might take a desperate gamble, they left the battlefield and immediately gathered in front of Hoshino Maki.

Without a way to kill the puppeteer, instantly subduing all six puppets was unrealistic.

Hoshino Maki swept his gaze across the battlefield, taking in the Cloud Ninja's angry, frightened stares and the Sunagakure Shinobi's expressions of admiration.

The Puppet Technique was even more powerful on the battlefield than he had imagined.

Of course, this wasn't an ordinary Puppet Technique. It was a Puppet Technique upgraded with upgrade points: the Intelligent Puppet.

But because he hadn't had much time to train and lacked suitable materials, he could only make some simple modifications to puppets discarded by the Chiyo Family.

So the puppets Hoshino Maki made still couldn't really be called intelligent. They could only be remotely controlled by pre-installed mechanisms to perform a few simple actions.

To upgrade the Puppet Technique, Hoshino Maki had nearly used up all the upgrade points he'd saved up over this period.

The system had no instruction manual, so he had to figure everything out on his own. He'd originally thought that spending just one point could upgrade any Ninjutsu, but this time, upgrading the Puppet Technique had shown him that wasn't the case.

Upgrading 'Puppet Technique Basics,' which the system had rated as C-rank, required five upgrade points. Hoshino Maki considered that a bargain.

Compared with the Eight Inner Gates, which he had no idea when he'd obtain, improving his immediate combat strength before heading to the battlefield was clearly the right choice.

And the Puppet Technique was undoubtedly perfect for that. With just a few outdated puppets and some Explosive Tags, it could be extremely effective.

"All right, no one's going to interrupt us now. Let's fight one-on-one!"

Hoshino Maki pushed past the ninja in front of him, walked up to Pashira, and spoke earnestly.