Forest Sea (Part 1)

In this battle, Hanyu did not intend to display his unfathomable speed of technique execution... It was not that he did not want to, but that he could not. If this were merely combat training, he could squander his chakra as he pleased, but when facing a ninja like Monzaemon, what difference was there between exhausting one's chakra and death?

On the grass, on the tree trunks, and in the canopies of the evergreen trees, ten puppets crouched or stood. They were arranged in layers, near and far, guarding Monzaemon in the center... There were no bodyguards more loyal than puppets.

Monzaemon moved his ten fingers in a blur, and the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets began to move rapidly under his command. Although he had been stunned for a second because he had not expected the enemy to launch the first strike, his reaction was still extremely timely.

Amidst the dense, eerie, and ear-piercing clattering of the puppets, three of the ten charged straight toward the oncoming Hanyu. Hanyu, however, ignored them. His hands flew up and down, weaving one seal after another, while he whispered to his companion:

"Nara!"

At such a moment, Nara naturally knew what he had to do. The pitch-black shadow beneath his feet seemed to suddenly possess a life of its own, transforming into tentacles that extended forward. The shadow rapidly overtook Hanyu's figure, connecting to the feet of the three puppets first.

The raised blades of the three puppets were brought to a grinding halt. At the same time, three of Monzaemon's fingers jerked; clearly, he had sensed that those three puppets were no longer under his control.

Old men are always prone to declining chakra, aren't they? Hanyu thought, then brushed past the three puppets.

Although the Shadow Possession Technique of the Nara clan was an exceptionally convenient and highly controlling ninjutsu, Nara Nagisa was, after all, a young ninja. His technique was far from seasoned, and his chakra was far from powerful, let alone capable of wrestling control of puppets away from Monzaemon. For a ninja as powerful as the latter, he should have been able to break free from the restraint immediately.

However, judging solely by his appearance, Monzaemon was already in his late seventies. No matter how cruel he appeared, in reality, he was just an old ninja barely managing to fight for his village... How strong could his chakra really be?

In truth, Monzaemon had long since become the type of ninja who relied on experience rather than chakra to fight. His reputation was loud and his threat was great, but his strength was no longer what it once was. It was safe to assume that even five years ago, he would not have been caught off guard by a mere chunin-level ninja like Nara Nagisa.

If Nara knew the thoughts flashing through Hanyu's mind, he would certainly have cursed out loud. It was easy to talk when you weren't the one in the line of fire; how could things be so simple? For him, controlling those three puppets felt like sitting on a volcano—he was restless, and it was actually his side that was on the verge of losing control.

Nara did not feel that Monzaemon's chakra had weakened much due to age. While struggling to control the three puppets, he was also pinned in place, unable to provide further support to Hanyu.

After bypassing the puppets, Hanyu finished the seals in his hands. He took a deep, sharp breath, filling his lungs with fresh air, and then exhaled violently:

Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!

The scorching Fire Dragon Flame Bullet was particularly conspicuous in the dimming forest. A surging wave of heat billowed outward with Hanyu at the center, the roaring flames aimed directly at Monzaemon, who was over ten meters away.

How could such an exaggerated, undisguised, and powerful—yet slow—ninjutsu possibly land a direct hit? Without a second thought, Monzaemon immediately blocked his front with three other puppets.

BOOM!

The Fire Dragon Flame Bullet slammed directly into the three puppets, instantly scattering into sparks. A powerful ninjutsu had achieved nothing more than this.

Puppets were a very special type of ninja tool. During their creation, they were undoubtedly tested for fire resistance, pressure tolerance, wear resistance, load-bearing, desert and water environments, and extreme temperatures. This was especially true for top-tier puppets like the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, whose design specifications were certainly even higher.

If they couldn't even withstand Fire Style or Water Style, the utility of puppets would be far too narrow. Therefore, Hanyu's Fire Style had only caused superficial damage to those three puppets.

But immediately afterward, a shuriken trailing a transparent wire slipped imperceptibly through the gap left by the three puppets. Taking advantage of the bright glare caused by the Fire Style, it wrapped around one of Monzaemon's arms at an incredibly tricky angle.

Hidden within the Fire Style was another Fire Style.

Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique.

There was almost no time gap between Hanyu's two Fire Style attacks.

This was also a range-damage Fire Style ninjutsu, but unlike the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, the Dragon Fire Technique, which relied on wire guidance, was in a sense "guided."

The scorching wave of fire surged toward Monzaemon again. Because he had been hit by the shuriken first, he had no way to dodge. Furthermore, due to the high-temperature environment created by the previous Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, the C-rank Dragon Fire Technique unleashed a momentum and power far exceeding its grade.

Then, Monzaemon, struck by the Dragon Fire Technique, began to burn violently... The one who had been beating up the old man had finally been found.

Despite landing the hit, Hanyu frowned; he felt something was wrong. Although he had designed this continuous attack, the fact that it had achieved such an exaggerated effect was truly hard to believe... No matter how ingenious, a trick was just a trick. How much effect could it really have on a ninja like Monzaemon? Hanyu was skeptical, and his trick wasn't even that ingenious to begin with.

More direct evidence was that Monzaemon had been burning quietly. Within the flames, he neither struggled nor wailed; he simply stood motionless in place.

The Chikamatsu Ten Puppets had also ceased all movement.

Hanyu raised one hand, signaling his companions not to act rashly, while he stared fixedly at the burning Monzaemon.

"Truly remarkable, to have hit my substitute so quickly... But the more this is the case, the more you must die here today. I cannot give you the chance to grow."

As a Sand Village ninja, this attitude was correct; if there was an opportunity, threats had to be nipped in the bud.

The flames of the Dragon Fire Technique gradually died out, but Monzaemon's voice did not come from there. Hanyu and the others suddenly shifted their gaze to the canopy where they had first hidden, only to see another Monzaemon standing there.

No, it should be said that Monzaemon had been there the entire time.

He flicked his index finger lightly, and the finger of the figure that had just been revealed in the flames moved as well. Then, one of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets moved, assuming an attacking posture.

Clearly, what Hanyu had just hit was still a substitute—a puppet Monzaemon had crafted using himself as a template.

It was not uncommon for puppeteers to modify their own bodies or create a puppet identical to themselves as a substitute. However, this act of controlling a substitute puppet, and then using that substitute to control a massive group of puppets, was unheard of. No wonder the movements of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets hadn't been that precise earlier; they were essentially being controlled by only one finger.

One finger, controlling eleven puppets—what kind of operational ability was this?

"Senior, you are a bit too vigorous for your age..."

Hanyu's heart finally sank.

So much for fighting with full strength... It turned out he was just playing around. Although this cautious behavior of hiding his true body made sense—after all, it kept Monzaemon in an invincible position—this was indeed just playing around.

As an opponent encountered in the very first battle, Monzaemon was a bit too strong. What happened to the low-level mobs meant to feed them experience?