The Puppeteer's Trap

After a long journey of six days, we finally arrived at the border.

The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire do not share a border; the Land of Rivers, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Grass serve as buffer zones. Yet, for this invasion, the Sunagakure ninja have pushed directly into the territory of the Land of Fire.

They constantly provoke conflicts, constantly agitating Konoha.

Their goal is to drag the newly stabilized Land of Fire back into the fires of war.

Firstly, it diverts domestic tensions; secondly, it attempts to narrow the economic gap. In any case, those with nothing to lose fear nothing; Sunagakure is simply more willing to gamble than Konoha.

Upon arriving at the front lines, Kudo Yukiyuki's squad immediately accepted an A-rank mission.

[Intercept the Sunagakure supply route in the southwest.]

Ever since the scorched-earth tactics were implemented, the Sunagakure ninja have been unable to rely on looting for resources. Coupled with the medical needs of their wounded, supplies have become critical.

Upon learning this, Shingetsu was somewhat surprised: "How did a reconnaissance mission turn into a combat mission?"

Kudo Yukiyuki explained: "The situation is unpredictable; this is normal. You should have been prepared for combat when you came here."

"That goes without saying."

"We will be operating alongside two other garrison squads."

After a brief exchange, the three squads converged and set off.

They traveled through uninhabited territory, heading toward the Land of Rivers.

This was already a war zone where lives could be lost at any moment. Shingetsu activated her Byakugan to observe the surroundings within her line of sight.

"About eight hundred meters directly ahead, there is someone lying in ambush in the treetops—likely a scout. At two o'clock, about six hundred meters away, a three-man squad is moving west..."

As she reported, the group shared the vision provided by the Byakugan.

The flanking squad went to intercept the moving Sunagakure ninja, while Kudo Yukiyuki led Akashi and the others to take out the scout head-on, crossing the first line of defense.

No disguise or ambush could escape the insight of the Byakugan.

Half a day passed.

The surprise attack plan proceeded smoothly.

According to the markings on the map, the supply line identified earlier was in a valley not far ahead.

The terrain was treacherous and the path narrow, but it was extremely well-hidden.

As the group drew closer to the target, Kudo Yukiyuki raised a hand to signal a halt.

"Stop for a moment; let's deploy. The Sunagakure supply transport team will certainly have plenty of guards. Although we broke through the outposts, the real battle is only just beginning."

He looked at Shingetsu: "Report the situation."

"At twelve o'clock, there are three enemies; at three o'clock, four enemies; at ten o'clock, two enemies. All are within about a kilometer."

Shingetsu reported concisely.

At such close range, it would take no time at all to reach them.

Kudo Yukiyuki smiled: "Very good. Ueno's squad will be responsible for launching a feint attack from the front to draw the enemy's attention. We will flank them and crush them in a pincer attack."

"Understood!"

The group responded.

Since the enemy's numbers were fewer than theirs, a pincer tactic was effective.

Under Kudo Yukiyuki's lead, Akashi and the others detoured toward the valley, while Ueno's squad launched a charge from the front.

The plan was executed perfectly.

Just as the Sunagakure ninja in front became embroiled in battle, Kudo Yukiyuki waved his arm—Attack!

With the enemy's positions and numbers revealed by the Byakugan, they became completely exposed targets. In an instant, ninja tools were unleashed, and Akashi opened the path with a Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

Following closely behind, the group charged forward.

The narrow, long valley was the perfect terrain for an encirclement; a surprise attack could shatter the opposition instantly.

"Konoha ninja, we've been waiting for you!"

The response to their assault was a thunderous roar.

It was as if they had known of Konoha's movements all along, blocking the offensive one by one. A bloated Sunagakure jonin revealed an exaggerated grin, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty desire.

"Damn it, they have a sensory-type ninja in their squad too!" Kudo Yukiyuki was shocked and immediately warned, "Everyone, be careful!"

At that moment, explosions erupted on the cliff walls.

Massive rocks collapsed, and countless boulders tumbled down, blocking the path. The resulting dust obscured their vision, and the Sunagakure ninja jumped to the top of the valley in a pre-planned maneuver.

The Konoha ninja, caught off guard, fell into disarray.

"Seize the high ground! We cannot be trapped inside!" Kudo Yukiyuki decided instantly.

"It's too late!" Shingetsu's vision pierced through the smoke.

She saw the Sunagakure ninja untie their bundles and rip off the bandages, revealing the hideous nature of what lay beneath.

Puppets.

The signature of Sunagakure, the puppeteers.

"Remember my name, Sand Skeleton, Fukuyama!" The ninja called Fukuyama generated chakra threads from his hands, his ten fingers dancing in a complex rhythm.

The technique of controlling puppets in combat is notoriously difficult to master, and because most of their combat power is invested in the puppets, the users themselves become quite vulnerable; those who dare to appear on the battlefield are generally elites.

To be able to operate two puppets simultaneously is already a sign of impressive skill.

The humanoid puppet emitted a "clack-clack-clack" sound as its joints shuddered, sharp drills extending from its five fingers and jagged, lethal saw blades unfolding around its waist—it was armed to the teeth.

The other, spider-shaped puppet opened its maw to reveal a flamethrower, its two protruding eyeballs gleaming with a stark, eerie white light.

Fukuyama surveyed the squad before him, letting out a strange, grating sound: "That Orochimaru, who claims to be one of the Three Legendary Sannin, isn't even here. What a disappointment; I had hoped to wipe them all out in one go."

"Do not be careless."

Another jonin remained extremely calm, "Finish this quickly!"

"Hahahaha, my puppets have been starving for a taste of battle!" Several Sunagakure ninja commanded their puppets to dance in grotesque postures, spinning with heavy arms and heads swinging wildly.

A bone-chilling sound of blades scraping against metal echoed in the air as seven or eight sharp weapons thrust out from the loose, skeletal frames.

There are simply too many things a puppet can hide.

Sometimes they can take on multiple opponents at once, relying entirely on their chaotic array of weapons and hidden capabilities.

Furthermore, there were at least six puppeteers on the scene.

The intelligence was wrong!

This battlefield had been specifically chosen by Sunagakure.

It wasn't a supply line at all, but a trap!

The terrain was narrow, perfect for containment, making escape incredibly difficult.

Luring the enemy deep, like catching a turtle in a jar.

The overly smooth progress in the early stages had caused the Konoha ninja to lower their guard, and now, the roles of hunter and prey had reversed.

If it weren't for the Byakugan clearing out the hidden sentries along the way, the Sunagakure ninja would have known their exact route, and if they had been pincered, the situation would have been even more unimaginable.

Fukuyama tugged at his chakra threads, the mechanical joints clicking as he let out a terrifying, cold laugh, while simultaneously spewing a massive fireball from his open mouth.

Seeing this, the Sunagakure ninja on both sides unleashed Wind Release.

Fire may be countered by wind, but wind also fuels the fire!

Senbon flew from the fingertips of the puppets, while shuriken and kunai rained down; propelled by the wind, the fireball exploded with violent force.

From their high vantage point, they had created a suffocating kill zone.

With no cover nearby to hide behind, the Konoha ninja could only struggle to defend themselves.

Several men were sliced by sharp edges, leaving behind bloody, gaping wounds.

Soon, the wounds began to fester, oozing a sticky liquid that ate through the flesh, leaving hollowed-out holes as a foul stench filled the air.

"Watch out, the ninja tools are coated in poison!"

Akashi shouted a warning; there were no medical ninja on-site, let alone antidotes, and if one were struck by the potent toxin, death would likely be the only outcome.

As more puppets closed in, their attacks became even more ferocious.

If this continued, their morale would collapse first.

"Everyone, don't get bogged down fighting the puppets—target the puppeteers!" Akashi used his Sharingan to track the chakra threads.

"Hmph, wishful thinking!"

Fukuyama's stout body leaped into the air, his fingers maneuvering the spider puppet to take flight, its legs unfolding long, hooked barbs as it spun at high speed.

It lunged straight for Akashi.