Ninjas and Puppets

The swift-moving Spider Puppet darted forward and pounced on Akashi. Blades gleamed coldly at its joints as it thrust them at him at lightning speed!

Though it was only a puppet, it radiated an intense killing intent.

Akashi watched its movements closely with his Sharingan, seeing every twitch of the Chakra Threads controlling it.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

In an instant, a powerful blast of air and force erupted.

The Spider Puppet's attack stalled in midair. Its blades bent, then it was hurled away with a crash two seconds later.

"That guy's Wind Release is powerful!" Fukuyama cried in alarm.

"He might withstand the first wave, but not the second," said a Sand Ninja beside him dismissively.

But before he had finished speaking, the storm swept in again.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

The Sand Ninja, who had just been preparing to launch a second attack, hurriedly braced themselves. They stared at the Uchiha boy in shock. "Again? Let's see how much chakra you've got!"

Several Sand Ninja raised their Humanoid Puppets and unleashed ninjutsu, mixing in a barrage of poison needles as fine as hair and sharp as razors.

Akashi formed hand seals again, and again, without stopping!

Wind Release, Wind Release, Wind Release...

Great Breakthrough! Another blast of Great Breakthrough!

The air shuddered, forming a towering wall that rose layer upon layer and stopped them from advancing.

The puppets, continuously battered by the gale, shuddered at their joints. Their precision mechanisms collided under the repeated vibrations and pressure, until they finally broke apart!

Without their shields, the Sand Ninja had to face Akashi directly.

Yet another Great Breakthrough barreled toward them!

"Again?"

This time, the Sand Ninja charging at the front were sent flying.

The damage wasn't too bad, but when they landed, they were left covered in dust and looking thoroughly battered.

"Dammit, is this his normal attack?" Fukuyama cursed. "Should someone his age really have this much chakra?"

Akashi held off three or four Sand Ninja by himself, using his chakra advantage to keep the battle at a standstill.

Meanwhile, Kudo Yukiyuki summoned a spirit beast, which charged up the valley. Another jonin launched a large-scale Earth Release counterattack, giving the Konoha Ninja, who had been struggling to cope, a brief respite.

Of the twelve-person squad, four were badly wounded and three lightly wounded. The enemy had nine people left.

Four puppets remained. In the Sand Ninja's hands, they clacked as their mechanisms turned. Their bodies looked ready to fall apart at any moment, yet they also seemed capable of drawing their weapons in an instant.

All four limbs were fitted with knives, and hidden compartments in their joints could launch ninja tools.

They were a formidable sight.

Though the Konoha Ninja had forced the Sand Ninja to pause their attacks, the balance between the two sides had not changed.

They had to break through as soon as possible.

A warm breeze swept past, bringing no relief from the heat.

From the corner of his eye, Akashi saw his comrades locked in desperate struggles. Shingetsu's Byakugan gave her extraordinary perception, enough to keep herself safe, but several attempts to break through had been blocked. Meanwhile, Aobou, who had kept a low profile until now, was performing remarkably well. He was holding his own against two Sand Ninja on his own.

There was definitely more to him than met the eye.

The Sand Ninja clearly didn't want to drag this out. They exchanged glances and gathered together.

"I've got a big surprise for you!" Fukuyama jerked his arm, and all the puppets activated their mechanisms.

The Humanoid Puppet swung two great blades, stirring up a gale.

The other Sand Ninja's puppets opened their chests, revealing huge hollow spaces. Behind them, their masters formed hand seals and used Wind Release.

It all happened in an instant.

At the same time, Fukuyama shouted, "Vacuum Tornado!"

With a boom, the air exploded. Two Wind Holes drew in the currents, whipping them into a frenzy. The puppets amplified the Wind Release, creating a terrifying vortex.

The surrounding puppets joined together like a stack of people, then suddenly opened up to reveal countless sharp blades. Their edges glinted as they spun at high speed, forming a gigantic meat grinder.

Their coordination was so precise that it seemed rehearsed.

Puppet theater had originally been a stage art. Ninjas had adapted it into a form of ninjutsu, and now, in the hands of a puppeteer, it had become a spectacular performance all over again.

The cliff walls trembled, the air currents turned chaotic, and loose rocks were swept up and ground to powder.

The powerful suction pinned the Konoha Ninja in place. When the wounded could no longer hold on, they were dragged straight into the blades, spraying blood.

"Atsushi!"

"Those damn Sand Ninja! Aah!"

Seeing their teammate die, the Konoha Ninja charged ahead without hesitation.

"Don't!" Kudo Yukiyuki shouted.

But it was too late. The Sand Ninja had been ready, and two Wind Cutters struck from either side, tearing their target apart. A cross-shaped wound opened, and bright red blood spurted out.

Shingetsu had maintained her Byakugan all along, and the chakra cost had been substantial. Now, she was struggling to keep it up.

She bit her lip and was about to risk breaking through the center of the gale, using Rotation to escape their predicament, when Akashi stepped in front of her. A thunderous shout rang in her ears.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Sometimes, a shout wasn't meant to announce a technique; it was meant to lift everyone's spirits.

Several long snakes shot forward, and the Konoha Ninja rallied!

The wind dragged the snakes toward the Wind Holes at visible speed. Their abilities to coil, intimidate, and restrain were useless against the puppets, and even their final bite could only damage the outer shell, not inject poison.

Besides, the tornado's suction was so strong that the snakes ran straight into the blades before they could reach their targets.

But Akashi's pupils narrowed. He shouted, "Explode!"

The snakes opened their mouths. The Explosive Tags inside flickered, then detonated right in front of the puppets!

Boom!

The puppets' combined technique collapsed instantly.

Several Sand Ninja were caught off guard and blown away by the shock wave. The puppets' blades broke loose, and some even stabbed their owners. A gap suddenly opened in the Sand Ninja's defenses, and they couldn't move to cover it in time.

The Sand Ninja froze, and even the Konoha Ninja were stunned.

Wasn't Hidden Shadow Snake Hands Orochimaru's technique?

How could an Uchiha use it?

And no one had expected him to send snakes carrying Explosive Tags into the heart of the vortex to break the Wind Release!

Kudo Yukiyuki was amazed, and at the same time felt his spirits soar.

He raised his sword and shouted, "Counterattack!"

"You brat! You've ruined everything!"

Fukuyama was shocked and furious. He roared as he danced his fingers.

The surprise attack had blown away much of the puppets' bodies, leaving only their frames operable. Their sharp blades had suffered little damage and were still thrusting toward Akashi.

But the next moment—

Aobou sprinted along the cliff wall, his blade gleaming, and severed the Chakra Threads.

The puppet pitched forward and crashed to the ground.

What a sharp sword technique!

Akashi furrowed his brows slightly, feeling a strange pang of unease.

Just then, Kudo Yukiyuki led two wounded teammates through the opening under Shingetsu's cover. Taking aim at the puppets from behind, he drew his Kunai and thrust it forward.

Clang, clang, clang—

The last puppets collapsed to the ground.

The Sand Ninja's advantage crumbled. Fukuyama looked at the situation, and saw that their casualties were mounting.

Konoha still had seven people, while his side had no puppets left.

The puppeteer, deprived of his strongest weapon, was quickly killed. Only Fukuyama and three others remained.

"Atsushi's child had only just turned a month old. He could have gone home as soon as the mission was over..."

The Konoha jonin stared at his fallen comrade, clenching his fists. "I'll avenge him!"

Fukuyama only sneered. "Hmph. Konoha Ninja have children, but don't the shinobi of Sunagakure have children too? Nobody wants to die, and nobody wants to lose their loved ones. But you came here to fight..."

"Don't try to make excuses for yourself!"

"Naive!" Fukuyama roared. "This isn't my fault. It's the inevitable result of war. You can say whatever you want, but you're just a puppet."

A puppet...?

Akashi stopped after killing a Sand Ninja.

That was true. Wasn't the course of the entire Shinobi World just like a puppet show?

Fukuyama spread his bony fingers. His eyelids twitched as he gazed at his fallen comrades, tears glimmering in his eyes. "Ninjas are just like puppets. We're all things controlled by others!"

"Don't you dare demean ninjas!"

A crescent of light sprang from behind Fukuyama. Kudo Yukiyuki stood firm, his expression unwavering. He took a deep breath. "Ninjas are not puppets. We have dreams that no one has the right to trample on!"

With that, he twisted his blade.

Fukuyama's furious expression froze on his face.

Every Sand Ninja in the valley had been wiped out.

The mission had failed because the intelligence was wrong, but at least they had defeated the enemy. That was something.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, Shingetsu suddenly looked alarmed and turned toward Akashi. "This is bad..."

"What's wrong?"

"Sand Ninja reinforcements are gathering in this direction!"