Puppeteer Chahachiro

The puppeteer did not even have time to scream. His body convulsed violently once before all life left him, and the chakra threads controlling the Scorpion Puppet snapped instantly.

The Scorpion Puppet collapsed limply onto the ground as well.

"First!"

Uchiha Lan did not pause. His Sharingan spun as he instantly locked onto another puppeteer behind and to the side, who had sensed his companion's death and was shrinking back in terror!

Chidori's piercing screech rang out again.

Sizzle—!

Another blue flash of death! The puppeteer tried to block it with puppet threads.

But before absolute speed and destructive power, the tough chakra threads were effortlessly ripped apart like cobwebs!

"Second!"

"Enemy attack! Underground! Lightning Release! Spread out!"

The remaining puppeteers finally reacted, shrieking in terror as they tried to control their other puppets to burrow underground and defend, or flee in different directions themselves.

But Uchiha Lan was too fast! In the cramped underground space, with the Sharingan's insight and Lightning Release-enhanced speed, he was the deadliest hunter!

His figure flashed, dodging a small defensive puppet that burst from the earthen wall at his side with a blade raised. Chidori, shrieking harshly, pierced straight through the chest of the Hidden Sand ninja controlling it!

"Fourth!"

He made a sharp turn and caught up to a puppeteer trying to dig his way out. Chidori's lightning arrived first, piercing through him together with the earthen wall he had just formed before himself!

Within just a few breaths, the underground space filled with the heavy stench of scorched flesh and blood.

All four Hidden Sand puppeteers lurking underground died beneath Uchiha Lan's cold, precise Chidori assault!

Those puppets, large and small alike, regardless of what they had been doing on the surface, became like marionettes with severed strings. They instantly lost all power and fell stiffly to the ground or into the earth.

The lightning-wielding youth burst from the ground, first coughing up a mouthful of dirt, then stepping on a puppet and saying coldly:

"Sometimes, when dealing with puppets, you don't have to destroy the puppets. This is called capturing the king before the bandits!"

Back on the surface battlefield, his Sharingan swept across the field:

The jonin group led by Baiyun Zaojian had already pushed deep into the camp, fiercely clashing with Hidden Sand's elite forces. Firelight and the radiance of ninjutsu flashed continuously in the core area.

But the situation was not good. Several hundred Hidden Sand ninja had formed an attack formation and surrounded them on all sides.

Orochimaru and Manda's side was even more like the center of hell. The enormous snake's shadow churned, sweeping away whole swaths at once.

Not one of those ninja could restrain him. They could only wear him down with long-range attacks.

It could be said that if Orochimaru had not held back more than two hundred Hidden Sand ninja by himself, Baiyun Zaojian's jonin team would have been surrounded and killed long ago.

Ah, that guy with the white cloth wrapped over his bangs was Baki, right? He was actually hiding behind the others and secretly launching wind blades to ambush Orochimaru. No wonder he survived into Shippuden.

Uchiha Lan's side was the most relaxed. Perhaps because the enemy had realized that these few dozen Chunin were not particularly strong, they had sent only around a hundred people to hold them off.

"Captain, watch above you!"

Just as Uchiha Lan was distracted for a second, a cry of alarm rang out!

Uchiha Lan abruptly looked up to see a massive iron net covered in barbs descending from above!

At the same time, countless poison needles shot toward him with sharp whooshes.

Another puppeteer was controlling a puppet!

Uchiha Lan's pupils contracted. At the limit, his body erupted with chakra once more, and he raised two fingers like a blade!

"Body Flicker Technique!"

His figure flashed through a gap almost at the exact moment the iron net closed!

The iron net crashed to the ground, and the poison needles buried themselves deep in the soil, kicking up a cloud of toxic smoke.

"Bastard!!" the puppeteer controlling the iron-net puppet snarled furiously from afar.

After landing, Uchiha Lan whipped his head around. His scarlet Sharingan pierced through the chaotic battlefield and the spreading smoke, accurately locking onto a figure standing atop an earthen slope.

The man was not especially tall. Green paint covered his face, and his sharp eyes carried a steadiness and coldness beyond his years.

A huge scroll wrapped in bandages was strapped to his back, while two strangely shaped puppets radiating danger stood silently before him:

One resembled an enormous black fish, Ibuse. Cold light gleamed from its joints, and its hooked tail was raised high; the other looked like a giant humanoid bear trap, Black Ant, its arms spread wide to reveal what seemed to be lethal mechanisms inside.

A veteran Hidden Sand puppeteer—Chahachiro!

"Finally, someone decent has shown up."

Uchiha Lan's gaze sharpened, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

This man's chakra and precision in controlling puppets were far beyond the cannon fodder from before.

Chahachiro seemed to be studying Uchiha Lan as well. His eyes lingered for a moment on the other boy's scarlet Sharingan before he lowered his head, the corner of his mouth curving into a cold smile.

"An Uchiha from Konoha... no wonder you could kill those useless subordinates of mine. But your luck ends here."

Before his words had faded, Chahachiro's fingers began to dance with elegant, swift movements, as though plucking the strings of an instrument!

"Puppet Performance: Salamander!"

Buzz!

The massive black scorpion-shaped puppet—Ibuse—suddenly activated as though it were alive!

Rather than charging directly like an ordinary puppet, it swiftly closed in along an eerie zigzag path, using battlefield wreckage and corpses as cover!

At the same time, the casing on its abdomen suddenly opened, and dozens of tiny poison needles silently shot toward Uchiha Lan like a rainstorm!

The poison needles covered an enormous area, sealing off his space to dodge left or right!

"Puppet Performance: Black Ant!" Chahachiro's second command followed immediately!

The humanoid bear-trap puppet—Black Ant—flung its arms open, revealing pitch-black launch ports within!

Pfft pfft pfft pfft—!!!

Along with the poison needles came huge clouds of viscous, deep-purple toxic mist that carried a pungent, nauseating stench!

The toxic fog spread and surged rapidly like a living creature, aimed directly at Uchiha Lan and the Chunin squad behind him!

A combined killing move—poison needles to limit movement, toxic fog to clear the field and deal sustained damage!

"Spread out! Stay away from the toxic fog!"

Uchiha Lan shouted as his Sharingan spun wildly!

His dynamic vision took in the trajectories of the poison needles filling the sky! His body reacted instantly. Instead of merely using Body Flicker in a straight line, he imitated Orochimaru's bizarre serpentine movements from before!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

His figure twisted through gaps between the poison needles like a slick loach, continuously changing direction at unbelievable angles!

Most of the poison needles grazed past him and embedded themselves in the ground behind him, hissing as they corroded the earth.

But the needles were too dense. Several still grazed his arms and calves, bringing a familiar burning pain and numbness. The toxins were stacking up!

Even more troublesome was the toxic fog! The purple miasma spread rapidly, on the verge of swallowing him and several nearby Chunin!