Hatake Sakumo looked at Liu a short distance away. The other boy regarded him with an icy gaze. Sakumo knew it was not just because of their feud in the Forest of Death, but also because he had nearly killed the girl named Chizuru during the preliminary exams. He had never intended to do so and had reined in his strength at just the right moment, but to everyone else, the girl had indeed come close to dying at his hands.
"Prepare yourself, Hatake Sakumo." Liu tossed out the two scrolls he carried, then summoned two puppets to stand guard beside him.
When Hatake Sakumo saw that one of them was the defensive puppet Chizuru had used, he knew his guess had been right. Liu could already control two puppets at such a young age, a clear sign of his talent. His mother had reportedly been able to use five puppets back then; Sakumo wondered how many she could control now.
"This might not be the best thing to say, but I'll be the winner of this round," Hatake Sakumo said earnestly.
"Hah, don't think you're guaranteed to win just because you gained the upper hand twice before." Liu snorted. "I'm the son of the Puppet Ancestor's personal disciple. I will never lose to you."
"Was the Puppet Ancestor that man named Monzaemon? I heard my teacher destroyed several of his puppets back then, before he died under the combined assault of Mr. Kagami and the others. Facing those people alone and holding them off for a while was certainly impressive," said Hatake Sakumo.
"Ah, yes, there was that, too. Since you're Kazemori Masaki's student, I'll avenge not just Chizuru, but my mother and Lord Monzaemon as well." With that, Liu sent his puppets charging toward Hatake Sakumo.
Hatake Sakumo