The battle on the right flank was tipping in Konoha's favor.
Under Hatake Sakumo's deadly, ghostlike blade, the married puppeteers Wenshu and Huxia were barely holding on, danger closing in from every side.
Of Wenshu's three signature core defensive puppets, only one remained relatively intact, and even its shell was covered in deep sword cuts. It no longer moved nearly as fluidly as before.
Sakumo had dismantled one of Huxia's two bladed puppets with exquisitely precise kenjutsu. The other had lost an arm, leaving glaring openings whenever it swung.
Both were pale, sweat and sand clinging to their faces. Alongside the venom in their eyes was a fear they could no longer conceal.
Sakumo's blade was faster and colder than in their last encounter, driven by an unwavering intent to kill. It was like death whispering constantly in their ears.
Meanwhile, Shinji Uchiha, Hizashi Hyuga, and Miwa Kato's battle against the four elite jonin from Sunagakure was also drawing to a close.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Hizashi Hyuga flowed toward the Puppet Wielder like water. Veins bulged around his Byakugan, and his palms became a blur.
The explosive tags and special ninja tools the Sand Shinobi desperately hurled were either deflected by precise Gentle Fist strikes and detonated prematurely or slapped straight to the ground. None could even establish an effective blast radius.
An instant later, palm strikes rained down on him, sealing his chakra points in a heartbeat. He froze, disbelief filling his eyes, then collapsed limply.
Almost simultaneously, Miwa Kato unleashed a no-frills "Monster Strength: Straight Punch," forcibly shattering the last Wind Release ninja's desperate "Wind Release: Pressure Damage."
Her fist, packed with tightly concentrated chakra, tore straight through the raging gale. The scattered currents gouged deep furrows into the sand beneath her feet.
The Wind Release ninja