At Yamanaka Fū's command, several Kunai wrapped in Explosive Tags flew toward Pakura.
He was curious how this Sand Ninja had recognized him
and even identified his secret technique.
But for now, his main task was to eliminate any interference and kill Pakura quickly.
He could investigate the details through her corpse after the battle.
For the Yamanaka Clan, even the dead could speak!
Pakura also knew of Yamanaka Fū's reputation and how terrifying the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques were.
In a one-on-one fight, the Mind Body Switch Technique was not particularly useful.
But with someone to back him up, being caught by the Mind Body Switch Technique would almost certainly mean death!
Two Jonin were facing her, backed by six Chunin whose elemental affinities countered hers.
They really had gone to great lengths for her, Pakura!
Watching the Water Dragon Bullet and the Kunai with Explosive Tags rushing toward her,
Pakura gathered Extremely Steaming Murder to counter them and said to Mukai and Sasori with a wry smile:
"Judging by this, Konoha's Danzo and Amegakure's Hanzō have joined forces to kill me.
Sorry, they went out of their way to arrange so many ninja who counter me.
I'm afraid I'm going to die here today.
I'm their main target.
I'll do my best to hold them off for a while.
You two, use that puppet device and run!
Tell Elder Chiyo about this.
Tell her to watch out for an enemy informant in the village!"
The two orange locks over Pakura's forehead began to flutter as her Chakra surged.
By then, dozens of Extremely Steaming Murder fireballs had formed in front of her.
Standing in front of the two, Pakura fully demonstrated the responsibility of a village Jonin.
Having given her final instructions, she prepared to fight for her life.
This trap had been set up entirely around elemental affinities that countered hers.
Pakura was not known for her speed. All she could do now was kill a few more enemies
and buy those two interesting boys more time to escape!
Scorch Release-Extremely Steaming Murder!
Pakura controlled six scorching fireballs, detonating them all in front of her at once.
Their immense flames blocked the incoming Kunai and Water Dragon Bullet.
She also used the terrifying fireballs to keep Yamanaka Fū at bay.
"Run! I can't hold them off much longer!"
Yamanaka Fū and the other Rain Ninja were in no hurry. They used Ninjutsu to wear Pakura down while taunting her:
"Oh! That really is an impressive Kekkei Genkai!
Surrender and we won't kill you. How about it?"
"Don't waste your strength. There's plenty of moisture here.
Our Water Release can hold its own against your Extremely Steaming Murder using the same amount of Chakra.
But there are more of us! Hahahaha..."
"Pakura, someone in your own village wants you dead.
Why serve a village like that?
Stop resisting!"
Pakura had to dodge the Root ninja's surprise sword attacks while using Ninjutsu to fight the Rain Ninja.
If her Extremely Steaming Murder had not been so overpowering, capable of instantly draining the moisture from a body with a mere graze,
the Root swordsmen would have been even bolder in their surprise charges.
She had no time to worry about the two boys now.
A searing pain ran through her waist.
A Root ninja had caught her with a solid slash using the Hiding Like a Mole Technique.
Even so, she kept driving her Chakra, producing more Extremely Steaming Murder fireballs to block the ninja's path.
He had traded an arm for that slash, but the Root ninja was like an emotionless killing machine, still ready to charge in for a sneak attack whenever he found an opening.
All Pakura wanted was to buy the two boys a little more time to escape.
She had given up defending herself, hoping only to throw a few more fireballs.
"Come on! See what I can do!"
Pakura sealed the wound at her waist with intense heat,
dodging the incoming Kunai as she formed and hurled fireballs with all her strength, detonating them to drive back the ninja who were toying with her.
Just as she was in dire peril, two tall figures leaped in front of her.
Mukai, who was now nearly as tall as Pakura, held up the shield on his arm and said:
"Sorry, Teacher Pakura. Sasori and I aren't used to running away.
It took a little time to put these puppets on, but now we'll show you
what the little things Sasori and I put together can do!"
Pakura stared in astonishment at the two boys, who looked completely different.
Mukai was easier to understand. He simply looked as though he had strapped wooden puppet panels to his body.
It was a little like the armor worn by samurai from the Land of Iron, though it looked more elaborate.
Sasori, meanwhile, was completely enclosed in a giant spherical puppet over two meters tall!
Not only did the giant puppet have two enormous arms, but a sharp, flexible stinger also extended from its back?
What was this? Sasori's new puppet creation?
Didn't puppeteers control their puppets from the outside?
A puppet that big? Could he control it?
What happened next shocked Pakura even more.
Mukai was an elemental Ninjutsu user who knew a little Sensory Ninjutsu, while Sasori was a puppeteer well known in the village.
Both were fragile ninja with strong offense and weak defense!
What were those two boys doing charging straight in like that?
Since when did puppeteers and elemental Ninjutsu users lead the charge in battle?
Yamanaka Fū had been watching the battlefield closely.
When Pakura fought to unleash her Scorch Release and cover the two young ninja's escape,
their main target had been Pakura, so they had not split off anyone to pursue them.
He had found it a little strange to see that the two had not left.
A moment later, he saw them take two peculiar puppets from the storage scrolls behind their waists.
More than that, in full view of everyone, the two had climbed straight into the puppets and charged at them!
Were they coming to throw their lives away?
Were they trying to buy Pakura time to escape?
How naïve!
Even puppets that big could not withstand their combined attacks!
Besides, with the frail puppeteers inside the puppets,
the swordsmen would not have to deal with the puppets and their operators separately. They could take them all out at once!
Yamanaka Fū immediately ordered:
"Amegakure, keep Pakura pinned down with Water Release. Everyone else, kill those two puppeteers quickly!"
As Yamanaka Fū gave orders, he tossed the puppet in his hand up and down.
He kept his eyes on Pakura, ready to release the Mind Body Switch Technique puppet the moment she exposed an opening!
In a group battle, once they had control of her, the fight would be over.
Pakura was effectively facing suppression from five ninja at once.
Hard-pressed herself, she could not look after the two boys who had charged in wearing puppets.
And if Mukai and Sasori had not made every preparation, why would they have charged in so fiercely?
As Sasori moved on all four limbs, he had finished winding the ratchets in his jumping legs.
Mukai, running forward beside him, had also opened all the air vents on his back.
The air inside was building up pressure and storing power.
Mukai held the shield deployed on his left arm in front of him to block the incoming Kunai.
Sasori, on the other hand, relied on the Mountain God Prototype to take the hits head-on!
Against a refined-steel shell this thick, those Kunai could only leave white marks on its surface!
"Sasori, let's go!"
Having judged the distance, Mukai suddenly spoke.
To Yamanaka Fū and the others, the two suddenly stopped running for a second.
Then a tremendous roar erupted.
Sasori's Mountain God Prototype mecha dug its two steel arms into the ground to build power,
lowering its head toward the Root ninja ahead.
With the ratchets in its jumping legs continuing to wind, it had reached the critical point.
Mukai's Zealot Mecha, meanwhile, dropped into a lunge,
its left-hand shield raised in front of it and a buzzing arm blade extending from its right arm.
Almost simultaneously, Sasori launched into a head-down charge, while Mukai propelled himself forward with the jets on his back at full power. Both became blurs!
With a tremendous rush of air, they crashed straight into the Root ninja's formation!