Hoshino tilted his head to dodge the incoming Shuriken and looked toward the mocking voice.
Five figures stood a short distance away, all wearing Forehead Protectors representing Iwagakure.
But judging by their dark skin and muscular builds, they were clearly those brutes from Kumogakure.
Such a halfhearted disguise wouldn't fool even a ghost.
"Captain, I've got trouble here. People from Kumogakure have arrived. Five of them, strength unknown."
Hoshino reported the situation to the rest of his teammates through his headset.
"Understood! Fox Shadow, Faceless, go support Spirit Puppet. Spirit Puppet, hold them off. You can let one or two through if necessary."
Shaji's orders soon came through the headset.
"Understood!"
Fox Shadow and Faceless quickly changed direction, controlling their puppets as they charged straight at the Kumogakure ninja.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
As they moved, countless poisoned needles, Senbon and Shuriken flew out, cutting off all five opponents' escape routes.
The five Kumogakure ninja didn't panic when they saw their retreat had been cut off.
"Yun, take someone and deal with that kid. The rest of you, come with me and seize their Puppet Technique."
The burly man in the lead let out a rough laugh.
The ninja called Yun was an agile young man.
He nodded upon hearing the order and strode toward Hoshino with the companion beside him.
The others followed the burly man as he charged at Fox Shadow and Faceless.
"They really are a bunch of brainless brutes!"
Hoshino watched the two men approach, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. There wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes.
Boom-
A muffled blast rang out, and flames erupted, mingled with bits of flesh and blood.
The Kumogakure ninja in front let out a bloodcurdling scream as his foot was instantly pulverized in the explosion.
In the firelight, another small spider leaped out of the ground and swiftly climbed up his trouser leg.
In the blink of an eye, it had reached his neck.
Another muffled explosion immediately followed.
The powerful blast blew his neck apart, leaving his head dangling limply against one shoulder, attached by flesh and sinew.
It was a bloody, horrifying sight.
Warm blood spurted out like a fountain, spraying in every direction.
"You bastard dwarf, I'll kill you!"
The sudden, gruesome sight made Yun's eyes turn red in an instant, and his gaze filled with killing intent as he looked at Hoshino.
"Lightning Release: Thunderstorm Fist!"
With a shout, Yun's fists became wreathed in lightning, crackling with electric current.
Hoshino watched his opponent's movements through his glasses while controlling the small spider puppets around him, sending them scurrying across the sand to lay a series of hidden traps.
At the same time, he formed Hand Seals and shouted in a low voice, "Sand Clone Technique!"
In an instant, the sand on the ground gathered rapidly, forming two sand clones identical to him. They moved to attack Yun from both sides.
"You dare make a fool of yourself with these little tricks?"
A trace of disdain flashed in Yun's eyes. He swung his right fist and smashed the attacking sand clones into loose sand one after another.
Hoshino took the opportunity to move to a protrusion in the rock wall.
Seven fly puppets were distracting Yun's vision with their spiraling flight paths, while three spiders silently burrowed into the sand.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Hoshino formed Hand Seals, and the sand beneath Yun's feet suddenly gave way.
But Yun reacted swiftly, wrapping his legs in lightning and forcing himself into the air. With a flick of his hand, he threw three Kunai crackling with electricity.
Hoshino's pupils contracted as a sealing scroll slipped from his waist and instantly unfurled.
Looks like it's time to put Grandma Chiyo's puppets to use.
He bit his thumb and drew a streak of blood across the sealing scroll.
White smoke burst forth, and ten puppets of different designs spread out like a peacock's tail.
Blue Bee, at the very center, suddenly came apart, sending hundreds of poisoned needles wrapped in Wind Release Chakra flying like a rainstorm of steel.
Yun's expression darkened at the sight, and he tried to slip through the gaps between the needles.
There were simply too many, however.
Despite his tremendous speed, several poisoned needles still grazed his skin.
"Damn it!"
Yun felt the poison on the needles begin to eat away at his body, and his movements involuntarily slowed.
Hoshino seized the opportunity, using Chakra Threads to control the other puppets and launch an attack.
The Black Ant puppet rushed in from the side, its enormous pincers snapping viciously at Yun's waist.
Yun barely dodged, but the Red Scorpion puppet's tail stinger was already striking silently from behind.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Body Flicker!"
Yun's body instantly turned into a flash of lightning and vanished from the spot, narrowly avoiding Red Scorpion's fatal strike.
But Hoshino noticed that his opponent's movements were no longer as nimble as before. Clearly, the poison was gradually eating away at his body.
Hoshino sneered and gave a slight curl of his finger.
Several small spider puppets emerged from the sand and quickly crawled toward the spot where Yun landed.
"Explode!"
The spider puppets exploded not far from Yun, and the slight shockwave made him stagger a few steps.
"That's all the power you've got?"
Yun gave a mocking smile, a trace of contempt flashing in his eyes.
Hoshino didn't respond. Instead, he continued controlling the White Ant puppet, sending it rushing in from the front, its enormous pincers snapping at Yun's head once more.
Yun raised both hands, trying to fend it off with Lightning Release.
But the poison had already disrupted the flow of his Chakra, slowing his movements by a beat.
"It's over."
Hoshino spoke coldly and gave a slight curl of his finger.
The last spider puppet leaped up behind Yun and landed directly on the back of his neck.
"Explode!"
With a muffled bang, the spider puppet exploded against Yun's neck.
Yun's eyes widened as he stared at Hoshino in disbelief, his body collapsing limply to the ground.
Hoshino let out a long breath, retrieved all his puppets and quickly checked his condition.
Though the fight hadn't lasted long, he had used up quite a bit of Chakra.
He then looked up at the distant battlefield, where Fox Shadow and Faceless were locked in a fierce fight with the three remaining Kumogakure ninja.
Looks like they still need support over there.
Hoshino quickly got himself ready and ran toward the secondary battlefield.
Meanwhile.
Fox Shadow and Faceless were caught in a bitter struggle. These Kumogakure ninja were far stronger than expected.
The burly man leading them in particular wielded immensely powerful Lightning Release Ninjutsu, and every attack came with violent lightning.
"These guys' Lightning Release is too strong. Our puppets can't hold out much longer!" Fox Shadow said through gritted teeth.
Faceless said nothing, but his expression was just as grave.
Most of his Night Sand puppets had already been destroyed by lightning, and only a few damaged puppets remained, barely holding on.
"Hahaha! So Sunagakure's Puppet Technique is nothing special after all!" The burly man laughed, forming Hand Seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Bullet!"
A massive dragon made of lightning flew out, heading straight for Fox Shadow and Faceless.
Their expressions changed, and they retreated quickly, but the lightning dragon was so fast that it was about to strike them.
Just then, Hoshino's voice rang out from behind them.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
A sharp blade of wind flew in from the side and collided with the lightning dragon, barely canceling out part of its power.
Fox Shadow and Faceless took the opportunity to dodge the rest of the lightning attack.