It's not entirely the Sunagakure captain's fault; he was consumed by rage and momentarily forgot that Kōki possessed the Superhuman Strength Technique, a way to break the deadlock.
On the other hand, he had no other means besides puppets.
In the past, when facing Jonin from other ninja villages, his Wind Release Technique and Puppet Technique worked together seamlessly, so even when encountering Jonin stronger than him, he was not afraid at all.
He had used this method to kill ninjas stronger than himself many times, and it was precisely because of this strength that the higher-ups of Sunagakure appointed him as a squad leader at an important stronghold on the battlefield.
He never expected to encounter his nemesis today, the possessor of Superhuman Strength Technique.
Seeing his strategy thwarted by Kōki, the Sunagakure captain was momentarily bewildered.
The problem was that he was at a loss, but Kōki wasn't. He seized the moment when the Sand Village captain was distracted, closed in, and launched a powerful kick at the Sunagakure captain.
Just as Kōki saw that he had successfully attacked the Sunagakure captain, the other member of the Sand Village duo that he had forcefully thrown out suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wielding Kunai and attacking Kōki's vitals, attempting to divert attention from one side and rescue his captain.
Faced with the attack coming at him, Kōki looked regretful. Such a good opportunity had been ruined by the sudden appearance of a Sand Ninja. However, he would not exchange his own life for the life of this Sunagakure captain, because it was not worth it.
He dodged the Kunai attack by sidestepping, and it was precisely because of his decision to give up that the Sunagakure captain on the other side came to his senses and widened the distance between himself and Kōki again.
The Sunagakure captain, catching his breath, thanked his teammates, "Thanks, Hideto."
The Sand Ninja, known as Hideto, waved his hand, not taking credit, but solemnly said to his captain, "Captain Masatake, this brat is difficult to deal with. Not only does he possess Superhuman Strength Technique, but his regenerative abilities are also extremely powerful. I suspect this brat's identity is not simple."
Upon hearing what Hideto said, the Sand Ninja Captain named Masatake turned his gaze to the wounds on Kōki caused by the wind blades. This sight stirred something within him. He saw that all the wounds on Kōki's body caused by the wind blades had healed completely, and there was no trace of the injury.
"Such resilience makes me even more certain that this brat has an extraordinary relationship with Princess Tsunade of Konoha. We absolutely cannot allow Konoha to produce another ninja like Tsunade."
Masatake's gaze turned serious and solemn. Kōki's abilities frightened him, reminding him of the immense losses Sunagakure suffered due to Tsunade's presence during Second Shinobi World War. They had even secretly celebrated when they heard the news of Tsunade's departure from Konoha.
At the very beginning of the war between Sunagakure and Konoha, Konoha produced a ninja like Tsunade Kōki. For a moment, he resented the injustice of fate.
However, he was secretly relieved, looking at the still short Kōki, and glad that there was still time. This kid from Konoha had not yet grown to the point that Sunagakure could not deal with him.
Thinking of this, he shouted to his teammates who were attacking the Ino-Shika-Cho, "Two of you, let's take care of this Konoha brat together, he's too much of a threat."
Upon hearing their captain's shout, a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the five Sand Sunagakure members who were besieging the Ino-Shika-Cho. However, after exchanging glances, two Sand Village ninjas immediately nodded and broke away from their battle with the Ino-Shika-Cho, rushing towards their Sunagakure captain's direction to provide support.
Meanwhile, the Ino-Shika-Cho, who were under siege, felt some relief from their defensive pressure and heard the Sunagakure captain's shout. They began to tense up, but Nara Yūsuke, sensing his teammates' emotions, reassured Yamanaka Kenji and Akimichi Tsuyoshi, "Don't worry, Kōki's fine. Have you forgotten that Kōki still has that trump card he hasn't used?"
"Besides, even if we really want to help Kōki, we need to eliminate the enemy in front of us first."
After Nara Yūsuke finished speaking, a murderous glint appeared in his eyes. Although he was comforting his teammates, it didn't mean he wasn't emotional. He had high hopes for Kōki and didn't want anything to happen to Kōki.
After listening to Yūsuke's words, Yamanaka Kenji and Akimichi Tsuyoshi, who were standing next to Nara Yūsuke, felt their initial tension ease.
Similarly, their anger towards the Sunagakure began to rise, and their attacks became even more ferocious. It was precisely because of this that the three Sand Village ninjas who were besieging the Ino-Shika-Cho suddenly felt a surge of pressure, and the situation reversed. The three Ino-Shika-Cho began to overpower the Sand Village ninjas.
The three Sand Ninja, who were being suppressed and beaten, could only secretly complain and hope that their teammates could quickly kill Kōki and come to their aid.
On the other side, after receiving support from his teammates, the Sunagakure captain's confidence in successfully killing Kōki increased greatly. He believed that Kōki's life was already in his grasp, like a turtle in a jar. He made a hand gesture to his teammates, and then led them to attack Kōki directly.
Surrounded by the four Sunagakure members, Kōki felt the pressure increase significantly. After the Sunagakure captain revealed his identity as a puppeteer, he became more cautious in his movements. In his mind, there was no doubt that a puppeteer's attacks contained poison, and he didn't want to be poisoned by a special Sunagakure poison due to his carelessness.
However, Kōki wasn't without a way to break the deadlock. He first used his Superhuman Strength Technique to slam the ground, and the flying pebbles, under Kōki's control, rushed down on the four Sand Ninja who were attacking him. The Sand Ninja could only retreat slightly when they encountered the attack of the pebbles.
Taking advantage of a gap in the Sunagakure's encirclement, Kōki formed Chakra Hand Seals, gathering his chakra. His chest swelled, and he exhaled a torrent of water, unleashing " Water Release: Great Exploding Water Shockwave."
The torrent of water, transformed from Kōki 'Chakra, forced back the four Sunagakure members from their encirclement, simultaneously altering the battle situation on the Ino- Ino-Shika-Cho side. He prepared to use his vast Chakra and the powerful Ninjutsu he had learned to end the battle directly.
Faced with Kōki's Water Release, both sides consciously increased their distance.
After unleashing a powerful Water Release to create favorable terrain for himself, Kōki leaped up and landed in front of the Ino-Shika-Cho Ino-Shika-Cho. He addressed the trio behind him, saying, "Senpai, I'm going to use Water Release to end this battle. Please watch out behind you."
Seeing Kōki's confident expression, the Ino-Shika-Cho all nodded in agreement.
After obtaining the consent of the Ino-Shika-Cho, Kōki began to confidently use the Water Release Ninjutsu he had mastered.
He rapidly Hand Seals, and a swirling stream of water shot straight into the sky, transforming into a gigantic water dragon. This dragon had scales and horns, its armor clearly defined and incredibly lifelike. Under Kōki's control, it roared towards the Sunagakure ahead, unleashing the " Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"