Deep in the endless forest, two figures in Konoha ninja uniforms ran swiftly. The two men were sweating profusely, looking back from time to time, as if something terrifying was chasing them.
"Yamazaki, what should we do now?" one of the ninjas asked.
"Hurry and get to Captain Chizuru. We can still salvage this," Yamazaki said in a deep voice, glancing behind. "If they catch up, detonate the explosive tags immediately and alert Captain Chizuru. Makino, how much chakra do you have left?"
Makino replied grimly, "Not much. I can't even set any traps."
"I think I overheard a terrifying secret... you two were planning to trap us?"
A low voice came from ahead. Yamazaki and Makino stopped immediately, staring warily in front.
Swish!
A black figure lunged at Makino. Makino quickly drew his kunai and rushed forward in desperation. Yamazaki grabbed him and leapt to the side, shouting, "It's a puppet! One of them is a puppet master!"
The moment Yamazaki spoke, the puppet twisted midair and launched another attack at them.
Without looking, Yamazaki reached into his ninja pouch and flung a kunai behind them.
Boom!
An explosion echoed in the distance. Three others—Asami Chouna, Uchiha Chizuru, and Ito—who had been resting, quickly sprang to their feet and turned toward the sound.
"It's Yamazaki and the others. Looks like they've been discovered. The enemy must have sensory-type ninja," Ito said gravely.
"Tch! Let's go!" Uchiha Chizuru growled. "Those two are always trouble!"
Asami Chouna was about to follow Uchiha Chizuru and Ito, but he suddenly remembered: Yamazaki had sensed seven enemies earlier, and there were only two allies ahead now. They didn't even know if Yamazaki and Makino were alive. Rushing in blindly would be foolish.
With that thought, Chouna slowed down slightly, keeping pace behind the two jōnin. He ensured he wasn't left behind, while also keeping a safe distance.
When Uchiha Chizuru and Ito arrived, they found the bodies of Yamazaki and Makino lying motionless in a forest clearing, apparently killed.
Feeling that the enemy was formidable this time, Ito subtly gave a concealment signal to Chouna. Seeing it, Chouna immediately halted and hid in the woods.
"They've been killed," Ito observed from a tree, glancing at the corpses. "The enemy used them to set a trap."
"Hmph! That kind of trap wouldn't fool a child. With the Sharingan, this is laughable!" Uchiha Chizuru sneered.
"So… you're from the Uchiha clan? How arrogant." A ninja with lacquered facial markings emerged from behind a tree and spoke coldly.
Ito narrowed his eyes and said, "Saki Aso... an elite puppet master from Sunagakure, leader of their puppet corps. I didn't expect to see you here."
"And who are you?" Saki Aso asked, glancing at Ito.
"Ito," he replied firmly.
"Ah! Konoha jōnin Ito. I've heard your name—been looking forward to this." Saki Aso sounded polite, not like someone about to enter deadly combat.
"And the Uchiha? What's your name?" he asked, turning toward Chizuru.
"Uchiha Chizuru," Chizuru said calmly. His eyes slowly shut, then snapped open, revealing the three tomoe of the Sharingan. He stared coldly at Aso. "Come and die."
"It's an honor to face a master of the Uchiha clan," Also said without emotion. "But... if I can bring a Sharingan back to the village, that would be even better."
The moment he finished speaking, Saki Also flicked his fingers,three puppets shot forward, attacking Chizuru and Ito from different angles.
Simultaneously, six other shinobi—also puppet users—emerged and joined the assault.
In an instant, Chizuru and Ito appeared to be pierced by a storm of kunai and senbon.
"So easy?" Saki Aso muttered, then suddenly realized, "No! A genjutsu? When... could it have been when he looked into my eyes?"
"Release!"
Slash!
Although Saki Also managed to avoid a fatal blow, Chizuru still left a deep gash in his side.
"Haha! I really underestimated the Sharingan," Also chuckled bitterly. "That's some powerful dojutsu. You nearly had me."
Snake,Dragon, Hare, Tiger
[Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!]
Ito formed hand seals and expelled a massive fire dragon from his mouth, aimed at also from above.
"Tch!" Also leapt back to dodge the scorching flames.
At that moment, the six remaining Suna ninja attacked. They coordinated their puppets to surround Uchiha Chizuru from six directions.
Chizuru glanced quickly around every movement of the puppets was crystal clear under the Sharingan.
"Such clumsy tricks," he scoffed, dodging every strike with ease.
Ito seized the moment when the Suna-nin were fully exposed.
[Lightning Style: Lightning Flash Pillar!]
This jutsu wasn't an attack but a support technique emitting a blinding light through lightning to blind enemies, much like a flashbang.
Having coordinated beforehand, Chizuru closed his eyes before the jutsu activated. The Suna-nin weren't as lucky. Blinded, they stumbled and covered their eyes.
No hesitation.
Chizuru and Ito moved swiftly—striking down two Suna-nin instantly.
"Flawless teamwork," Aso said expressionlessly, before fully committing his chakra to controlling his puppets. He launched a fierce attack at both Konoha shinobi.
Asami Chouna watched tensely from the shadows.
Five puppet masters. This would be a brutal battle.
The power of puppet masters wasn't just their ability to launch overwhelming hidden weapons. Their most dangerous trait was the poison—even a scratch from their blades or needles could be fatal.
Puppeteers were specialists. They had formidable attack jutsu, but their defense was weak. Even jōnin and Kage could be seriously wounded if struck by a puppet's poisoned weapon.
Five puppet masters attacking in sync… Even two elite jōnin could only defend and look for the slimmest chance to strike back.