"Tatsuma!"
Charging forward with a slashing motion, Tatsuma, the Chunin wielding a blade, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. Immediately, his body flew to the side, and just as he was about to hit the ground, he collided with a soft and fluffy cushion.
"Woof!"
A dog's bark brought Tatsuma back to his senses. He quickly got up from the ground and looked towards the spot where he was attacked. At that moment, a puppet stood there, and a Jonin from the Hidden Sand Village, with a stern expression, stared at Tatsuma.
"It's you?!"
Seeing this Sand Village Jonin, Tatsuma recalled the scene from a few days ago when he rescued the Hyuga team. After having to kill Hyuga Miyako, it was this Sand Village Jonin who blocked his way.
If he hadn't hidden a Rasengan, destroyed the puppet, and caught the Jonin off guard, he might have been detained as well.
At this moment, the large dog behind Tatsuma quickly returned to Inuzuka Makoto's side. Inuzuka Makoto looked at the Hidden Sand Village Jonin and said, "Hoshi? What's wrong? Didn't you go back to the village with your sensei?"
Hoshi's sensei is none other than the current Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village, and the mastermind behind the annihilation of the Hyuga team.
"Inuzuka Makoto?"
Hoshi looked at Inuzuka Makoto, recognizing his identity. Both being Jonin from their respective villages, not only strength but also the accumulation of intelligence is crucial. Therefore, any revealed Jonin is usually studied by other villages. Hoshi is no exception, and Inuzuka Makoto is no different.
Inuzuka Makoto cautiously observed Hoshi. Among the intelligence that Hoshi has disclosed, there is no astonishing record of achievements or proof of strength. However, his background is quite significant. Not only is he the disciple of the Third Kazekage, but he is also the descendant of the Second Kazekage, Shamon, a genius who improved upon the Puppet Jutsu and Sand Control Ninjutsu as well as doing research on Jinchuriki.
As the Second Kazekage, Shamon's position in the Hidden Sand Village was comparable to Senju Tobirama's position in Konoha. Both have developed powerful Ninjutsu highly beneficial to future generations.
Especially Puppet Jutsu, in just twenty short years, it has become a hallmark of the Hidden Sand Village. As a descendant of Shamon, Hoshi might have some remarkable puppets in his possession.
At this moment, Hoshi, with a single hand, manipulated Chakra Threads, and his puppet remained vigilant in facing Inuzuka Makoto. However, his focus is on Tatsuma.
After their last encounter, Just like how Tatsuma remembered him, he also remembered Tatsuma.
Tatsuma's peculiar technique posed a significant threat to puppets which left a huge impression despite their brief encounter. The construction of puppets inherently makes them intricate yet fragile. Powerful puppets can withstand formidable ninjutsu without affecting their usage, but if internal damage occurs, extensive effort is needed for maintenance and repair.
In the previous display of his technique, Tatsuma rendered one of his puppets completely unusable. The difficulty of repairing it was so high that it seemed more cost-effective to create a new puppet.
He had initially intended to swiftly defeat this Konoha village Genin with a single blow, but it seems there might be an issue with the force applied, or perhaps this Genin's neck is made of iron. Despite being struck in the neck by his puppet, the Genin emerged unscathed.
Tatsuma himself didn't notice; he had just endured an attack that his body should not have been able to withstand. However, the injury triggered the innate talent of Shiro Yaksha, significantly enhancing his resilience to attacks.
The nature of Shiro Yaksha is mysterious, with an undefined upper limit. It becomes stronger in the face of strong opponents, capable of enduring attacks that would leave an ordinary person heavily wounded. Tatsuma could withstand the force of a significant impact or engage in a back-and-forth battle, though he would feel more discomfort afterward.
After a brief moment of quiet, Hoshi raised his right hand, and the humanoid puppet rushed towards Inuzuka Makoto. Meanwhile, Hoshi lifted his other hand, and it seemed that Chakra Threads were also attached to his left hand.
"Tatsuma! Be careful!"
After Inuzuka Makoto's loud warning, he, along with his Nin-Dog companion of over a decade, engaged in a well-coordinated battle against the puppet. Tatsuma wielded the Blade of Wind, continuously sensing the changes in his surroundings through Chakra.
"Swish, swish, swish~"
Suddenly, a row of Kunai came flying towards Tatsuma. Upon closer inspection of the Kunai's trailing rings, one could discern that they were being manipulated by threads.
"Thud, thud, thud~"
Faced with the dense barrage of Kunai attacks, Tatsuma chose not to block but decisively opted to dodge. However, when he came to a stop on a tree, another wave of Kunai was swiftly thrown at him.
"Are Kunai in the Hidden Sand Village handed for free?"
Observing the sheer quantity of Kunai, Tatsuma muttered under his breath. Once again, he used Body Flicker to evade. Hoshi seemed unperturbed; his hands moved like a conductor directing an orchestra.
While controlling the puppet in combat against Inuzuka Makoto, Hoshi continuously launched Kunai throws at Tatsuma. As someone proficient in Ninja Tool Throwing like Tatsuma, he was not afraid of these Kunai.
With little need for contemplation, he effortlessly found positions to escape from the onslaught.
"Swish~"
Suddenly, Tatsuma came to a halt. A blood arrow, propelled from his recently cleared shoulder, soared through the air. Amidst the splattering of blood, a faint, blood-colored large net appeared in the sky.
"You've already fallen into the spider's web."
Hoshi's voice echoed as he produced a scroll, performed hand seals, and summoned a gigantic puppet spider, which hovered in the air.
Tatsuma used Medical Ninjutsu to provide simple treatment to his left shoulder. Observing Hoshi's unchanged expression and the growing anxiety on Inuzuka Makoto's face, Tatsuma couldn't help but smile.
"Chakra Threads and steel threads mutually entwined, weaving into a massive net through the interplay of reality and illusion. You're quite impressive, managing to employ Puppet Jutsu to this extent."
Upon hearing Tatsuma's words of praise, even though he had been stealthily lurking for a while, Hoshi, who had just received Tatsuma's praise, displayed a somewhat unnatural expression on his face.
Inuzuka Makoto was getting increasingly anxious. However, facing this particularly resilient puppet, even the claws of his Nin-Dog could only harm the puppet's outer shell, unable to destroy it.
Tatsuma seemed unconcerned about the reactions of others. He took a slight step back, and straightened up, and the tips of his hair were gently pressed by the steel threads above, yet they couldn't touch his body.
At this moment, Tatsuma raised his hand and said, "I don't know if you've heard a term called 'threading the needle.' Compared to someone like you, the one in the active position is actually more like a needle, not the one threading the fabric."
Hoshi now noticed that the pouch at Tatsuma's waist was open, but it didn't contain a single Kunai or Shuriken. A sense of foreboding crept over Hoshi.
As Tatsuma lifted his hand, he held a strand of steel thread. Looking at Tatsuma's radiant and infectious smile, Hoshi suddenly had a bad feeling.
"As a puppeteer, maybe you shouldn't try to play with ninja tools like others. Keep that in mind for next time."
With those words, Tatsuma waved his hand, manipulating the steel thread. Suddenly, a dozen Kunai and Shuriken appeared in the forest, swiftly flying toward Hoshi along the threads he had set up, all of them adorned with Explosive Tags.
"Art is an explosion!"
"Boom! Boom, boom, boom!!"
"Spider Defense!"
Hoshi retracted his hands, and the puppet spider instantly enveloped him, directly facing the bombardment of the Explosive Tags. However, the Sand Village ninja next to Hoshi had no means of defense.
At the moment of the Explosive Tag explosions, he was blasted and thrown out, lying motionless on the ground.
Of the initial five Sand Village ninjas who surrounded Tatsuma, Inuzuka Makoto killed two, Tatsuma injured one with the Blade of Wind, another was blown away by an Explosive Tag, and the last one, in the aftermath, collided with a tree and fell into unconsciousness.
"Ding~ [Speed+25], [Spirit+20], [Seals+15], Would you like to claim?"
"Pick up."
Tatsuma felt a bit impressed by the generous rewards, but the next moment, he heard an angry voice.
"Konoha brat! I'm going to kill you!"
At the same time, rows of Senbon, glimmering with an eerie light, descended like a rainstorm toward Tatsuma.
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