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Jin's long sword pierced through the female puppeteer's body, but there was no blood as expected. Even the sensation of the blade piercing was off.
It felt as if he had stabbed into a rock.
"A puppet?"
The next moment, his suspicion was confirmed.
The woman's head suddenly rotated 180 degrees, revealing a wooden face resembling that of a tiger or leopard.
Countless wires sprang from the puppet, binding Jin tightly, while numerous sharp blades emerged, aiming to impale him.
With a "poof," Jin's body dissipated into smoke.
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing echoed as Jin's real body was found by another male ninja wearing a turban, and the two began to engage in combat.
The male ninja wielded a kunai but could barely hold his ground against Jin's long sword.
Their taijutsu skills were on completely different levels.
Realizing that Jin's taijutsu was too strong, the male ninja quickly retreated, creating distance between them as he began forming hand seals.
His eyes remained locked on Jin, waiting for his move, but Jin didn't move at all. He just stood there, completely still.
However, his eyes turned crimson, with three tomoe slowly spinning within them.
"Sharingan!"
An Uchiha!!
The man's expression changed drastically. He quickly lowered his head, trying to avoid eye contact, but it was too late.
When fighting the Uchiha clan, you must never look into their eyes.
Unfortunately, he reacted too slowly.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"
The world instantly turned crimson as massive iron stakes pierced through his body.
"Ahhh!!" The male ninja screamed in agony, struggling to move, but his body was completely immobilized.
In the real world.
A flaming blade slashed across his neck.
Ending his suffering.
"One down."
Jin watched as the male ninja's body split in two and fell to the ground. His crimson Sharingan quickly locked onto the approaching puppet.
With a swift movement, Jin appeared behind the puppet, leaving a deep cut along its body. Flames erupted from the cut, engulfing the puppet.
But it wasn't very effective.
The next moment, the puppet's back opened, and countless kunai, each attached to explosive tags, shot out.
The explosive tags ignited faster in the flames.
"Boom, boom, boom."
The violent explosions shattered a nearby tree.
Jin had already used Shave to leap higher, avoiding the blast.
His eyes quickly scanned the area.
He was searching for the puppeteer, and by following the chakra threads, he spotted them hiding behind a tree.
While the Sharingan could see the flow of chakra, it didn't have the ability to see through objects.
With a quick Shunpo, Jin reached the puppeteer's location.
But as his foot landed on a branch, it was instantly entangled by wires.
Several explosive tags were attached to the tree.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion echoed.
The female puppeteer, hiding behind another tree, reconnected her chakra threads to the puppet. She had momentarily released control of the puppet to set the trap.
Just as she began to relax.
A shadow fell from the tree.
Jin grinned.
"Found you."
The crimson Sharingan filled her vision.
As the blade flashed, the battle ended instantly.
Jin hung upside down from the branch, observing the distant fight that was nearing its conclusion.
Sakumo, moving like a white flash, was mercilessly sweeping through the remaining Sunagakure ninjas. Facing such a powerful enemy, the surviving ninjas chose to flee.
"White Fang!"
Someone shouted in terror.
The cries echoed, spreading the word.
It soon became...
"White Fang is coming! Run!"
Jin rested his chin on his hand.
The name "White Fang" had originally come from Yugakure, but it hadn't gained much notoriety at first. Sakumo hadn't yet reached his peak.
So this was how his White Fang nickname spread.
Seeing the Sunagakure ninjas fleeing, Sakumo didn't pursue them. Instead, he quickly moved to Jin's side.
He glanced at the two corpses on the ground.
"Twelve years old, and already this strong?"
Although Sakumo had been prepared, he was still surprised to see it firsthand.
This level of strength was indeed impressive.
"Correction, I'm thirteen."
Jin waved his hand, not feeling particularly flattered.
At his age, Sakumo's son would reach this level too, followed by two even more formidable Uchiha.
One of them would have wiped out his entire clan by this age.
Compared to them, Jin could only pat his chest and reassure himself that he wasn't falling behind.
Sakumo flicked the blood off his sword.
Mushihime reappeared beside them.
"Sakumo-sama, are we going to continue?"
"My insects have detected the next Sunagakure stronghold."
"But it will be heavily guarded."
After losing two strongholds, even the most foolish would realize a formidable enemy was approaching.
"Continue."
Sakumo showed no intention of retreating.
Mushihime had no objections, and while Jin had plenty of concerns, they were of no use.
The three of them followed Sakumo's orders and continued deeper into the Land of Rivers.
The number of Sunagakure ninjas they encountered decreased significantly.
This confirmed Mushihime's suspicion: Sunagakure was indeed starting to pull back and regroup.
Their route became bolder, allowing them to move faster through the mountains and forests.
As they delved deeper into the Land of Rivers, the situation began to change.
The sound of rapid movement grew louder, and it didn't take much effort to hear it.
And there were many of them.
The three quickly hid.
They watched as group after group of Sunagakure ninjas moved rapidly past, not bothering to hide their presence.
For a moment, the forest was filled with the sight of Sunagakure ninjas.
They didn't stop or search, simply rushing past where the three were hiding.
When all the Sunagakure ninjas were out of sight, the three exchanged glances.
They weren't coming for them.
A few insects flew from a distance and returned to Mushihime's body. She closed her eyes briefly before reopening them to look at the other two.
"Tsunade-sama has led her forces into the Land of Rivers. Sunagakure's Chiyo is leading the resistance against her, and they are now gathering their forces."
The three of them instantly recognized this as an opportunity.
"Move quickly."
Sakumo ordered.
The three sped up their advance, slowing down only when they encountered Sunagakure ninjas.
But the rushing Sunagakure ninjas didn't notice them at all.
Soon, another sand fortress appeared in a clearing.
Without hesitation, Sakumo charged forward.
Jin and Mushihime quickly hid.
As Sakumo approached the sand fortress, it didn't explode; instead, puppets emerged one by one.
They filled the sky, surrounding Sakumo.
Several figures stepped out from the fortress.
Countless chakra threads connected to the puppets that filled the sky.
At the forefront were a red-haired man and a woman with long, sandy-blonde hair.
Sakumo recognized them instantly.
"The Sunagakure Puppet Corps."
"Sakumo, you'll be buried here."
The red-haired man said coldly.
This was a trap set specifically for Sakumo.
(End of Chapter)