The poll to decide whether this story continues will close tomorrow on Patreon! Don't miss your chance to vote – act fast!
--------
The Sunagakure Shinobi's attack was incredibly sudden, with no prior warning whatsoever.
Logically, this shouldn't have been possible. The Konoha camp was well-organized, with patrol teams covering a perimeter of more than ten kilometers. Any disturbance should have been detected. Yet, somehow, Sunagakure Shinobi had either found a way to bypass the patrols or, worse, had eliminated them without raising the alarm. Either scenario pointed to a serious issue.
This raid had clearly been meticulously planned by the Sunagakure Shinobi, catching Konoha off guard. The surprise was so complete that Konoha's response was slightly delayed, which was understandable. No one had expected an attack at this moment, especially given that Sunagakure Shinobi had been on the defensive up to this point.
Most of the camp's fighting force had rushed toward the site of the attack, leaving behind only the wounded, medical ninjas, and a few others.
Ishigami Hara and Nawaki remained at the camp. The former was calm, but the latter seemed unsettled.
Sensing this, Ishigami Hara spoke up. "We should prepare early."
"Huh?" Nawaki looked confused.
Ishigami Hara clarified, "The Sunagakure Shinobi's attack is targeted at the camp. Most of our forces have gone to counter them, but Sunagakure Shinobi will undoubtedly have a backup plan."
Nawaki's expression quickly turned serious. "You're right."
He pulled out a kunai and sprinted toward a specific area of the camp.
"Where are you going?" Ishigami Hara asked.
Nawaki pointed toward a corner of the camp. "To protect the wounded!"
A small smile appeared on Ishigami Hara's face. "I'll go with you."
Before Nawaki could respond, Ishigami Hara was already heading toward the area where the wounded were stationed.
"Wait up!" Nawaki called, running after him.
There were about 40 to 50 injured ninjas in the camp, those who were stable after receiving basic treatment. The more critically wounded had already been sent back to the rear or to Konoha for recovery.
With the commotion caused by the attack, the area where the injured were housed had been placed under lockdown, with two teams stationed around as guards.
The arrival of Ishigami Hara and Nawaki added much-needed strength to the defense.
"Don't wander off—I'll check the perimeter," Ishigami Hara said.
Nawaki nodded, already trusting in the silent understanding between them. He didn't question what Ishigami Hara was planning to do.
Ishigami Hara had a persistent feeling that the Sunagakure Shinobi's attack wasn't as straightforward as it seemed. He suspected there would be more to it, and to be safe, he wanted to leave some sort of backup or contingency in place.
As it turned out, his intuition was correct. Before long, the Sunagakure Shinobi broke through the defenses and infiltrated the camp.
"Damn it! There are enemies here!"
"How did they get past the defenses?"
"Have we lost the front line?"
The remaining guards were shocked, but they sprang into action without hesitation, rushing to meet the enemy head-on.
The number of Sunagakure Shinobi that breached the camp wasn't large—only about a dozen—but each was a formidable opponent, especially their leader, a puppeteer.
Ishigami Hara didn't reveal himself immediately. Instead, he remained hidden, observing from the shadows.
At the forefront were two puppeteers, a man and a woman, each flanked by a puppet. The man controlled a massive gecko-like puppet covered in sharp blades and spikes, exuding a menacing presence. The woman's puppet was a bat-like construct, hovering silently beside her, ready to strike.
Their assault was devastating. The gecko puppet spat fire, causing large-scale destruction with each impact, while the bat puppet dominated the skies, making it hard to defend against. In just moments, Konoha's defenses suffered significant casualties.
"Chakra threads... so they're manipulating their puppets using Yin Release Chakra, which plays a large role here. I see now. The Chakra threads are just a conduit—the true mastery lies in the puppeteer's spiritual energy," Ishigami Hara muttered to himself after closely observing the puppeteers.
He then thought about how Chiyo, from the original plot, used Chakra threads to control Haruno Sakura and quickly understood the mechanics. "By adding a portion of Yang Release Chakra to the threads, one could even control a person's body!"
He deduced that each puppet must have a special core capable of containing the puppeteer's Chakra, binding the puppet to the user and preventing outside interference. This revelation piqued his interest in the art of puppeteering.
Meanwhile, the Sunagakure Shinobi puppeteers were focused on total destruction, showing no mercy as they moved toward the area housing the wounded. Their mission was clear: eliminate Konoha's remaining forces.
The man and woman led their group directly toward the wounded. However, as they approached the perimeter, the ground in front of them exploded.
"Watch out, there's a trap!" the man shouted, and his gecko puppet immediately moved in front of him to block the blast.
But his subordinates weren't as fortunate. The explosion triggered by Ishigami Hara was not a mere physical blast; it was laced with a more potent force—sealing techniques.
As the fire from the explosion cleared, countless black lines erupted from the ground, wrapping around most of the Sunagakure Shinobi behind the puppeteers. Only a few managed to evade in time.
"Ah!"
Screams filled the air as the black lines tightened around their victims. The sealing technique compressed the trapped Sunagakure Shinobi, lifting chunks of earth and applying immense pressure. Within moments, those caught in the trap were crushed into pulp.
"Damn it!" the surviving Sunagakure Shinobi cursed in rage.
Ishigami Hara had used a variant of an evil sealing technique, combined with Earth Release: Earth Spears, creating a lethal combination that wasn't just for sealing Chakra but also had devastating offensive power.
The man and woman didn't have time to dwell on their losses. The gecko puppet opened its mouth wide, unleashing a torrent of fire toward the nearest tent, aiming for total destruction.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" came a sudden shout.
Nawaki leaped out from the side, standing between the tent and the incoming flames. With a powerful gust of wind, he blew the fire back, extinguishing it before it could do any damage.
The Sunagakure Shinobi duo weren't surprised to see a defender appear. But the man's eyes gleamed with interest when he saw Nawaki.
"Capture him!" he ordered.
Ishigami Hara narrowed his eyes as he watched the scene unfold. His suspicions were confirmed—Nawaki was a target, and this attack was more than just a raid.