Hatake Sakumo stood his ground, gripping his sword tightly as he stared down the surrounding puppets.
In the next moment, a barrage of ninja tools was launched from the puppets, aimed directly at him. Sakumo's figure vanished, evading the attack as the shuriken and kunai struck the ground, covering the area where he once stood.
Rather than focus on the puppets, Sakumo charged directly toward the puppeteers. But before he could reach them, a wall of puppets surged forward, forming an impenetrable barrier that blocked his path. He stopped just before colliding with the wall, realizing that continuing the charge would mean being overwhelmed by the sheer number of puppets.
As the puppets began closing in, Sakumo retreated at high speed. But now, the puppets had him surrounded, not only from the front but also from behind and above, trapping him completely. They formed a black dome, sealing off any possible escape route.
With a force this large, the puppet army had the potential to wipe out an entire nation.
Another wave of ninja tools was fired, completely engulfing Sakumo in the barrage. Dust and debris kicked up, obscuring everything from view.
But the puppets didn't wait. They released strong gusts of wind to blow the dust away, revealing Sakumo—who had closed the distance even further.
Yet again, the puppets rushed forward, but this time, they were met with swift retaliation. Sakumo's blade flashed, and in an instant, several puppets were reduced to pieces.
Without a moment's hesitation, Sakumo charged into the mass of puppets, his white blade slashing through the chakra threads that connected them to their masters. The puppets that obstructed his path were instantly destroyed.
Though the shattered puppets attempted to reassemble and block his way again, they were quickly cut down once more.
But even as Sakumo tore through the puppets, several thin wires wrapped around his legs. His pupils contracted as he realized his arms and legs were now bound by the puppets, leaving him vulnerable. Before he could break free, more puppets piled on, completely overwhelming him.
The red-haired man in command of the puppet brigade frowned, his expression grim. He knew Sakumo Hatake wasn't someone who could be taken down so easily.
"Fall back!" he ordered.
At his command, the puppeteers began pulling their puppets back to form a defensive perimeter.
But as the puppets retreated, there was no sign of Sakumo—only a puff of smoke.
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Farther away, Sakumo emerged from underground, mere meters away from the group of puppeteers.
For Hatake Sakumo, that short distance might as well have been nothing.
In a flash, he moved, his sword slicing through the air like a white crescent moon. The puppets had no time to return and defend their masters. In an instant, Sakumo was among the puppeteers, his blade swiftly cutting down their ranks.
"Don't underestimate us!" the red-haired man roared as the remaining puppeteers hastily launched their combined jutsu.
"Combination Jutsu: Great Fire Explosion!"
A massive fireball materialized in front of Sakumo and detonated, unleashing a powerful blast of heat and wind that scorched everything in its path. Sakumo had no time to evade and was swallowed by the explosion.
The puppeteers used this moment to distance themselves, and their puppets quickly returned to their sides.
But the battle wasn't over.
Within their ranks, a figure suddenly sprang up, lunging at one of the puppeteers. Before the victim could react, their body was split in half.
As smoke cleared from the slain puppeteer's body, the form of Hatake Sakumo became visible.
No one had realized when he had infiltrated their ranks, disguised among them. And before they could even begin to think, death was already upon them.
For someone renowned for his speed, these puppeteers were nothing more than easy targets.
Sakumo tore through their ranks like a whirlwind of white light, leaving destruction in his wake.
"White Fang!!" the red-haired man bellowed in rage, forming hand signs with blinding speed.
"Puppet Technique: Demon Cage!"
From the ground emerged two massive demonic faces, their jaws opening wide as they encased the battlefield in a gigantic, hellish prison. Several puppeteers were caught inside, unable to escape in time.
With Sakumo and the remaining puppeteers trapped together, the red-haired man initiated his final attack.
The white-haired swordsman's blade gleamed as he cut down the remaining puppeteers within the cage, each of their puppets shattering upon contact.
Outside the demon prison, the red-haired man's face twisted with hatred.
This is the only way to kill him, he thought grimly.
His hands flew through a series of signs.
"White Fang! Die already!"
"Fire Style: Inferno Furnace!"
Inside the cage, the temperature rapidly increased as the walls glowed red-hot. Flames erupted within, and scorching heat filled the space, incinerating everything in its path. Agonized screams echoed from within the prison as the surviving puppeteers were burned alive.
Sakumo's sword cleaved through another enemy as he stood surrounded by flames.
Through the bars of the prison, he locked eyes with the red-haired man.
Beside the red-haired man, a woman finished forming her own hand signs.
"Fire Style: Mountain Fire!"
From beneath the ground, a small hill erupted, releasing molten lava that surged toward the demon prison.
Sakumo's form was soon consumed by the intense heat and smoke, as the lava engulfed everything inside the prison.
The red-haired man spread his arms wide, chakra threads extending from his fingertips.
From within the inferno, a demonic puppet entered the cage, moving through the flames to confirm Sakumo's death.
The red-haired man had severely underestimated his opponent. Sakumo Hatake was proving far more difficult to kill than he had anticipated.
After all, puppeteers were supposed to have the advantage against taijutsu specialists like him—that's why they had set this trap in the first place.
But instead, they had found themselves at a disadvantage.
As his puppet combed through the burning prison, searching for Sakumo's body, the red-haired man felt a sudden sense of unease.
At that moment, a hand shot up from the ground, grabbing his ankle.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
The red-haired man was swiftly pulled underground, his lower body buried in the earth.
The woman rushed forward to attack, but Sakumo was already free, his blade raised. His breathing became measured and precise, and the world seemed to slow down around him. The woman's movements appeared sluggish, as if time itself had been altered.
"Lightning Breathing," Sakumo murmured as lightning crackled along his blade.
In a flash, a white crescent moon laced with electricity swept through the red-haired man's throat, then sliced through the woman's body.
Sakumo's figure reappeared behind her, his sword shimmering with power. A single drop of blood rolled off the blade and evaporated in the searing heat.
Behind him, the woman collapsed, and the red-haired man's head soared through the air.
"White Fang!!"
A dozen white shadows appeared in the distance, and a lone figure was racing toward the scene.
Upon seeing the fallen woman and the decapitated head of the red-haired man, the newcomer's eyes widened in horror, blood vessels bulging.
"I'll kill you!" he roared.
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