Soon, figures began arriving at the scene one after another.
"There are no traces further ahead. The trail stops here," reported the scout ninja with a serious expression.
As an experienced tracker, he was highly perceptive. In most cases, if the trail suddenly vanished, it meant the targets had discovered they were being followed. This was not good news.
"They've vanished?" the leading ninja muttered. "It seems Hatake Sakumo is aware of us. Stay alert and search the area—he might be waiting for us."
Before they could fan out, a surge of chakra erupted from the ground.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon Explosion!"
A massive Thunder Dragon burst from below, striking two ninjas and paralyzing them with its electrical discharge.
"Swish!"
In an instant, Reiki and Shisui appeared behind the paralyzed ninjas, their blades piercing their targets' hearts. The two Sand ninja didn't even have time to react before they fell lifeless to the ground.
"It's you…?"
"Leader Lake!" Hatake Sakumo's eyes narrowed as he recognized the man in front of him. He hadn't expected to run into an acquaintance. As for the fallen masked ninjas, there was no time to check their identities.
Reiki and Shisui returned to Hatake Sakumo's side after eliminating their targets.
The leader, Lake, was none other than Chiyo's nephew from Sunagakure. It was surprising to see him here.
"Hatake Sakumo, bringing these three burdens along will cost you your life today!" Lake sneered. "My brother's revenge will—"
"Thud!"
Before Lake could finish, a blood-stained blade jutted out from his chest.
"In battle, talking too much leads to only one result—death," Reiki said, retracting his blade. Strings of chakra extended from his fingers, and an armored puppet emerged behind Lake.
"What…?"
"It's puppetry! But isn't he Konoha's medical ninja, Tsunade's disciple Reiki? How is he a puppet master?!"
The surrounding Sand ninja, stunned, retreated a few paces. The puppet masters among them felt a mix of shock and greed. A puppet's power was crucial in battle, and obtaining such a formidable one would be invaluable.
"Attack!" One masked ninja lunged at Hatake Sakumo, joined by three others. Meanwhile, the remaining puppet masters focused on Reiki. Several other ninjas surrounded Nozuki and Shisui, aiming to contain them.
Their strategy was clear: subdue or kill Hatake Sakumo first, and then the rest would be easy. The four attacking Shisui and Nozuki were sufficient to hold them, considering they were "only" chunin. The main target was Hatake Sakumo, so they didn't bother with immediate attacks on Reiki or the others.
"Acceleration potion, rampage potion, stamina potion, recovery potion!" Reiki whispered. His puppet vanished, and in a flash of lightning, he appeared among the puppet masters. The chakra threads controlling their puppets snapped.
"A true puppet master never exposes themselves so easily," Reiki muttered.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" His rapid strikes sent the puppet masters flying back. Without hesitation, he unleashed a barrage of explosive tags, covering the area in blasts.
The remaining Sand ninja turned their attention to Reiki's skirmish. One frowned, ready to step in, but another held him back.
"Leave it. He's not our target. Besides, Tsunade could be trouble if we provoke her disciple."
"Understood," the ninja muttered, focusing back on Sakumo. They would act soon enough.
As the battlefield cleared of smoke and debris, the stunned ninjas realized all three puppet masters had been defeated. Their shattered puppets lay scattered, and, inexplicably, Reiki was treating his downed opponents.
"Is he… treating them?" one of the observing ninjas whispered incredulously. Was this some kind of compulsion?
But as long as Reiki didn't interfere, they decided to leave him be.
Half an hour later, Reiki finished treating the three puppet masters. "Alright, stay put and watch. I'll come back for you later," he said before charging into the fray where Shisui was fighting.
"ROOM: Slaughterhouse!" Reiki activated his technique, pulling Shisui and Nozuki out of their engagement.
"Get ready, Nozuki," Reiki called. "Shisui, these are all jonin-level. Let's see if we can take them all down! If we fail, I'll tell the teacher that you need more training," he teased with a grin.
With a nod, Shisui drew his short sword and rushed forward. "Don't forget, I trained in ANBU combat!" he called back.
Originally, Shisui and Nozuki were barely holding their ground, but with Reiki's addition, their opponents felt the pressure double. To make matters worse for their enemies, Shisui seemed to have boosted himself with a high-level berserk potion.
One of the jonin muttered in disbelief, "Are you kidding me? High-level potions during a battle? Can we even call this fair anymore?!"
Reiki, grinning, pressed the attack with lightning speed.
>>>>>
Up to Chapter 490 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)
Gimme power stonesssss
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