In the silhouette of the rain, a brief but intense exchange unfolded—blood spraying, bodies crashing through trees, a flurry of ninjutsu colliding in an instant.
The pursuing ninjas surrounded him from a distance, shouts tearing through the forest, countless sounds blending into the storm.
Two figures pounced from different directions. Before the taller Sand Ninja could even react, his entire body was sent flying, slamming into a tree trunk before rolling down.
As he struggled to get up, kunai rained down upon him. Fortunately, his companion's Earth Release jutsu formed in time, intercepting the kunai against a dense earth wall.
But before the Sand Ninja could even celebrate his narrow escape, the boy before him closed the distance in a flash with the Body Flicker Technique.
The Sand Ninja retreated.
Kept retreating...
Until there was nowhere left to go.
The moment his back pressed against the tree trunk, a brutal punch struck his Adam's apple. The trees swayed in the rain, leaves rustling down.
Such a swift and decisive kill put immense pressure on the surrounding Sand Ninjas.
The wind howled through the forest, and the remaining Sand Ninjas cursed constantly. But in those curses, beyond the rage, was fear.
That's right—fear of that young boy. After all, this was already the seventh Jonin slain by Tatsumi.
It was fortunate for Tatsumi. The Elite Jonin and higher-ranked ninjas were all engaged on the main battlefield.
The ones assigned to extermination missions on the periphery were just ordinary Jonin—making them nothing more than prey before a wolf.
His relentless and unpredictable attacks had left them suffering devastating losses.
Tatsumi took a deep breath. Now, two more Jonin stood in his path.
Reinforcements from the Sand Village kept pouring in.
Fortunately, his own team now consisted of seven Jonin, along with many Chunin and Genin.
It was already a formidable force—but not enough. Tatsumi needed to lead even more ninjas to break through the enemy's defensive line.
There was no time to think further—the Sand Ninjas' next assault had already begun.
A puppet unlike any Tatsumi had seen before emerged. In this short battle, he had already encountered more puppets than in his entire life.
Sand Ninja puppets were generally divided into two types. The first was the humanoid puppet, commonly used by regular Sand Ninjas.
This type of puppet resembled a human, albeit with additional limbs or modifications. Its advantages lay in ease of modification, maintenance, and repair. Minor damage could even be fixed by the puppeteer themselves, making it a practical, general-purpose model.
The second type was the beast-type puppet now standing before Tatsumi.
Tatsumi had little knowledge about this kind. But based on his combat experience, this one likely specialized in speed and attack power.
As for its other abilities, he would have to find out through direct combat.
However, no matter what kind of puppet it was, his Super Strength Fist could simply reduce it to scrap.
Super Strength Fist was the bane of puppeteers. Under its overwhelming force, puppets were no different from paper. Tsunade had already proven this time and again.
Without hesitation, Tatsumi charged straight ahead, ignoring the beast-type puppet entirely. His target was the two Sand Ninjas controlling it.
Calling for support would take too long. Facing them head-on was the better option.
Based on the number of chakra strings he observed, controlling a beast-type puppet was clearly far more challenging than a humanoid one.
The other Sand Ninja, instead of summoning a puppet, drew a kunai.
It seemed he specialized in taijutsu.
Tatsumi exhaled slightly in relief. If both had been puppeteers, it would have been far more troublesome—even if he wasn't particularly afraid of their creations.
The moment Tatsumi reached the puppet, his fist smashed into it without hesitation.
A brand-new puppet shattered under the overwhelming force of his Super Strength Fist.
In the next instant, Tatsumi was already engaged with the kunai-wielding ninja.
Their blades clashed three times in rapid succession, producing sharp metallic notes that resonated through the air. As the Sand Ninja prepared for another strike, Tatsumi suddenly delivered a sweeping kick toward his left waist and ribs.
The Sand Ninja's eyes held a glint of mockery—clearly ridiculing Tatsumi for being too obvious with his attack.
He easily blocked the sweeping kick, then bent his knees and lifted his foot, preparing to counter in the same way.
However, Tatsumi simply raised his hand—and with a sharp snap of his fingers, the air cracked with sound.
The Sand Ninja's vision blurred. His mind descended into chaos.
Caught off guard, he had fallen into Tatsumi's genjutsu.
Though his consciousness wavered, the inertia of his movements could not be stopped. His sluggish counterattack still moved toward Tatsumi's chest—but at a much slower speed.
Tatsumi reacted instantly. Placing his hand on his opponent's thigh, he flipped backward, effortlessly avoiding the attack.
Mid-air, he plunged a kunai into the Sand Ninja's head.
Eighth...
Tatsumi barely landed when his instincts screamed danger.
A jagged earth spear was hurtling toward him!
The puppeteer had sacrificed his teammate, using the moment Tatsumi was mid-air—unable to shift his momentum—to launch a lethal Earth Release jutsu at him.
Tatsumi didn't hesitate. Lightning chakra surged through his right hand, forming Chidori in an instant.
The earth spear met his Chidori head-on—and shattered upon impact.
Without stopping, Tatsumi's speed exploded once more as he lunged at the puppeteer.
In a blink, he was upon him.
The Sand Ninja frantically tried to recall his puppet with chakra threads—but his body froze in horror.
His limbs wouldn't move.
"Ninth," Tatsumi whispered in his ear, almost as if greeting an old friend.
A crackle of lightning.
Blood sprayed as Chidori pierced the man's chest.
.....
As Tatsumi's body count rose, more and more Konoha ninjas rallied behind him, forming a massive force.
Like a steel torrent, they smashed through the Sand and Rock Village's defensive lines, charging straight into the heart of the battlefield where chaos reigned.
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