"Boy, die!"
The puppet master roared angrily. The puppet flew towards Seisuke. The mechanisms on it opened, and countless fine, poison - tipped steel needles shot out like a storm of pear blossoms, leaving numerous holes in Seisuke's body.
However, it had no effect on his elementalized body. He swung his arm, and a huge flaming fist flew out, engulfing the puppet master and the puppet together.
Seeing this, the remaining puppet master tried to run away. Yuhi Shinku and another jonin could no longer hold back. One dealt with the puppet while the other used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind the puppet master.
Yuhi Shinku pressed his hand on the puppet master's shoulder. "Yo! Little brother, having fun?"
Puppet master: (⊙x⊙;)
Oh no, I'm doomed!
He tried to fight back, but his mind went blank as he was caught in a genjutsu. Next, it was time to interrogate him for information.
Seisuke filled the holes in his body with flames and picked up the remains of the puppet on the ground, wanting to see what secrets this thing held.
Kawakami walked over and asked, "Interested in these things?"
"Yeah, a bit. I'm just curious about how it works." Seisuke said.
"The puppet jutsu of Sunagakure is a closely - guarded secret. Not only the creation of chakra threads but also the puppet - making process is kept secret. Konoha once obtained some information about these from captives. We found that it not only requires talent but also long - term, day - by - day training. The only clan in the village who could potentially learn it was the Uchiha clan. They could directly copy the puppet master's manipulation techniques. However, they looked down on puppet jutsu, thinking it was useless compared to their clan - inherited Fire Release. So, they didn't learn it, and the village gave up on trying to train puppet masters. Other villages are the same. As time passed, everyone just gave up."
The Sharingan of the Uchiha clan could easily copy the opponent's movements, including the control methods of puppet jutsu. But the Uchiha were arrogant and thought puppet jutsu was inferior to their own techniques. Thus, they didn't bother to learn it. The village also didn't have the time to train puppet masters, and so did other villages. Eventually, puppet masters became a unique feature of Sunagakure.
One must never underestimate them.
"I see. Puppet masters are really troublesome."
Under the control of the puppet master, puppets can ignore terrain, move quickly, feel no pain, and their body mechanisms are hard to guard against. Plus, they are often coated with poison. One careless move, and you could be poisoned to death. They are very difficult to deal with.
"We need to send them to the camp and have the medical ninjas treat them."
At this time, a voice came from over there. They couldn't remove the toxins from the bodies of the poisoned ninjas on the spot. They could only wait for the medical ninjas to take action.
Several jonin carried the wounded, and the leading jonin sealed the bodies of this puppet assassination squad.
After getting the information about Sunagakure, Yuhi Shinku's face darkened. "We must reach the Konoha base camp as quickly as possible. Sunagakure has gathered a group of ninjas and is planning a sneak attack. The leader is Ebizo, an elder of Sunagakure."
Ebizo, the younger brother of Chiyo, the puppet master grandmaster, was also a powerful puppet master. Although his strength might be inferior to his sister Chiyo's, it couldn't be underestimated. Only someone at the level of Orochimaru could deal with him.
"Everyone, be on your guard. Prepare to head to the camp."
Everyone stood up. They had to reach the camp as soon as possible and deliver this information to Orochimaru to avoid the attack.
Yuhi Shinku turned to look at Seisuke. "Seisuke, you send the information to Lord Orochimaru."
"Okay."
"Summoning Technique!"
A snake appeared in front of them. Yuhi Shinku took out the written information scroll, and Seisuke let the snake swallow it. Then the snake disappeared in an instant.
At the Konoha base camp
Orochimaru, who was thinking about Sunagakure's next move, suddenly noticed a snake beside his foot. He reached out his hand, and the snake spat out the information scroll. After opening it, he saw the news of Sunagakure's upcoming sneak attack. He sneered. "Ebizo? He really thinks highly of me."
He stood up and started making arrangements.
It was already deep into the night. The camp was quiet. One after another, figures quietly entered the camp. The surrounding alert barriers didn't work. These figures slipped into the tents, and splashes of blood stained the tent walls.
The assassination seemed unexpectedly easy. An old figure suddenly appeared in the camp. He was wearing a black robe, with a bag slung diagonally across his body. The bandages on his head were wrapped to form a hat, and his long white eyebrows covered his eyes. His aged face showed no emotion. He said softly, "Something's wrong. It's too easy. Retreat!"
The fingers hidden in his sleeves moved slightly, and those figures flew out of the tents and gathered around him.
Just then, a large snake emerged from the ground and lunged straight at his face.
A puppet rushed over and cut the snake in half. This seemed to be a signal. Behind the old man, a group of Sunagakure puppet masters jumped out, surrounded by puppets.
"Lord Ebizo, it seems we've fallen into a trap." A puppet master said in a deep voice.
"Indeed. It seems the information was leaked. Let's retreat."
"Visiting in the middle of the night without being entertained isn't our Konoha's way of treating guests. Since you're here, stay." A hoarse and magnetic voice sounded. The lamp in the Konoha command tent lit up, and Orochimaru walked out. His golden snake - like pupils were filled with coldness.
Ebizo's eyebrows twitched. He said unhurriedly, "I wondered who it was. It's Orochimaru, the disciple of Sarutobi Hiruzen. It seems you've got our information. You're really something, sacrificing a group of ninjas. This is already worth it for us."
Orochimaru laughed upon hearing this. "Those were your Sunagakure ninjas. We just changed their clothes to look like Konoha ninjas."
The ones killed were all captives from Sunagakure. After interrogating them for information, they were no longer needed. They were originally going to be sent back to Konoha for research, but now they could still serve some purpose.
Ebizo's old face remained expressionless. "In that case, it's a failure. Retreat!"
"Once you're here, don't even think about leaving!" Orochimaru was determined to keep these guys here tonight. He formed hand - seals. "Summoning Technique!"
A huge snake dozens of meters long appeared and lunged at Ebizo with a bite.
Despite his advanced age, Ebizo was unexpectedly agile. He and the puppet masters jumped into the air and controlled the puppets to attack Orochimaru.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Orochimaru spat out a stream of flames, pushing away the incoming poisoned needles, kunai, and shuriken while also attacking Ebizo and the others.
Although the puppets were tough, they were ultimately made of wood. And wood is flammable. Even if Ebizo had counter - measures, not many of the people he brought with him were as experienced as he was.
Seeing the puppets catch fire, they panicked. They landed and tried to put out the flames. At this time, Orochimaru used a Wind Release, fanning the flames.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"