The old man Monzaemon was so infuriated by Hoshiyomi's words that his nose practically twisted from anger.
At his age, he was revered like a sage back in Sunagakure—treated with the utmost respect. Who dared speak to him like this punk just did, flippantly talking about death and sending him "down below"?
"Sharp tongue, aren't you, brat? I'll show you just how fearsome this old man can be!"
As he spoke, Monzaemon's hands moved in a dazzling blur. Ten nearly invisible chakra threads shot out from his fingertips, connecting to the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets.
In an instant, the puppets seemed to come alive, all raising their heads with mechanical clattering sounds.
Monzaemon was clearly serious now. His fingers danced rapidly in the air as if he were playing an invisible piano.
But this wasn't some elegant concerto—these movements carried deadly intent.
With a wave of his hand, three puppets launched into motion.
The blue-faced, bald puppet from before shot multiple chain-blades at Hoshiyomi from a port on its head, the steel glinting with lethal precision.
Meanwhile, a long-faced puppet with a center part in its hair charged forward alongside a red-faced puppet. As they advanced, both puppets extended their arms—each launching one of their hands, which then interlocked in midair.
Hoshiyomi didn't panic. Calmly, he raised Mikazuki Munechika and severed the incoming chains with practiced ease. They might've been numerous, even laced with a paralyzing toxin, but they still posed little threat to him.
However, just then, the other two puppets closed in.
The long-faced puppet grabbed the red-faced puppet's left arm and hurled it like a weapon.
While airborne, the red-faced puppet reached up and peeled off its own face, revealing beneath it a set of high-speed spinning steel blades, like a deadly turbine. There was no doubt—getting caught in that whirlwind meant being torn in half, even for the sturdiest shinobi.
Hoshiyomi's expression turned serious. He didn't attempt to block the spinning blades directly, even with Mikazuki Munechika. As sharp as his blade was, he wasn't about to let it get nicked by some glorified buzzsaw.
Instead, he activated Body Flicker, ducking low to evade the slicing attack. At the same time, he executed a long-unused technique:
Crescent Moon Slash
His target: the chain connecting the two puppets.
Hoshiyomi's form became a streak of light, and in an instant, he appeared between the two puppets. With a swift stroke of Mikazuki Munechika, he slashed at the chain linking them.
A sharp clang rang out—and the chain snapped.
The red-faced puppet fell uselessly to the ground.
Monzaemon, seeing this, couldn't help but mutter in admiration:
"Though you're an annoying brat, the blade in your hand is an unparalleled masterpiece. I cannot be careless."
He then smiled darkly.
"If you can handle three—how about all ten at once?"
With a flick of his wrists, his fingers moved even faster. For a man in his seventies, the speed was absurd—his hands blurred through the air, leaving afterimages behind.
This time, it wasn't just three puppets—all ten moved simultaneously.
Eight puppets surged forward in attack, while two larger ones—designed for defense and close combat—made their move as well.
The ox-horned puppet that had lost an arm lifted Monzaemon onto its shoulder, and together with a hedgehog-haired puppet, completely shielded their master from view.
During a lull in evading the onslaught, Hoshiyomi tried firing a burst of sword aura toward the distant Monzaemon. But the two towering puppets protecting him clearly weren't ordinary creations. The sword aura barely left superficial cuts in their armor—nowhere near enough to break through.
Worse yet, while his attack failed, a twin-blade puppet with a topknot hairstyle rushed in close.
Its twin greatswords swung down with tremendous force. Hoshiyomi raised Mikazuki Munechika to block—and was shocked to feel the sheer strength behind the attack.
The blow left his arms numb.
And the twin-blade puppet wasn't alone—several others followed right behind. Hoshiyomi frowned and immediately used Crescent Moon Slash again to pull back and create distance.
He severed another pair of incoming chain-blades with a sweeping strike, then, in irritation, unleashed a sharp burst of sword aura toward the blue-faced puppet.
But just as it was about to hit, the twin-blade puppet leapt in front and blocked it with both greatswords.
Disgusting.
Hoshiyomi could only choose to fight and retreat. After all, his Body Flicker speed was incredibly fast, and it took time for the old man to transmit commands to the puppets. If he was careful, it would still be difficult for those puppets to hit him.
If I can't finish you off quickly, then I'll wear you down.
With that thought, he began a long-drawn guerrilla battle, darting around the periphery of the puppet formation. Though the puppets were well-coordinated, they couldn't lock down someone as slippery as him.
But just then, Monzaemon's voice echoed calmly from the distance:
"Sticking to long-range harassment, are you? Hoping I'll just wear myself out?"
"You might be right—puppet masters can't transmit orders faster than your instant movement. It's possible I could lose just from the sheer strain of keeping up with you."
"But allow me to remind you—your Uzumaki companion has already been poisoned. Without the antidote, he won't survive more than five minutes. And I promise you, I've got at least five minutes of stamina left."
"If your strategy is to wait me out, then you'd better be ready to sacrifice your comrade."
Hoshiyomi's expression shifted.
That cunning old bastard…
He was trying to force Hoshiyomi into a head-on assault by threatening Masahiko's life.
Hoshiyomi glanced toward Masahiko in the distance, whose face was already beginning to turn purplish-black. His grip tightened around Mikazuki Munechika.
It seemed he had no choice.
His eyes settled on Monzaemon, still nestled deep within the protection of his puppets. Hoshiyomi lowered his head in silence—then charged straight into the puppet formation.
Monzaemon's heart leapt with glee.
The brat took the bait!
Truth was, Monzaemon had been bluffing.
Yes, Hoshiyomi's agility outpaced his puppets. Yes, the sustained battle was exhausting his aged body. But the five-minute stamina claim? Total fabrication.
At seventy-nine years old, Monzaemon could barely continue for another minute, let alone five. If he were still in his prime, he could've battled all day—but those days were long gone.
Now, the once-legendary Kage-level puppet master had to rely on cunning to survive.
But his trap was set.
The moment Hoshiyomi entered close range, he'd activate his Three Jewels Suction Crush—a lethal trump card designed to eliminate him in one strike.
His opportunity had come.
The tide of this battle had begun to turn.