"Defensive positions!"
The special jōnin puppeteer barked orders, directing his team to shield the four chūnin preparing their combined ninjutsu.
Aside from the fraudulent special jōnin leader (who stood uselessly at the center), the Suna-nin swiftly formed a defensive perimeter. The two chūnin puppeteers positioned their puppets as additional barriers, reinforcing their protection.
Right on cue, the attack came.
A barrage of kunai and shuriken rained down.
But these were elite Suna puppeteers—their defenses were formidable.
With just two spinning windmill blades, they effortlessly deflected the storm of projectiles.
"Heh. Pathetic." The fraudulent leader sneered, growing dismissive of both the attack and the unseen foe hidden in the mist.
Meanwhile, the special jōnin puppeteer tightened their formation, adding another layer of defense to ensure the combined ninjutsu could be completed.
The two Earth Release users were nearly finished, their hands sealing the Snake sign:
"Earth Style—"
Then—
BZZT.
A subsonic pulse struck, perfectly disrupting their technique.
The two Wind Release users behind them also choked—their Great Breakthrough cut short mid-cast.
While the latter pair recovered quickly, the Earth Release users were left chakra-disrupted, unable to perform ninjutsu for the time being.
"Genjutsu! Break it!"
The four chūnin paled, immediately assuming they'd been trapped in an illusion. Few things were as terrifying in team battles as genjutsu support—its ability to cripple coordination was legendary.
Without hesitation, they flooded their chakra networks, trying to dispel the "illusion."
No effect.
One black-faced chūnin didn't hesitate—he stabbed his own thigh with a kunai, relying on pain to shatter the genjutsu.
The others followed suit, plunging blades into their legs without flinching.
"Why isn't it working?!"
"Is this… an A-rank genjutsu? Or something else entirely?!"
Before they could process further, the next assault was already upon them.
SPLAT—
"Water Style: Syrup Trap Field!"
While his shadow clone disrupted their ninjutsu, Yoru had already spat out a thick, sticky syrup flood, drenching the Suna formation.
The special jōnin puppeteer reacted instantly, commanding his puppet to slash through the oncoming wave with Whirlwind Blade Dance—a B-rank offensive technique.
But syrup wasn't water.
The puppet's blades sank uselessly into the glue-like substance, its limbs seizing up as the adhesive hardened.
"Scatter! Avoid the syrup!"
Too late.
The team was already split apart, forced into isolated combat—just as Yoru had planned.
"Now, Kayone."
Fwoosh—
"Genjutsu: Fox's Mind Trick!"
The moment the illusion descended, the Suna-nin lost all sense of direction.
Despite being only a D-rank genjutsu, Anma Kayone's bloodline elevated its potency to C-rank or higher.
Normally, this technique trapped victims in endless loops, making them wander until collapse. But here, its purpose was simpler: keep them separated.
With the mist obscuring vision, the effect was doubled.
Only the special jōnin puppeteer resisted somewhat—the rest were completely disoriented, now fighting alone.
"Fūjin! Raijin! Attack here!"
Guided by Yoru's shadow clones, the twin terrors lunged at the puppeteer.
SHINK—
"Senbon Rain!"
The puppeteer's backup puppet unleashed a storm of poisoned needles—
TINK TINK TINK—
—only for them to harmlessly bounce off the brothers' syrup armor.
Despite wearing hundred-pound adhesive plates, Fūjin and Raijin moved like raging bulls, closing the distance in seconds.
"ROAR! DIE!"
"GIVE BACK OUR FOOD!"
Their gigantic iron clubs came down like meteor strikes, each swing equivalent to a B-rank ninjutsu.
BOOM! BOOM!
The ground shattered under the impacts, debris flying like shrapnel. Only by sacrificing his puppet as a shield did the puppeteer avoid being shredded by the flying rocks.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Under the shadow clones' guidance, the brothers pummeled him relentlessly, driving him into a desperate retreat.
"Time to clean up the trash."
While Fūjin and Raijin occupied the puppeteer, Yoru moved like a phantom, hunting the scattered chūnin.
But first—another illusion.
"Genjutsu: Phantom Followers!"
Black silhouettes flickered through the mist, further disorienting the Suna-nin.
Kunai and shuriken flew—but struck only empty air.
One chūnin tried to cast Great Breakthrough again—
BZZT.
Another subsonic pulse cut him off mid-seal.
Then—slice.
His throat opened before he realized he'd been attacked.
Nearby, Yoru materialized behind another puppeteer.
The chūnin sensed death and whipped his puppet around—
—only for it to freeze mid-motion.
"What…?!"
Schlik.
As the puppeteer collapsed, gurgling blood, his dying eyes widened in horror.
His discarded puppet was standing back up—
—controlled by someone else's strings.