A Puppet Master's Gambit
After seizing control of the puppet, Umino Yoru didn't immediately continue hunting Sand shinobi.
Instead, he lifted the corpse of the deceased Chunin puppeteer, studying his face carefully.
"Transformation Jutsu!"
With a pulse of chakra, Yoru's features twisted—morphing into an exact replica of the dead man. Then, manipulating the stolen puppet, he advanced toward another Chunin puppeteer.
The Perfect Trap
Creeping up behind his target, Yoru orchestrated an ambush—his spider-like puppet lunging with razor-sharp limbs.
Clang!
The enemy puppeteer reacted with startling reflexes, blocking the strike with his own construct.
As expected of a Sand nin. Their defensive tactics are no joke.
"Huh? That's Kōsama's spider puppet?"
The Chunin hesitated mid-counterattack, recognizing the weapon. "Kōsama, it's me!" he shouted.
On cue, the puppet froze—and behind it, the figure of "Kōsama" (Yoru in disguise) stepped forward.
"Kōsama! Finally found you!"
Relief flooded the Sand nin's voice. The thick mist had obscured vision, but the puppet's movements dispersed the fog just enough—revealing his "teammate's" face.
Who else but a Sand puppeteer could control this thing? His trust was absolute.
Then—
"Behind you!"
Yoru's disguised voice rang out in feigned panic, finger jabbing toward the man's back.
The Chunin whirled, puppets swiveling to guard his rear—
—only for the spider construct's barbed leg to spear upward in a vicious arc.
"Secret Technique: True·One Thousand Years of Death!"
SCHLICK.
The meter-long spike rammed through the man's unprotected backside, exiting through his mouth in a grotesque fountain of gore.
"Tch. I did warn you to watch your six."
Yoru's illusion melted away, revealing his true form as the impaled corpse dangled limply from the puppet's limb.
The Chain of Deceit
One by one, Yoru repeated the ruse:
Clone a dead puppeteer's appearance. Approach a new target as their "comrade." Distract, then annihilate.
But when targeting the fraudulent Tokubetsu Jonin leader, things slipped slightly off-script.
Not that it mattered.
The "elite" crumpled under the combined assault of two puppets and multiple shadow clones, captured within seconds.
"My transformation was flawless. How'd you spot me?" Yoru mused, crushing the man's limbs as the spider's stinger pressed against his tongue.
"Y-Your eyes…" the man gargled. "No fear… no respect."
Ah.
The flaw wasn't in the jutsu—but in Yoru's demeanor. No matter how perfect the disguise, he couldn't fake the ingrained subservience these dogs expected.
Pathetic.
Waste Not, Want Not
Instead of killing him, Yoru:
Sealed the man's tongue (no loose ends). Ensnared him in Starch Syrup Bonds (laced with shuriken).
A living puppet was more useful than a dead one.
Then—a memory surged in.
His distant shadow clone—the decoy luring the Sand squad—had been obliterated.
One slash. That's all it took for the Sand Jonin "Fūga" to erase it.
"Time's up."
Yoru's smirk vanished. He mobilized the spider puppet and a disguised clone, steering the chaos toward Fūjin and Raijin's battleground.
The Final Act
In the mist:
Clones rained fake kunai barrages (selling the illusion of a desperate fight). The captured Tokubetsu Jonin "screamed" (fingers freshly severed for effect).
Then—the disguised Yoru-clone staggered into view, spider puppet "barely fending off attacks."
"Kōsama! The captain's here—fall back!"
Yoru played along, launching a volley of senbon—all harmlessly absorbed by the brothers' starch-armor.
"Defensive formation!" the last Tokubetsu Jonin barked.
The three Sand nin formed a triangular guard stance—
—just as Fūjin and Raijin EXPLODED into motion.
The ground shattered under their colossal leap, fists descending like meteors.
The Tokubetsu Jonin twisted to dodge—
—only for his "allies" to betray him.
CRUNCH.
Twin puppet strikes sheared toward his vitals.
"Puppet Substitution Jutsu!"
In that nanosecond between life and death, the veteran's instincts flared. His body swapped places with a dummy—barely cheating annihilation.
Not bad. Yoru's eyes gleamed.
But the show's just starting.
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