The entire defense zone was laid bare under the sonic radar of his shadow clones.
Even before this Sunagakure puppeteer squad entered the area, their movements had already been exposed. Umino Yoru quickly led his team to intercept them at full speed.
Based on the chakra fluctuations and puppet levels, this squad likely consisted of one jonin and three special jonins—a formidable force.
To increase their chances of victory, he also called in Ebisu's team and Tatami's team for backup.
Soon, Umino Yoru and his forces set up a massive explosive tag trap near a river on the eastern edge of Nagisa's patrol zone, lying in wait for the Suna puppeteers to walk right into it.
"Could this be Ebizō's retaliation?"
A hint of unease crept into Umino Yoru's mind. Puppets were expensive to make, and puppeteers—regardless of their official rank—held considerable status in Sunagakure.
It was highly unlikely that Suna would send an entire squad of elite puppeteers deep into Konoha's defense lines. That would be like Konoha dispatching a full team of elite clan shinobi on a suicide mission.
While Konoha had Danzō Shimura, who was capable of such reckless decisions, Suna had a strong council of elders—such a move was improbable.
"This must be Ebizō's doing."
Through his ultrasonic radar technique, he noticed that the Suna jonin's puppet was a Mechanical Shield Puppet, the same model used by Ebizō's disciple—only more refined.
"Don't tell me this is another one of Ebizō's students?"
Umino Yoru immediately ordered one of his hidden shadow clones to hold back from combat and instead focus on using subsonic radar to secretly study the Suna jonin's puppetry techniques.
Despite moving cautiously, the puppeteer squad advanced swiftly and soon reached the heart of the explosive trap.
Umino Yoru formed the Tiger Seal and triggered the trap.
BOOM!
Dozens of explosive tags detonated simultaneously, unleashing devastation comparable to a large-scale A-rank ninjutsu.
The Suna puppeteer squad was caught dead center in the blast.
Even with their strong defensive capabilities, the sudden explosion left them stunned.
The trap worked perfectly—one special jonin was killed instantly, while the other two lost a puppet each and suffered burns from the flames. Only the jonin remained unharmed, having activated his Mechanical Shield: Thousand-Fold Barrier at the last second.
However, the shockwave left him disoriented, forcing him to stay within his barrier for the moment.
Umino Yoru, having already completed another hand seal, unleashed his next move.
"Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field!"
A massive wave of sticky syrup shot from his mouth, drenching the Suna puppeteers—especially the jonin.
"Defend!"
The jonin, anticipating further attacks, barked orders. The two surviving special jonins immediately deployed backup puppets to block the incoming syrup.
But none of them recognized this technique. They assumed it was a standard Water Release attack, unaware of its unique adhesive properties.
Splash—!
The syrup coated everything—their puppets, their weapons, even parts of their bodies.
The Starch Syrup Capturing Field combined the fluidity of water with the stickiness of syrup, molding itself around their defenses and immobilizing their puppets. The Suna shinobi themselves were only lightly splashed, not enough to trap them completely.
"Nagisa's team, take the left puppeteer! Tatami's team, the right one! Shukutaku and Ebisu's teams, hold the rear!"
Umino Yoru swiftly issued commands before locking onto the jonin with a fierce gaze.
"I'll handle the jonin."
The two special jonins, now stripped of their puppets, were like declawed tigers—easy prey for the 15 shinobi surrounding them.
The real challenge was the jonin. Even if his Mechanical Shield Puppet was stuck, he likely had spares.
But to Umino Yoru, puppeteers—even jonin-level ones—were far less troublesome than regular jonin.
With his knowledge of Suna's puppetry and his ultrasonic radar perception, the puppeteer's advantages were nullified.
And with his sticky syrup techniques, he was practically their natural counter.
"Rain of Needles!"
True to form, the jonin summoned a backup puppet—a rare Black Ant Puppet.
"Water Release: Syrup Armor!"
Umino Yoru coated himself in a golden, sand-infused armor, an upgraded version of his original technique.
Ting-ting-ting!
The poisoned needles harmlessly bounced off his sticky shield.
"Water Release: Syrup Rope!"
He lashed out with a whip of syrup, forcing the jonin to dodge rather than block—knowing full well the consequences of getting stuck.
"Black Secret Technique: Black Ant Hell!"
The jonin feigned retreat while secretly activating a trap beneath Umino Yoru's feet.
A black, watermelon-sized ant puppet burst from the ground—
But Umino Yoru had already sensed it.
A simple Body Flicker was all it took to evade.
He then intensified his assault, pressuring the jonin into revealing more techniques—all while his hidden shadow clone continued to study them.
Before long—
"Agh—!"
A scream rang out.
One of the special jonins, now puppetless, was bisected by Nagisa Raidō's sword.
The remaining one soon followed.
"Trying to run now? Too late."
Despite the jonin's aggressive facade, Umino Yoru's sonic radar revealed his true intent—escape.
"Black Secret Technique: Chaos Spinning Wheel!"
A steel sphere erupted behind Umino Yoru, unfolding into a deadly bladed wheel.
But the jonin didn't even wait to see if it hit—he just turned and fled.
"Heh."
Umino Yoru dodged effortlessly and cut off his retreat, twirling his Sakabato with practiced ease.
"Konoha-Ryū: Willow!"
The world around the jonin twisted as illusory willow branches swayed, distorting his perception.
Whoosh—!
A burst of speed—
A flash of steel—
And a thin red line appeared across the jonin's throat.
Support me by leaving a comment, voting, and visiting my Patreon at belamy20