"Now this is a treasure!"
Umino Yoru picked up a small piece of shield armor from the ground, examining its material with delight.
This Karakuri Shield Puppet was far more refined than the one equipped on his mechanized puppet. Now that he had obtained an even stronger version—along with the three other puppets from Suna's Tetsusai—he could rebuild another mechanized puppet.
And if he could decipher the principles behind the Five-Colored Scrolls from Tetsusai's scroll puppet, he might even be able to install a map-wide artillery system on his mechanized puppet, drastically boosting its offensive and defensive capabilities.
If he succeeded, the combat power of his mechanized puppet's shadow clones would surpass his own true form. Even if he used the full power of his Wind Breathing Technique, he might not be able to defeat his own puppet's shadow clone.
It couldn't be helped—with near-impenetrable defense and the Five-Colored Scroll artillery, the puppet would be jonin-level in strength. In large-scale battles, it could even rival the terrifying might of elite jonin-tier summoning beasts, making it a true battlefield dominator.
"Karakuri Shield Puppet users are a pain to kill."
Yoru sighed as he inspected the small shield fragment.
The seamless defense of the Karakuri Shield Puppet was absurd. If not for Shirogane's exceptional swordsmanship, which created tiny gaps in the shield's movements, they would have had to slowly grind Tetsusai down.
And exhausting an elite jonin was no easy feat.
Yoru had his Gluttony Technique for recovery, and the Wind God & Thunder God brothers had freakish stamina—but Shirogane and the shadow clones in the mechanized puppet likely wouldn't have outlasted Tetsusai.
If it had come down to just Yoru and the brothers, they might not have been able to fully eliminate the Suna nin.
Elite jonin were hard to kill.
If not for the dust explosion injuries at the Gourd Valley Pass, the relentless pursuit, and the constant aerial harassment that drained Tetsusai's chakra and stamina, the outcome could have been very different.
Even though Tetsusai was a specialized puppeteer, there was no denying that—outside of Konoha's monstrous lineup—every elite jonin was a force to be reckoned with, capable of leading entire battalions.
For a figure like Tetsusai, a disciple of Elder Chiyo, to fall to a group of "nobodies" like them… it just showed how unpredictable the shinobi world was.
The Brutal Reality of War
If Tetsusai hadn't summoned a creature to teleport Chiyo away, even she might have died here.
On the battlefield, even Kage-level fighters could perish. That was the true nature of the shinobi world—full of unpredictable twists.
"I need to accelerate the development of rapid healing abilities."
A fast recovery system was crucial to countering the unpredictability of combat.
He didn't need Hashirama-level regeneration or Tsunade's instantaneous healing, but at least Yakushi Kabuto-tier recovery would be a game-changer.
Post-Battle Regrouping
"Big Bro Boss! Fight's over! FOOD!"
"ROAR! EAT!"
The Wind God & Thunder God brothers planted their giant iron rods into the ground, staring at Yoru with expectant eyes.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Yoru rewarded them with a box of high-energy sugar cubes to replenish their stamina.
The brothers cupped their hands obediently as Yoru poured a generous portion into their palms before turning to Shirogane and Raito Ando.
"We can just take soldier pills. No need to waste such expensive supplies—especially when we still have two Suna squads to deal with."
Shirogane eyed the high-calorie energy blocks—a luxury item that probably cost tens of thousands of ryo per box.
"We just scored a major victory and looted a fortune. Who cares about the cost?"
Yoru shoved a handful into Shirogane's palm before adding, "Relax, those two Suna squads are already dealt with. We'll rest here—Ebisu and the others will arrive soon."
According to his shadow clone's memories, the fleeing Suna teams had been wiped out.
One squad was ambushed by a disguised shadow clone posing as a Suna puppeteer, nearly annihilated before the Konoha pursuit squad even arrived. The remaining Sand nin chose to swallow poison rather than be captured.
The other squad had a jonin-level puppeteer who put up a fierce resistance, but against Ebisu's 30-man pursuit team, even he fell to overwhelming numbers.
If not for a shadow clone's timely Water Wall Jutsu blocking the puppeteer's suicidal counterattack, the Konoha squad might have suffered casualties despite their advantage.
Miraculous Zero Losses
Overall, the operation was a flawless success.
Aside from a few expendable genin who fell from trees or cliffs during the chase (due to poor Tree-Walking skills), the only injury was Ando's thigh wound from a stray shield fragment.
Luckily, it was just a flesh wound—no major arteries hit. A quick patch-up from a medic-nin, and he'd recover in days.
By the time Yoru finished looting the battlefield, Ebisu and Iwashi Tatami arrived with the Konoha pursuit squad.
All 60 members returned unharmed. Even the injured genin would be retrieved on the way back.
Ebisu's Shock
"Yoru… Your transformation jutsu is insane. And how the hell do you know Suna's puppet techniques?!"
Ebisu grabbed Yoru's arm, eyes wide with excitement.
A transformation so flawless it fooled a Suna jonin?
Mass shadow clones?
Suna's secret puppet arts?
None of this could be dismissed as mere "luck."
"Ebisu, I'll stop pretending—I'm just a genius."
Yoru had no real explanation, so he played the prodigy card.
"…Yeah, that tracks." To his surprise, Ebisu nodded in agreement.
Before Ebisu could press further, Yoru quickly diverted him with **"advanced transformation training methods"**—namely, the Sexy Jutsu and Harem Jutsu.
The moment Ebisu's brain conjured images of glamorous illusions, all other questions evaporated.
"Ebisu, quit daydreaming! If we don't hurry back, Tenju Urame will steal all the good loot!"
"Oh—right!"
With that, Yoru led the squad back to the Gourd Valley Pass, ready to claim their spoils.
The Bitter Aftermath
On the way, they retrieved the injured genin.
69 departed. 69 returned. A miracle in wartime.
But as they neared the pass, agonized screams echoed ahead.
Using his Sound Detection Technique from miles away, Yoru already knew the situation.
Tenju Urame, desperate to hoard the battlefield spoils, had forced his men to scavenge recklessly—triggering Suna's hidden traps.
Casualties had piled up.
The irony?
Yoru's pursuit squad—zero losses.
Urame's "rear guard"—heavy casualties, without even fighting.