"Puppetry: Mechanism Shield Seal."
"Puppetry: Hundred Hands Manipulation Dance."
Facing the surging wave of Iron Sand, the young boy quickly retreated, swinging his arms forward. He channeled the Chakra from the Chakra Capacitor within his body, forming a shield of light in front of him. Simultaneously, the Summoning Incantation on his back dispersed, summoning hundreds of slender mechanical arms that protected him from all directions.
Qingshui used Chakra Threads to manipulate the young boy to protect himself, but he did not do so for himself.
Because an attack of this level didn't warrant a defense.
"Separation Breathing: Third Form: Flowing Separation Whirlwind."
The light sword quickly drew a circle in mid-air.
High-temperature air currents, accompanied by blue plasma light, dispersed outwards.
In an instant, all the Iron Sand around Qingshui was cleared away, turning into molten iron that splashed onto the ground.
*Bang!*
The Iron Sand cube was smashed into pieces by the fat man's fists, landing on the ground alongside him.
The Third Kazekage's lips curved into a slight smile, his bright eyes fixed on Qingshui, revealing a serious expression.
He had initially thought that no matter how strong Qingshui was now, he wouldn't be able to cause him any trouble.
But in their engagement so far, the strength Qingshui had displayed was enough to make an experienced Kage-level expert like him bring out his true abilities.
"What incredible strength! How is it that Jonin Qingshui and the Third Generation are fighting neck and neck, completely evenly matched?!"
A young Genin with a white cloth wrapped around his head stared at the training ground in front of him, his face filled with awe.
Having only recently graduated, this was his first time witnessing a confrontation of this caliber.
"It's hard to say how much strength the Third Generation is using, but Jonin Qingshui's power has already surpassed most of the Jonin in the village. It's truly astonishing. His puppets, even individually, feel no less powerful than one of the Chikamatsu Collection."
The young Genin's supervising Jonin watched the battle in the training ground, sighing with emotion.
The average quality of Qingshui's three puppets was indeed already close to that of the Chikamatsu Collection.
When Chiyo taught him the White Secret Technique, she had Qingshui try to disassemble and reassemble these ten puppets himself, and attempt to control them.
In Qingshui's assessment, a single Chikamatsu Collection puppet was rated A+, but these ten puppets could cooperate with each other. When three were combined, they could unleash a powerful combination technique like Three Great Treasures Suction Destruction. After combining, they could be considered as a single entity. Three combined could reach an S- rating, and all ten combined could reach an S-rank.
"Purely in terms of Puppetry, Jonin Qingshui might be second only to Elder Chiyo and Elder Ebizo in the village right now."
A Special Jonin from the Puppet Force, carrying a Sealing Scroll on his back, joined the conversation.
"However, Jonin Qingshui's method of controlling puppets is quite unique. He encases himself within the puppet, making it a combat unit. Through special design, it allows the Puppet Master to enhance their own defensive capabilities while also integrating their other combat abilities into the puppet, indirectly increasing their combat power. This 'armored puppet' style has also seen a small number of Puppet Masters start experimenting with it since last year.
I estimate that after this battle, many Puppet Masters will also start using this style."
"But do your Puppet Masters possess the powerful swordsmanship that Jonin Qingshui does? With such formidable swordsmanship, I feel only Konoha's White Fang and Rain Hidden Hanzo could compare to Qingshui, right? And this never-before-seen Chakra nature… it's not a Lightning Release Secret Technique, could it be a newly developed Kekkei Genkai?"
A middle-aged Jonin narrowed his eyes, watching the commotion in the training ground.
He had been a Jonin for nearly twenty years, so his insight was naturally extraordinary.
The combat power Qingshui was currently displaying had completely surpassed the scope of a Jonin.
Whether he could be compared to the Five Kage, he couldn't yet judge, but he at least possessed near Kage-level strength and the ability to contend with experts of that caliber.
But the most terrifying thing was Qingshui's age.
To have such a performance at this age, what about the future?
"Jonin Qingshui's current age, he's still under fifteen, isn't he?"
The middle-aged Jonin asked the younger Puppet Master.
"He just turned fourteen after the New Year."
The middle-aged Jonin nodded subtly.
It was time to have his clan invest.
While Rasa was still decent, he wasn't dazzling enough and would likely be overshadowed by Qingshui in the future.
Even though Qingshui was still quite young, with his current strength, there were almost no threats in the current Ninja World that could endanger a Kage-level expert's life.
In other words, the likelihood of Qingshui dying prematurely was low; he was destined to reach the pinnacle.
More than one of the surrounding ninjas shared the same thought.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
"Separation Breathing: Fourth Form: Separation Drizzle Fall!"
Countless high-temperature plasma sword ki flew, precisely slicing through the long spears condensed from Iron Sand by the Third Kazekage.
The fat man on the ground once again jetted from his back, the expelled airflow mixed with many black iron particles, and he coordinated with the young boy to launch another attack.
On the battlefield of the Second Great Ninja War, Qingshui had once encountered the Aburame Clan of Konoha.
After that, he improved the pneumatic system, giving his puppets a self-exhaust and cleaning function. This allowed him to use Wind Release to blow away all small manipulating objects stuck in tiny crevices and pipes.
At this moment, this function came in handy. The Iron Sand controlled by the Third Kazekage found it difficult to mix into the puppets and damage them from within.
However, the Third Kazekage still maintained a calm demeanor, floating in the air.
"As expected of the Third Kazekage…"
Qingshui clicked his tongue in admiration.
In the original timeline, the Third Kazekage had become Sasori's Human Puppet. Although it could still utilize his Kekkei Genkai from when he was alive, its power was definitely not as great as when the Third Kazekage was alive. This meant that people could only roughly estimate the Third Kazekage's strength, but without clear specifics.
Having spent so many years in the Ninja World, Qingshui had gained some insight and knew that the Third Kazekage's strength ranked very high among Kage-level powerhouses. But he never expected him to be this strong!
Little did Qingshui know, while the Third Kazekage appeared completely in control on the surface, he was actually feeling a mix of joy at seeing the village's younger generation grow and a touch of anxiety.
He realized he couldn't defeat Qingshui.
In truth, the purpose of this sparring match had already been achieved.
He had witnessed Qingshui's combat prowess.
It was a pleasant surprise, beyond his expectations.
A ninja capable of independently creating and merging a Kekkei Genkai would typically be at least an elite Jonin. And the power demonstrated by Separation Release also met the Third Kazekage's expectations.
Furthermore, Qingshui possessed more than just Separation Release.
His Puppetry, which was distinctly different from orthodox Puppet Masters, combined with his incredibly powerful swordsmanship, almost on par with White Fang's, meant that even the Third Kazekage could only temporarily suppress him.
To determine a winner, they would have to fight with the same desperation as they would on a battlefield.
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