Chapter 24: Facing the Puppet Master
After another fierce battle, the already battered rescue team was completely wiped out. Only Fugaku managed to escape, desperately clutching Nagisa.
Of course, the Sand ninja's losses were also significant.
The rescue team had managed to take down three of the seven powerful Jounin with them. The remaining four were all injured.
But these four were still far too strong for Kyosuke and the others to handle. The best strategy was to run.
However, after a frantic ten-minute sprint, Fugaku suddenly stopped.
Seeing him stop, Kyosuke and Chiko had no choice but to halt as well, looking at him with questioning eyes.
Fugaku looked at Kyosuke with a profound gaze, then turned to give Chiko a long, deep look. With his usual stoic expression, he said, "We can't outrun them. I'll stay behind to hold them off. Chiko... you protect Kyosuke and get out of here."
"No."
"I'm not leaving."
Kyosuke and Chiko spoke at almost the same time.
Kyosuke struggled internally for a moment, then looked at Fugaku, who was clearly reluctant but still determined to stay behind. "Brother Fugaku, in your current condition, can you hold off two of them?"
Fugaku silently nodded, indicating that he could.
Then Kyosuke turned to Uchiha Chiko. "Sister Chiko, can you hold off one Jounin?"
"Although I'm not as strong as Fugaku, holding off one of them won't be a problem," Chiko replied without hesitation.
"Alright, then here's the plan..." Kyosuke began to lay out his battle strategy.
Just as he was getting into it, Fugaku unexpectedly interrupted him.
"When did I say..."
"We're not leaving," Kyosuke cut him off.
"..." Fugaku stared at him for a moment, then gestured for him to continue.
Soon, Kyosuke finished explaining his plan. All that was left was to put it to the test.
I will not let anything happen to either of you. Absolutely not, Fugaku vowed silently to himself, a warm smile gracing his lips as he looked at them.
"Captain, they're just ahead," a Sand ninja with a mask on his face and a human-shaped puppet on his back suddenly said as they ran at full speed.
The captain nodded and gestured to his subordinates.
Instantly, the remaining four changed their formation and accelerated toward the fleeing enemy.
Although this made them vulnerable to a surprise attack, it was better than dragging things out any longer. Who knew if Konoha had only sent one rescue team? What if another one was on its way?
That was why the now-impatient captain had given the order. If he couldn't bring back the Uchiha main family's little girl, he would face severe punishment. The casualties from this operation had been far too high.
He wouldn't be executed, but the best-case scenario was that he would be forced to go underground, becoming a ninja who operates in the shadows. Only then could he avoid being held accountable by Konoha.
But as a married man, that was a fate he desperately wanted to avoid.
Soon, the Sand ninja caught up to the frantically fleeing group ahead.
The Uchiha Jounin at the lead, seeing them catch up, had no choice but to stay behind and cover their retreat.
The remaining female ninja and the child prepared to continue their escape.
Seeing this, the Sand ninja captain gestured to his men again. He and one other charged toward Fugaku. The other two veered off slightly and went after their ultimate target.
Although Fugaku tried his best to intercept them, he was tied down by the other two Jounin and failed to stop them.
"Just give up. My subordinates will bring back the target soon. Your mission has failed," the Sand ninja captain said, trying to distract Fugaku with his words while continuing his fierce assault.
But with Fugaku's strength at the elite Jounin level, even though he was heavily injured, the two of them couldn't take him down quickly.
My part is done. The rest is up to you, Kyosuke, Fugaku prayed silently.
"Hmph, you think splitting up will save you?" the Sand ninja puppet master sneered.
Then, he and his companion split up, each chasing in a different direction. Although they sensed something was amiss, what could a child and a female ninja who had barely escaped with her life possibly do?
Hearing the sounds behind him, a "panicked" Kyosuke became even more nervous.
Clutching the "Nagisa" in his arms tighter, Kyosuke dove into a dense forest.
The one chasing him was the Sand ninja puppet master.
The puppet master smiled when he saw Kyosuke. Let's see what tricks you have up your sleeve, he thought to himself.
He then followed him into the dense forest.
The moment the puppet master stepped into the forest, a dense volley of kunai shot at him from all sides.
Kyosuke had already laid traps here, just waiting for the enemy to fall into them. The previous scene had been a performance to lure the enemy into the trap.
It wasn't just him; Fugaku's "desperate attempt to block them" was also a pre-arranged act to successfully change the enemy's formation, maximizing the chances of the puppet master chasing after Kyosuke.
Faced with the onslaught of projectiles, the puppet master dodged with an expressionless face, managing to avoid all of Kyosuke's traps.
But Kyosuke's carefully laid attack was not over yet.
The instant the puppet master stopped moving, the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked open.
A python over two meters long shot out from underground, instantly coiling itself tightly around him.
It turned out that Kyosuke's previous traps were all a diversion, meant to lure the Sand ninja to the spot where he had buried his summoned creature.
And finally, Kyosuke had succeeded.
The Sand ninja's body was tightly bound by the python. He couldn't even form hand seals to counterattack, let alone move his hands.
Just as the battle seemed to be over, things took a sharp turn.
The skin on the Sand ninja's face began to peel off like old paint. Then, sharp spikes of various sizes suddenly shot out from "his" body, piercing the python.
With a puff of white smoke, the python vanished. It had been automatically transported back to Ryuchi Cave due to its severe injuries.
And the "Sand ninja" was not the real person at all, but a remotely controlled puppet.
The real puppet master was hiding in a giant tree several hundred meters away, chuckling coldly.
But he hadn't noticed that not far behind him, a small, ordinary snake was flicking its tongue, watching him with cold, calculating eyes.