Chapter 25: Tactical Kill
As the puppet master, hidden in the trees, was remotely controlling his puppet to search for Kyosuke, he suddenly felt an intense heat from behind.
Startled, he immediately looked back.
Several fireballs were rapidly approaching him.
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
The user of this fire style jutsu was none other than Kyosuke himself, who had appeared out of nowhere.
With his Sharingan, it was easy for him to distinguish whether the one entering the dense forest was the puppet master himself or just a puppet. The puppet master, however, was unaware of this, which led to the earlier fight in the forest.
And during that time, Kyosuke, with the help of his summoned creatures, had successfully located the puppet master and launched a surprise attack.
This puppet master was indeed a Jounin-level powerhouse. Even when caught off guard by Kyosuke's ambush, he managed to escape with only minor injuries.
What helped him escape was another puppet, one designed for personal protection. This was a standard defense mechanism for every puppet master, meant to prevent their "fragile" real bodies from being ambushed.
After landing on the ground, the puppet master was on high alert. He had originally wondered why there was a child in the enemy's team, but now he understood. This kid was a rare sensory-type ninja, which was how he was able to find his real body.
Understanding this, he began to secretly guide his attack puppet back to his position while preparing to say something to stall for time.
Although sensory ninja were generally not strong in direct combat, his cautious nature prompted him to wait for his strongest puppet to return before launching an attack.
Caution was a necessary combat trait for every puppet master.
Just as the puppet master was about to speak, he felt a slight tremor from the ground beneath his feet.
A pair of small hands shot out from the earth, grabbing his feet and attempting to pull him into the ground.
"You cunning little brat." The puppet master had no choice but to abandon remote control and focus on the puppet beside him. He unleashed a burst of chakra, resisting the pull from the hands.
Perhaps due to the large difference in strength, the hands couldn't immediately pull him into the ground, and they were locked in a stalemate.
Seeing this, the puppet master sneered and controlled his protective puppet to attack the enemy underground.
A sharp blade suddenly extended from the puppet's mouth and stabbed forcefully into the ground at his feet.
However, the spray of blood the puppet master had expected never came.
Not only that, but the enemy underground seemed unfazed by the attack. The grip on his feet didn't loosen at all; in fact, it tightened.
Is it a clone? No, that can't be. No clone could withstand such an injury without disappearing, a series of unexpected events had left the puppet master flustered.
As he was trying to figure out Kyosuke's objective, the Kyosuke who appeared to be a "clone" standing in the distance suddenly opened his mouth and spewed a large mouthful of fire.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
A massive fireball, carrying a wave of intense heat, shot toward the astonished puppet master.
Damn it, so that one's the real body? But what's the thing underground? The puppet master felt like his head was about to explode. A surge of anger at being fooled rose in his chest.
But no matter how angry he was, he had no time to dodge the Great Fireball.
He had no choice but to shrink his body as much as possible and place the protective puppet in front of him, hoping to minimize the damage.
Boom!
The furiously burning fireball accurately hit the puppet master, causing a massive explosion.
It had to be said, the puppet lived up to its "protective" name. It wasn't completely destroyed by a direct hit from the Great Fireball.
However, although the puppet was still usable, the puppet master was seriously injured.
He scrambled out of the still-burning flames, patting out the fire on his clothes while searching for any sign of the enemy.
This time, having learned his lesson, he cautiously scanned not only his left and right but also the sky and the ground, afraid that the cunning enemy would attack from another unexpected direction.
It was clear he was starting to get scared. A proud Jounin, being completely suppressed by a child from the start of the battle—he himself felt ashamed.
But he still failed to detect Kyosuke's next ambush.
Because Kyosuke didn't attack from any of the directions he was expecting. Instead, he charged right through the raging flames, closing the distance in an instant.
The puppet master stared wide-eyed at his opponent, at the clothes that had been set ablaze by the fire. He couldn't help but scream in his heart, Are all the brats from Konoha this ferocious?!
Then, he saw a pair of crimson, otherworldly eyes.
In an instant, his body froze in place. Even the look of astonishment on his face was frozen.
Genjutsu: Sharingan.
Having successfully controlled the enemy, Kyosuke had no time to deal with the increasingly intense flames on his body. He charged forward, throwing a volley of kunai and shuriken.
He knew that a Jounin couldn't be controlled by genjutsu for long, not even one cast by the Sharingan. As a Sand ninja who had constantly clashed with Konoha, he must have a special way to break free from the Sharingan's hold.
Sure enough, in less than a second, the puppet master, with the help of his puppet, successfully broke free from the genjutsu.
Not only that, but he then used the puppet's broken limbs to successfully block most of Kyosuke's incoming projectiles.
But he failed to block the most crucial shuriken.
The puppet master looked down at his injured thigh, then looked up with a ferocious grin. "If that's the case, then let's settle this head-on! Let's see what you've got, you little Konoha brat!"
Kyosuke was now right in front of him. Using the momentum of his charge, he stomped on the ground and lunged at the puppet master.
"You're asking to die!" the puppet master roared, controlling his protective puppet to meet Kyosuke head-on.
Seeing the numerous blades extending from the puppet, Kyosuke's Sharingan narrowed slightly.
Then, a scene that was both bizarre and terrifying unfolded before the puppet master's eyes.
Kyosuke's neck and limbs suddenly twisted and elongated. After successfully dodging the blades, his right hand, holding a kunai, swiftly slashed across the puppet master's throat.
Instantly, blood gushed out like a fountain.
"Urk..." The puppet master clutched his wound, staring in terror at Kyosuke, who was now bathed in flames and blood, as if he were looking at a demon that had crawled out of hell.