The poisoned senbon rained down from the sky like a celestial maiden scattering flowers. Sakumo held his White Fang short sword, a precious metal blade capable of channeling chakra.
Wielding such a sharp weapon, combined with his flawless swordsmanship, only streaks of white, invisible to the naked eye, could be seen.
Every single senbon was parried around Sakumo, none breaking through his defensive perimeter.
He was fighting two Sand ninja who were masters of puppet manipulation.
A man and a woman, slightly older than himself, they seemed to be a couple, displaying a high degree of synergy.
Their attacks were especially relentless, one after another; if he hadn't been there, an ordinary jōnin would have long since fallen in their dense, rain-like assault.
Even though he had blocked the large number of poisoned projectiles released by their puppets, Sakumo still dared not be careless.
Poisoning the projectiles on puppets was a common assassination technique used by the puppet corps of Sunagakure.
If one were to accidentally get a scratch, the poison would spread from the wound, permeating the flesh.
At that point, the situation would undoubtedly become extremely troublesome.
Fighting these puppet masters meant that not even the slightest mishap could occur.
However, Sakumo, who had completed many S-rank missions over the years, had experience fighting puppet masters.
Even though the puppet techniques of the two opponents were stronger than those of puppet masters he had encountered before, the weaknesses of puppet jutsu were also obvious.
Puppets require chakra threads to be controlled, and the puppet master's body is generally very weak.
Cutting the chakra threads would only temporarily make the puppet master lose control of the puppet; they would quickly re-form the chakra threads and bring the puppet back into the fight.
Therefore, rather than cutting the chakra threads, the best tactic was to bypass the puppets and attack the puppet master directly.
How could he get past them?
The male and female Sand ninja continuously swapped positions, their movements dazzling to the eye.
The puppets they controlled were all hidden within dark cloaks, making it impossible to see how the mechanisms and hidden weapons operated or where they were launched from.
This would disrupt Sakumo's analytical abilities.
Moreover, the opponents clearly knew his strengths and avoided close-quarters combat, always carefully maintaining their distance from him.
This made Sakumo feel incredibly troublesome.
The opponents possessed incredibly rich combat skills and must be important figures within the Sand's puppet corps.
"Let's try it!"
Delaying like this was not an option.
The cooperation between the two puppet masters was seamless, and if he prolonged the fight, he was more worried about the situation with Shiraishi's group.
He further channeled chakra into the White Fang short sword in his hand, causing the blade to emit a luminous white glow, as if it were coated with a layer of pure moonlight, making it incredibly conspicuous in the dim forest.
If he couldn't find the enemy's weakness, he could only force a breakthrough and create one.
Pulling their puppets, the male ninja retreated backward, and the female ninja beside him also retreated.
Neither spoke, merely silently manipulating their puppets, yet they were in perfect sync.
Without eye contact or verbal communication, just by observing each other's movements, they understood what the other intended to do.
Upon seeing the White Fang short sword emit a white light, they understood what Sakumo was planning.
They couldn't give him an opportunity.
Sakumo's figure moved so fast through the rain of projectiles that he was almost invisible; only a faint, ethereal white light could be seen whistling, cutting down all the projectiles rushing towards him in a straight line as he charged forward.
Two puppets, cloaked in black, alternated positions, blocking Sakumo's path like elusive ghosts.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, neat slits appeared on the black cloaks, revealing the puppets' wooden bodies inside.
"What!?"
Sakumo vanished from their sight.
The sharp light made the man and woman squint involuntarily.
The male ninja abruptly pushed the female ninja away, and a cut from his shoulder to his chest appeared, spilling a large amount of blood.
Sakumo's eyes showed surprise.
He had intended to attack the woman as well, but he hadn't expected the man to push her away so decisively.
However, it was only surprise; without hesitation, he swung a second strike.
What was cut was a puppet that the male ninja had suddenly pulled over from a short distance away, taking the fatal second blow in his stead.
This guy! Sakumo's gaze became serious.
Knowing that the first strike was unavoidable, the male ninja saw no need to dodge it.
He simply pushed the female ninja aside, while simultaneously pulling the puppet back.
Just as Sakumo swung his second strike, the puppet was pulled back in time to block in front of him.
This powerful mindset, completely unpanicked in the face of death and maintaining absolute calm, made Sakumo feel troublesome.
Bang!
A smoke bomb exploded, obscuring Sakumo's vision.
Immediately following were countless senbon and kunai, flying out from the other side of the smoke.
Sakumo could only use his White Fang short sword to block.
By the time he charged through, the man and woman had already vanished.
"This is troublesome. If we meet again, their previous tricks might be seen through…"
Sakumo looked at the empty forest before him and let out a soft sigh.
Without pursuing the man and woman, Sakumo hurried back to Shiraishi and the others' battlefield.
By the time he arrived, the battle there had already ended.
It seemed that the ninja fighting Shiraishi's group also retreated, taking the signal from the man and woman's withdrawal.
From here, he could only barely see their retreating figures.
Should he pursue them?
As this thought flashed through Sakumo's mind, he saw Ayane and Ruri sitting exhausted by a tree, receiving Shiraishi's healing jutsu to restore their stamina and chakra.
Seeing this, Sakumo had no choice but to abandon the idea.
It would be too much for him alone to deal with so many ninja.
His stamina and chakra were also rapidly depleted from fighting the male and female ninja from Sunagakure, so resting should be his priority now.
"Shiraishi, how are their injuries?"
Sakumo walked over and asked, a slight weariness on his face.
His nerves had been constantly tense during the battle with those two Sand jōnin, avoiding being cut by their poisoned projectiles.
"It's nothing serious, just superficial wounds. It's just that they've used up a bit too much chakra."
Shiraishi replied.
Ruri and Ayane were busy recovering their stamina and chakra and had no time to answer.
"That's good," Sakumo nodded, then suddenly chuckled, "You performed better than I expected. To hold your own against three jōnin leading several chūnin, it's beyond my anticipation."
"That's because the two strongest puppet masters were held back by you, Sakumo-sensei," Ayane said.
Ayane had seen everything clearly with her Byakugan.
That rain of senbon and kunai, even she, with her Byakugan, felt her scalp tingle; it would be impossible for her to dodge them without a scratch, like Sakumo did.
So-called ninja are not necessarily stronger just because their jutsu are more powerful or flashier.
Some ninja abilities might seem ordinary, yet they are the most lethal.
Puppet masters are among the best of them.
One scratch, one careless oversight, and even if not poisoned by a potent toxin, one would be riddled like a porcupine by countless projectiles.
As the saying goes, it's easier to dodge an open spear than a hidden arrow; puppet masters are assassination experts skilled in mechanisms and hidden weapons.
This is also why the Sand's puppet corps gives many ninja headaches.
"Don't say that. With your strength at your age, you will definitely surpass me in the future.
I believe you have that potential.
Until then, as your captain and teacher, I will protect your safety even if it costs me my life."
"Since Sakumo-sensei has guaranteed it, I truly feel much safer.
However, the current situation isn't very optimistic.
What exactly happened on the front lines, and how did such a powerful elite unit infiltrate our borders?"
Ayane frowned deeply, completely puzzled.
"Rather than that, shouldn't we consider why a ninja proficient in Earth Release would be mixed into the Sand's forces?
The consequences of that question are far more serious, aren't they?"
Shiraishi spoke up.
At the mention of this, the expressions of the other three became a little strange.
"Seriously, to be able to use Earth Release of that power, they're no ordinary ninja, and it wasn't even noted in the intelligence.
What exactly are those guys in the Anbu, the Hokage's direct subordinates, doing?"
If that Earth Release ninja hadn't separated the three of them, the cooperation of the Byakugan and Sharingan, combined with Shiraishi's concentrated smoke bombs, would have made the fight much easier.
Therefore, Ruri expressed her dissatisfaction with the inactive Anbu.
Sakumo stood awkwardly to the side.
Although he also questioned the Anbu's recent capabilities, they were, after all, the Hokage's direct elite unit.
Perhaps it was just a temporary oversight that they hadn't detected it.
The Anbu's operational capabilities were still very strong.
"Perhaps we're overthinking it. Occasionally, there are ninja in the Sand who are proficient in Earth Release…"
When Sakumo said this, the faces of Shiraishi and the other two showed disbelief.
Because everyone's nerves were too sensitive at a time like this.
The Sand had already launched a full-scale attack on Konoha.
So, would Iwa, who had been sitting on the sidelines before, really let such a good opportunity pass without plundering the Land of Fire?
Perhaps Iwa initially had no intention of joining the war, but now, it was hard to say.