Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
With a dozen small fireballs as cover, Ruri charged forward.
Following closely behind her were Shiraishi and Ayane. Among the three, Ruri was undoubtedly the most suitable for leading the charge, given their combined strength.
Since there were Wind Style ninja among the enemies this time, smoke bombs wouldn't be very effective. At most, they would cause some disturbance before being scattered by Wind Style.
Even if they wanted to create smoke that Wind Style couldn't easily disperse, they would need time and materials, followed by a complex process of blending. It clearly wasn't something that could be made in a short time.
Fortunately, the jonin skilled in Earth Style had been inadvertently affected by Ruri's genjutsu at the very beginning, sustaining a considerable injury. This meant that among the Sand Village forces surrounding them, only two jonin were in full condition; the rest were chunin.
This situation should be much better than last time.
The dozen small fireballs naturally caused a bit of chaos. Trees burned, and black smoke with a scorched smell billowed upwards.
To avoid being controlled by Ruri's strange genjutsu, the Sand Village ninja naturally tried their best to evade.
However, Ruri's Body Flicker Jutsu was very fast. Once a jonin was targeted by her, it wasn't easy to escape her sight.
Therefore, without clarifying what medium Ruri's genjutsu used to trigger, they mainly adopted feinting tactics.
Both Shiraishi's team and these Sand Village ninja knew that the outcome of this battle didn't rest with them.
It depended on the battle involving Sakumo.
His victory or defeat would determine the ultimate direction of this battle.
All they could do on their side was try to stall for time.
Shiraishi engaged a chunin whose moves suggested a taijutsu-focused style. His speed and strength were noticeably superior to average chunin. Shiraishi, using the sword techniques he learned from Sakumo, could only barely hold his own against him.
The opponent, it seemed, was slightly relieved to have found a worthy opponent.
If possible, he really didn't want to fight ninja with Sharingan and Byakugan, especially the seemingly pure and harmless girl with the Byakugan.
Last time, when a comrade went to attack her, he was instantly killed by two fingers piercing his heart.
It was completely different from the Gentle Fist mentioned in textbooks. Although there were traces of Gentle Fist, it was more about her personal style. Getting hit once meant death.
And fighting a Sharingan user meant having to worry about their elusive genjutsu, which even jonin could fall victim to if they weren't careful. For him, a chunin, it was truly too difficult.
"To be able to last this long against me, you're not bad yourself, are you?"
The opponent's self-satisfied attitude suggested he was the type to become overconfident when encountering a weaker enemy.
"However... meeting me means this is the end for you!"
His speed suddenly increased. He circled behind Shiraishi and locked his arm around Shiraishi's neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.
"How about that? Now you..."
Bang!
Shiraishi turned into a log, with a burning explosive tag attached to it.
The Sand Village chunin's pupils constricted, and he hastily flashed backward.
Boom!
He was blown away by the shockwave of the explosion, stopping only when he crashed into a large tree, blood smearing the corner of his mouth.
Shiraishi stood on a branch of another large tree, smiling as he said, "That's impressive, you actually dodged the explosive tag's blast. That's one of my few specialties."
"Damn brat! How dare you—"
It seemed Shiraishi's little trick had enraged him. He recklessly gathered chakra in his feet and charged towards the tree at high speed, intending to make Shiraishi suffer too.
"Too bad, it's already over..."
No sooner had Shiraishi finished speaking,
the Sand Village ninja's fist was just a few inches from his face when a white blade light, like lightning, extended forward from Shiraishi's diagonal rear.
A clean cut appeared on the Sand Village ninja's neck. He instantly lost consciousness and plummeted from mid-air.
"It seems that side is already resolved, Sakumo-sensei."
"It looks like I don't need to worry about this side."
Sakumo nodded, also satisfied with the performance of Shiraishi's team.
If they were properly honed, they would eventually catch up to him.
After all, the three of them were only twelve years old, with a promising future.
The Sand Village ninja fighting Ruri and Ayane instantly knew things were bad the moment Sakumo appeared.
At the same time, they cursed the male and female puppeteers, who had claimed victory was assured, yet failed even faster than last time. Only a few minutes had passed.
They immediately lost their will to fight.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
The Earth Style jonin unhesitatingly gathered chakra in both hands and unleashed a large-scale Earth Style ninjutsu.
Rumble!
Rumble!
Hard stone walls, like tall city walls, rose up. Because the affected area was vast, the ground vibrated with tremors.
Ruri and Ayane climbed to the top of the giant stone wall, seeing only empty land.
Sakumo and Shiraishi arrived beside them one after another.
"Ayane, you're with me. Let's move!"
"Yes!"
Even with such a brief signal, Shiraishi's team understood Sakumo's plan.
Sakumo was undoubtedly going to pursue the most troublesome enemies. At this time, he needed Ayane's Byakugan to assist.
To locate the male and female puppeteers and eliminate them.
From now on, it was Konoha's counterattack against the Sand Village, a hunt for the fleeing Sand Village ninja.
Thus, Sakumo and Ayane formed one group, and Shiraishi and Ruri formed another, beginning their search.
Before long, Shiraishi and Ruri encountered the disheveled Tenchiku Jonin. Behind him were a dozen Konoha ninja, all with some injuries, though none were very serious.
The one who had been confronting the Tenchiku Jonin earlier was also a jonin, along with several chunin.
For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand, but after the male and female puppeteers were defeated, this Sand Village unit immediately lost its backbone and could only focus on retreating.
"In that case, I will also join the search. This time, we must avenge our fallen comrades!"
The Tenchiku Jonin said with a look of resentment.
He had heard a little about this Sand Village unit wandering in the Land of Fire. They had already attacked five or six Konoha outposts within the Land of Fire, resulting in dozens of Konoha ninja casualties, including several lone jonin who died at their hands.
If Sakumo's team hadn't happened to be resupplying here this time, all the Konoha ninja in this outpost would likely have been completely annihilated.
Bidding farewell to the Tenchiku Jonin, Shiraishi instructed him to lead the remaining Konoha ninja to search along another path.
If they encountered powerful enemies, their priority was to send a signal.
Even if an accident occurred, they could provide timely support.
"By the way, Ruri, I have a good idea that can lure them out."
While running, Shiraishi suddenly spoke with a smile.
"What are you planning now?"
"After all, this is the fastest way to end the battle. Since Sakumo-sensei and Ayane aren't here, I don't need to try so hard to hide my strength anymore."
As he spoke, Shiraishi suddenly accelerated his running speed, instantly putting a long distance between himself and Ruri, disappearing from her sight.
Ruri gazed at the spot where Shiraishi disappeared with her Double Tomoe Sharingan, remaining silent, seemingly tacitly approving of his 'idea'.
Half an hour later, Shiraishi arrived in a quiet, open forest. Ahead was a clear stream with a few fish playing in it.
Shiraishi looked left and right, picked up a sharp-edged stone chip by the stream, and stopped in front of a nearby tree. He was about to use the stone chip to carve a mark on the tree.
A cold sensation made goosebumps rise on his throat. It was a kunai.
The hand holding the kunai was made of wood. The arm extending from the black sleeve was also smooth and hairless, with the rounded joints typical of puppets.
A puppet.
"Drop the stone and raise your hands."
It was a cold female voice.
Shiraishi obediently dropped the stone in his hand, then raised his hands, a natural bead of cold sweat forming on his face.