Araki led the two to another region near the Land of Rain.
This area was far from the territory they had raided before. They made contact with the Sand shinobi stationed there and gathered some intelligence about the "other side."
They rested through the day.
When night fell, Araki once again slipped into the Land of Rain with the two of them.
Everything proceeded as before.
Araki hid in the shadows, observing their performance and ensuring their safety.
Yubi and Sasori operated independently.
With the experience from their previous mission, both were clearly more familiar with the process.
"If you lose again this time, you'll have nothing left to say."
Before they split up, Sasori crossed his arms and stared coldly at Yubi, his tone domineering. This time, he clearly intended to avoid being overly flashy and ending the mission prematurely.
"I was never your match to begin with. You're a genius puppeteer—I'm just a medical ninja."
Yubi scratched his head and laughed casually.
Compared to Sasori's sharp competitiveness, he seemed relaxed and carefree, unconcerned about the contest.
The remark made Sasori frown slightly in displeasure, but he said nothing and vanished into the trees.
Yubi also disappeared into hiding.
...
Moments later, from a gap in the foliage, a pair of eyes watched two Rain shinobi on patrol.
They were moving slowly through the forest, chatting as they traveled. There was no tension in their posture. They hadn't sensed the danger lurking nearby.
Yubi tugged lightly on the steel wire wrapped around his hand.
Whoosh.
The two Rain shinobi had just landed on a tree branch. One of them had barely placed his foot down when a flash of silver streaked past—
His head flew off instantly, severed cleanly.
"What was that?!"
The second shinobi's pupils shrank as he went on high alert.
He had only seen a flash of light before his partner died.
He hadn't even realized an enemy was present.
Shhhk!
Another subtle sound.
This time, prepared, the Rain shinobi finally saw the weapon.
A small, lightweight throwing knife cutting silently through the air. Even at high speed, it made almost no sound—extremely difficult to detect.
By the time he saw it, it was already too late.
In the blink of an eye, his head followed his companion's, spraying blood through the air.
With a faint pull, the floating knife returned to the treetop where Yubi hid. At the same time, the two corpses were wrapped in his threads and dragged into the undergrowth.
Silent. Swift. Gone in an instant.
"Not bad… though since I'm not controlling it directly, the power and cutting angles still lack precision. The blood splatter is troublesome."
Yubi had just tested his new technique. The results were excellent, but he still noted imperfections.
"I should give this ninjutsu a name… Araki might be watching."
"…Let's call it Blade Manipulation Art."
"I'll say the inspiration came from Sasori's chakra threads—connected to puppetry."
Fighting with threads wasn't uncommon on the battlefield. But since this ability came from the system rather than this world, even after being assimilated into ninjutsu, its power exceeded what ordinary shinobi could achieve.
With his specially made steel wire—unlike anything in this world, the flying knife appeared to dance through the air on its own.
And indeed, Araki was hiding not far away.
Compared to Sasori, he was more concerned about Yubi's safety.
Seeing this display made Araki's eyelid twitch.
Yubi's attack had been too fast—he hadn't even seen it clearly.
"Was that his surgical scalpel? What kind of ninjutsu is that?"
He wasn't sure—but he was deeply shaken.
Previously, Yubi had relied on close combat for assassinations. He had never shown this ability.
Soon, more Rain shinobi arrived to investigate the missing patrol.
This time, Araki moved closer and observed carefully.
He finally saw it clearly.
The surgical knife was being guided by a thin thread—similar to how puppeteers control their puppets. From such a distance, Yubi controlled it with incredible precision, speed, and power.
Most terrifying of all was the technique's stealth.
"The use of ninja tools… hidden weapons… and puppeteer chakra threads… What is this?"
Araki had never seen such a ninjutsu.
"Even a jonin could fall to this in the right conditions…"
He inhaled sharply.
He was hiding this all along?
Even during their last mission, he hadn't used it.
What else was this kid hiding?
Araki suddenly felt he didn't understand Yubi at all.
This child was mysterious.
He had claimed he didn't want to become a puppeteer…
Yet now, it seemed he had been preparing for it all along.
"You little liar."
Araki exhaled, silently amused.
---
Meanwhile, Sasori had begun his hunt.
This time, he wasn't flamboyant. He moved just as stealthily, using his puppets to eliminate targets without a trace.
His hunting style now mirrored Yubi's.
And he executed it perfectly.
As time passed, the disappearance of multiple Rain shinobi began to stir unrest among their defensive lines. More Rain ninja appeared throughout the forest, and the sense of danger intensified.
But this time, Araki's team wasn't forced into a desperate retreat.
When the one-hour mission limit was reached, the trio quietly withdrew amid the Rain Village's large-scale search.