Chapter 68: A Puppet Master? Just Another Disappointment

Minato had been smart enough to keep his raincoat on, but Nawaki, for some inexplicable reason, had neatly folded his and now struggled to put it back on, wasting precious time. Frustrated, he eventually gave up and just ran after Takuya, letting the rain soak him.

Not far from their outpost, a group of Konoha shinobi were fleeing for their lives, pursued by several Sand shinobi. At this point, the Village Hidden in the Rain was a chaotic battleground, with Konoha, Sand, Stone, and Rain shinobi all converging in one place. It was a free-for-all, with everyone attacking anyone who wasn't from their own village.

The Sand Village shinobi, however, seemed particularly focused on targeting Konoha ninjas, prioritizing their elimination above all else. Ever since the Sand's surprise attack on the Land of Fire, followed by Chiyo leading her forces into the Land of Rain, Konoha shinobi had been ambushed by Sand ninjas more often than even the Rain shinobi.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

On the battlefield, the Great Fireball was known as the "Merciful Jutsu" because of its dramatic effect but relatively low kill rate. However, it was perfect for drawing the enemy's attention. A massive fireball shot through the rain, evaporating the water in its path.

"Konoha reinforcements are here! Be careful!"

Seeing the giant fireball barreling toward them, the Sand shinobi halted their pursuit of the Konoha ninja and quickly scattered to avoid the attack.

Boom!

The fireball crashed into a large tree, exploding on impact and splintering the trunk into pieces. The damp wood caught fire but was soon extinguished by the relentless downpour.

With a single Great Fireball, the enemy's attention had been successfully diverted, allowing the fleeing Konoha shinobi to be rescued safely.

"Reinforcements are just three kids?"

The Sand shinobi, initially on high alert after the fireball, relaxed when they saw who had come to help. They couldn't help but laugh at the sight of three kids who thought they could play hero.

"Are you kidding me?" one of the Konoha chūnin shouted in desperation as he realized that their "saviors" were mere children. "It's just three kids!"

But before he could say anything more, Takuya had already charged forward. The chūnin tried to warn them to stop, but to his astonishment, his eyes couldn't even keep up with Takuya's speed.

What the hell? he thought, stunned. Since when are kids this powerful?

The speed of Takuya's Body Flicker Jutsu was beyond anything he had seen.

"Go!" Minato and Nawaki exchanged a glance before sprinting after Takuya. They didn't want him fighting alone.

"Suicidal fools," one of the Sand shinobi muttered as Takuya closed the distance. He nearly laughed out loud. As if these kids stood a chance. With a flick of his wrist, two puppets snapped into action, their arms raised, black barrels emerging from their palms to fire a barrage of poisoned needles at Takuya.

"If you're so eager to die, then go ahead!"

Bang!

One of the puppets suddenly exploded, and before the Sand shinobi could react, Takuya was already upon him. "Too slow," Takuya remarked, his voice tinged with disappointment. "So this is how puppet masters fight? Other than the wide range and poison, there's really nothing special about it."

"You little—" The Sand shinobi was furious, pained by the loss of his puppet. He quickly began retreating, planning to bring his backup puppet into the fray. But then he saw it—a pair of crimson eyes locked onto his.

Thud!

The Sand shinobi felt as if an invisible hand had clenched around his heart, paralyzing him on the spot. His vision blurred as pain ripped through his chest. He glanced down to see a kunai lodged in his heart, and with his last breath, he could only whisper, "Uchiha…"

He collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.

"Captain!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

In the blink of an eye, their leader had fallen. The remaining Sand shinobi were both furious and terrified, launching a desperate attack on Takuya with kunai laced with explosive tags and ninjutsu.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Takuya had been about to dodge when Nawaki and Minato arrived at his side. As a member of the Senju clan, Nawaki excelled in Earth and Water Style ninjutsu, and he had trained hard in both. A thick wall of earth rose before Takuya, blocking the enemy's kunai and ninjutsu.

"Thanks!" Takuya called, leaping over the earth wall and charging back into the fray.

Though he didn't need the protection, having his teammates' support was a good thing.

"No problem!" Nawaki grinned, giving a thumbs-up. His white teeth gleamed so brightly they nearly shone. Unfortunately, his gesture was wasted—Takuya had already disappeared.

"Hey, wait up!" Nawaki shouted after him.

With his Sharingan tracking the enemy's movements, Takuya darted back into the fight. Although he was proficient in genjutsu and ninjutsu, his true strengths lay in taijutsu and kenjutsu.

"Aaah!"

For the Sand shinobi, who lacked even a single jōnin in their ranks, facing Takuya was like a herd of sheep encountering a hungry tiger. Takuya's figure blurred across the battlefield, and wherever he passed, enemies clutched their throats or hearts, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

Could you slow down a bit? Minato thought, watching in amazement. Leave some for us!

Takuya cut through the enemies like they were nothing, dispatching them with ease. Nawaki, who had been eagerly anticipating a good fight, found himself relegated to cleanup duty, as the battle ended before he even had a chance to get involved. At least Minato managed to take down one enemy. As for Nawaki? He didn't even get that.

Is that it? he wondered, feeling a bit cheated.

The Konoha shinobi who had been fleeing for their lives were equally stunned. They had expected a group of foolhardy kids, but what they got was an absolute powerhouse, especially the silver-haired one with the Sharingan—he was practically a monster.

Takuya wiped his sword clean, letting the rain wash away the blood, then turned to the rescued shinobi and said, "You'd better head back to the camp quickly. This is an outpost area, and enemy reinforcements could arrive at any moment."

"Y-Yes, thank you! Thank you so much!" The grateful shinobi straightened up, bowing to Takuya, Minato, and Nawaki before helping each other limp back toward the camp.

Well, at least they have manners, Takuya thought, watching them go. Then he turned to Nawaki and said, "Nawaki, you take care of the bodies. No need to keep the headbands or the puppets—they're not worth much. And remember, never touch an enemy's corpse on the battlefield."

"Why me?" Nawaki protested, pointing to himself.

Takuya shrugged regretfully. "Because you didn't kill a single enemy, so you're on cleanup duty. Fair, right?"

It's not fair if you hog all the kills! Nawaki grumbled to himself but obediently set about burying the bodies. A simple Earth Style jutsu was all it took—not much trouble at all.

Many shinobi had met their end because they got greedy, scavenging for loot on the battlefield, only to meet a tragic fate. Takuya wasn't interested in such gains—burying the bodies and moving on was safer.

Rumble!

The earth churned as Nawaki's jutsu buried the enemy corpses deep underground. Within moments, even the signs of battle had been erased. If not for the bodies buried below, no one would have guessed a fight had just taken place here.

With the mess cleaned up, the three of them returned to their outpost. Takuya and Minato were in decent shape, but Nawaki looked like a drowned rat, his soaked clothes clinging to him.

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