23. The Terrible Rhythm Of Battle!

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The Sunagakure Shinobi present were no weaklings, especially the man and woman leading them. Both were rare and elite puppeteers, a prestigious skill even among Sunagakure Shinobi. They understood better than anyone what the presence of Chakra strings signified.

For ordinary puppeteers, controlling puppets with Chakra strings was already a challenge. But controlling living people through those same strings was an even greater feat, far beyond the abilities of most.

To put it simply, if you were to count the puppeteers in all of Sunagakure capable of such a task, you wouldn't need more than two hands.

This puppet control technique was a closely guarded secret of the Sunagakure Village, and controlling living people through it was even more classified—a secret within a secret.

Yet now, standing before them was a young man from Konoha, effortlessly performing this technique.

Had Sunagakure's secret been leaked?

The leading man and woman exchanged glances, briefly considering the possibility, but soon dismissed it. As one of the village's most well-protected techniques, it was nearly impossible for it to be exposed so easily.

More importantly, mastering this secret technique was no simple task. If it were, there wouldn't be fewer than ten people in all of Sunagakure who could wield it.

But the boy in front of them had done it—and had done it in front of their very eyes. This left the group of Sunagakure Shinobi deeply shocked. The leading pair immediately wondered if the boy had somehow discovered the technique on his own.

They exchanged looks once again, and this time, a serious resolve could be seen in both of their expressions.

This person... he cannot be allowed to remain. He must be captured.

Without a word, they understood each other's thoughts perfectly.

"Go!"

At the command, the male puppeteer charged forward. His gecko-like puppet opened its mouth, and with a soft hissing sound, it spat out over ten kunai in rapid succession, all aimed at Ishigami Hara.

The female puppeteer acted just as swiftly. Her bat puppet flew directly toward Nawaki, moving in quick, erratic bursts. Simultaneously, she performed hand seals and pulled a large fan from her back.

"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel Technique!"

Bang!

A cloud of white smoke exploded as the female puppeteer swung the long fan with great force.

In the next instant, a fierce gust of wind roared forth, carrying with it countless razor-sharp wind blades, all hurtling toward Ishigami Hara and Nawaki.

The male puppeteer had anticipated this. He crouched low, flicked his fingers, and tucked himself under the belly of his gecko puppet. The puppet's body began to spin like a wheel, and sharp blades protruded from its surface, giving it a vicious, deadly appearance.

Meanwhile, the other Sunagakure Shinobi joined the attack. Each of them formed hand seals, preparing their jutsu.

"Earth Release: Sand Conversion Technique!"

The muddy ground quickly dried out and transformed into sand. Blown by the powerful wind, it instantly turned into a sandstorm, obscuring the battlefield in a swirling cloud of dust and grit.

This kind of terrain was naturally advantageous for the Sunagakure Shinobi. In such conditions, ordinary shinobi would find themselves in serious trouble.

But Ishigami Hara was far from ordinary.

With a flick of his fingers, he manipulated Nawaki, who performed a series of backflips—his movements so unpredictable that he gracefully twisted mid-air, evading the wind blades with ease.

At the same time, Ishigami Hara formed a hand seal with his free hand. His chest swelled, and a moment later, a powerful surge of water burst from his mouth.

"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"

Although this Water Release Ninjutsu was only classified as C-rank, it was both offensive and defensive. In the current environment, its effects were even more pronounced.

Ishigami Hara swiftly drew water from the ground, condensing it around him before it spiraled upward like a tornado. The vortex of water enveloped his body, tearing through the air as it rose.

Countless wind blades clashed against the swirling water but were only able to create splashes without breaking through completely.

Splash!

The gecko puppet broke through the rotating waves without encountering resistance and lunged toward Ishigami Hara.

But at that moment, the water tornado exploded outward, sending a torrent of water into the sky. The force created a localized rainstorm, which quickly neutralized the Wind Style Ninjutsu of the female puppeteer and dissipated the sandstorm that had formed.

The male puppeteer's heart sank as he realized he had lost sight of his target.

"Up there!"

The female puppeteer's voice rang out sharply.

The male puppeteer flinched and instinctively tried to look up, but it was too late. A sudden pressure came down on him from above. Without thinking, he hastily summoned his puppet to shield him.

Boom!

It was Nawaki, who had descended from the sky without warning, one leg raised high like a battle axe. Chakra gathered at the sole of his foot as he brought it down with tremendous force, crushing the male puppeteer's puppet beneath him.

With a loud crash, the male puppeteer was smashed into the ground, along with his puppet.

The sheer strength of the attack was remarkable—Chakra Enhanced Strength! Or more precisely, a variant known as the Heavenly Foot of Pain.

Of course, it couldn't be compared to Tsunade's full force, but Nawaki's display of strength was still exceptional.

The female puppeteer was preparing to retaliate, but something caught her attention. She spun around, alarmed, only to find that the other Sunagakure Shinobi who had just performed their ninjutsu were now lying motionless on the ground. They had been taken out silently.

"How is this possible?!"

She was utterly shocked. There had been no sign of movement, no indication of an attack, yet her comrades had already fallen.

"Are you looking for me?"

A voice came from behind her.

In that moment, a chill ran down the female puppeteer's spine. She felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

Her combat instincts kicked in, and without hesitation, she threw herself sideways, rolling along the ground to avoid the thrust of a short blade aimed directly at her.

"Hm?"

Ishigami Hara's voice sounded slightly surprised, but there was a faint smile on his face.

He pursued her like a spinning top, his blade moving in a fluid, unpredictable rhythm. With a swift motion, he aimed the tip of his blade at her throat.

The female puppeteer's pupils contracted. Faced with such precise swordsmanship, she suddenly realized there was no escape.

'Ridiculous!'

Her frustration boiled over. This boy, who seemed so young, had actually made her feel fear. It was humiliating!

What she failed to realize was that, from the very beginning, she had fallen into Ishigami Hara's rhythm of combat.

Whether through ninjutsu, taijutsu, or kenjutsu, it wasn't the individual techniques that made Ishigami Hara so dangerous. His true strength lay in his ability to control the flow of battle. Once an opponent fell into his pace, Ishigami Hara had countless ways to claim victory.