Chapter 98: The Chikamatsu Collection
"Sasuke, you can really kill a puppet jonin by yourself. When did you become so powerful?"
Ebihiko was stunned, his eyes almost bulging out. He knew his good brother very well, but how had he become so strong in such a short time? Before, he thought his brother's promotion to special jonin was just a step forward he could still reach. Now it seemed it wasn't a step, but an abyss. His brother was already at the summit, waiting for him. He realized that being a jonin was his ultimate goal, but not his brother's. Perhaps Sasuke could go one step further, to a place others could only admire.
The difference was so great that his envy transformed into deep pride.
"Sasuke, you have to protect me in the future," he said, excited at the thought of having an almost-jonin brother as backup.
The other squads were also happy. With such a strong captain, the security of their patrol missions would greatly improve. If before the gift of poison had only half-earned their respect, now, after witnessing his power, he had completely won their hearts.
Sasuke didn't explain much to dispel the misunderstanding. The reason he was able to kill that jonin was simply because his abilities were a natural counter to puppet users. His syrup neutralized puppets, his radar negated stealth, and the jonin's panic gave him the opening he needed for the Yanagi.
"I have received accurate information," Sasuke lied to those gathered. "This puppet team was just the vanguard. More powerful Sand ninjas will come to break through."
He didn't tell them about his personal grievances with Ebizo, but used the excuse of superior intelligence to gather the forces of the ten squads in the area and reorganize multiple traps to deal with the revenge he knew was coming. At the same time, he prepared a Plan B to evacuate and wage guerrilla warfare at any moment.
At that moment, loud noises were heard in the forest. It was Fūjin and Raijin, who had been drawn by the explosion. Even their captain, Yamagui Uta, was dragged along by them.
"Big Brother, we're here to help you fight the Sand Ninja!" they shouted.
After the arrival of the main forces, they began to coordinate tactical adjustments. Fortunately, the following days were quiet. Ebizo's revenge did not come as expected. Sasuke became even more worried. An elite brigade would have arrived in two days. A week of silence meant Ebizo was planning something big.
"Improving strength is the only way," he told himself, and once again dedicated himself to hard training, especially in the field of puppets.
After fully absorbing the stolen memory from the shadow clone, his achievements in puppet handling progressed rapidly, reaching the level of a special jonin.
'This mechanical shield puppet and the shadow clone are the perfect pair,' he thought.
A brilliant, bold, and terrifying idea formed in his mind. Shadow clones are fragile. Shield puppets are tough. What if a shadow clone wore a puppet like mecha armor? The clone's fragility would be negated by the puppet's durability. With the Double Maneuver, he could even control another puppet at the same time. A single clone could exert the power of a special jonin.
In this way, his combat power would double. If he could get a few more shield puppets, he could use a large number of clones, equip them with "mechas," and achieve a scaled-down version of the White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets.
"Don't even think about it. It's better to develop and manufacture them yourself," he told himself. He knew that shield puppets were too expensive and rare to obtain in large quantities.
The number of shadow clones in his underground laboratory increased from one to six, demonstrating his new dedication to the research and development of "mecha puppets."
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