Upstream of the Yoshimizu River, a specialized Konoha battalion was attempting to break through Sand's defenses and push into the gorge.
This battalion was composed entirely of Water Release shinobi.
If they could just reach the gorge, one massive flood would be enough to flush out all the puppet masters hiding inside.
Because puppets felt no pain and didn't bleed, attacking the puppeteers directly was the most effective option.
The Sand shinobi knew this, too. So they'd placed heavy defenses upstream to protect their vulnerable core.
Konoha's water-style battalion hit a wall—unable to break through a defensive line of over a hundred puppets.
There were simply too many. And getting close with taijutsu was a death wish.
Lined up along the riverbanks, Sand shinobi unleashed Wind and Earth Release, intercepting every Water jutsu Konoha threw, shielding the puppet masters and protecting their mechanical legions.
Walls of Earth Flow Ramparts sprung up—barriers to block Konoha's water waves and give cover for the puppets to retreat when needed.
The battle grew heated.
Captain Koyō, leader of the water battalion, grit his teeth. Sweat gathered on his jawline and dripped down in heavy drops.
'Damn it,' he thought. 'I'm holding everyone back.
It's been half an hour and we still haven't broken through.
Should we retreat and try a different approach?
No. The Sand would just follow us and reset.
I… have no good answer.'
Then suddenly—
A sharp stream of water cut across the gorge.
The Sand shinobi, lined along the bank, had no time to react.
A diagonal wave shot upward from beneath the canyon—
And with one sweeping slash, it sliced through dozens of enemy shinobi cleanly at the waist.
'That's…
Water Release: Water Severing Wave?!'
Captain Koyō's eyes widened.
That was one of the Second's signature jutsu—
And Koyō, a water-style specialist himself, had never even been allowed to learn it.
He immediately shouted,
"Now! Everyone—flood the barriers! Push through!"
Konoha's water shinobi surged forward, blasting away the unmanned Earth walls.
The puppets were flushed backward—into the gorge.
They made it.
They finally reached the edge of the Yoshimizu Gorge and stared down at the puppet masters hiding below.
The Sand didn't flee.
Even exposed, the puppet masters hurled their creations upward in desperation.
Another slash of water—
Twenty airborne puppets were cleaved in half.
Koyō traced the waterline to its source…
There—standing atop a boulder at the base of the gorge—
A lone ANBU, surrounded by puppets.
Unmoving.
Poisoned needles, blades, and traps—none of it pierced his body.
Only his clothes were torn.
'A fox mask…
Konoha's "Copper Fox."'
Koyō had heard the name—
But this… this was the first time he'd seen him in action.
'No wonder Sand's command marked him as a threat.
He's a puppet master's worst nightmare.'
Puppets excelled at durability and non-vital damage,
But against someone whose defense was absolute,
They were useless.
Fox didn't even dodge.
The Konoha water battalion leapt into the gorge and activated their linked jutsu:
"Water Release: Surging Wave!"
Thirty shinobi.
Thirty overlapping surges.
A tidal wall thirty meters high crashed forward through the canyon.
The roar of the flood was deafening.
Downriver, Sand shinobi froze in shock.
Some tried to leap away.
Others were instantly swallowed.
All the puppet masters lost their cover.
The gorge was no longer safe.
Mission accomplished, Koyō turned to thank Copper Fox—
But the boulder was empty.
He was already gone.
'He must've moved on to the next battlefield…
Truly the Hokage's finest.'
Yako landed lightly back with Fox Squad, swapping out his flak jacket.
His old one had been shredded to ribbons.
'This Absolute Defense is great, but it sure doesn't protect my clothes…'
Upstream was now under Konoha's control.
Wave after wave of water surged downriver.
The Sand shinobi were forced out of the canyons.
Their puppet masters were exposed.
The tide had turned.
Yako raised his eyes to the center of it all:
Hatake Sakumo vs. Takuji and his wife.
Sakumo moved like lightning.
His Chakra Crystallization Blade slashed through the air,
White arcs of pure chakra lingered around him—never fading before the next one came.
He was a cyclone of blade light.
One puppet shattered. Then another.
Even a glancing hit cracked their frames.
A full strike sliced them in two.
Takuji's original ten puppets were long destroyed.
Now he fought with new ones—models Yako had never seen.
The ground around them was littered with puppet fragments,
discarded needles, and broken traps.
Surprisingly, Takuji's taijutsu was good.
Even now, Sakumo hadn't landed a hit.
Konoha's forces gained momentum.
Small strike teams broke through, reached the puppet masters—and cut them down.
Purple Cat logged each unit's success—
every breakthrough recorded, every commendation prepared.
Yako scanned the battlefield and nodded.
"You stay here. Keep recording.
I'm going to end this."
And with that—
he vanished.
Yako reappeared at the epicenter.
Sakumo's advisor tried to stop him.
"You'll get in the way! You're not strong enough to—"
Then he saw the mask.
The Fox.
He dropped his hand mid-sign.
'That's Copper Fox… never mind.'
Command already considered Fox an elite-level operative,
especially against enemies like puppet users.
Yako's Absolute Defense made him a natural counter.
He charged straight toward Takuji's wife.
She was panting.
Down from six puppets to four.
One puppet lunged toward Sakumo—
Only to be caught mid-air.
Its blade locked in a steel grip.
It twisted violently—
but could only scratch fabric.
Then she saw the mask.
"…Copper Fox?"
Before she could react, he was on her.
She summoned a scorpion-shaped puppet, opened its back panel—
and unleashed a hail of kunai.
Yako didn't flinch.
The blades bounced off his skin.
One had a paper tag on it—
"Explode!"
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
The canyon filled with fire and smoke.
But from within the cloud—
a silhouette charged out.
She gasped.
'Even explosive tags don't work?!
This guy is too hard a counter…'
Yako's organs stung from the shockwaves, but nothing serious.
Takuji's wife tried to retreat, unsealing a new scroll—
Three serpent-shaped puppets burst forth.
Yako paused.
Smart.
She'd realized direct attacks were useless.
Now she was trying capture-based techniques.