The senbon infused with poison fell from the sky like a celestial maiden scattering flowers. Sakumo held the White Fang Short Knife, a blade made of precious metal capable of channeling chakra. Gripping this sharp weapon, complemented by flawless swordsmanship, all one could see were white flashes of the blade, invisible to the naked eye. Not a single senbon managed to breach Sakumo's defensive circle.
His opponents were two Hidden Sand Ninjas skilled in puppet control.
A man and a woman, slightly older than him, presumably a married couple, with remarkable synergy. Especially as their attacks came one after another. If it weren't for him, an ordinary Jonin would have already fallen to their relentless, rain-like assault.
Though Sakumo deflected the numerous poisoned weapons launched by their puppets, he dared not be careless.
Coating puppet weapons with poison is a common assassination technique used by the ninja in the Hidden Sand Puppet Corps.
If one were to be accidentally scratched, the poison would spread from the wound into the flesh.
At that point, the situation would undoubtedly become extremely troublesome.
When facing these puppet masters, even the slightest mistake cannot be afforded.
However, with numerous S-Class Mission experiences, Sakumo had previously battled puppet masters. Although the puppet techniques of this pair were stronger than those he had encountered before, the weaknesses of puppetry are evident.
Chakra Threads are used to control the puppets, and the puppet master's actual body is typically quite vulnerable.
Cutting the Chakra Threads only temporarily disrupts the puppet master's control, as they will soon gather them again to re-enter the puppets into battle.
Therefore, rather than severing the Chakra Threads, bypassing the puppets to directly attack the puppet masters themselves is the optimal strategy.
How should he bypass them?
The male and female Hidden Sand Ninjas constantly shifted positions with dizzying speed.
The puppets they controlled were all hidden beneath dark robes, making it impossible to discern the mechanisms and weaponry within.
This disrupted Sakumo's analytical abilities.
Furthermore, the opponents clearly knew his strengths, carefully maintaining their distance to avoid close combat.
This made Sakumo feel immense difficulty.
The opponents possessed profound combat skills and were undoubtedly prominent figures within the Hidden Sand Puppet Corps.
"Let's give it a shot!"
Prolonging the fight was not a solution. The puppet masters' cooperation was seamless, and as time dragged on, Sakumo grew concerned for Hakushi and the others' situation.
Chakra was channeled further into the White Fang Short Knife, emitting a dazzling white glow, as if coated with a layer of pure moonlight, standing out conspicuously in the dim forest.
Unable to identify the enemy's weaknesses, he had no choice but to create one through force.
Pulling back a puppet, the male ninja retreated, with the female ninja following suit. They operated in complete silence, devoid of eye contact or verbal exchange, but understanding each other's intentions through mere gestures.
Seeing the White Fang Short Knife glow, they immediately understood what Sakumo intended to do.
They could not afford to give him an opportunity.
Darting through the rain of weapons, Sakumo's figure moved too rapidly to follow, detectable only by the faint traces of white light. He cut through the oncoming projectiles, charging straight ahead.
The two puppets, cloaked in black robes, alternated positions in front of Sakumo, like phantoms.
Shh!
The black robes suddenly ripped open cleanly, revealing the wooden bodies of the puppets inside.
"What!?"
Sakumo vanished from their sight.
The sharp light forced the male and female to squint.
The male ninja abruptly pushed the female ninja away. From shoulder to chest, a blade sliced through, spilling copious blood.
Sakumo was surprised; he had intended to strike both, but did not expect the male to decisively push the female out of the way.
However, this was only a surprise. Without hesitation, he executed a second strike.
The second cut was intercepted by a puppet pulled by the male ninja to act as a shield, obstructing the fatal blow.
This guy! Sakumo's gaze was intense.
Knowing he couldn't avoid the first strike, the male ninja had no need to attempt evasion. Instead, he pushed the female aside and pulled a puppet to him, ensuring it intercepted the second strike just as Sakumo delivered it.
The composure and unwavering calm displayed in the face of life and death were formidable, making Sakumo feel immense pressure.
Bam!
A smoke bomb exploded, obscuring Sakumo's vision.
Soon after, countless senbon and kunai flew from the smoke's edge. Sakumo had no choice but to use the White Fang Short Knife to defend.
By the time he rushed over, the man and woman had already disappeared from sight.
"Damn, if we meet again, our previous tricks will likely be exposed..."
Sakumo looked at the empty forest before him and let out a gentle sigh.
Without chasing after the man and woman, Sakumo hurried back to the battlefield where Hakushi and the others were.
When he arrived, the battle over there had already ended.
It seemed that the retreat of the man and woman signaled the end, as the ninjas fighting with Hakushi and the other two were also withdrawing, and from here, he could barely see their retreating backs.
Should he pursue them?
When this thought flashed through Sakumo's mind, he saw Ayane and Ruri sitting tiredly by a tree, receiving treatment from Hakushi's Healing Jutsu to restore their stamina and Chakra.
Seeing this, Sakumo had to abandon the thought.
Facing so many ninjas alone was simply too difficult.
Having fought with the man and woman from the Hidden Sand, his stamina and Chakra had also depleted quickly, so he should focus on recuperation now.
"Hakushi, how are their injuries?"
Sakumo walked over and asked, showing a hint of fatigue on his face.
Fighting against the two Hidden Sand Jonin had kept his nerves constantly on edge, avoiding being scratched by the poisoned weapons.
"Nothing serious, just superficial wounds, though their Chakra has been excessively drained."
Hakushi replied.
Ruri and Ayane were busy recovering stamina and Chakra and didn't have time to answer.
"That's good." Sakumo nodded and suddenly smiled, "You performed better than I expected, maintaining a standstill under the assault of three Jonin leading several Chunin, which surprised me."
"That's because the two most powerful Puppet Masters were held back by you, Sensei Sakumo."
Ayane, using Byakugan, could clearly see the rain of senbon and kunai. Even with her Byakugan, she felt uneasy and knew she couldn't avoid them unscathed like Sakumo could.
Ninjas are not necessarily stronger just because their Ninja Techniques are more powerful or flashy.
Some ninjas' abilities might seem ordinary, yet they are actually the most lethal.
Puppet Masters are among the best of those.
A mere scratch, a moment of carelessness, and even if you aren't poisoned, you'll be shot into a pincushion by countless hidden weapons.
The saying goes, "An open attack is easier to avoid than a hidden one," and Puppet Masters are a group of assassination experts skilled in mechanisms and hidden weapons.
This is also why the Hidden Sand Puppet Squad is a headache for many ninjas.
"Don't say that. Given your age and your abilities now, I'm sure you will surpass me in the future. I believe in your potential. Until then, as your captain and teacher, I will do everything to protect your safety."
"Since you've assured us, Sensei Sakumo, it indeed feels much safer. But the current situation isn't very optimistic. What's happened on the front line? How did such an elite squad infiltrate our borders?"
Ayane furrowed her brow tightly, puzzled.
"Instead of that, shouldn't we consider why there's an Earth Style Ninja mixed into the Hidden Sand's forces? The implications of that are even more severe, right?"
Hakushi spoke up.
At this mention, the faces of the other three showed some unease.
"Really, a ninja capable of using such powerful Earth Style isn't ordinary. Yet the intelligence didn't specify anything. What are those Anbu, the Hokage's direct forces, actually doing?"
If it weren't for that Earth Style ninja breaking them apart, the combination of Byakugan and Sharingan, along with Hakushi's smoke bombs concentrated together, would have made the fight much easier.
Thus, Ruri expressed dissatisfaction with the inactive Anbu.
Sakumo stood awkwardly to the side; although he also questioned the recent capabilities of the Anbu, they were nevertheless the elite forces directly under the Hokage, maybe they just momentarily overlooked something.
The Anbu generally have strong operational abilities.
"Maybe we are overthinking it, for occasionally the Hidden Sand also has ninjas skilled in Earth Style..."
When Sakumo said this, the expressions of Hakushi and the other two were not quite convinced.
Because at times like this, everyone's nerves were overly sensitive.
Since the Hidden Sand had launched a full-scale attack on Konoha, would the Hidden Rock, which had been watching from the sidelines, really pass up such a good opportunity to invade the Land of Fire?
Perhaps the Hidden Rock hadn't planned to join the battle initially, but it's uncertain now.