Chapter 17: Human Puppets, Or Not?
Chiyo watched these young Konoha Ninja, growing angrier the more she saw, wishing she could kill them all, but that wasn't realistic.
Instead, she would specifically target young individuals who possessed exceptional skills.
Just like the Hidden Leaf Village, the Hidden Sand Village also had its battlefield observers, who recorded Military Merit and meticulously documented Intel on any enemies that required attention. Chiyo already had a clear idea of the more prominent individuals on Konoha's side.
If she couldn't kill Minato Namikaze, couldn't she at least kill some other third-rate nobodies? Chiyo immediately unleashed her ultimate technique.
"White Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!"
Ten White-Robed Puppets attacked from all directions, and everywhere they passed, countless Konoha Ninja fell like mown wheat.
Other Puppeteers quickly followed, manipulating their Puppets to join the battle.
"If Sasori were here to see this, he would probably feel a sense of comfort… but it's too dangerous here. I cannot let him appear in White Fang's sight before I kill Konoha's White Fang."
Chiyo's resentment found some release as she thought of her six-year-old prodigy grandson.
Kaedex years old was a bit too early to experience war, but it would be soon enough. Nawaki Senju of Konoha was only twelve when he died, and the thirteen-year-old Minato Namikaze was already capable of killing multiple Iwagakure Jonin.
But Chiyo feared her grandson would also die by Konoha's White Fang's hand. She preferred to be cautious, instead attempting to use a surprise attack to preemptively hunt down more of Konoha's outstanding new generation.
And so, Tsukasa Kaede was out of luck. He watched helplessly as a White-Robed Puppet charged over, followed by several Puppets controlled by other Puppeteers, instantly killing the Ninja in front and forcibly tearing open a gap.
"Medical Ninja, retreat quickly! Leave them to us!"
"Damn it, why is the enemy's leader here?!"
"This is the White Secret Technique, the pinnacle of Sunagakure Puppetry! Everyone attack together, don't get separated!"
Immediately, seven or eight Konoha Ninja rushed over from all directions. The two leading the charge were instantly pierced like sieves by a volley of Ninja Tools unleashed by one of the Chikamatsu Puppets. The next Ninja was scratched and poisoned, death being only a matter of time.
As three more Konoha Ninja charged forward, they only saw a white shadow flash by before they were sliced in half at the waist.
And all this damage was caused by a single Puppet remotely controlled by one of Chiyo's fingers. The other nine Puppets attacked in different directions, demonstrating similarly astonishing killing efficiency.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! A continuous stream of Ninja Tools was launched from each of the Ten Puppets, all coated in potent poison. Too many Konoha Ninja were caught off guard and, without a special antidote, suffered a crushing defeat.
"I'm just a Genin, and Chiyo is targeting me? What an honor."
Tsukasa Kaede took a deep breath. A slight misstep here would mean death. He immediately threw out a Scroll, and as a cloud of white mist rose, in a flash of lightning, two figures appeared before Tsukasa Kaede.
*Clang!* A metallic sound rang out as a Rain Hidden Jonin Zombie used a Scythe to block the Puppet in front of it.
That wasn't all. As Tsukasa Kaede brought his index and middle fingers together, giving a slight flick, the Puppeteer Jonin Zombie suddenly spread its hands, extending ten Chakra threads that connected to the Rain Hidden Jonin Zombie.
The next second, the Rain Hidden Jonin Zombie and the White-Robed Puppet moved rapidly in the air, exchanging dozens of blows. Their movements were so fast that Chunin, who were fairly proficient in Taijutsu, were dazzled, able to see only afterimages and hear the unique, jarring sounds of metal weapons colliding.
"With this, my life will be somewhat safer." Tsukasa Kaede quickly retreated, maintaining his hand signs as if truly controlling these Zombies.
In reality, this was a disguise.
Unless he forcefully manipulated the Zombies to perform specific, high-difficulty actions—such as using Ninjutsu they hadn't mastered in life, relying entirely on Tsukasa Kaede's forceful control to complete the Jutsu—Tsukasa Kaede's Chakra consumption would be immense. Otherwise, he didn't need to control the Zombies' actions at all; they would instinctively attack any enemies in front of them.
At a time when Tsukasa Kaede was close to exhausting his Chakra and had to find opportunities to generate more, he could at most convey instructions like "which Ninjutsu to use" or "who to prioritize attacking."
This was the good thing about Zombies: they possessed autonomous movement and weren't truly dead Puppets, and they could use the Ninjutsu they had learned in life.
Tsukasa Kaede sighed in relief at having saved his life, but those around him were greatly astonished, hardly daring to believe their eyes.
"This… those two people the Medical Ninja summoned, they can actually fight one of the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu?"
"So many comrades died in an instant! But he can stand against a single Puppet?"
"Soul Death Technique? Is that really the Soul Death Technique? This Jutsu actually has such immense potential; it can be used with Corpses like this! Manipulating one Corpse, and then having that Corpse use Chakra threads to control another Corpse???"
"But where did these two Corpses he summoned come from… how does one of them feel like a Puppeteer? The way these Chakra threads are used is no different from the Hidden Sand Village's Puppeteers. Can the Soul Death Technique really allow Corpses to unleash their former power??"
Anyone with combat experience against Hidden Sand Village Puppeteers was shocked by the Chakra threads extended by the Puppeteer Zombie. They felt their worldview had been completely shattered, their minds reeling.
Corpses, they could be used like this? The Soul Death Technique, could it truly reach such a level?
Was this really the Soul Death Technique?!
As for where these two Corpses came from… as long as they weren't comrades' Corpses, it didn't matter. Being able to block one of Chiyo's Puppets was also the best possible outcome, meaning many people would survive.
Chiyo also noticed the situation here, revealing a look of shock.
Several Hidden Sand Puppeteers also manipulated their Puppets, attempting to destroy the two Zombies, but the surrounding Konoha Ninja wouldn't stand by idly. They continued to rush forward, joining the melee and plunging this localized battlefield into a stalemate.
More and more Konoha Ninja reacted, with Jonin leading the charge against the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu, but compared to the unexpected development around Tsukasa Kaede, it lacked some visual impact.
All of this happened within a few dozen seconds.
"That brat over there seems to be using our Village's Corpses against us. How utterly evil!"
Chiyo's face twisted in anger. She loathed everything outstanding associated with Konoha, and the more she hated, the more she wanted to seize every opportunity to destroy it!
However, this method of manipulating Corpses, seemingly allowing them to exert some of their former strength, bore an uncanny resemblance to the Hidden Sand Village Puppeteers' absolute forbidden Ninjutsu—Human Puppet Creation Technique! Chiyo certainly didn't believe that a child Tsukasa Kaede's age could possess such excellent Puppetry prowess, nor did the Hidden Leaf Village have Ninja skilled in Puppetry.
"We must capture this person, preferably alive. I need to interrogate him about what exactly his Jutsu is!"
Chiyo's eyes flashed with fierce light. The other Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu began to move, dazzling to the eye, and the Puppets of other Puppeteers threw out a large number of Ninja Tools, disrupting the Konoha Ninja's movements.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"These Ninja Tools are poisoned! Use Ninjutsu to counter them, don't get hurt!"
Another wave of people was thrown into disarray.
An excellent Puppeteer would typically prepare a specialized cannon-puppet for launching Ninja Tools, and their launch frequency was incredibly high, making them exceptionally troublesome.
Tsukasa Kaede swallowed a Military Ration Pill, stimulating his body and letting the stinging sensation burst through his veins, recovering some Chakra.
He casually glanced at the numerous Corpses lying on the ground. Their gazes, a mix of determination and fear, now overlapped with the cloudy pupils of the Zombies. Perhaps, in the great Corpse pit of war, the line between the living and the dead was inherently blurred.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to become a Corpse.
"Die, brat! All Konoha people deserve to die!"
A Chikamatsu Puppet pierced a Zombie's chest with a sharp sword, then, using that momentum, forced through that Zombie to stab another. Ultimately, it impaled them both like skewers.
Of course, this couldn't kill a Zombie. The implanted toxin was an even more laughable thing; at most, it would damage certain neural structures. Unless the brain was directly destroyed, it couldn't kill a Zombie that was already dead.
But the two Zombies could no longer hold on. After high-intensity Chakra consumption and excessive deterioration of their decaying bodies, they were finally torn to shreds in the encirclement of numerous Puppets.
The stench of decaying flesh filled their nostrils, but it bought Tsukasa Kaede two seconds of escape time. As he continued to retreat, he summoned another Zombie, which self-destructed the moment the Chikamatsu Puppet approached.
This series of operations was completed in an extremely short time, making it impossible for Chiyo to anticipate. That slight delay was enough for Tsukasa Kaede to await a turning point.
*Swish!* A flash of a blade gleamed, slicing the approaching Chikamatsu Puppet in half.
"Well done."
Sakumo Hatake's figure blocked Tsukasa Kaede's path, his voice carrying a rare gentleness: "That old hag always likes to use such unseemly and clumsy tactics. You did exceptionally well; you've changed my perception of the Soul Death Technique. I'll take it from here."
(end of chapter)