Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

Hattori wasn't wrong—Sunagakure was indeed in big trouble.

No one felt this more deeply than Ebizō.

When he led his troops into the Land of Fire, he had anticipated that Konoha would come at them with full force. What he hadn't expected was how fast they would move.

Had he not retreated quickly, he would have been trapped in the heart of the Land of Fire like a turtle in a jar!

To escape Konoha's pursuit, he pushed the Sand Ninja through sleepless nights of marching at full speed, barely making it back to Kikyo Mountain.

He knew well that if they faced Konoha's main forces head-on now, they'd be finished. But if he could hold them off for even one more day, their chances of victory would slightly improve.

To this end, he was prepared for anything, even scenarios involving Konoha setting fires, cutting off water supplies, or poisoning them.

But what he didn't expect was that just as he was ready to play a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek with Konoha, a Tailed Beast Bomb came crashing down on him.

Luckily, Rasa reacted quickly and defended them with his gold sand. If not, even the shockwave from the Tailed Beast Bomb would have wiped out Sunagakure's command center!

Even though they survived by a stroke of luck, Ebizō didn't feel a hint of relief. He knew the game of hide-and-seek was over.

That single Tailed Beast Bomb was not just a powerful attack; it was also an unmistakable "signal flare."

In the dark of night, the booming explosion and searing flames of the Tailed Beast Bomb clearly signaled Sunagakure's position to Konoha.

Now, what awaited them was an encounter with Konoha's main force!

"If we can't hide, we'll have to fight," Ebizō thought.

Having survived two Shinobi World Wars, he wasn't one to hesitate. He immediately ordered the Sunagakure ninja units to defensive positions to brace for Konoha's assault.

The terrain of Kikyo Mountain was perfect for puppet users to blend in, allowing them to leverage the full strength of their puppet corps.

Leading the charge, naturally, was Sunagakure's puppet unit, masters of poison and deception. Positioned behind them was the Wind Release unit.

This arrangement served dual purposes: the puppet unit's poison clouds could be blown into Konoha's ranks when they attacked, and the Wind Release unit could counter Konoha's Fire Release techniques.

Ebizō's preparations were spot-on.

In the middle of the night, when Hiruzen Sarutobi led the Sarutobi clan in an assault, they indeed used Fire Release techniques.

The dark forest provided ample cover, and Fire Release not only allowed them to destroy traps but also lit the path for their advance.

The downside? It exposed their position.

Sunagakure seized the opportunity. Almost as soon as Konoha's Fire Release unit attacked, Sunagakure responded.

Hundreds of wind blades slashed toward Konoha's forces, while the puppet unit unleashed poison gas. The toxic wind surged forward like a vicious dragon, aimed straight at Konoha's troops.

But Konoha was no stranger to Sunagakure's tactics. At Hiruzen Sarutobi's command, the Sarutobi clan's Fire Release unit withdrew immediately. Injured fighters received treatment, and those poisoned were given antidotes—all in an orderly fashion.

With the Sarutobi clan pulling back, Konoha's offensive didn't cease. Hiruzen ordered the Inuzuka clan's ninja beast unit to take the lead.

The Inuzuka clan's hallmark was their agility; their speed was unmatched.

Most importantly, these ninja beasts had night vision!

Everyone in the Inuzuka clan was equipped with sharp "dog eyes" and an acute sense of smell, giving them exceptional tracking and countering abilities, especially in low light.

Their offensive power was formidable, and as they moved in, Sunagakure's puppet unit suffered immediate losses.

No matter how well the puppet users hid, they were quickly found. Fighting against both an Inuzuka and their dog was a daunting task for any puppeteer.

Most puppeteers weren't adept at taijutsu, and once the Inuzuka clan closed the distance, they were defeated swiftly.

The silver lining was that training ninja dogs was no simple task, and the Inuzuka clan didn't have large numbers. This gave Sunagakure a chance to regroup.

Taking advantage of this, the puppet unit clustered together, using their numbers to turn the tables and hold off the Inuzuka clan with two-on-one or even three-on-one tactics.

The once-silent night erupted with the sounds of battle. Explosive tags illuminated the sky with bursts of fire. Under the glow of the blood moon, neither side could tell if their opponents' faces were streaked with blood or sweat.

But both Sunagakure and Konoha knew that, despite the fierce skirmish, this was just a test—a prelude, like the shoving match before a real fight.

They were probing each other's capabilities, waiting for the moment the real battle would begin.

As the battle raged, something unexpected happened.

A loud roar echoed from above, and suddenly, several flash bombs dropped from the sky, blinding the combatants with their intense light.

Both sides were elite fighters and reacted quickly. Almost instantly, they hit the ground, shielding themselves.

This was the right move. In the forest, staying low was the best defense against aerial assaults—a lesson even wild animals knew.

True to their instincts, there was no immediate follow-up attack after they dropped to the ground.

But when their vision returned, they found the entire forest shrouded in a thick fog.

Visibility in the forest was already low at night, and this fog made it even worse, making even the Inuzuka clan pause.

Both sides found the sudden fog suspicious, prompting them to make the same decision—retreat!

Thus, the probing skirmish ended. Up in the sky, Hattori breathed a sigh of relief.

"Made it just in time!"

It turned out that Hattori himself was the mastermind behind the fog.

He and Pakura had flown in on a giant winged dragonfly, and hearing the battle below, Hattori knew both sides had already clashed.

As usual, he tossed several flash bombs down.

He had prepared explosive tag puppets for an airstrike on Konoha, but seeing that both sides were entangled, he reluctantly pulled them back to avoid friendly fire. Instead, he deployed a Mist Puppet, releasing the Hidden Mist Jutsu.

Within moments, the entire battlefield within a hundred-meter radius was engulfed in dense fog.

This was to give Sunagakure the chance to retreat. He had worried that someone impulsive might disperse the mist with Wind Release.

Thankfully, that didn't happen. Both sides chose to pull back, giving Hattori a sense of relief.

"Phew… Now, I just need to find Ebizō and plan how to drag this out with Konoha."

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*End of Chapter*