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"Hmm, these three little brats are actually pretty skilled. They've managed to push me into using four puppets already!" thought
Akasha Shūki
, clicking her tongue in disbelief. This was nearing her limit.
At this moment,
Hidan
was still locked in combat with
White Wuchang
(
White Impermanence
). However, the once-imposing puppet was now a shadow of its former self. Its hat had been knocked off, its white robes were in tatters, and the mourning staff it wielded was now broken in half. Its body was riddled with scars.
Meanwhile,
Black Wuchang
(
Black Impermanence
) wasn't faring much better. Its clothing had been completely corroded by
Ban no Shō's
(
Chapter of Boiling
)
Boil Release
, exposing its original wooden structure. The soul-reaping chain in its hand had lost its metallic sheen and would likely need a good polish after the battle.
The
Horse-Face
puppet, however, remained unscathed. It was still tightly bound to the flagpole by the
Blue Crystal Coiled Dragon
, and it seemed
Wu Zhong Furong
(
Furong Wu Zhong
) wasn't planning to release it anytime soon. After all, the fewer puppets involved in the fight, the better their chances of capturing the flag. Whatever material the
Blue Crystal
was made of,
Horse-Face
simply couldn't break free.
The puppet currently facing off against
Wu Zhong Furong
was
Ox-Head
, known for its offensive prowess among
Akasha Shūki's
battle puppets. As Furong's
Crystal Release
attacks clashed with
Ox-Head's
fierce strikes, the two were locked in a stalemate.
Akasha Shūki
reached for her last remaining scroll, hesitating as she contemplated whether to deploy her final two puppets. A puppet master's strength was often judged by how many puppets they could control simultaneously. Within the village, the most skilled puppet master was her grandmother,
Chiyo
, who could control ten puppets at once. Second was her husband,
Akasha Kikumoku
, who could manage eight.
Akasha Shūki
herself ranked third, capable of handling six puppets. But did she really need to use her
Six-Finger Technique
against three kids who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy?
Despite everything, these three kids had already impressed her. She felt they were nearly at the level of chunin, lacking only combat experience and technique. Given time, they would undoubtedly become great shinobi.
With that thought,
Akasha Shūki
put the last scroll back into her pocket. She decided in her heart:
Four puppets. If they can defeat them, they pass.
At that moment, the evenly matched battle shifted dramatically. The game-changer was
Hidan
.
He leapt out of the fray, tossing aside his three-bladed scythe. From his pocket, he pulled out two Damascus steel knuckle dusters. (After all, as a disciple of the Kazekage, he had access to the best equipment.) As he slowly slipped them onto his hands, he spoke:
"
Akasha Shūki-sensei
, I'm sorry, but the sun is about to set, and I need to get home for dinner. Forgive me.
Eight Gates: First Gate—Gate of Opening, open!
"
"
Second Gate—Gate of Rest, open!
"
"
Third Gate—Gate of Life, open!
"
"
Fourth Gate—Gate of Pain, open!
"
Now, looking at
Hidan
, who had opened four gates, his face was flushed red, his eyes sharp as lightning, and his chakra surged violently around him.
"
Aaaah!
" With a loud roar,
Hidan
's speed became so fast that it was almost impossible to track with the naked eye. His fists rained down on
White Wuchang
like a hailstorm! At first, the puppet could still lift its arms to block, but soon they were broken.
His movements were a blur, leaving behind only afterimages, but the sound of his attacks was unmistakable—a relentless rhythm like the chopping of wood. In no time,
White Wuchang
, made of solid hardwood, was reduced to splinters.
Before
Akasha Shūki
could react,
Hidan
appeared in a flash beside the flagpole and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick.
"
Crack!
" The ten-meter-high flagpole collapsed with a resounding crash.
Struggling to his feet,
Hidan
tugged at the flag and waved it at
Akasha Shūki
before collapsing to the ground.
Without hesitation,
Wu Zhong Furong
rushed over to check on him, placing her hands on his chest to perform
Healing Palm Technique
.
"He's fine, just exhausted from the aftereffects of the technique," she reassured everyone. (After all,
Hidan
was still young and hadn't yet developed his later invincibility. Fainting was perfectly normal.)
Hearing this,
Akasha Shūki
finally relaxed.
Before long,
Hidan
slowly regained consciousness, proudly waving the red flag in his hand at everyone.
"You're so reckless! Opening four gates right away—no wonder you fainted!"
Akasha Shūki
, who had participated in the
Kaixuan Valley Ambush
, naturally recognized
Might Duy
's techniques.
She glanced at the destroyed
White Wuchang
and sighed helplessly. "Completely wrecked. Oh well, I'll salvage some useful parts and build a new one."
Saying this, she pulled out a scroll. With two puffs of white smoke, two towering battle puppets over three meters tall appeared. One was clad in golden armor, wielding a massive battle axe, with the words
Day Wandering God
written on its chest. The other wore silver armor, holding a
Demonic Subjugation Rod
, with the words
Night Wandering God
inscribed on it.
The
Night Wandering God
walked up to
Horse-Face
and struck the
Blue Crystal Coiled Dragon
with its rod. The crystal shattered into powder instantly.
The
Day Wandering God
began collecting the remains of
White Wuchang
, carefully storing the pieces into an empty scroll.
It was clear that these two puppets were far superior in both offense and defense compared to the previous four. Only now did
Hidan
and his teammates realize that
Akasha Shūki
had been holding back. If she had deployed all six puppets at once, they would have undoubtedly lost.
"Well then, to celebrate the three of you officially becoming ninjas, I've decided to treat everyone to hot pot!"
"
Awesome!
"
Scene Transition
"Not bad, not bad. How did you manage to capture him?"
Jinghang
marveled at the sight of
White Zetsu
, suspended in midair inside a leather sack.
"This here is our
Xuanyuan Tomb's
treasure—the
Leather Wonton
! If I hadn't brought it along, he would've escaped. But once you're trapped in this baby, no matter how powerful you are, you're not getting out,"
Buck
boasted.
"Oh, what a treasure! I'll make sure you get all the chicken blood tofu you can eat,"
Jinghang
praised repeatedly. After hearing
Tsunade's
account, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. It was fortunate he had secretly asked
Buck
to watch over
Rope Tree
and
Tsunade
. Otherwise, who knows how things might have turned out?
"What should we do with him?"
Tsunade
asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she looked at
White Zetsu
.
"Thinking about slicing him up again? Don't rush. I'll interrogate him first,"
Jinghang
replied.
"Oh, and one more thing." He pulled out a small notebook. "Can you confirm if this is
Uchiha Madara's
handwriting?"