Chapter 303: Tracking the Enemy Down, Teamwork; Performance of a Hundred Puppets [HN]

The seven members of the Konoha team crossed the border of the Land of Fire.

Kakashi walked at the front, his exposed left eye sharp as an eagle’s as he constantly scanned the surrounding area.

Uchiha Obito followed closely behind him. His three tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated, catching even the slightest trace of chakra.

Nohara Rin walked in the middle of the team, her hands always ready to form hand seals, with her medical kit within easy reach.

The growth of the three had been remarkably rapid.

Might Guy, Yamashiro Aoba, Raido Namiashi, and Genma Shiranui spread out along the flanks and rear, remaining alert for attacks from any direction.

“Stop.”

Kakashi suddenly raised his hand.

He crouched down and brushed away a layer of dead grass, revealing a wheel track with strange patterns underneath.

Several purple fragments with a metallic sheen were scattered beside it.

“They’re puppet parts. They’re identical to the remnants mentioned in the report. The tracks are fresh and lead toward the valley in the northeast.”

“Looks like we’ve found the right direction.”

Yamashiro Aoba pushed up his sunglasses and spoke solemnly.

“Our enemy is someone capable of destroying an entire small country. Stay sharp.”

Kakashi stood up and looked toward the deep valley covered in wind and snow.

“Keep formation and stay alert. Move.”

The group silently entered the valley.

The deeper they went, the drier the air became.

There was also a faint, strange smell, a mixture of machine oil and preservative.

Deep within the valley, a huge cave entrance built into the mountain appeared before them.

The edges of the entrance were smooth and clearly modified by humans. The inside was pitch black, like the open mouth of a giant beast.

“This is it.”

Kakashi whispered and gave a hand signal.

The seven immediately spread out in perfect coordination. Using rocks and snow to conceal themselves, they slowly approached the entrance.

Just as Kakashi was about to step into the shadow of the cave…

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

Countless poisoned senbon shot out from deep within the cave like a violent storm.

They moved at astonishing speed and covered every angle of the entrance.

“Earth Style, Earth Wall!”

Kakashi reacted instantly. He slammed both hands against the ground, and an earthen wall carved with a dog head burst upward.

It blocked most of the senbon, producing a dense series of “thud, thud, thud” sounds.

“We’ve been discovered!”

Obito shouted. His Sharingan instantly caught sight of a vague, strange figure lying low on the ground deep inside the cave.

“Since you’ve come here, don’t even think about leaving alive.”

A low, hoarse voice came from inside the cave, sounding like two pieces of rusted metal scraping against each other.

It was filled with cold killing intent.

A crawling figure then slowly emerged.

It was an extremely strange humanoid creature.

Or rather, a puppet.

Its body was short and stocky, and it crawled along the ground with a huge, flexible steel tail behind it.

Its entire body was covered in dark purple armor. Its head was completely wrapped up, leaving only a pair of emotionless eyes filled with killing intent exposed.

Rin looked at its horrifying appearance and felt the pressure rushing toward her.

Her face turned slightly pale.

“Watch out for its tail and its poison!”

Kakashi shouted a warning while drawing the short blade from his back. Lightning Style chakra instantly wrapped around it, producing a sharp sound like countless chirping birds.

“These Konoha pests really are persistent.”

Sasori spoke coldly from inside Hiruko.

The enormous steel tail behind him suddenly rose like a scorpion’s stinger.

With a sharp whistle as it tore through the air, it smashed violently toward Kakashi.

“Boom!”

The ground was smashed into a deep crater, sending snow and shattered rocks flying.

Kakashi narrowly avoided it with the Body Flicker Technique and shouted at the same time.

“Spread out! Surround it!”

“Fire Style, Great Fireball Jutsu!”

Obito was the first to attack, spitting out a huge fireball that crashed toward Hiruko.

“Useless.”

Sasori controlled Hiruko without dodging. Its steel tail swept across the air and directly knocked the fireball apart.

Sparks flew everywhere, but they failed to leave even the slightest mark on its hard armor.

“Leaf Hurricane!”

Might Guy charged in from the side and slammed a powerful roundhouse kick into Hiruko’s ribs.

“Clang!”

A dull metallic impact rang out.

Guy felt as though he had kicked the hardest alloy imaginable. The force of the rebound made him grimace as he staggered back several steps, while Hiruko only swayed slightly.

“That’s hard!”

Guy’s face was filled with shock.

Yamashiro Aoba and Raido Namiashi simultaneously threw kunai attached to explosive tags, accurately striking Hiruko’s back.

“Boom! Boom!”

The explosions erupted, filling the area with smoke and dust.

However, once the smoke cleared, Hiruko was still standing in place.

The armor on its back was only slightly charred and remained completely intact.

“Damn it! That defense is ridiculous!”

Genma Shiranui clenched a senbon between his teeth, his brows tightly furrowed.

Hiruko’s attacks became increasingly violent.

Its steel tail lashed out and pierced forward like a deadly whip, moving so quickly that it left afterimages.

At the same time, the mechanism in its chest opened.

A continuous barrage of poisoned needles and smoke bombs with paralyzing effects shot out.

“Earth Style, Earth Wall!”

“Water Style, Water Wall!”

Kakashi and Rin alternated between defensive techniques, barely managing to hold them back.

Relying on the perception of his Sharingan, Obito narrowly avoided the steel tail’s strikes again and again, but he was still forced into a desperate situation.

Guy’s taijutsu could not break through the armor at all, while the attacks from Aoba, Raido, and Genma were also having little effect.

The battle moved at an extremely fast pace.

Kakashi and the others were completely suppressed and could only defend and evade as their chakra rapidly drained away.

“This won’t work!”

Kakashi deflected another strike from the tail, his arm numb from the impact as his mind raced.

“We have to find its weakness! With defenses this strong, the joints or energy core may be our breakthrough point!”

“Rin! Use your Chakra Scalpel and try cutting its joints!”

Kakashi shouted.

“Understood!”

Rin concentrated her chakra, causing a pale green glow to appear around both hands.

She waited for an opening, then rushed forward and precisely slashed at one of the movable joints in Hiruko’s leg.

“Slash!”

The Chakra Scalpel scraped against the armor with a harsh sound.

It left behind a shallow white mark, but failed to cut through.

“What?!”

Rin froze.

“Too naive!”

Sasori sneered.

Hiruko’s massive tail swept back at an unnatural angle, heading straight for Rin’s back.

“Rin! Watch out!”

Obito’s eyes widened with fury, and the pattern in his eyes seemed almost ready to transform into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

A figure flashed over at incredible speed.

“Raido!”

Genma Shiranui shoved Rin away.

Raido Namiashi firmly moved in to cover her.

The massive tail struck Raido’s body, and he disappeared with a bang.

It was a Shadow Clone.

“I’m fine… Watch out for its puppet…”

Genma Shiranui and Raido Namiashi immediately stood side by side, cautiously watching the enemy ahead.

The situation became increasingly unfavorable.

Hiruko’s defense was almost impossible to break, while its attacks were violent and deadly.

At that moment, Obito, who had been carefully observing the battle, moved to Kakashi’s side and spoke in a low voice.

“Kakashi! Its movements! Every time it attacks, the chakra fluctuation around that core suddenly becomes stronger!”

Kakashi’s eyes sharpened.

He gave the others a hand signal.

Everyone nodded.

“Understood!”

“Youth does not permit retreat!”

Guy roared and charged toward Hiruko again. Although it was only a feint, the force of his momentum was astonishing.

Yamashiro Aoba and Genma Shiranui also launched fierce attacks from both sides at the same time, sending kunai and Wind Style techniques screaming through the air.

Hiruko’s attention was briefly drawn toward them.

“Now!”

Kakashi poured a large amount of Lightning Style chakra into his short blade and transformed into a streak of lightning, stabbing directly toward the protruding core.

At the same time, Obito threw a chain claw carrying explosive tags from the opposite side, wrapping it around the base of Hiruko’s massive tail in an attempt to restrict its movements.

Rin once again formed a Chakra Scalpel and aimed at the gap in the armor beside the core.

“Got it!”

“Take this!”

“Cut it!”

The three attacks arrived almost simultaneously.

“Clang! Slash! Boom!”

Kakashi’s short blade finally pierced through the defense surrounding the core.

Obito’s explosive tag detonated at the base of the massive tail, while Rin’s Chakra Scalpel successfully cut into the gap.

“Crack…!”

A violent surge of unstable chakra and the sound of cracking metal rang out.

Hiruko’s huge body suddenly stiffened.

Black smoke rose from the core on its back.

The puppet’s movements instantly became sluggish, while large cracks spread across its purple armor.

“We did it!”

Obito exclaimed in surprise.

However, before they could relax, Hiruko’s cracked shell suddenly exploded outward from within with a bang.

Amid the flying fragments, a figure slowly stood up from inside the shattered shell.

It was a red haired young man wearing the black Akatsuki cloak with red clouds.

His features were handsome and even carried a hint of femininity, but his eyes were completely devoid of emotion.

The most striking feature was the open area of his chest.

Instead of flesh, there was a cylindrical device resembling a core, glowing with a faint light.

“You actually managed to force me out of Hiruko…”

Sasori’s voice was no longer hoarse.

It had returned to its original cold tone, but carried an even deeper chill.

After speaking, he looked back at the scattered parts on the ground.

“It was only a hastily assembled prototype. As expected, it wasn’t good enough.”

He then turned around and swept his gaze across the group.

“You… have every right to be proud.”

He slowly raised both hands.

The enormous scroll behind him suddenly unfurled with a bang, releasing a chakra fluctuation that made everyone’s heart tremble.

“I originally had no intention of wasting my collection on trash like you…”

A trace of impatience and killing intent flashed through Sasori’s eyes.

“But you actually managed to push me this far. That means I can’t let you leave alive.”

His fingers moved slightly, and countless chakra threads shot outward as though they were alive.

“Let me show you the true… art!”

The next moment, hundreds upon hundreds of human shaped puppets of various designs and painted in different colors surged out of the scroll like a tide.

They densely filled the entire entrance of the valley.

Their empty eye sockets all turned toward Kakashi and the other six at once, while their joints made a teeth grinding “click, click” sound.

“Performance of a Hundred Puppets…”

Sasori stood in the center of the puppet army like a ruler commanding death.

His voice coldly delivered the final declaration.

“…begins.”

The terrifying scene before them looked like a painting of hell come to life.

The enormous chakra and killing intent were almost suffocating.

“This…”

“These are all puppets?!”

“…”

Kakashi, Obito, Rin, Guy, Aoba, Raido, and Genma…

Every one of their expressions changed instantly.

Could a Puppet Master really fight like this?!