Chapter 52: **Chapter 52: Battle with the Rock Shinobi (Part 1)**
**Manipulating Blades**—as the name suggests, it's a technique of controlling weapons like ninja blades or kunai with chakra strings to launch a surprise attack on an enemy.
Though it sounds impressive, it's actually an entry-level technique for puppeteers; anyone who can use chakra strings can use it.
Of course, the effectiveness varies according to the skill level of the puppeteer.
For example, when Hattori met Yashamaru, Karura brother, Yashamaru's Manipulating Blades technique was more like throwing shurikens.
He could throw more than ten at once with decent strength and accuracy, but his control was lacking.
In short, he couldn't make them curve, and once thrown, he lost control over them.
However, Hattori's version of Manipulating Blades was quite different.
With his Level 30 puppet manipulation skill, his control of low-level ninja tools like kunai was no weaker than veteran puppeteer Chiyo's!
As soon as he moved, ten kunai turned into streaks of light, shooting towards the charging Rock Shinobi.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...*
Moving so fast, the kunai created faint slicing sounds, quickly alerting the lead Rock Shinobi in the red cloak.
"Watch out for an enemy ambush!"
Upon this shout, he clapped his hands together and shouted.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
At his command, a massive earthen wall, dozens of meters wide, sprang up from the ground, blocking the kunai's path.
At the same time, Hattori's kunai struck the wall, producing sharp clinks.
*Clink, clink, clink...*
The kunai bounced off the stone wall. Seeing this, Hattori retracted his hands, and the ten kunai instantly flew back to his palms.
Meanwhile, the stats of the red-cloaked shinobi also appeared before him.
**Name**: Wotu
**Level**: 42
**HP**: 440/443
**MP**: 300/331
**Specialty**: Earth Release
**Battle Rating**: A
"Damn, he's a jōnin—this could be tough!"
Seeing the stats, Hattori's expression changed. He jumped off the rooftop and darted down the street behind it.
Since Karura and two children were inside the building, he was worried the fight would affect them, so he decided to shift the battle location.
To Wotu, the red-cloaked Rock Shinobi, it looked like Hattori was retreating in fear due to his lack of strength.
Without hesitation, he ordered, "He's a ninja from the Hidden Sand Village. Catch him and kill him!"
"Yes!"
Following the command, several Rock Shinobi behind him took off after Hattori.
As Hattori ran ahead, he glanced back and saw that Wotu, the jōnin from the Rock Village, was not pursuing him directly, instead leaving the chase to a few lower-level shinobi. Amused, he laughed.
"Damn, looking down on me, huh? I guess it's time for some blood."
With that, he abruptly stopped, lifted his hands again, and shouted, "Manipulating Blades!"
Ten kunai shot out once more, this time aimed at the pursuing Rock Shinobi.
These pursuers were just genin and didn't have Wotu's skill of quickly forming seals for an Earth Flow Wall. They could only pull out their kunai to block Hattori's projectiles.
*Clink, clink, clink...*
The sound of clashing kunai filled the air as Hattori's projectiles were deflected without injuring any of them.
Seeing this, Hattori's expression shifted to one of terror.
"How could this be? How are you all so strong? Impossible! I... I... I..."
After a few seconds of stuttering, his terrified expression changed into a bright smile.
"Gotcha!"
Seeing this grin, the Rock Shinobi immediately sensed something was wrong, but it was too late.
*Shing, shing, shing...*
With a few swift slashes, the Rock shinobi suddenly found themselves plunging their own kunai into their throats, faces frozen in terror and disbelief.
They couldn't understand how Hattori had managed it.
Had they looked closely, they would've noticed thin blue chakra strings connecting Hattori's kunai to their own.
When they blocked his initial kunai attack, the chakra strings on Hattori's kunai had latched onto theirs.
Hattori's "terrified" expression had only been a trick to lower their guard.
But it was too late now—gasping for breath, they soon died from their self-inflicted wounds.
At that moment, purple notifications appeared in Hattori's vision.
**You successfully killed a Level 15 shinobi. EXP +0**
**You successfully killed a Level 13 shinobi. EXP +0**
**You successfully killed a Level 16 shinobi. EXP +0**
…
Due to the level difference, Hattori didn't gain any experience points, but he noticed several white orbs floating above the Rock Shinobi's corpses.
"Did I get loot?"
Curious, he picked up the orbs to examine them closely.
**Earth Orb (Normal)**: Used to synthesize Earth attribute puppets from Levels 1 to 19; currently unusable.
"Puppet materials? But unusable?"
Seeing this information, Hattori blinked, confused.
Just to be safe, he pocketed the orbs and stored them in his ninja pouch.
"Can't use them now, but who knows? They might come in handy later!"
After storing the orbs, he considered searching the bodies further, but before he could, the red-cloaked Rock jōnin rushed towards him.
Seeing this, Hattori grabbed a pouch from one of the fallen Rock Shinobi and flee.
"Time to run!"
Seeing Hattori flee, Wotu, the Rock jōnin, roared in frustration.
"Get back here, you coward!"
Of course, Hattori didn't listen. Instead of stopping, he sped up.
One after the other, they ran for hundreds of meters, Wotu chasing closely behind.
Wotu expected Hattori to keep fleeing, but to his surprise, Hattori suddenly stopped at a corner.
Wotu quickly grew wary, scanning the area, fearing a trap.
But Hattori showed no hesitation. Finding a suitable spot, he launched an attack.
"Take this!"
Pulling out a kunai from the pouch, he hurled it at Wotu, who easily dodged.
Against a jōnin, it was nearly impossible to land a hit without overwhelming them with a barrage of projectiles.
However, Hattori seemed oblivious to this, continuously pulling ninja tools from the pouch to throw at Wotu.
"Take this kunai! And shuriken! Senbon! Smoke bomb! Flash bomb! And... a ration pill? Uh, wrong one!"
Wotu: "..."
What's this guy doing?
Just as Wotu was left bewildered, Hattori suddenly flicked his wrist.
*Shing, shing, shing...*
In an instant, all the ninja tools Wotu had dodged earlier reversed direction, as if magnetized, and embedded themselves in his back.
But as the weapons struck, Wotu didn't bleed. Instead, his body crumbled into brown earth.
Seeing this, Hattori's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing.
"An Earth Clone... impressive!"
(End of chapter)
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