Chương 301: 298
Having caught up to her prey Chiyo summoned her other five puppets. Moonlight spilled over Chiyo's ten puppets, illuminating their meticulously crafted forms, each one a dark specter in the night. They formed a chilling circle around her, an army of silent killers in deadly unison. Haruto, Daichi, the Hyuga jonin, and the two other Konoha chunin held their ground, watching with growing unease as the puppets clicked and shifted into position, each movement precise and deliberate. The puppets' gleaming eyes seemed to hold a life of their own, casting eerie reflections off the jagged blades and intricate gears that made up their deadly frames.
The first puppet loomed, towering over the others, its hulking frame encased in thick armor. Massive, blade-like extensions jutted from its arms, slicing through the air with brutal, methodical precision. The steel glinted sharply under the moon's light, its edges honed to lethal perfection, designed to hack through any opponent daring enough to engage in close combat.
Beside it was the second puppet, a slim and serpentine figure, far more agile and built for fluid movement. Its chains ended in razor-sharp claws, and as it spun them in graceful, whirling arcs, they sliced through the air with deadly elegance. Each swipe was precise, its entire form coiled like a serpent ready to strike, aiming to capture and tear apart any who ventured too close.
Standing further back, the third puppet held a more sinister purpose. Fitted with senbon launchers in its joints, it held a defensive position, silently calculating, biding its time. This puppet was built to rain down volleys of needles, each one small but deadly. Its intention wasn't to kill outright but to create a web of distraction and disorientation, picking off enemies by whittling away their stamina and focus.
Then came the fourth puppet, a figure as unsettling as it was deadly. Its torso concealed a hidden mechanism, a chamber designed to release thick, noxious clouds of poison. The puppet lurked with a foreboding silence, ready to suffocate and disable any opponent within reach, turning the air around it into a suffocating, toxic fog.
The fifth puppet was a hulking figure with piston-like arms, reinforced for devastating power. The mechanisms hummed with restrained energy, ready to unleash chakra-infused punches that would detonate on impact. Each strike could obliterate anything in its path, a walking force of destruction encased in metal.
To the side, the sixth puppet spun its dual scythes, sleek and lethal. Lean and agile, this puppet was designed to create a cyclone of bladed fury, its whirling scythes slicing through the air with terrifying speed. It moved like a wraith, its very presence a constant threat to anyone unfortunate enough to be caught within its range.
The seventh puppet stood like a towering sentinel, its frame massive and heavily armored. In one hand, it held a spiked shield, while the other wielded a colossal hammer. It was both a wall and a weapon, built to absorb incoming attacks while countering with crushing force. Every step it took seemed to shake the ground beneath it, an unstoppable juggernaut in Chiyo's arsenal.
The eighth puppet was far more insidious. Built with hooks and wires hidden within its limbs, it specialized in ensnaring its prey, using its concealed cords to capture and immobilize. Each limb could release a tangle of deadly wires, capable of tearing into flesh and binding an opponent, leaving them helpless against its ruthless efficiency.
The ninth puppet, smaller and less imposing, was nonetheless one of the deadliest. Blades extended from each of its joints, each one capable of slicing with surgical precision. This puppet was built for close encounters, designed to target vital points, aiming to dismember or incapacitate with unerring accuracy. Its movements were swift and sharp, calculated to end fights quickly.
Finally, the tenth puppet stood as a menacing figure of raw intimidation. Within its chest lay a flamethrower, a chamber primed to unleash torrents of fire. With a single command, it could send a blazing inferno toward its foes, forcing them back or trapping them in a deadly blaze. It was the most intimidating of Chiyo's creations, a walking furnace that could turn the battlefield into a hellscape of flame and smoke.
Together, the puppets formed a lethal circle around Chiyo, their eyes gleaming in the darkness, each one primed and ready. The forest felt still and suffocating, the air thick with the weight of impending violence as Chiyo's mechanical monsters prepared to strike.
Chiyo's attention narrowed, her fingers twitching with a practiced rhythm as she maneuvered three of her deadliest puppets to counter the Hyuga jonin's Gentle Fist. The armored puppet with elongated blades lunged forward, each slash as sharp and deliberate as if wielded by a seasoned swordsman. Its brutal strikes forced the Hyuga back, keeping him on defense and making it nearly impossible to find an opening. The blades sliced through the air with a chilling precision, each strike calculated to keep the Hyuga at bay and disallow even the smallest breach in Chiyo's mechanical barrier.
Flanking this puppet, the clawed-chain puppet swung its deadly chains in wide, sweeping arcs, its fluid motion forming a relentless wall that barred the Hyuga from advancing. The chains whirled and lashed out, gleaming in the moonlight, each swing more menacing than the last. They twisted unpredictably, giving the Hyuga no chance to find a rhythm, keeping him in constant retreat.
Behind them, the senbon-launching puppet remained poised and relentless, its joints whirring softly as it released needles in rapid succession. Each senbon was aimed with chilling accuracy, striking toward the Hyuga's exposed areas with deadly intent. They rained down like a sinister hailstorm, their glinting points a constant reminder that even a momentary lapse could mean fatal injury.
Haruto's eyes tracked the battle, his mind racing as he saw the Hyuga pinned by Chiyo's coordinated assault. Without hesitation, he turned to Daichi. "Daichi, support the Hyuga with clones and ninjutsu," he commanded, tossing a bundle of directional explosive tags his way. "Keep those puppets off him, and go for Chiyo if you see an opening."
Daichi snatched the tags mid-air, quickly summoning a squad of clones who fanned out, moving to encircle Chiyo's puppets. With a flick of his wrist, Daichi snapped his water whip, the liquid chakra curling through the air in a powerful arc that struck the clawed-chain puppet, forcing it back just as it swung toward the Hyuga. The clones worked in precise harmony, attaching the explosive tags in a perimeter around Chiyo's formation. In perfectly timed detonations, each explosion rocked the ground, casting brief flashes of light across the forest as shadows danced against Chiyo's intent gaze, her focus unwavering yet subtly divided by the relentless assault.
The wind specialist chunin stepped into the fray, summoning shuriken laced with slicing wind chakra. The whirring, razor-sharp projectiles cut through the air at dizzying speeds, curving unpredictably as they honed in on the puppets. Chiyo's control wavered momentarily, her puppets jerking to intercept, yet the speed and varied angles of the wind-shuriken tested even her reflexes. The puppets shifted defensively, their mechanisms whirring with newfound urgency, attempting to block the strikes from the wind-enhanced blades.
Meanwhile, the earth specialist chunin worked swiftly, raising sturdy barriers of rock and soil around Daichi and the wind-user, fortifying their position against Chiyo's counterattacks. Each earth wall absorbed the impacts from the puppets' strikes, holding firm under the force of the blows and allowing Daichi and the wind-user to focus solely on offense. Stone columns erupted to block Chiyo's puppets just as they advanced, buying the team precious seconds to press forward.
The forest echoed with the cacophony of clashing metal, whistling shuriken, and crackling explosions, each member of the team coordinated in their movements.
Haruto's gaze remained steely, his focus unbreakable as he tracked the approaching Sand chunin, he would be facing them alone.
He moved like a silent predator, every action laced with precision and purpose. Each shuriken he threw traced calculated arcs, subtly maneuvering his opponents, coaxing them into closer quarters with every throw. It was a masterful dance of control, the enemy shinobi shifting their positions unknowingly, like pawns edging toward a deadly checkmate, he had wanted them bunched up in front of him.
Finally, Haruto saw his moment. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he hurled his ninja claymore into their midst. Two of the chunin, recognizing the weapon's deadly radius, leapt instinctively to the sides, narrowly evading the cone of shrapnel. But the third, a fraction slower, chose to jump backward—a fatal miscalculation. The claymore detonated with a flash and a thunderous crack, scattering razor-sharp metal fragments that tore through his armor, shredding flesh and bone with ruthless efficiency. His body collapsed, twisted and blood-soaked, a grim reminder of Haruto's tactical precision. Silence draped briefly over the forest, thick with the scent of blood and gunpowder.
Haruto moved without a flicker of hesitation. Tapping into his two-mind technique, he launched his last two claymores toward the remaining chunin, each one arcing with lethal intent. One reacted swiftly, spewing a thick stream of mud that blanketed the claymore, smothering the seal before it could ignite. The other chunin grounded himself, raising a wall of dense earth to intercept the explosion, nullifying its destructive force.
But Haruto had anticipated their defense. His lips curled into a knowing smile as he seamlessly flung two corrosive seals toward them. The mud-user sprang clear, landing just outside the radius of the toxic cloud that began to expand. But the second chunin was a split-second too slow. The seal hit the ground at his feet, releasing a cloud of acidic fumes that spread rapidly. The gas enveloped him, and he staggered back, choking, as the poison clung to his skin. Blisters rose instantly, his flesh bubbling and burning. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he struggled for air, the agony twisting his features in a mask of horror.
In a blur, Haruto closed the distance, his movements fluid and deadly. Activating his Static Burst lightning jutsu, he propelled himself forward with blinding speed, his form crackling with energy. His chakra-infused strength coiled through his arm as he delivered a bone-crushing blow to the chunin's rock-covered fist, the impact shattering the brittle stone in a spray of debris. As the Sand shinobi staggered, stunned and vulnerable, Haruto spun with a lethal grace, his Thunder Scalpel materializing in his hand. In one fluid motion, the scalpel whipped outward, extending two feet in a deadly arc. The blade glinted under the moonlight as it sliced cleanly through the chunin's neck, severing his head with surgical precision. The scalpel retracted smoothly as Haruto landed, poised and unruffled, the stillness of the night settling around him once more.
The final chunin, the mud-user, watched in horror, gripping his kunai tightly as he scrambled to keep his distance from Haruto. He knew he was outmatched, yet desperation drove him to attack, lunging with a wild stab. Haruto moved like water, sidestepping each panicked strike, his movements effortless, graceful. With a powerful leap, he shattered the earth beneath him, propelling himself high with chakra-enhanced strength, leaving the ground splintered in his wake. As he soared above his opponent, he raised his Thunder Scalpel, extending the jutsu into a lethal, sweeping arc. The blade swung down with merciless precision, carving into the chunin's skull, slicing deep into his brain. The final Sand shinobi dropped to the ground, his life extinguished in an instant.
Haruto landed softly, his figure cast in stark relief against the moonlit forest. The forest around him had grown deathly silent, the bodies of his foes strewn across the ground, each one a testament to his relentless skill. His gaze shifted, calm and unshaken, his mind already calculating the next step in this relentless battle.
As Haruto glanced back, his heart sank. The two Konoha chunin were desperately attempting to defend themselves, but Chiyo's puppets descended upon them with lethal precision. The Seventh Puppet, a towering figure with a spiked shield and hammer, moved in with crushing force. It swung the hammer in a devastating arc, smashing into one of the chunin's hastily-raised kunai defense, the impact so brutal it shattered his weapon and caved in his chest, sending him sprawling lifelessly to the ground.
The Ninth Puppet—a small, sinister construct with blades embedded in every joint—darted toward the other chunin. Its movements were eerily precise, each limb slicing and stabbing with unerring accuracy. The chunin tried to dodge, but the puppet struck low, shearing through his leg in a single swipe before finishing him off with a brutal slash across his torso, his blood soaking the ground.
As Daichi pressed forward to cover the retreat, he spotted the Sixth Puppet—agile and menacing with its dual spinning scythes—whirling toward him. The scythes spun so rapidly that they blurred, creating a deadly barrier of blades. Daichi barely evaded, using the Substitution Jutsu just as the puppet seemed to slice him in half, only to have his replacement log fall to the ground, splintered and torn to pieces.
The Hyuga jonin continued his onslaught, fiercely striking at Chiyo's deadly constructs. With his Byakugan active, he could see the chakra threads extending from Chiyo's fingers, manipulating the puppets with incredible skill. He targeted these threads with his Gentle Fist, severing two in quick succession, which sent the Fourth Puppet—loaded with its poison cloud mechanism—and the Tenth Puppet—equipped with a flamethrower—crashing to the ground, motionless.
But Chiyo's hands moved with relentless speed. The Fourth Puppet, now reanimated, staggered to its feet as Chiyo maneuvered another three to overwhelm the Hyuga. The First Puppet, towering and armored with elongated, razor-sharp blades, slashed at him with deadly precision. He dodged, but the puppet's brutal strikes forced him back, keeping him on the defensive.
Simultaneously, the Eighth Puppet—its limbs lined with hidden hooks and wires—lunged forward, its cords shooting out to ensnare him. The Hyuga's strikes severed several of the wires, but the puppet was relentless, each hook snapping dangerously close to his limbs as he struggled to free himself.
The final blow came from the Fifth Puppet, its piston-like arms coiled with chakra for maximum impact. As the Hyuga broke free from the hooks, the puppet lunged forward, driving its arm directly into his chest with explosive force. The impact echoed through the forest as blood sprayed from his mouth, his ribs and sternum shattered.
He staggered, vision blurring, but Chiyo was far from finished. The Eighth Puppet's hooks latched onto his shoulders, forcing him upright. The First Puppet moved in, one blade glinting under the moonlight as it arced downward, slicing clean through his abdomen.
The Ninth Puppet, like a butcher completing its work, moved in with its deadly blades, finishing him in a final, brutal flurry.
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