Water balls flew past with a whoosh.
"Kid, this weak jutsu again? What are you planning?" Yang stood still, letting the water hit him.
The water balls struck Yang's body, barely slowing his control over Hang's corpse.
Nearby, Tatee fought Kota's attacks, eased by the relief medicine. Close combat left her with new wounds.
Blood stained Tatee's tight white uniform red. She grabbed a Soldier Pill from her pouch, crushed it, and swallowed it.
Keeping her Byakugan active drained her chakra, but she could not close her eyes. She had to watch Yang's every move.
Yang, a Sunagakure special Jonin known as the Ghost Master, pressured her, even through a puppet.
Dosuke stared at Yang, his body shaking. Sweat beads formed, sinking into the water film covering half his body.
Under life-or-death pressure, Dosuke felt strangely calm. His wet bangs stuck to his forehead. A strange thrill grew in his chest.
Dosuke planned his tactics, focused on one goal: defeat Yang and survive.
Dosuke licked his lips, a slight grin forming. His first mission outside Konoha was a life-or-death fight against a special Jonin. The challenge excited him.
This blood-soaked thrill was different from the calm of hospital surgeries. Dosuke liked dancing between life and death.
"Stop fighting," Yang said. "Become my materials. I will make you shine in new ways. Hahaha!"
Yang pulled Hang's corpse back to his side.
"No way," Tatee said. "I will not be your puppet, even if I die. As a Hyuga, my Byakugan will be destroyed if I fall."
Tatee yanked off her forehead protector, revealing the "Caged Bird" seal on her forehead.
"Then you are useless," Yang said.
Kota pressed his hands to the ground. Thick bone spurs curved forward, spreading toward Tatee.
"Soft Fist, White Dragon Dances Back!"
As a bone spur jutted up, Tatee bent backward into a bridge. Chakra wrapped her right leg. She kicked a weak spot her Byakugan spotted.
Bone shards flew. Tatee pushed off her hands and stood.
Dosuke spun and flicked his hand at Yang.
"Water Style, Flowing Water!"
Under moonlight, a faintly glowing water line shot toward Yang.
Yang tried to dodge but froze. He looked down. Two clumps of bugs pinned his feet.
Far off, Takuto, an Aburame ninja, lay on the ground. A syringe was in his arm. His other hand clenched toward Yang.
A sharp water line sliced through Yang's body, cutting him in half.
"I underestimated you," Yang said, glaring at Hang, now split in two. "You destroyed my work, you pests."
At the last second, Yang had used Hang to block Dosuke's jutsu.
"Think a stuck body stops a puppeteer?" Yang said.
A scroll appeared in his hands.
"This guy's puppet lacks my art, but it is decent," Yang said. The scroll had a large "Fei" written on it.
Yang formed seals. The scroll hit the ground. No puppet appeared.
"What?" Yang stared at the scroll.
"It worked," Dosuke said, watching Yang panic. "I stalled long enough."
"What did you do to my chakra?" Yang yelled, unable to feel his chakra flow.
"Blocked it," Dosuke said. "Remember noon today? When we met, your teammate Yusuke said, 'Sister, you smell nice.'"
"The smell?" Yang asked, eyes locked on Dosuke.
"No ninja has such a strong scent," Dosuke said. "It was qingluo fruit. In an experiment, I found qingluo fruit, magnolia sunflower, and shiqinghua, when inhaled together, block chakra flow briefly."
"Tatee, get ready to evacuate," Dosuke said, pulling a kunai from his pouch to disable Yang's limbs.
Qingluo fruit boosted hormones, making people friendlier. It explained Yusuke's fondness for Tatee after a brief meeting. Even Minato's team was slightly swayed by it during the mission.
Magnolia sunflower, a Soldier Pill ingredient, sped up chakra flow.
Anthocyanin powder countered stone lizard fluid and could relax muscles.
These drugs were harmless alone, but together, they blocked chakra flow.
"You planned this from our first meeting," Yang said. "I was careless. Not a bad loss."
"As a titled special Jonin, you underestimated us, especially with our captain unconscious and teammates hurt," Dosuke said. "Too bad there are no do-overs."
"But can you capture me alive?" Yang asked.
"Ninjas are just tools, even me," Yang said, a strange smile forming.
"Danger!" Tatee shouted. "Dosuke, dodge! He is covered in explosive tags!"
Dozens of explosive tags appeared on Yang's body. One ignited, hissing.
Dosuke cursed and leaped back. His Water Style moved at full speed. A water film spread over his body, fueled by chakra.
"My fate ends here," Yang said. "My rival, I hope you carry on your so-called art. I wanted to beat you myself!"
Explosions roared. Gravel flew. Smoke and dust spread.