Chapter 89: The Sight of You Struggling, Unwilling to Admit Defeat, is Truly Ugly!
A lesson learned from the overturned cart in front.
With the painful lesson from his previous teammate, this time, facing the shuriken paper bomb thrown by Nara Keisuke, Ebizō had no intention of being careless. He was not only carefully observing the landing point of the paper bomb but also keeping a constant eye on the general movements of the black shadow creature in the sky.
But before Ebizō could dodge the attack, an aged voice came from beside him. "Puppet Technique: Manipulating Attack Blades!"
A wisp of a chakra string burst from Chiyo's fingertip, attached to the end of a kunai, and she flung it heavily towards the sky. Like a lacquer-black meteor streaking across the heavens, the kunai flung by the "Manipulating Attack Blades" struck the shuriken paper bomb thrown by Keisuke with speed and precision.
Clang!
The shuriken and the kunai collided in mid-air, letting out a crisp sound of metal striking metal. The lighter shuriken paper bomb, under the fierce impact of the kunai, instantly lost its original accuracy and flew off-kilter to the other side.
Boom!
The paper bomb exploded in a giant, bright fireball in mid-air, but it caused not the slightest harm to the members of the Suna Puppet Brigade.
Chiyo gave Keisuke no time to react. Her fingertips lightly touched a sealing tag wrapped around her wrist. Through a pre-set activation method, she summoned a large number of poisoned senbon from the sealing tag. "Needle Eight Waves!"
The ultra-high-density metal senbon transformed into a ferocious wave. The purple-black light glinting from the tips of the senbon showed that they were all poisoned weapons. The flight speed of the poisoned needles was extremely fast, reaching the sky in the blink of an eye.
The panel once again popped up with a mission message.
[A-rank Ninja Combat Mission Detected!]
[A-rank Mission: Chiyo]
[Mission Content: Defeat/Kill Sunagakure Puppet Master Chiyo]
[Mission Reward: A-rank Shinobi Secret Scroll]
Faced with the dense rain of poisoned senbon, Keisuke had no intention of paying attention to the mission on his panel. He simply spread his arms and leaped backward. The high-altitude gale made his robes flutter loudly. His posture was like that of a bird, with an indescribable sense of freedom and style.
Nara-Style Secret Technique: Leap of Faith!
The dense attack formed by the "Needle Eight Waves" all landed on the [Shadow Creature], destroying it on the spot and causing it to dissipate into a puff of smoke in mid-air.
"Lady Chiyo shot that guy down!"
The numerous ninja of the Suna Puppet Brigade were suddenly overjoyed. But in the next moment, another [Shadow Creature] emerged from Nara Keisuke's surrounding shadow. It transformed into a majestic, lifelike lacquer-black bird, grabbed his arm, and carried him back into the sky.
"Cunning little brat!" Chiyo sighed helplessly.
In the ninja world, the vast majority of ninja lacked countermeasures against "flying enemies." First, the mobility and flexibility of flight were too high; second, the distance between them was too great, and ordinary ninjutsu simply couldn't reach the opponent. The current Suna Puppet Brigade was trapped in just such a predicament.
'If only Rasa had come with us this time... With his Gold Dust secret technique, at least we wouldn't be fighting so miserably.' Chiyo sighed internally. She really didn't want to continue tangling with Nara Keisuke. The problem wasn't that she didn't want to leave, but that the other party simply wouldn't let them go! If she ignored him and let him continue to attack and obstruct them... the Suna Puppet Brigade would very likely be dragged to their deaths in this mountain!
The only solution at present was to proactively separate a team member to focus on and tie down Keisuke in the sky, to prevent and counter the shuriken paper bombs he might throw at any time, in order to buy time for the main force to escape. It was just that in that case, this team member's movement speed would be directly slowed down. His chances of escape... would be close to zero.
Chiyo was hesitating about whether to implement this "sacrificial tail" strategy. But her brother, Ebizō, at her side, had also thought of this countermeasure at the same time.
"Sister, Pakura, and everyone," Ebizō's aged voice sounded in the ears of the Suna ninja, filled with a deep sense of determination and sacrifice. "You go on ahead. I will hold back this Nara clan ninja."
"Brother, let me..." Chiyo started to speak, but stopped, not knowing how to dissuade him.
The Suna ninja were not clear on Keisuke's precise skill level. But based on his battlefield performance of silently slaughtering more than half of the Puppet Brigade below Kikyo Castle just now... among all the Suna ninja present, there were only three who could be responsible for this rear-guard mission.
Chiyo!
Pakura!
Ebizō!
Not one more.
"Sister, you all go quickly!" Ebizō said firmly. "You are Suna's greatest puppet master, sister. Pakura is Suna's future, and everyone else is an elite of the Puppet Brigade... Let this old man buy time for everyone!"
The situation was urgent, and Konoha reinforcements could arrive at any moment. Chiyo couldn't afford to hesitate for too long and finally nodded in agreement to her brother's request. The other Suna ninja all looked at Ebizō with expressions of admiration and reverence. For him to volunteer to delay the enemy at this time was almost the same as actively sacrificing himself...
"Damn Konoha ninja!" The unhappy Pakura rapidly formed hand signs, releasing one after another searing fireball at the circling Keisuke in the sky. "Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
[B-rank Ninja Combat Mission Detected!]
[B-rank Mission: Pakura of the Scorch Release]
[Mission Content: Defeat/Kill Sunagakure Jonin Pakura]
[Mission Reward: B-rank Shinobi Secret Scroll]
Pakura's "Extremely Steaming Murder," in terms of pure power, surpassed Chiyo's "Needle Eight Waves," but its flight speed and attack range were far inferior to the latter. Keisuke controlled the [Shadow Creature], nimbly avoiding the attack of the fireballs.
At the same time, he noticed that the Suna unit below had split in two. Ebizō was trailing at the very end of the team, his movement speed far slower than his comrades in front. He soon fell a large distance behind the others.
"Planning to cut off your tail to survive, like a lizard?" Keisuke narrowed his eyes, having seen through the Suna ninjas' plan. "Then let's have some fun..."
With a thought, a transparent, formless [Shadow Creature] separated from his body and silently followed behind the main Suna force.
[A-rank Technique: Shadow Invisibility Technique]
[Technique Description: A super high-level Yin Release technique created based on [Shadow Secret Techniques] and [Camouflage Concealment].]
[Technique Effect: Through fine control of the water molecules in the air with Yin Release chakra, eliminate refracted light, conceal one's own aura, and achieve complete transparency.]
[Technique Evaluation: The Shadow Lord's Invisible Man.]
Ebizō, in the forest below, sensed the figure in the sky had stopped and also stopped his own steps to observe the other's actions. Keisuke controlled the [Shadow Creature] to slowly descend.
Ebizō tightened his grip on the ninja fan in his hand, fighting the urge to attack directly, and took the initiative to speak to stall for time. "Since when did the Nara clan research such a secret technique?"
"Trying to buy time for your comrades?" Keisuke saw through his plan and raised his right hand, a ball of Yin Release chakra gathering at his fingertip. "Since when were you under the illusion... that you could hold me back?"
[Shadow Piercing Bullet]!
The lacquer-black bullet cut through the night sky. Under the cover of the deep night, its trajectory was extremely difficult to detect. Ebizō knew the other had seen through his plan and also sensed the approaching danger. He gripped his fan tightly, and without reservation, molded and released his wind-nature chakra. "Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane!"
Boom!
Following the trajectory of the fan's swing, a towering, super-large tornado erupted from in front of Ebizō, forming a barrier before him. The incredibly strong wind continuously pulled in surrounding matter, drawing it into the tornado, and then slicing it to pieces with the extremely powerful wind blades contained within.
Keisuke's gaze was also drawn to this powerful tornado hurricane. "The Wind Release ninjutsu of Sunagakure is truly unique." He narrowed his eyes. "But for this type of visually-obstructing ninjutsu... I like it very much!"
[Earth Release: Earth Dragon Hiding Technique]!
The soil at Keisuke's feet instantly turned to sand under the effect of his earth-nature chakra. His entire person sank into the earth, and through the cover of the ground, he quickly approached Ebizō, who was behind the "Tornado Hurricane."
On the other side, Ebizō was completely unaware of Keisuke's advance. He was just panting continuously, relieving the intense strain on his body. For someone of his age to mold and release so much wind-nature chakra at once was truly an exhausting affair.
"But... this Tornado Hurricane should be able to block that Konoha ninja's attack, right?" Ebizō stared at the ever-expanding tornado, his aged face filled with gravity. "Neither shadow secret techniques nor fire ninjutsu can pass through this..."
Just then, he suddenly sensed a slight movement from underground. The pupils of this battle-hardened Suna Jonin instantly contracted, and a faint sense of shock appeared in his heart. "Earth Release ninjutsu?"
Ebizō was just about to mold chakra and use the Body Flicker Technique to escape. But a lacquer-black, solid pellet shot up from underground, and with perfect accuracy, pierced through his shadow.
[Spiraling Shadow Imitation Bullet]!
A tall and slender figure emerged from Ebizō's shadow. Keisuke's [Shadow Doppelganger], feigning hand signs, used the [Shadow Neck Binding Technique] to firmly control Ebizō, making him unable to move.
'Is this the method he used to slaughter the Puppet Brigade just now?' A sense of understanding appeared in Ebizō's heart. He still intended to stall for more time. "Konoha's—"
Crack! Crack!
The [Shadow Doppelganger] gave him no time for nonsense. It manipulated the strong and powerful [Shadow Neck Binding Technique] and directly broke both of the old Suna Jonin's arms, crippling his most conventional means of forming hand signs.
"Hiss—" With both arms broken, Ebizō sucked in a sharp breath. At the same time, a sense of despair filled his heart. He probably wouldn't be able to complete his mission...
Another [Shadow Doppelganger] emerged from the ground, looking at the immobilized Ebizō. After a moment's thought, it took out a special pill from its ninja tool pouch and forcibly stuffed it into the other's mouth. A Nara clan secret pill, specifically used to suppress and disrupt the molding and use of chakra.
Ebizō, captured alive!
[You have defeated the B-rank Ninja Combat Mission target!]
[You have obtained one B-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!]
Feeling his chakra completely out of control, Ebizō's face turned ashen. He seemed to have aged a dozen years in an instant. But even so, he had not forgotten his mission. He had to hold this Konoha ninja here, to buy time for everyone to escape! "Nara clan's—"
Ebizō intended to provoke Keisuke.
"Alright, old man from Sunagakure," Keisuke interrupted him. "I know you want to buy time for your teammates to escape. But your sacrificial tail strategy, in my eyes... is nothing more than a desperate struggle before death!"
(End of Chapter)
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