Chapter 6 — Is This… a Puppet?
'Wind Release: Pressure Damage!'
A massive sphere of compressed wind, condensed to a terrifying degree, roared toward Tsukigami Ren at typhoon-like speed. The immense wind pressure within it was enough to tear anything apart. If used as a sneak attack, even a jōnin would find it difficult to evade—and when it exploded, the blast radius would be enormous.
'No way to dodge!'
Watching the howling wind sphere close in, Tsukigami Ren made his judgment instantly. With his current body weighing over half a ton, there was no way he could evade such a fast, wide-range attack.
He raised both arms, shielding his head and covering his eyes, bending his legs slightly to brace himself in the most stable stance possible to withstand the incoming blast.
"Boom—!"
An explosion-like roar erupted. A violent gale howled as countless tiny wind blades continuously carved into Tsukigami Ren's body, shaving off flesh. The raging wind made it impossible for him to stand steady. Dust and debris surged into the air. The ground was shredded with deep grooves, layers of soil stripped away. Trees were uprooted and torn apart by the tempest.
"Did we kill him?"
"He's probably dead… right? That was the captain's A-rank Wind Release: Pressure Damage."
Arano and the remaining six Sand ninja stared into the dust cloud, uncertainty in their voices. Though confident in the technique's power, the enemy's strangeness and strength left them unwilling to relax for even a moment. Especially since, at the last second, they had seen him raise his arms in defense—and earlier, despite being grievously wounded all over, he hadn't died but instead slaughtered most of their squad.
'Infrared.'
Within the dust, after the Wind Release's force subsided, Tsukigami Ren closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they glowed crimson—like the eyes of a demon ready to devour prey. The ordinary world vanished from his vision, replaced by hues of blue, black, yellow, and red. The Sand ninja hiding nearby now stood out vividly.
His hands shifted once more into M249 light machine guns and rose.
"Da-da-da-da—!"
Gunfire erupted from within the dust cloud. Bullets tore through the swirling smoke. At a distance of fifty meters, in less than 0.1 seconds, before the Sand ninja could even hear the sound—before their nerves fully processed the danger—the bullets had already pierced through the dust and punched through their chests.
Two of them were riddled with holes before they could even scream.
The torrent of bullets swept toward the others.
"Take cover!" Arano shouted, diving behind a nearby tree while rapidly forming seals.
'Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall.'
A two-meter-high, two-meter-wide earthen wall rose up, shielding both the tree and Arano. The remaining four Sand ninja also quickly took cover behind surrounding trees, one of them erecting another Earth-Style Wall.
'This attack is far too fast. We can't fight him head-on.'
Behind the tree, Arano listened carefully, eyes fixed on the dust cloud, mind racing for a solution. The attack speed was terrifyingly fast. Its penetrating power and destructive force were amplified by that speed. Fortunately, it still couldn't directly punch through thick trees or solid Earth-Style Walls.
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"Hiding is useless."
A cold voice sounded.
As the dust slowly cleared, the Sand ninja—watching tensely—finally saw him clearly.
Most of the flesh on Tsukigami Ren's body had been torn away by Pressure Damage. In many places, metallic components were exposed beneath regenerating flesh. He looked like a vengeful spirit crawling back from hell, walking toward them step by step. Bits of debris floated around him as stripped flesh gradually regenerated.
"Is that… a puppet?"
The Sand ninja's eyes widened in disbelief. They had never seen a metal puppet like this.
'No. It's not a puppet. No one is controlling him. This is some unknown kekkei genkai.'
Watching Tsukigami Ren move autonomously toward them, Captain Arano quickly dismissed the puppet theory.
As an elite Sand jōnin, he understood puppets well.
No puppeteer could control such a heavy steel construct. And there was no controller in sight. The rapidly regenerating flesh further proved this was some unknown, bizarre bloodline ability.
The enemy's abilities were too strange. His steel body had survived Wind Release: Pressure Damage. His attacks were nearly impossible to evade. Killing him would be extremely difficult—far more likely, they would all be wiped out.
"Retreat!" Arano decided instantly.
He hurled several kunai wrapped with explosive tags toward Tsukigami Ren, then quickly retreated deeper into the forest.
The remaining four Sand ninja did the same, throwing explosive-tagged kunai before fleeing. They did their best to stay concealed behind trees as they ran. None dared leap into the treetops; they weren't sure branches could block those attacks, and branches couldn't fully conceal their bodies.
"Boom boom boom—!"
Explosions erupted around Tsukigami Ren. Unfortunately for them, aside from creating some resistance with the shockwaves, the blasts merely recharged him.
"As long as you expose yourselves—even a little—you won't escape."
Brushing off the explosions, Tsukigami Ren spoke coldly as he broke into a rapid sprint. His hands, transformed into machine guns, began to aim.
Though the fleeing Sand ninja kept themselves hidden behind trees as much as possible, they inevitably exposed parts of their bodies while running. Under his infrared-enabled electronic eyes, he could perfectly predict the instant they would emerge—even if only a fraction of their body appeared.
"Da-da-da! … Da-da-da—!"
Gunfire crackled like firecrackers. Crimson bullets streaked through the forest like fleeting beams of light.
"Puff puff puff—!"
One Sand ninja had just dashed from one tree to another when red bullets suddenly struck him. In an instant, several bloody holes burst through his body. He collapsed and rolled across the ground.
"Puff puff puff—!"
More bullets followed, punching additional holes through his body.
"Kuya-kun!"
Seeing their comrade fall, another Sand ninja nearby roared in fury, eyes bloodshot.
"Puff puff puff—!"
A dozen bullets suddenly struck the edges of the tree trunk before and behind him. He froze instantly, pressing himself flat against the tree, gasping for breath. Cold sweat drenched his back. He calmed down quickly.
That was close—just barely missed. He didn't want to die. He knew that the next time he exposed himself would likely be his last.
'Thermal imaging makes precise distinction difficult…'
Thirty meters away, Tsukigami Ren frowned slightly. Though there were only four heat sources left, thermal radiation blurred their outlines. His earlier shots into the tree edge had been a miscalculation.
He could chase ordinary genin easily, but pursuing elite Sand ninja strained even him. The window for pursuit was limited—very short. Though the M249's effective range was up to a thousand meters, the farther the distance, the more wind affected the bullets, reducing accuracy. Even as a machine, he couldn't eliminate that limitation. The enemy also repeatedly used Earth-Style Walls at key moments to buy escape time.
Still sprinting, one machine gun trained on the tree where the stopped Sand ninja hid, the other continued firing at the fleeing ninja.
Thirty meters closed in just two to three seconds.
"No!"
As Ren ran past the tree five meters away, he could clearly see the terror on the Sand ninja's face.
"Da-da-da-da-da—!"
The machine gun already aimed at him fired. Over a dozen bullets pierced through him within a second.
'Damn it! Even this doesn't work?!'
Hearing the despairing cry and renewed gunfire behind them, Arano and the remaining two Sand ninja grew even grimmer.
"Puff puff puff—!"
As grief struck them, another volley of bullets grazed one of them, striking trees ahead and behind—along with spraying blood.
Blood flowed from his chest and abdomen. He had taken several shots. The intense pain nearly made him faint. Fortunately, none were immediately fatal—but he knew he wouldn't survive. He wouldn't make it back to receive medical treatment.
"Captain, with injuries like this, I can't escape. Let me carry you instead."
Understanding his condition, the wounded ninja suddenly leapt behind Arano.
"You saved my life once. Now I finally have a chance to repay that debt. He isn't that fast. Captain, you'll be able to escape."
"Shanmu, you—!" Arano understood instantly. He intended to use his own body as a shield.
"Captain, go! I can't escape anyway. You must bring this intelligence back. Otherwise, who knows how many comrades will die to that monster."
The last Sand ninja stopped behind a tree, hands rapidly forming seals.
'Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!'
With everything he had, a massive wall three meters high, three feet thick, and five meters wide rose from the ground, blocking the pursuer's line of sight.
Behind the wall, the rear guard gripped every explosive tag he carried. Even if he was staying behind, he would struggle to the end—not to survive, but to try and kill the enemy.
"Take care!"
Arano spoke in grief as he carried his comrade and fled desperately onward.