Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Natsuki’s Ultimate Move, Chiyo’s Son and Daughter-in-Law Captured

The Land of Rain.

Tsunade’s group of four walked through the curtain of rain.

Half a month had passed since they met Hatake Sakumo.

Although Tsunade said she wanted to draw out Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law, she couldn’t make it too obvious.

After some discussion, the final decision was to respond to changes by remaining unchanged.

Tsunade and the others would execute their mission normally until they "accidentally" got separated and were targeted by Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law.

How should one put it?

Tsunade and the others wanted to kill them, and they also wanted to kill Tsunade and the others.

After all, this was a battlefield, and everyone wanted to earn merit—especially Sunagakure’s Puppet Brigade.

Particularly since they were Sunagakure’s ace unit.

Having tangled with Hatake Sakumo for two months without achieving anything, they were actually the anxious ones.

If they could kill Tsunade, reporting it back would be a massive accomplishment.

"Get ready."

Natsuki suddenly spoke up.

"Did you spot enemies?"

Nawaki’s spirit jolted.

"These enemies are not ordinary. They spotted Kurobane."

Natsuki explained. "Fortunately, Kurobane took the initiative to dispel the Summoning Jutsu first—otherwise, I would have lost this summoning beast."

Every time he went out on a mission, he would summon Kurobane in advance.

As a crow, Kurobane could fly. With the Land of Rain raining every day and the lighting being gloomy, it could hide its tracks very well.

The ninja cat Shirayuki and the ninja hound Kurohana weren’t as useful in the rain.

As for the ninja eagle Aozora, it was too large and easily spotted.

The most suitable for reconnaissance missions was the crow Kurobane.

"Being able to accurately spot your Kurobane in the rain... they might be the targets we’re waiting for."

Tsunade said while walking normally.

"Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law!"

Nawaki immediately said.

"Once we confirm it’s them, Natsuki, use Hiding in Mist Technique, and then have your summoning beast notify Sakumo."

Tsunade instructed. "We’ll stall them as much as possible. It would be best if we could make them stay here permanently."

"Yes, Teacher Tsunade."

Natsuki nodded.

"Will your method work?"

Nawaki asked curiously. "Don’t let us— Ouch!"

Before he could finish his sentence, Tsunade flicked his forehead hard.

"Don’t worry. It will definitely work."

Natsuki smiled. "I wouldn’t joke with our lives."

The four walked a bit further. Soon eerie sounds rang out from their surroundings.

"Careful, it’s puppets!"

Tsunade immediately warned.

Natsuki looked up. Under the effect of Clairvoyance, he saw a row of puppets wearing black cloaks.

Their speed was very fast, and they had sharp blades on both their left and right arms.

"Watch me!"

After Nawaki finished speaking, he formed hand seals with both hands.

Water surged out, sweeping up the omnipresent rainwater. In the blink of an eye, a water wall rose around them.

In the next second, the puppets charged forward.

The water wall trembled violently. Several cuts appeared under the attacks of the sharp blades.

At the same time, Natsuki had already used the Hiding in Mist Technique.

The moment the water wall ruptured, fog frantically spread in all directions.

Natsuki then used the Summoning Jutsu, summoned the crow Kurobane, and let it leave during the confusion.

"It’s actually Hiding in Mist Technique?"

A young ninja wearing a Sunagakure forehead protector issued an order. "Use Wind Release."

He was none other than Chiyo’s son.

Behind him, a puppet master temporarily stopped controlling his puppet, formed hand seals with both hands, and spat out a terrifying fierce wind.

Wherever the fierce wind passed, the fog completely dissipated.

"One person is missing. Everyone, be careful!"

The young ninja frowned after noticing Natsuki had disappeared.

The other three puppet masters looked around while controlling their puppets to attack Tsunade, Nawaki, and Nonou.

"Four Jonin. They really went all out."

Tsunade sneered.

"This is out of respect for Princess Tsunade."

The young ninja replied calmly.

If they weren’t afraid of attracting the attention of Hatake Sakumo and the others, there would be more than just four Jonin.

But in his view, four Jonin were enough to take down Tsunade.

Setting aside her medical ninjutsu, Tsunade’s combat strength was only that of an elite Jonin.

Her three students, although somewhat famous, were at best Chunin-level considering their age.

Moreover, they weren’t just four Jonin. They also had a large number of puppets.

The puppets they controlled were all at least Chunin-level in strength.

A piercing sound of wind rang out.

A puppet arrived in front of Tsunade first.

Chakra Enhanced Strength!

Tsunade clenched her fist and punched the ninja sword it swung directly.

Terrifying power instantly diffused.

This puppet, along with its ninja sword, was sent flying backward.

"Princess Tsunade truly lives up to her reputation."

A delicate-looking young female ninja from Sunagakure spoke up.

She was exactly Chiyo’s daughter-in-law—ranking in the top five among Sunagakure’s puppet masters.

"We two will deal with her."

The young ninja arranged. "You two deal with her students."

Nawaki snorted coldly and took out the Greatsword Samehada.

Water Breathing: Fourth Form — Striking Tide!

Rainwater swirled around the Greatsword Samehada.

The heavy Greatsword Samehada crashed into the puppet in front of him like a giant dragon.

BOOM!

The black cloak tore apart. A huge hole was smashed into the puppet’s chest.

But in the next second, the puppet raised its arms. A dense barrage of senbon flew out.

Nawaki’s pupils contracted—but fortunately, the Greatsword Samehada was large enough.

He directly held it in front of him, deflecting all the senbon.

"A puppet’s entire body is a weapon. Don’t let your guard down until the very last moment."

Seeing this, Tsunade immediately warned.

Nawaki couldn’t help but nod.

It was indeed dangerous just now.

"Princess Tsunade, it’s been a while, and your other student still hasn’t shown up. Has he already run away?"

The young ninja asked with a frown.

He found it strange.

As a Jonin, he actually hadn’t found any trace of Natsuki at all.

"Take a guess."

While Tsunade was speaking, she delivered another kick.

The young female ninja waved her hands. Her puppet dodged the kick.

While dodging, the puppet opened its mouth.

Its tongue wasn’t a tongue—but a syringe.

Three poisoned needles flew toward Tsunade.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the left, dodging the three poison needles.

The young female ninja wasn’t discouraged. Her ten fingers moved continuously.

Her puppet spun, its body splitting open, revealing sharp blades.

Six or seven spinning blades turned her puppet into a deadly weapon.

"Then I’ll kill you to force him out!"

The young ninja flicked his hands.

Another puppet followed closely, charging toward Tsunade.

Tsunade had just dodged the young female ninja’s puppet when his puppet raised its hands and spewed out two streams of fire.

Scorching aura permeated the air.

Tsunade felt the heatwave hitting her face.

With no time to dodge, she clenched her fist and punched out.

Majestic chakra erupted from her fist. Combined with her terrifying strength, it directly shattered the two streams of fire.

The young ninja also knew such an attack wouldn’t work.

His puppet shook its arms—this time spewing out a massive amount of poisonous mist.

Meanwhile, the young female ninja’s puppet continued to pursue Tsunade, its spinning blades seemingly intent on cutting her to pieces.

At the same time, the other two puppet masters weren’t idle either.

One puppet master’s puppet had been half-destroyed by the Greatsword Samehada, so he immediately switched to a new one.

The new puppet wasn’t humanoid. It looked like a pangolin.

It crawled on all fours, with a sharp blade on its head, crashing toward Nawaki.

The other puppet master controlled a humanoid puppet with both hands, slashing at Nonou with a sword.

"Let me handle this!"

Nawaki told Nonou and blocked in front of her with the Greatsword Samehada.

Water Breathing: Third Form — Flowing Dance!

The surrounding rainwater, drawn by his Water Release chakra, rapidly swirled around him.

In the next second, Nawaki swung the Greatsword Samehada from multiple directions simultaneously.

The two puppets couldn’t help but pause, stopping in their tracks.

"Water Release has too great an enhancement in the Land of Rain."

The two puppet masters thought—but their hands weren’t slow.

Chakra was transmitted to the puppets through chakra threads.

The pangolin puppet suddenly increased its strength, pushing Nawaki and the Greatsword Samehada back.

The humanoid puppet leaped into the air. Its wrists opened up, and two long spears thrust toward Nawaki.

Nawaki felt his body go numb, unable to react.

He wasn’t a Jonin, after all.

Fortunately, Tsunade had been keeping an eye on his situation.

Ignoring the poisonous mist, she leaped up and kicked the young female ninja’s puppet.

The puppet’s head instantly exploded, and its spinning body stopped.

Tsunade used the Body Flicker Technique to widen the distance, then stepped forward, grabbed Nawaki, and retreated backward.

The two long spears followed relentlessly without losing momentum.

Tsunade flicked her free left hand fiercely. A large number of shuriken met them.

Piercing sounds rang out.

Although the two long spears weren’t deflected, their trajectory was altered. The threat was instantly neutralized.

Right at that moment, the pangolin puppet’s head split open. A row of poison darts flew out, covering Tsunade and the other two.

"Nawaki!"

Tsunade immediately warned.

Nawaki steadied his body, grabbed the Greatsword Samehada, and smashed it out.

Water Breathing: Third Form — Flowing Dance!

Under the impact of the water flow, all the poison darts splattered in all directions.

"Truly troublesome."

The young ninja immediately threw out a summoning scroll.

The scroll unrolled, and another puppet appeared before him.

The young ninja controlled the two puppets to charge at Tsunade from the left and right.

Upon getting close, the two puppets suddenly sprouted another pair of arms each.

The two puppets, with eight arms holding eight ninja swords, swung out.

For a moment, flashes of blades and swords swept out completely.

Tsunade frowned slightly, grabbed Nawaki’s Greatsword Samehada, and smashed it out.

She used the Greatsword Samehada like a meteor hammer, swinging it with great force.

Nawaki’s mouth twitched—but he wasn’t idle either, immediately forming hand seals with both hands.

Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!

A massive amount of Water Release chakra swept up the omnipresent rainwater, forming a tornado-like waterfall.

The young ninja instantly appeared overpowered.

The other three puppet masters hurriedly controlled their puppets to rescue him.

For a moment, the scene appeared quite chaotic.

"Retreat!"

A sudden voice rang out.

It was Natsuki.

Tsunade swung the Greatsword Samehada without hesitation.

Many puppets were forced back by her single strike carrying terrifying power.

She then grabbed Nawaki and Nonou and retreated backward.

"Over there!"

The young ninja immediately looked toward Natsuki.

He had been worried about Natsuki causing trouble earlier, and now he had finally shown himself.

The other three puppet masters also looked at Natsuki.

But it wasn’t just one Natsuki. It was twenty Natsukis.

This was the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The four puppet masters couldn’t help but feel confused.

Did he use the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu because he saw they had multiple puppets?

But what combat strength would twenty shadow clones have?

Right at that moment, they saw the twenty Natsukis raise their hands simultaneously.

Countless Kurosawas, Swords of the Thunder God, Blunt Swords: Kabutowari, and Longswords Nuibari were thrown simultaneously.

There were so many that they covered the entire sky.

"Defend!"

The young ninja’s pupils contracted. His hands moved rapidly as he hurriedly shouted.

Six puppets appeared in front of him.

The puppets trembled. Densely packed sharp blades popped out, and then they began to spin.

The incoming swords and blades were all deflected.

The other three puppet masters did the same.

They successively brought out more puppets.

Their strength could be seen from the number of puppets.

The young ninja, able to control six puppets simultaneously, was the strongest.

His wife was slightly inferior—only able to control five.

But the remaining two puppet masters could only control three at most.

Densely packed sounds of metal clashing rang out continuously.

"Truly spectacular."

Nawaki couldn’t help but sigh emotionally.

"Indeed."

Tsunade nodded.

When Natsuki told her about it earlier, she was still skeptical.

But seeing so many swords and blades in reality, she realized Natsuki’s chakra reserves had far exceeded those of an ordinary Jonin.

Thinking of what would happen next, she felt expectant.

The reason Tsunade was confident they could hold out until Hatake Sakumo arrived to rescue them was largely because she believed in Natsuki.

"Where did he get so many swords and blades?"

The young ninja asked with a frown.

The swords and blades Natsuki projected using Projection Magecraft were now comparable to the originals.

Even just throwing them purely by hand, the sheer quantity made it difficult for them to parry for a while.

Fortunately, all four of them were Jonin, and they had seventeen puppets.

The dense sounds gradually thinned out.

Natsuki had thrown all the projected swords and blades.

He casually dispelled the nineteen shadow clones, then looked at the four puppet masters with a calm face.

Now, their surroundings were completely littered with densely packed swords and blades.

Although Natsuki had consumed most of his chakra, he wasn’t panicked at all.

"It’s time to end this, brat!"

The young ninja caught his breath and immediately controlled his six puppets to move.

The other three puppet masters turned toward Tsunade, Nawaki, and Nonou.

But just as they took their first step, an unimaginable sense of crisis surfaced in their hearts.

Their bodies instinctively stiffened.

Then they saw Natsuki raise his hand and snap his fingers.

The four of them instantly felt confused.

But what followed was a look of horror on their faces.

The swords and blades surrounding them trembled violently.

They tore apart like balloons, and chakra air currents swept countless fragments toward them.

The closest puppet master had no time to react and was instantly blasted apart.

Fragments pierced his body. His expression twisted in pain, and then he turned into a mist of blood filling the sky.

Another puppet master instinctively controlled his three puppets to block in front of him.

But it was still useless.

The three puppets instantly fell apart—torn to pieces.

He opened his mouth, then fell into eternal darkness.

"Damn it!"

The remaining two puppet masters were Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law.

At this critical moment of life and death, they erupted with all their strength.

Two humanoid puppets wrapped around them.

The remaining puppets around them revealed all their weapons.

Senbon, poison darts, sharp blades, and more all flew out.

Piercing collision sounds echoed between heaven and earth.

"T-Too terrifying!"

Nawaki watched, dumbfounded.

Nonou’s mouth hung wide open—so shocked she didn’t know what to say.

"This power is already comparable to an S-Rank ninjutsu."

Tsunade took a deep breath and said slowly.

The only problems were that the preparation time was too long, and it consumed a lot of chakra.

It required projecting a massive number of swords and blades, and using the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu to execute.

Tsunade didn’t know about Unlimited Blade Works.

If she knew of its existence, she would realize that the scene before her was a weakened version of Unlimited Blade Works.

If Natsuki unlocked Unlimited Blade Works, he wouldn’t need to use the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, nor would he need to prepare so many swords and blades in advance.

Of course, Unlimited Blade Works would consume even more chakra.

Natsuki suspected that his four Kakashis’ worth of chakra wouldn’t be enough to sustain Unlimited Blade Works for very long.

After an unknown amount of time, the explosions stopped.

Rainwater fell from the sky again.

The field was no longer flat as before—but full of craters.

And the two puppet masters on the field were in an even more miserable state.

The puppets surrounding them had disintegrated in the explosions.

The two puppets on the outside of their bodies could barely hold on.

Although they hadn’t fallen apart, they had become tattered and torn.

A massive amount of blood seeped out.

However, these two puppet masters were still alive.

Right at that moment, the sound of tearing air rang out.

Hatake Sakumo and his team finally arrived.

They instinctively surrounded the two puppet masters, then all showed shocked expressions.

What kind of terrifying battle had this ruined field witnessed?

"Capture them."

Tsunade spoke up. "They are Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law. They are more valuable alive."

Natsuki was slightly taken aback.

This was different from their fate in the original story, where they were killed by Hatake Sakumo.

But Tsunade made a lot of sense. They were more valuable alive.

Both puppet masters were heavily injured.

Although they wanted to resist, they were easily knocked unconscious by the Konoha ninjas.

"Tsunade, I thought there would be a fierce battle, but I didn’t expect to just come and clean up the mess."

Hatake Sakumo asked curiously. "How did you do it?"

Although Natsuki had previously said he had a way to buy time, he didn’t explain the specific method.

The reason was that if he said it, it would be easily detected by Sunagakure’s Puppet Brigade.

"It’s a ninjutsu created by Natsuki."

Tsunade said with a slight smile.

"I see."

Hatake Sakumo looked at Natsuki. "As expected—a great reputation has no empty scholars."

As for what ninjutsu he created, he didn’t ask further.

He understood the rules very well.

But with such great power, it was probably an S-Rank ninjutsu.

Thinking of Natsuki’s age again, he could only sigh in admiration.

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