Chapter 88: Sakumo vs Chihiro

Sakumo calmly walked onto the stage, with a large amount of Konoha civilians cheering him on from the stands.

And opposite of him was the boy from the sand known as Chihiro.

"BEGIN!!"

After the announcer spoke, Chihiro showcased a menacing smile to Sakumo as he asked "Would you like to become a stepping stone for me to showcase the greatness of puppet masters?"

Sakumo seemed to ponder the question, after which he gave a genuine smile and answered "I'm afraid that your puppet won't be able to withstand the strength of my sword. And I'd hate to damage your dolls."

Chihiro seemed enraged by the comment, with him immediately opening a storage scroll, causing a puppet to come out of it.

However, every seasoned shinobi showcased extreme emotions, ranging from simple shock to genuine fear, at the appearance of the puppet.

They all knew who this puppet belonged to, and the strength of the puppet itself.

The puppet in question was similar in appearance to an oni, and featured purple skin and a white cloak.

It was known to be one of the 10 puppets that belonged to the White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets.

And the fact that this boy possessed a puppet that even veteran puppet masters were unable to hope to get ahold of meant 3 things.

One, the boy holds an immensely important position in Sunagakure and may be a shining star of the next generation in their Village.

Two, he has extreme puppetry skills to be able to use the puppet as it takes someone who is close to a master to even use the puppet to its fullest potential.

And three, he holds a great connection to the great puppet master of Suna, Lady Chiyo.

All these facts were analyzed in the head of Hiruzen at a moment's notice, with him turning towards the Kazekage and beginning to speak.

"This boy must be a genius for you to entrust him with such a key weapon of Suna."

"That is correct. He holds a great position in our Village, and showcases great potential as well." the Kazekage responded.

The two then turned their eyes back to the match as Sakumo began to draw his blade.

In the blink of an eye, Sakumo was directly in front of Chihiro with his blade, as he attempted to end the match in a quick manner.

However, Chihiro showed no signs of panic as he simply moved the puppet with his chakra strings, causing it to appear right beside him and deliver a terrifying punch to Sakumo that he blocked with the use of his blade.

Sakumo was pushed back by the attack, with him then proceeding to attempt to barrage Chihiro and be knocked back each time by the puppet.

'So the puppet has strength on the same level of high ranking Chunin or a Special Jonin, but it's speed is just at the level of a regular Chunin. That means I'll need to focus on that advantage.' Sakumo thought to himself.

His blade then began to emit a large amount of lightning, with it beginning to shine as Sakumo seemed to finally grow serious.

Sakumo speed went through a quantitative leap as he easily reached Chihiro and delivered a slash.

Chihiro was able to dodge, though not fully as he was delivered a slash onto his arm.

Sakumo didn't let up as he increased his speed to an even higher level and delivered another slash.

This time, however, the slash hit the chakra strings that connected Chihiro to his puppet.

Seeing the loss of his main form of combat, Chihiro attempted to use a Wind Style Ninjutsu, though he was unsuccessful as Sakumo finished him off with a powerful slash to his chest.

The slash easily knocked Chihiro out and left a wound, though it did not seem fatal or critical.

"The winner of this match is Sakumo Hatake!! He shall move on to the next round."

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