Red-haired Rival

No words were exchanged.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Another barrage of Water Bullets flew forward.

"Kid, this weak ninjutsu again? What's your plan?" Erming scoffed, not bothering to dodge. He let the bullets hit him.

*Pop, pop, pop.*

The Water Bullets struck Erming, slightly disrupting his puppet manipulation of Hang Tai.

On the other side, Tachie, strengthened by painkillers, fended off Tai's relentless attacks. Close combat had left her with several new wounds, blood staining her tight white clan uniform red. She pulled a Soldier Pill from her ninja pouch, crushed it in her mouth, and swallowed hard.

Maintaining her Byakugan 360° view drained her chakra heavily, but she didn't dare deactivate it. She needed to track Erming's every move, especially as a special jonin known as Sand Village's Ghost Master. Even his puppet posed immense pressure.

Dosuke locked eyes with Erming, his body trembling. Sweat beaded on his skin, absorbed by the thin water wall coating half his body. Under the life-or-death pressure, he felt a strange calm. His sweat-soaked bangs clung to his forehead, and a fierce thrill surged within him.

Dosuke's mind raced with tactics, his sole focus on defeating Erming and surviving. This was his first mission outside the village, a leapfrog battle against a special jonin, and the danger thrilled him. Unlike the detachment of hospital surgeries, this knife-edge dance between life and death ignited something in him. He was starting to crave it.

"Don't struggle. Just become my material. I'll make you shine in ways you can't imagine!" Erming cackled, pulling Tai's puppet back to his side.

"Never. I'd rather die than be your puppet. And as a Hyuga, if I die, my Byakugan will be destroyed," Tachie retorted, pulling off her forehead protector to reveal the "Caged Bird" seal.

"Is that so? Then you're useless to me." Erming's words were cut short as Tai pressed his hands to the ground. Thick bone spikes arched forward, erupting toward Tachie.

"Gentle Fist!" Tachie bent backward into an iron bridge as the spikes emerged. Chakra enveloped her right leg, and she kicked precisely at a weak point visible through her Byakugan.

Bone fragments scattered. Tachie pushed off the ground, standing upright.

Dosuke spun, flicking his hand toward Erming. "Water Stream!"

Under the moonlight, a faintly glowing waterline streaked toward Erming.

Erming prepared to dodge, but his body froze. Glancing down, he saw two clusters of parasites binding his feet.

In the distance, Takuto, lying on the ground with a syringe in his arm, clenched his fist toward Erming.

*Swish.* The sharp waterline sliced through, cleaving cleanly.

"I underestimated you. My work is destroyed. You wretched brats," Erming growled, staring at Tai's severed corpse.

At the last moment, he'd used Tai to block Dosuke's attack.

"You think immobilizing me stops my puppet?" Erming sneered, producing a scroll with the character "Fei" written on it.

"This puppet lacks my artistry, but it's decent," he said, forming hand seals. The scroll hit the ground softly.

Nothing happened.

"What's wrong?" Erming stared at the inert scroll.

"It worked. All that stalling paid off," Dosuke said, eyeing Erming's panic.

"My chakra! What did you do?!" Erming tried to channel chakra but felt nothing.

"Chakra sealed. Remember this noon? Your teammate Jieren said, 'Sister, you smell so good,'" Dosuke began.

"The scent?" Erming's eyes narrowed.

"No ninja has such a strong natural odor. It was Bluebell fruit. In an experiment, I discovered that Bluebell fruit, Sunbloom flower, and Clear Petal flower, when inhaled together, briefly disrupt chakra extraction," Dosuke explained.

"Tachie, prepare to evacuate!" Dosuke drew a kunai, ready to disable Erming's limbs.

Bluebell fruit subtly stimulated emotions, fostering trust. It explained Jieren's quick fondness for Tachie and why his team accepted their commission so early. Sunbloom flower, a key Soldier Pill ingredient, boosted chakra extraction. Anthocyanin extract, used to counter stone lizard venom, slowed muscles. Individually harmless, together they blocked chakra flow.

"You planned this from the start. I wasn't wronged, you were clever," Erming admitted as Dosuke approached.

"You're a special jonin, and with our captain unconscious and teammates injured, it's no surprise you underestimated Tachie and me. Too bad there's no second chance," Dosuke said.

"But can you really capture me alive?"

"We're all just tools, even me." Erming's face smirked oddly.

*Crackle, crackle, crackle.*

"Dosuke, get back! He's covered in explosive tags!" Tachie yelled.

Dozens of explosive tags erupted across Erming's body, one already igniting with a sizzle.

"Surprise!" Dosuke shouted, retreating swiftly, pushing his Water Wall to its limit with rapid leaps. His water barrier spread wide, chakra surging freely.

"My path ends here. I hope your skills grow stronger, my foe. I wanted to defeat you myself!" Erming's thoughts turned to a red-haired rival he was never able to surpass.

*Boom, boom, boom!*

Explosions roared, rocks flew, and smoke rose.