Chapter 22: Fatty Shows His Might

Puppeteer battles usually begin at a distance—and today was no different.

White Ant and Little Boy opened their mouths simultaneously, launching a storm of senbon needles at the two Konoha ninjas.

"Konoha-ryū Kenjutsu: Whirlwind!"

The sword-wielding Konoha ninja swung his blade rapidly, creating an impenetrable defense, blocking most of the incoming senbon.

Some still struck, but only in non-critical areas that didn't hinder his ability to fight.

Lacking both the Sharingan and exceptional dynamic vision, this was the best he could manage.

"This is bad. Puppet masters often coat their weapons in poison,"

the older ninja warned, tossing several kunai to disrupt the puppets.

"No problem. I've still got a few antidote pills prepared using Lady Tsunade's formula. It'll suppress most known poisons."

The sword-wielding ninja calmly swallowed one of the pills he had kept in his mouth from the beginning.

"Black Secret Technique: Hand Dance!"

Sasori tugged his chakra threads, activating a mechanism on White Ant.

Six puppet arms clicked and extended segment by segment like a mechanical octopus. At the ends were sharp, conical spikes, lashing out wildly toward the sword-wielding ninja.

Sasori had extensively modified the puppet since retrieving it during the assessment. Its performance and firepower were significantly enhanced.

Shimizu's Little Boy, on the other hand, didn't have many flashy features. One arm was equipped with mechanical claws, the other with a spinning saw blade—its speed was its greatest asset.

This B-rank puppet was optimized entirely for agility. In the hands of a skilled puppeteer, its speed and offensive capability could pose a serious threat even to many chūnin-level shinobi.

Working together, the two puppets quickly put the sword-wielding ninja on the defensive.

But he wasn't alone.

He pulled a summoning scroll from his back and instantly released hundreds of shuriken, scattering them in all directions like flower petals.

White Ant's six arms froze mid-air.

On closer inspection, each shuriken was attached to a thin, nearly invisible wire that tightly entangled White Ant, rendering it immobile.

Little Boy, being smaller and faster, managed to evade the trap. Its spinning weapons even sliced through many of the wires.

"It's not over yet!"

The older Konoha ninja clenched the wires in his teeth and began weaving hand signs.

Snake → Dragon → Hare → Tiger!

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"

A roaring stream of fire shot from his mouth, following the oil-coated wires like a burning fuse.

Shimizu quickly tugged on his chakra threads, trying to maneuver Little Boy to cut through the wires and save White Ant—but the enemy had anticipated this.

"Now!"

The sword-wielding ninja drove his blade into the ground and cast a jutsu as well:

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A fierce gust of wind fanned the flames, turning them into an inferno.

Sasori and Shimizu quickly retracted their puppets.

White Ant was likely destroyed.

Little Boy, thanks to its speed, only sustained minor damage to a few parts.

"Black Secret Technique: Full Shield!"

Sasori immediately used Salamander to block any follow-up attacks, then turned to Shimizu with a concerned look.

"Take care of yourself."

Shimizu remained calm and composed, reminding Sasori while preparing for close combat.

Inside Fatty, the puppet's arm pistons began compressing air under the control of chakra threads.

"Konoha-ryū Kenjutsu: Crescent Moon Dance!"

Wind chakra coated the sword, forming a one-meter blade of energy. The Konoha ninja sidestepped Salamander's defense, aiming to decapitate both Shimizu and Sasori with one swing.

Nearby, Miba and Kana had already raised their hands, ready to intervene.

"Black Secret Technique: Pneumatic Fist!"

The massive, burly Fatty puppet turned swiftly and punched forward with devastating force.

Fueled by both chakra and compressed air, the attack could shatter metal and stone.

The sword beam dissipated.

The ninja's blade shattered.

His body was launched like a ragdoll.

"One down."

The iron-clad puppet turned, one step at a time, toward the remaining ninja.

"One to go."

In its normal state, Fatty was a B-rank puppet.

But with Shimizu piloting it from within, its power was elevated to B+ rank, two full tiers above Little Boy—strong enough to overwhelm most chūnin.

The older Konoha ninja's face darkened with despair.

Among chūnin, he was considered elite. Though not innately gifted, he had risen steadily since graduating as a genin, surviving through steady effort and accumulating over 20 years of military service and a wide arsenal of jutsu.

Even though he couldn't learn higher-level techniques, he had mastered several Fire Release jutsu through grit alone. His foundation was solid—hence his selection for such a mission.

But with all his experience, he knew this:

In this situation, there was no hope of survival.

"Black Secret Technique: Body-Control Arms!"

Excited, Sasori dismantled the nearly-destroyed White Ant, using its disassembled parts to block any potential escape routes.

Even though escape was impossible.

Still, the Konoha ninja resisted with all his might, desperately looking for a way out.

Even with Shimizu inside Fatty, he couldn't finish him off quickly.

Compared to Black Gold, Fatty was more agile—but only relatively.

Shinobi were speed-based warriors by nature, and this was Fatty's greatest weakness.

After all, Fatty's core design was a suit of armor, meant to protect Shimizu himself.

But Shimizu wasn't limited to one puppet.

Little Boy's agility perfectly complemented Fatty's brute strength.

With Sasori's support, the Konoha ninja's death was just a matter of time.

"Incredible… Truly worthy of the Puppet Corps."

Kana looked at Shimizu and Sasori in awe.

The older one had enough power to defeat most chūnin.

The younger one was clearly among the top genin—even many chūnin would struggle against him.

And they both looked to be only about ten years old!

Miba was even more astonished.

Sasori's growth didn't surprise him. But Shimizu's current combat ability genuinely did.

"There's no point in dragging this out. Kana, let's finish off the rest of them together."

After watching for a few more seconds, Miba turned to Kana and said.

"Alright."

Kana nodded slightly, forming hand signs in preparation.

But just then—

Something unexpected occurred.

(End of Chapter)