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"Hmm, these three little brats are actually pretty skilled. They've managed to push me into using four puppets already!" thought Akasha Shūki, clicking her tongue in disbelief. This was nearing her limit.
At this moment, Hidan was still locked in combat with White Wuchang (White Impermanence). However, the once-imposing puppet was now a shadow of its former self. Its hat had been knocked off, its white robes were in tatters, and the mourning staff it wielded was now broken in half. Its body was riddled with scars.
Meanwhile, Black Wuchang (Black Impermanence) wasn't faring much better. Its clothing had been completely corroded by Ban no Shō's (Chapter of Boiling) Boil Release, exposing its original wooden structure. The soul-reaping chain in its hand had lost its metallic sheen and would likely need a good polish after the battle.
The Horse-Face puppet, however, remained unscathed. It was still tightly bound to the flagpole by the Blue Crystal Coiled Dragon, and it seemed Wu Zhong Furong (Furong Wu Zhong) wasn't planning to release it anytime soon. After all, the fewer puppets involved in the fight, the better their chances of capturing the flag. Whatever material the Blue Crystal was made of, Horse-Face simply couldn't break free.
The puppet currently facing off against Wu Zhong Furong was Ox-Head, known for its offensive prowess among Akasha Shūki's battle puppets. As Furong's Crystal Release attacks clashed with Ox-Head's fierce strikes, the two were locked in a stalemate.
Akasha Shūki reached for her last remaining scroll, hesitating as she contemplated whether to deploy her final two puppets. A puppet master's strength was often judged by how many puppets they could control simultaneously. Within the village, the most skilled puppet master was her grandmother, Chiyo, who could control ten puppets at once. Second was her husband, Akasha Kikumoku, who could manage eight. Akasha Shūki herself ranked third, capable of handling six puppets. But did she really need to use her Six-Finger Technique against three kids who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy?
Despite everything, these three kids had already impressed her. She felt they were nearly at the level of chunin, lacking only combat experience and technique. Given time, they would undoubtedly become great shinobi.
With that thought, Akasha Shūki put the last scroll back into her pocket. She decided in her heart: Four puppets. If they can defeat them, they pass.
At that moment, the evenly matched battle shifted dramatically. The game-changer was Hidan.
He leapt out of the fray, tossing aside his three-bladed scythe. From his pocket, he pulled out two Damascus steel knuckle dusters. (After all, as a disciple of the Kazekage, he had access to the best equipment.) As he slowly slipped them onto his hands, he spoke:
"Akasha Shūki-sensei, I'm sorry, but the sun is about to set, and I need to get home for dinner. Forgive me. Eight Gates: First Gate—Gate of Opening, open!"
"Second Gate—Gate of Rest, open!"
"Third Gate—Gate of Life, open!"
"Fourth Gate—Gate of Pain, open!"
Now, looking at Hidan, who had opened four gates, his face was flushed red, his eyes sharp as lightning, and his chakra surged violently around him.
"Aaaah!" With a loud roar, Hidan's speed became so fast that it was almost impossible to track with the naked eye. His fists rained down on White Wuchang like a hailstorm! At first, the puppet could still lift its arms to block, but soon they were broken.
His movements were a blur, leaving behind only afterimages, but the sound of his attacks was unmistakable—a relentless rhythm like the chopping of wood. In no time, White Wuchang, made of solid hardwood, was reduced to splinters.
Before Akasha Shūki could react, Hidan appeared in a flash beside the flagpole and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick.
"Crack!" The ten-meter-high flagpole collapsed with a resounding crash.
Struggling to his feet, Hidan tugged at the flag and waved it at Akasha Shūki before collapsing to the ground.
Without hesitation, Wu Zhong Furong rushed over to check on him, placing her hands on his chest to perform Healing Palm Technique.
"He's fine, just exhausted from the aftereffects of the technique," she reassured everyone. (After all, Hidan was still young and hadn't yet developed his later invincibility. Fainting was perfectly normal.)
Hearing this, Akasha Shūki finally relaxed.
Before long, Hidan slowly regained consciousness, proudly waving the red flag in his hand at everyone.
"You're so reckless! Opening four gates right away—no wonder you fainted!" Akasha Shūki, who had participated in the Kaixuan Valley Ambush, naturally recognized Might Duy's techniques.
She glanced at the destroyed White Wuchang and sighed helplessly. "Completely wrecked. Oh well, I'll salvage some useful parts and build a new one."
Saying this, she pulled out a scroll. With two puffs of white smoke, two towering battle puppets over three meters tall appeared. One was clad in golden armor, wielding a massive battle axe, with the words Day Wandering God written on its chest. The other wore silver armor, holding a Demonic Subjugation Rod, with the words Night Wandering God inscribed on it.
The Night Wandering God walked up to Horse-Face and struck the Blue Crystal Coiled Dragon with its rod. The crystal shattered into powder instantly.
The Day Wandering God began collecting the remains of White Wuchang, carefully storing the pieces into an empty scroll.
It was clear that these two puppets were far superior in both offense and defense compared to the previous four. Only now did Hidan and his teammates realize that Akasha Shūki had been holding back. If she had deployed all six puppets at once, they would have undoubtedly lost.
"Well then, to celebrate the three of you officially becoming ninjas, I've decided to treat everyone to hot pot!"
"Not bad, not bad. How did you manage to capture him?" Jinghang marveled at the sight of White Zetsu, suspended in midair inside a leather sack.
"This here is our Xuanyuan Tomb's treasure—the Leather Wonton! If I hadn't brought it along, he would've escaped. But once you're trapped in this baby, no matter how powerful you are, you're not getting out," Buck boasted.
"Oh, what a treasure! I'll make sure you get all the chicken blood tofu you can eat," Jinghang praised repeatedly. After hearing Tsunade's account, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. It was fortunate he had secretly asked Buck to watch over Rope Tree and Tsunade. Otherwise, who knows how things might have turned out?
"What should we do with him?" Tsunade asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she looked at White Zetsu.
"Thinking about slicing him up again? Don't rush. I'll interrogate him first," Jinghang replied.
"Oh, and one more thing." He pulled out a small notebook. "Can you confirm if this is Uchiha Madara's handwriting?"