"When…?"
The moment Veigar came charging at him, Shuba's peripheral vision instinctively flicked toward the spot directly ahead—where Veigar had stood just a second earlier.
But Veigar was still there.
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The Veigar rushing at Shuba was nothing more than a shadow clone. The real Veigar hadn't moved at all.
Right after casting Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, Veigar hadn't paused for even a breath. He followed up instantly with a Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Shuba's mind wavered for a split second as he saw the two Veigars. His right hand instinctively lashed out, sending razor-sharp chakra threads—gleaming with condensed cutting force—toward the oncoming clone.
His goal was simple: force the clone to retreat or destroy it outright.
But who said Veigar only created one clone?
At that moment, a second Veigar burst out from Shuba's left, slashing toward him with a gleaming ninjatō.
Wind Release: Ittō-ryū - Iai Slash.
The wind chakra coating the blade made it unmistakable—this was ninjutsu-based swordsmanship.
Surrounded on both sides, Shuba repeated the tactic. His left hand flung another stream of chakra threads toward the clone on his left—just like before.
But what he couldn't have expected...
...was that Veigar's Wind Release: Iai Slash was far beyond anything his chakra threads could block.
A pale cyan arc of light sliced through the shadows beneath the trees, severing the proud threads like they were nothing but silk.
At the same time, the Veigar on Shuba's right used a Rasengan, entwining it around his chakra threads. The Rasengan's spinning force disrupted his connection with his puppet.
In a single instant, Shuba's expression shifted dramatically. He had no choice but to leap back, abandoning his puppet control to dodge the incoming strike from the left.
But a puppet ninja without his puppet is like a tiger without fangs—his threat level plummeted.
At that moment, the Veigar clone on the right rammed his Rasengan into the puppet, knocking it aside and clearing the path between the real Veigar and Shuba.
Ittō-ryū: Shunshin Iai Slash.
"No!!"
Veigar vanished in an instant, leaving only a streak of pale cyan light in Shuba's pupils. Shuba screamed in terror—
—but a heartbeat later, his voice was cut short.
His body collapsed. Head and torso—cleanly separated.
Shuba's two teammates and their squad leader, Sago, heard his final scream. But none of them had time to help him.
And that split-second distraction?
It cost them dearly.
Veigar didn't stop. He didn't dispel his clones. He didn't break formation.
As the saying goes: "Better to break one finger completely than injure ten slightly."
Eliminating Shuba was like cutting off a finger from the Sand Puppet Squad.
Now… time to sever the next.
With barely a glance, Veigar locked on to his next target—a young Sand shinobi currently locked in battle with Shōgetsu.
In an instant, Veigar's two clones rushed toward him.
"Help me…!"
Pressed by Shōgetsu, the young shinobi called out desperately to his teammates.
But who could save him now?
His cries only sent waves of dread through Sago and their last remaining comrade.
They were next.
Seeing Veigar's clones close in, Shōgetsu immediately leapt back, relinquishing pressure on the target.
By now, Veigar and Shōgetsu had developed a seamless synergy. As soon as he saw the clones move in, Shōgetsu understood Veigar's intent—and acted accordingly.
Rasengan.
Ittō-ryū: Iai Slash.
One Veigar clone charged with a spiraling Rasengan. The other drew his blade for a precision strike. And Shōgetsu? Already weaving hand signs.
Facing a triple assault, the young shinobi panicked, flailing his arms as his dog-headed puppet opened its jaws—launching a barrage of poison-tipped senbon at Veigar's clones.
"Swish—swish—swish—!"
Boom. Boom.
The clones didn't dodge in time—both exploded into puffs of smoke.
But that was enough.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
From Shōgetsu's mouth, flames erupted and coalesced into a serpentine dragon, soaring toward the dog-headed puppet.
The searing heat engulfed it instantly. The chakra threads connecting the puppet to its master snapped all at once.
Fire has always been one of the greatest threats to puppet users—unless their puppets were reinforced with heat-resistant materials.
Otherwise, no matter how expertly crafted, they're nothing but kindling.
Just like now.
Under Shōgetsu's jutsu, the puppet's wooden surface blackened into charcoal, while its metal frame glowed red-hot.
"My puppet…"
Devastated by the destruction of his prized creation, the young shinobi barely had time to mourn—before Veigar's demonic voice whispered behind him.
"Wind Release: Iai Slash."
And then—nothing.
His head was gone.
Next, Veigar and Shōgetsu joined forces again. With Kakashi backing them up, they swiftly eliminated the final Sand Puppet user.
Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze finished off Sago with a Rasengan at nearly the same moment.
The battle was over.
Of Minato's squad, only Veigar seemed unharmed, thanks to his ability to absorb Life Essence and restore himself. Even Kakashi and Shōgetsu bore signs of exhaustion—and Minato himself looked worn.
Their chakra reserves had taken a hit.
"Mark the coded signal. We're pulling out."
Minato knew this skirmish had made more than enough noise. Reinforcements would be coming.
After discreetly leaving behind Konoha's coded marker, Minato gave the command:
"Withdraw."
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]