"It's an enhanced elite squad, six people in total. There's one Jonin, but at least two Special Jonin, and the rest are all skilled. According to intelligence, the leader should be Nara Shikahira from Konoha, and the two Special Jonin are likely ninjas from the Akimichi Clan and the Yamanaka Clan."
"As for the Uchiha, their identity is currently unknown, but they possess a Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Prioritize capturing this person. The second priority is the Yamanaka Clan ninja; they're probably the enemy's sensory ninja. Take them out, and they'll be like headless chickens in the vast desert."
As they traveled, Ishido relayed the intelligence. Qingshui followed behind, carrying a Sealing Scroll, his Chakra extended beneath his feet, allowing him to walk on the sand.
There were quicksand traps in the desert, making it very dangerous, but ninjas could even walk on water, so quicksand posed little threat to them.
Before long, Qingshui and his group met up with Jonin Kyuichi.
Since Kyuichi was more familiar with the local conditions, Ishido handed over command to him.
"I'll go over the tactical arrangements."
Kyuichi was a typical Sand Village ninja, wearing a white robe mixed with brown, with cloth wrapped around his head. He was tall and thin, with rough, dark skin.
"The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, led by Nara Shikahira, will be handled by Jonin Ishido and me. The Uchiha ninja will go to the Puppet Force. Kana, you'll assist your comrades in the Puppet Force. The rest of you form a perimeter to block the remaining Konoha ninjas, ensuring the Uchiha can be captured successfully."
"Yes, sir!"
The surrounding ninjas responded in unison.
"Captain, the Ino-Shika-Cho combination has been a tough nut to crack since the Warring States period. Are you and Captain Ishido sure you can handle them?"
Kana, the Sand Hidden ninja, asked Kyuichi.
"Haha, Kana, even if you look down on me, you can't look down on Captain Ishido! He's not just any Jonin Puppet Master."
Kyuichi burst out laughing.
"Shizuka, lead the way!"
"Yes, sir!"
A female Sand Hidden Chunin formed hand seals, closed her eyes, and began sensing the enemy's location.
"To the northwest!"
"Go!"
...
...
The Konoha squad was highly skilled, and to obtain the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai, Sand Hidden had put considerable effort into this operation.
Only two Jonin could be dispatched because most were on the front lines, but there were plenty of other ninjas available.
Kyuichi had called upon three border patrol squads to join the battle.
During wartime, such a squad's composition would be stronger than in peacetime, consisting of one Special Jonin with combat-related specialties and three Chunin.
Currently, to ensure the Uchiha could be captured alive, Sand Hidden had deployed two Jonin, four Special Jonin, and over ten Chunin, their average strength more than double that of the enemy.
The remaining Qingshui and Sasori were, after all, members of the Puppet Force, and their strength was different from ordinary Genin. Of course, this might also be to give Sasori, Chiyo's grandson, some credit, with Qingshui simply tagging along.
At least, that's what the Special Jonin named Kana thought. He believed his mission was to protect the two young masters of the Puppet Force, allowing them to gain some merit.
And the situation unfolded as expected.
The strongest in the Konoha team, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, were steadily suppressed by the two Jonin, Kyuichi and Ishido.
Kyuichi's strength was probably not much greater than that Konoha Jonin, but Ishido was significantly stronger.
He was using the highest secret technique of Puppetry, the White Secret Technique, identical to Chiyo's!
Although he couldn't perfectly control ten puppets like Chiyo, nor was he using top-tier puppets like the Chikamatsu Collection, he still controlled five white-robed puppets, steadily suppressing the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
This was definitely an elite among Jonin!
"This mission, though important, is also a training exercise, for the two of you."
Jianye, casually manipulating two puppets while two other Special Jonin attacked the Uchiha, instructed Qingshui and Sasori.
"Qingshui, Sasori, this is a good training opportunity. I'll let two Konoha ninjas in for you to practice on in a bit."
Kana, on the other side, frowned slightly but said nothing, further confirming his suspicion.
This was about escorting the young masters to gain experience and merit.
In truth, Sasori was the only true young master; Qingshui was just accompanying him.
However, Qingshui was also curious about what he could achieve now.
Sasori had the same thought.
Though exceptionally talented, from childhood, including the assessment where he competed with Qingshui, he had never truly fought an enemy from another village.
"Then we'll trouble Senior Jianye and Senior Kana."
Qingshui nodded at the two Special Jonin, then took off the Sealing Scroll from his back and retrieved his two puppets.
With a wave of his hands, Chakra Threads quickly connected to the Fatty Puppet, transforming it into countless parts that enveloped him.
The Little Boy Puppet extended its Spiral Mechanical Claws, eager for action.
"Tch! Damn it! These Sand ninjas are using us to train kids!"
A Konoha ninja with a sword, who had been let in, glared at Qingshui and Sasori with a grim expression.
Another Konoha ninja, a seemingly ordinary middle-aged man, stood back to back with him.
"Looks like they're feeling overly confident, but Takigi, don't forget what Lord Hirano said earlier. We have to hold our ground! You focus on pushing back the Puppets, and I'll use Ninjutsu to attack their main bodies!"
The middle-aged ninja's expression was steady as he spoke.
"What's there to be afraid of! These two might be young geniuses from the Sand Village. If it comes down to a fight to the death, exchanging our lives for theirs would be a huge gain! If we can make it back to the village alive, it'll definitely be a great achievement!"
As the sword-wielding ninja spoke flamboyantly, the middle-aged ninja formed hand seals and unleashed his Ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
A massive, scorching fireball, so hot it distorted the air, flew menacingly towards Qingshui and Sasori.
"Forbidden Jutsu: Salamander."
Sasori indifferently extended his five fingers, manipulating a large lizard-like Puppet to block in front of himself and Qingshui. It opened the shield on its back, deflecting the Flame Bullet.
"This Salamander was originally meant for you," Sasori said to Qingshui, then continued his offense by manipulating his Chakra Threads.
"Tsk... a defensive Puppet to protect the Puppet Master's main body, huh? I see it's designed to counter the Tom Cat Puppet I developed earlier."
Qingshui, tucked inside the Fatty Puppet, pouted. He multitasked, activating another Puppet.
"Forbidden Jutsu: Little Boy."
"Forbidden Jutsu: Termite."
Two figures quickly bypassed the Salamander and charged forward.
After mastering the Forbidden Jutsu, both Qingshui and Sasori gained the ability to control two Puppets simultaneously.
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