Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

"He's an elite jonin from Sunagakure, a puppeteer." Nagisa Nara could only briefly explain the enemy's identity under the circumstances.

A puppeteer? Haseo stayed silent, thinking. From his memory, there were only three Suna puppeteers—two of them were grandfather and granddaughter, and he couldn't even clearly recall the name of the third.

"Do all young ninja from Konoha these days have such calmness under pressure? You didn't even show the slightest interest in my bait... Well, I get it; maybe that has something to do with that kid being so stupid after all." Menzuomen said as he pulled out a scroll from within his robe and unfurled it.

Just like Nagisa had said, he really was a puppeteer, and those were definitely the same puppets he used in battle.

Sure enough, from what Menzuomen had just said, it became clear the clumsy-looking ninja they encountered earlier had been nothing more than bait—an unintentionally triggered trap because even he probably hadn't expected their opponent to recklessly step on an explosive tag.

In other words, Haseo's judgment had been correct—they'd been fortunate not to fall for the bait.

As for the enemy's indifference about sacrificing comrades, there really wasn't much to say about it. Not every shinobi looked out for their teammates, and not every elder ninja cared for their juniors. People were different. To this man before them, perhaps some minor losses among allies were acceptable if it meant inflicting damage upon the enemy.

One idiot dies on their side, four Konoha ninja on ours—who wouldn't call that a good trade?

Chichio kept his distance, ready to strike at any moment, while Haseo and the remaining two ninjas quietly moved into a flanking position around Menzuomen. However, since Nagisa appeared unusually cautious toward this enemy, Haseo refrained from launching an attack rashly.

Menzuomen spread open the scroll he carried and formed hand seals, releasing the puppets sealed within.

"Chikamatsu Collection..." As soon as those ten white-clad puppets appeared, Haseo immediately recognized them. For one thing, their number was distinctive; for another, their unique style of dress was unforgettable.

Haseo may not have known who Menzuomen was before, but he certainly recognized the Chikamatsu Collection.

Their fame was unmatched among Suna's puppetry creations, and precisely because of the extravagant outfit of these puppets, the technique required to control them was called the "White Secret Art."

Throughout the development of puppet techniques, from their earliest forms to the refined mastery seen today, only two names truly stand out in history — The Second Kazekage, Mū, and now Menzuomen...

In many ways, puppetry was originally a unique technique developed solely by the Sand Village, and puppeteers were a distinct class of ninja specific to Sunagakure.

Initially, this method of combatting enemies by means of puppets was created primarily to reduce the casualties among allied shinobi and compensate for the lack of military strength within Suna. Thus, competent puppeteers usually operated multiple puppets simultaneously. Yet someone like Menzuomen—who could skillfully command ten highly complex puppets at once—could truly be described as a genius beyond imagination.

After hearing Haseo's whisper, Nara glanced at his squad leader with some surprise. It made sense that Haseo, being new to the frontlines, didn't know much about Sunagakure's affairs—but how did he recognize the Chikamatsu Collection without even knowing Menzuomen?

"Has this old man not died yet?" Haseo asked again. In his mind, the Chikamatsu Collection were puppets controlled by Chiyo, and their creator should have been long dead by now.

Indeed, Menzuomen before them looked very aged already, but he wasn't dead—because now was precisely that "ancient era."

"Do you think we can actually deal with him?" Realizing right away that his previous question had been pointless, Haseo quietly asked Nara.

With four against one, Nara really wanted to say they could give it a try, but surrounded by the distinctive creaking sounds of puppet movement, he could only shake his head.

Even against an average Jonin, trying would be worthwhile, but Menzuomen was different. Even though he was quite old, he remained as strong as ever, boasting extensive combat experience, formidable strength, and ruthless tactics. More importantly, faced with him, the "advantage in numbers" Haseo had previously mentioned had already become a joke.

A puppet master indeed stood alone—but he had ten puppets deployed alongside him.

Seeing Nara's negative response, Haseo nodded slightly before signaling silently to his teammates: "Try to hold him down. If you can't manage it, retreat immediately!"

At the same time, Haseo spoke toward Menzuomen with a tone bordering on arrogance, "Never thought I'd run into a living legend like you out here in the middle of nowhere. However... for someone like you to be hunting Konoha's younger generation stealthily like a rat—it's truly sad how time spares no one."

His accusation was completely baseless—it was pure provocation, nothing more than cheap bluster. After all, shouldn't ninja kill enemies secretly? What did that have to do with age?

"But no worries, since you've fallen into our hands, today shall mark your doom. Let me, Homura Naraka—Konoha's Inferno Prodigy—to finish you off. Isn't dying honorably in battle the proper fate for an old man like yourself?"

Haseo attempted to confuse his opponent with words. He had already used Fire Release earlier, so claiming to be a fire-style ninja held some credibility. But to claim himself as Homura Naraka? At the very least, he should be wielding a scythe in his right hand and a kunai in his left. Besides… Naraka? Why did that name reek with sorrow?

Facing this performance, Menzuomen rasped out a chuckle—not because of whether or not Haseo's acting skills were professional enough. A ninja of Menzuomen's age had experienced far too many battles to fall for such childish tricks. He understood clearly the young Konoha ninjas' intentions... Since the emergency signal had already been sent, all these kids needed to do was stall until more Konoha reinforcements gathered.

Not silently eliminating them like he had done previously—that was Menzuomen's mistake.

One could not help but acknowledge Haseo's earlier battle formation strategy—it was precisely because Chichio had been stationed at a distant, isolated position detached from the main group that she managed to stay off the enemy's radar, ultimately rescuing Haseo from assassination.

However, Menzuomen was now correcting that mistake. He brought out the Chikamatsu Collection straightaway—not for show, but to wrap up this fight fast and get out before Konoha reinforcements arrived.

If surrounded by too many Konoha ninjas, even someone like Menzuomen wouldn't stand a chance—they'd be taken down without mercy.

But what shocked him was, just as Haseo finished speaking, the Konoha ninja squad suddenly launched a coordinated attack!

Menzuomen never expected them to have such audacity. Did his reputation carry no weight at all? And furthermore…

Had they really agreed on a signal without him noticing!?

There was no need to answer that. Just as Menzuomen would never believe Haseo's performance, Haseo himself knew well that a few words wouldn't be enough to buy time.

Though his goal was to gain some time, this didn't mean he feared combat.

Against a ninja like Menzuomen, fleeing meant dying faster. So Haseo did the exact opposite—he struck first. His verbal trickery wasn't about gaining ten more minutes—it was all to steal that single, critical second of advantage.

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