Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

Menzuomen released the Chakra Threads controlling his Puppet Replica. Since he had no choice but to reveal himself, there was no further use for the puppet. Then, spreading his arms wide, he finally began directly controlling the Chikamatsu Collection.

The Puppet Replicas, which had previously moved with stiff and mechanical motions, suddenly became extremely agile once Menzuomen took direct control. Haseo and his companions, under the empty, lifeless gazes of those ten pairs of eyes, felt an immediate chill run down their spines.

"Fall back—I'll cover our retreat." Haseo inhaled deeply. Realizing this opponent was way out of his league, he decided to retreat. Though he resented failing on his first mission, there was no choice. Even command wouldn't argue with a retreat like this... After all, even Konoha couldn't expect its Genin to stand up to someone like Menzuomen.

And technically, they hadn't failed—they'd confirmed Menzuomen's presence.

"Haseo, I don't think it's worth it—you won't be able to hold him off for long," Nagisa Nara said. Although Haseo's order fit his role as team leader, it ultimately meant little; how could they expect the enemy to simply let them escape?

"Fall back!" Haseo firmly repeated his command. As he brought both hands together, ready to begin forming Hand Seals, the Chikamatsu Collection already rushed toward him at unimaginable speed.

But even if these puppets were fast, Haseo still managed to complete his first technique just in time. Faced with the extreme urgency, he pushed himself to seal faster than ever before. And once his first technique was done, the rest followed without pause.

[Water Release: Water Formation Wall!]

First came the initial technique—a semi-circular wall of water quickly pushed back the puppets charging toward Haseo. As the figures tried to surround him, the water wall collapsed and exploded outward in a massive surge.

"Gramps, you really think you're safe where you are?"

While thinking this, Haseo's hands kept moving.

[Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!]

In an instant, a vast sea appeared among the trees. This time, the scale of his jutsu far surpassed anything he'd attempted before. At this point, conserving Chakra was no longer an option. Dramatically speaking, he turned farmland back into a sea.

But Haseo didn't stop until his next technique was complete—[Water Release: Hiding in Drizzle Technique].

Before the surging waters had even begun to calm, thick mist had already risen from the surface. Within moments, it completely concealed Haseo and the other members of his squad.

The Hiding in Mist Technique was a representative Water Release Ninjutsu from Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Hidden Villages. Yet in reality, it wasn't especially difficult or secret—calling it an ordinary Water Release Ninjutsu wouldn't be inaccurate. The real challenge lay in combining it with the Silent Killing Technique. Only when used together did these techniques achieve true value.

Haseo obviously didn't understand the Silent Killing Technique, but the Hiding in Mist Technique alone was more than sufficient for him.

His eyesight alone couldn't accurately see the puppeteer and all his puppets. But with the Hiding in Mist Technique, things changed completely. First, this vision-obscuring technique drastically increased his allies' chances of escape. Second, the mist now brimmed with Haseo's chakra, which extended his sensory abilities. In this situation, he could at least accurately detect the positions and movements of Menzuomen and his ten puppets.

"I see," Menzuomen's voice echoed out of the thick mist. "So that's it—you're actually not even a Fire Release Ninja. Compared to Fire, you clearly rely more on Water. It's smart of you to switch tactics under these circumstances... but what difference does it really make?"

The Hiding in Mist Technique had definitely worked; otherwise, how could the enemy afford to babble like this? Still, Haseo felt anxious because he could clearly sense his teammates hadn't immediately fled the battlefield—they remained inside the mist, waiting motionless.

Still, Haseo couldn't worry about them right now. At this moment, there was no doubt his life was in the greatest danger. He was unquestionably the enemy's primary target.

[Hiding in Mist Technique]

Beneath calm breathing, Haseo's nerves were tightly wound. Now he'd fully tuned in all his senses. Suddenly, he lashed out with a kick sideways into the mist, sending a black figure flying backward.

He could sense the puppets' movement, and their unique mechanical sounds couldn't possibly hide from him.

Yet Haseo had no time to check on the puppet he'd kicked away. He swiftly turned, raised his arm—and with a clang—a pair of sharp, barbed claws struck directly against his forearm guard.

Tricks to distract enemies with speech weren't something only Haseo could use. Menzuomen understood them too. However, neither side had truly gained any significant advantage.

Those white-clad puppets looked elegant from a distance, but up close, they were grotesquely hideous—so much that Haseo couldn't help but comment out loud: "If you're supposed to be such an elite puppet master, the very least you could do is sculpt your toys to look like someone beautiful, like Poison Ivy. Then at least I could feel some sadistic pleasure while destroying them."

As he spoke, he twisted his forearm, using the strength of his guard to snap off the puppet's claws. Then he pressed his palm onto the puppet's shoulder, using the momentum to propel himself upward before delivering a vicious knee strike straight into the puppet's neck.

With a sickening crackle, the puppet's head twisted all the way around to face backward.

However, Haseo's attack targeted only a puppet, not a living person. Therefore, this kind of attack had absolutely no effect—except for giving him severe knee pain.

Just then, the puppet suddenly lifted its body, and its head repositioned itself back into place.

Bladed crossbows, fire, and poison—each deadly mechanism sprang from every joint and part of the puppet's body. Then, it rushed forward with an even fiercer speed than before.

Facing his own physical limits and speed, Haseo had no hope of resisting such an assault.

Fortunately, he didn't need to resist at all. He simply dispersed the chakra beneath his feet, and his body sank below the surface... Previously, when he used Exploding Water Colliding Wave, it was to drown his enemy. This time, he did it to submerge himself.

Indeed, the puppet moved at an unimaginable speed. It wasn't impossible for the puppet to follow him underwater either. Yet he firmly believed that under the immense pressure of deep water, the puppet could not possibly maintain the same level of mobility as it did on land.

Moreover, once submerged in deep water, Haseo's own speed experienced an incredible increase. Empowered by [Water Release: Surfing Strike], he darted through the water like a swift fish.

With this shift in balance, Menzuomen had essentially become unable to do anything to him.

Alternatively, perhaps Menzuomen could vaporize the entire body of water—but could he actually accomplish such a feat? No, more accurately, did he have enough time to do something like that?

After being stalled and engaged by Haseo and the others, Konoha's reinforcements finally arrived. They hadn't arrived particularly quickly, but their timing was still considered very timely.

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