Naruto: The Unbreakable Will of a Sannin's Student

"Water Release: Water Gun Jutsu!" A palm-sized cone of water shot towards Aoi Takuma with incredible speed.

Aoi Takuma leaned back sharply, narrowly avoiding the attack.

In that critical moment, Okamoto Dousuke swiftly pulled Aburame Takuto out of harm's way.

"Konoha Phantom Dance!" Swish! Three chakra-enhanced sickle blades passed through Aoi Takuma's body. Nakajima Sodai's long sickle had split into three separate blades.

Bang! Substitution Jutsu. Only the log, now split into three pieces, remained on the ground.

Aoi Takuma had vanished completely.

"Captain, he's up there! And… and his chakra feels far stronger than a Genin's!" Hyuga Ritsu shouted, her Byakugan focused upwards.

"Indeed. There seems to be more to you than meets the eye. Why are you, Konoha, so eager to provoke a war with Sunagakure?" The short figure perched on a tree branch looked down at them condescendingly.

"Who are you?" Nakajima Sodai hefted his sickle onto his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the figure in the tree.

"Who am I? Hehe… I am the one called Lord Kugutsu Kyōjin." The moment the words left his lips—

Whoosh, whoosh! The sound of something tearing through the air echoed.

From the overturned carriage, a whip made of bloody bone erupted, shattering the roof and lashing out towards Nakajima Sodai.

Nakajima Sodai swung his long sickle, the sharp metal colliding with the white bone, actually creating sparks.

Boom! The carriage splintered and collapsed.

Under the dim moonlight, Kota, who should have been dead, stood amidst the wreckage of the carriage. A bone whip, extending from his tailbone, dripped with blood and writhed in the air like a grotesque snake.

"Captain Nakajima, didn't you… kill him?" Okamoto Dousuke asked loudly, his voice filled with disbelief.

When the shuriken trap had been triggered and aimed at the carriage, Nakajima Sodai had swiftly broken Kota's neck.

But now…

Looking at the transformed Kota now revealing his true form as a Puppet, a green chakra glow emanated from Okamoto Dousuke's hands. He focused on healing Aburame Takuto's severed leg while simultaneously keeping a wary eye on Aoi Takuma and Gurenji Tatsuya.

Gurenji Tatsuya's injuries weren't life-threatening, while Chin Youje's chakra was still sealed by Hyuga Ritsu's Gentle Fist.

Swish! Okamoto Dousuke, who had been kneeling beside Aburame Takuto, suddenly appeared next to Chin Youje, his sharp chakra scalpel instantly slicing through the tendons in Chin Youje's limbs.

"I'm sorry," Okamoto Dousuke murmured to Chin Youje, who was gritting his teeth in pain and frustration.

"You despicable lot! If you have any honor, face me head-on!" Chin Youje shouted angrily.

Ignoring Chin Youje, Kugutsu Kyōjin spoke, his gaze fixed on Nakajima Sodai. "You were just got robbed, yet your son and daughter were still in the mood to go shopping in town and buy pets? Don't you think that's a bit suspicious?" Kugutsu Kyōjin said as he instantly appeared next to Yuki.

"Do you really think we wouldn't know we're in disguise?" The exposed veins at the corners of Hyuga Ritsu's eyes showed that she was intently observing Aokura Hayate with her Byakugan.

"Of course, I know. I was initially just suspicious, but now it's confirmed. I originally intended to discover your objective in Sunagakure, but it seems your goal is to capture me alive. There's no need for further pretense then," Kugutsu Kyōjin said, waving his hand dismissively.

"So, even if you hadn't made a move, I would have," Kugutsu Kyōjin's murderous intent filled the air, no longer concealed.

"It seems we need to act quickly and decisively, or we might attract unwanted attention from Sunagakure. You there, take Takuto and that kid, and retreat first," Nakajima Sodai instructed Hyuga Ritsu.

Nakajima Sodai stepped on Gurenji Tatsuya and said, "If you allow us to leave, I will ensure your captaincy is returned to you. And…"

"Your name is Kugutsu Kyōjin. You shouldn't be an unknown figure. Who exactly are you?" Nakajima Sodai pressed.

"Why are you so naive? Me? This guy's teammates? They are merely pawns to complete the mission. And who am I? I am Lord Kugutsu Kyōjin, the Sand Village Anbu, or you can call me by another name." With that, Aokura Hayate fell silent.

"For Sand Village Mad Puppeteer, aaahh!!" Gurenji Tatsuya, who is pinned to the ground with his limbs injured, suddenly surged upwards, shouting loudly as he bit Nakajima Sodai's thigh.

With a deafening "boom," Gurenji Tatsuya's entire body erupted in a massive explosion.

A cloud of blood mist billowed outwards, and Nakajima Sodai was thrown back by the sheer force of the blast.

"Sensei!!!" Chin Youje's eyes were bloodshot with rage, at the sight of his teacher getting self destruct, but with his tendons severed, he was helpless, only able to crawl weakly on the ground.

"Eight Trigrams: Fierce Wind Palm!"

Hyuga Ritsu rapidly opened and closed her hands, unleashing a powerful gust of wind that dispersed the blood mist.

"Captain Nakajima!" Okamoto Dousuke managed to dodge most of the blast but was still thrown back by the violent explosion at such close range.

Large patches of corrosive injuries marred Nakajima Sodai's body, and the areas where Gurenji Tatsuya had bitten him were now black and swollen.

"He's poisoned, Sister Ritsu! I need to treat Captain Nakajima immediately," Okamoto Dousuke exclaimed, swiftly drawing a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and cutting open the wound on Nakajima Sodai's leg. Dark purple blood oozed out.

He then retrieved a test tube from his pouch, uncorked it, and poured two-thirds of the green antidote inside onto the wound, saving the remaining third.

Okamoto Dousuke covered his hands with chakra and pressed them firmly over Nakajima Sodai's abdomen, directing the flow towards the wound. Streams of dark purple blood were forced out of Nakajima Sodai's body.

After a quick cleanse and bandage, Okamoto Dousuke stood up, carefully moving the injured Aburame Takuto and the unconscious Nakajima Sodai to the side.

"Takuto, please watch over the Captain. Your legs are only temporarily rejoined; avoid any strenuous movement," Okamoto Dousuke instructed.

"Okay, give me a pain-relieving injection. This intense pain is making it impossible for me to control my insects," Aburame Takuto said, grabbing Okamoto Dousuke's arm.

"It will only last about ten minutes," Okamoto Dousuke replied, tossing a syringe down before leaving.

Bang!

Hyuga Ritsu positioned herself in front of Okamoto Dousuke, deflecting the bone whip that Yuki was lashing out with a single precise palm strike.

"Dousuke, be careful! The enemy is known as the Mad Puppeteer," Hyuga Ritsu warned, her gaze fixed on Aokura Hayate.

"Yes, I've heard of the Sand Village Mad Puppeteer. They say he's a special Jonin from Sunagakure," Hyuga Ritsu replied, adopting a defensive stance.

Okamoto Dousuke recalled the entry in the Ninja Manual: The Mad Puppeteer of Sand Village: real name unknown, appearance unknown, a special Jonin of Sunagakure. He was once wanted by Sunagakure for transforming his own teammates into living puppets. Surprisingly, Sunagakure not only let him go but also recruited this madman into the Sand Village Anbu.

"What excellent first aid skill!" Kugutsu Kyōjin exclaimed in admiration as he watched Okamoto Dousuke's swift treatment.

"Kota was your teammate, and Gurenji Tatsuya was your sensei. How can you be so cold-blooded?" Okamoto Dousuke questioned, his eyes narrowed.

"Cold-blooded? No, no, you misunderstand. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't even be 'alive' now. And they were never my teammates, but merely my puppets," Kugutsu Kyōjin declared loudly.

"Only my student, Chin Youje, remains on this team as a normal human being. He was intended to be my next puppet, but given the current circumstances, I will simply have to find another," Kugutsu Kyōjin sighed dramatically, glancing at Chin Youje lying on the ground in the distance, his tendons severed.

"Such exquisite craftsmanship! Normally, they are living individuals, but in critical moments, they become my puppets, Lord Kugutsu Kyōjin's creations, inheriting their previous lives' bloodline traits. Just look at the perfection of Kota's bloodline, what a masterpiece! This is an art that only I can create!!" Kugutsu Kyōjin said and laugh hysterically, with a twisted smile spreading across his face.

"But this lady will be my new work, better than my previous ones." Aokura Hayate stared at every inch of Hyuga Ritsu's body with greedy eyes.

"Water Style: Water Whip Jutsu!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

More than a dozen sharp streams of water shot towards Kugutsu Kyōjin.

Kugutsu Kyōjin waved his hands, and Kota was suddenly pulled directly in front of him. With a flick of his bone whip, he expertly deflected all the incoming water whips.

"Wind Style: Swift Gale Jutsu!" A sharp gust of wind, like a hidden blade, flew silently towards Okamoto Dousuke.

Swoosh! Okamoto Dousuke leaped backwards, narrowly evading the wind attack by jumping to the side as he landed.

"Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists!" Chakra erupted from the pores of Hyuga Ritsu's hands, forming two ferocious lion-shaped constructs of pure chakra that directly intercepted the wind attack, dissipating it.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! This time, it wasn't Okamoto Dousuke, but Kota, controlled by Kugutsu Kyōjin, who hurled a dozen bone fragments like bombs from both hands.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall Jutsu!"

A solid wall of water erupted from the ground, blocking all the bone projectiles.

"Dousuke, we have no chance of winning if we continue fighting like this. He has a wind-style ninjutsu attacking from a distance, and with his Puppet Kota is a formidable opponent in close combat," Hyuga Ritsu said to Okamoto Dousuke, her brow furrowed with concern. "And I don't think you have much chakra left; you just finished treating Captain Nakajima and Takuto."

"I'll hold him back. You take the Captain and Takuto and retreat first," Hyuga Ritsu said calmly, her eyes determined.

"Don't worry, Sister Ritsu, I will make sure you both get back alive. Captain Nakajima and Takuto too," Okamoto Dousuke replied, standing side-by-side with Hyuga Ritsu.

One of them focused intently on Kota the Puppet, while the other's gaze was locked on Kugutsu Kyōjin.