Boom. Hii Kōri was flung into the courtyard.
With light dust, the red-haired boy rolled twice to relieve his strength, then flipped up and brushed himself off.
"Not using your Ukon, brat?"
Casually following his foster son into the courtyard, Chiyo squinted at the "gauntlet" on his hand.
Three years, she'd witnessed Hii Kōri improvements and upgrades that three-section staff.
Using sealing techniques to almost permanently seal other ninjutsu into tools—an exquisite concept. Actually achieving it? Genius-level. This convinced Sunagakure's other top brass to fully trust Hii Kōri's talent.
By now, Chiyo couldn't determine how many new techniques he'd added. But undoubtedly, wielding that plus taijutsu? Even she might get hurt if careless.
"Since it's between puppeteers, only fitting to settle with puppet mechanisms, right?"
The The black-iron gauntlet shell clicked open, splitting into four claw-like segments that flexed, then closed again.
"Besides, I've got something new for you to take a look."
"Tch. What kind of puppeteer are you—"
Somewhat scoffed, Chiyo flicked her wrist. Four humanoid puppets—two on the left, two on the right—materialized beside her.
Not Monzaemon's Chikamatsu Ten, but her own meticulously crafted masterpieces.
Two fingers manipulated one puppet. They traced fluid trajectories through air, then unfolded mechanisms, fiercely charging Hii Kōri.
"You'd be more like a mechanical craftsman, don't you think?!"
As the puppets' blades sliced air, Chiyo's sarcastic remark arrived belatedly.
True. None could deny Hii Kōri's puppet talent. But he preferred crafting personal armaments over conventional puppets.
Like the claws on his right "Ha. Puppets I can make anytime. Priority's not that high!"
With an air of self-righteousness, Hii Kōri slammed his clawed right hand on the ground. A cylindrical barrier rose beneath him, intercepting all blades.
"Such flimsy barriers are nothing!"
With a slight movement of his fingers, Chiyo withdrew the four puppets. The giant wielder spun and slashed, its pure iron-block blade literally shattering the makeshift barrier.
Simultaneously, the spiked puppets darted through the broken barrier, stabbing at Hii Kōri's back. Dual-blade and claw-wielders struck too, tearing his figure to pieces.
But neither the "attacker" nor watching Mataza showed any sign of wavering. Sure enough, a poof announced Substitution Technique. Impaled Hii Kōri became a slashed, explosive tag-covered log.
Seeing the tags glowing, Chiyo cursed under her breath—this brat using explosive tags?! But her hands never slowed.
She manipulated the puppets, flinging the log away—no explosion. Just lit up papers shaped like tags.
"Quack!"
Realizing the tricked into an opening, Chiyo involuntarily ducked, quickly maneuvering the puppets back to defend.
Compared to ordinary ninja, Hii Kōri's taijutsu logic was exceptionally elusive. This guy once substitutiond in place just to bait someone into turning around.
Uzumaki's Kagura Mind's Eye—besides sensing others—could seal its own chakra to hide its tracks.
With that foundation, plus Substitution, Body Flicker, Shadow Clone—distinguishing real from fake grew nearly impossible.
This tactic especially countered powerful sensory ninja. In forests, rocky terrain, caves—complex environments—it could be a one-hit kill.
Even open areas effectively disrupted judgment. Whether taking advantage of the situation or using Transformation to hide and find openings, highly effective.
Add Matazaburō's brief-aerial Wind Release tricks? Hii Kōri's wiggle room expanded further.
Even Chiyo, a sensing type, couldn't assert that her sensed chakra was real.
Fooled once by this tactic, she wouldn't make the same mistake again.
Wherever the real body, whatever attack—just shrink the defense and she'd be safe!
Playing this conservative against her foster son, over twenty years younger—embarrassing? She'd made a six-year-old cook until he was nine. Did she look like someone who cared?
Bringing you cruel Chiyo household truths today!
But after hundreds of spars, Hii Kōri had counters.
Dozens of alien shuriken rained down, clinking into the puppets.
Such scattered attacks couldn't damage Chiyo's But his target wasn't like their first encounter masterpiece—piercing joints. He aimed for the puppets' "soul."
No matter how powerful, how many mechanisms, puppets were still controlled via chakra threads.
Sever the threads—just dead wood!
"Tch!"
Seeing those manji-shaped shuriken, Chiyo instantly grasped his goal. She increased chakra output. Though threads weren't cut, the shuriken's shapes entangled and disrupted them.
The four puppets' movements turned comically stiff.
Undispersed barrier fragments rapidly rotated, forming hundreds of shuriken, repeatedly piercing and pinning the uncontrolled puppets' joints.
"Barrier Technique: Chaotic Shuriken Wedge... is what I'd call it."
Materializing quietly behind Chiyo, Hii Kōri introduced his technique with cold tone, gray eyes gleaming light, short staff brazenly thrusting at her waist.
"This is the end—"
***
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