Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 301 Wartime Delay (10,000 words per day)
The speed boost from Wind Release Chakra Mode, combined with his understanding as a Kage-level puppeteer, gives him a thorough grasp of the puppet's structure, attack patterns, and the user's habits.

In this jungle of puppets, he could easily navigate it as if strolling in a garden.

At the same time, his ears vibrated slightly, and he unleashed the Sound Wave Escape without forming any hand seals, gaining a detailed understanding of the entire battlefield.

The subtle flow of chakra in the air, the sound of the puppet's joints rubbing together, even the puppeteer's tense heartbeat and breathing—all this information instantly flooded into his mind, weaving together a three-dimensional battlefield perception network.

"Flaws! Flaws everywhere!"

In Umino Sasuke's eyes, the seemingly brilliant puppetry technique was full of flaws.

Looking across the entire ninja world, the only one who can surpass him in puppetry is Aunt Chiyo. Unfortunately, Aunt Chiyo is entangled with Hatake Sagumo and cannot break free. If it were her, she might be able to turn the tide.

With a gentle flick of his wrist, Samehada's sharp spike suddenly grew longer, transforming into a blue flash that pierced the core of a puppet's connecting hub with pinpoint accuracy.

The puppet froze instantly, and the puppeteer controlling it groaned as his chakra rapidly drained away.

"puff!"

On the other side, Umino Sasuke didn't even turn his head. With a backhand chop, the wind-style chakra blade, imbued with high-frequency vibrations, easily severed the puppet scorpion's tail joints, which had been attacking from behind.

He was like a puppet master whose skills had reached their peak. Every move he made was aimed at the vital point, whether it was destroying the puppet's joints, severing the chakra threads, using Samehada to devour the chakra core, or directly killing the puppeteer's body.

It seems like a casual, leisurely stroll, but every move is deadly.

The puppeteer forces that besieged him not only failed to suppress him, but also lost more than a dozen puppets and four Jonin in just a few breaths.

Even at this moment, Umino Sasuke was far from going all out. It wasn't that he couldn't end the battle faster; nine powerful mecha puppets were stored in his sealing scroll, but he refrained from using them. He was waiting for Mito Kadona's "reinforcements," waiting for an opportunity to completely annihilate this elite puppet force and at the same time allow the Mito Kadona clan to "heroically sacrifice" themselves.

"Senior Zuoyun, let's fight and retreat, first exhaust their chakra and stamina, and then find an opportunity to wipe them out."

Umino Sasuke used the Sound Wave Release technique to transmit his voice silently to Hatake Sagumo's ears.

"Hmm!" Hatake Sakun understood immediately. His White Fang Blade flashed, instantly forcing back a Chikamatsu puppet controlled by Chiyo. He moved like lightning and reunited with Unno Sasuke.

The two fought and retreated simultaneously, their teamwork impeccable.

Using Samehada's powerful defense and chakra absorption capabilities, as well as the Sound Wave Release's insightful warnings, Umino Sasuke shielded Hatake Sasuke from most area attacks and sneak attacks. Hatake Sasuke, in turn, relied on his unparalleled speed and swordsmanship to precisely sever the most ferocious puppets and puppeteers who were pursuing him.

This coordinated tactical approach proved extremely effective.

Chiyo and her puppeteer squad had already exhausted a lot of chakra and stamina on their long-distance pursuit, and now they were caught up in this high-intensity entanglement and war of attrition, which slowed down their pursuit speed significantly.

Many puppeteers' chakra began to run out, and the puppets they controlled became sluggish.

A glint of cunning and killing intent flashed in Sasuke Umino's eyes. If he could just stall for a while longer and wait until the enemy was completely exhausted, it would be time to counterattack. Perhaps he really would have a chance to leave this legendary puppeteer unit, along with its soul, the old lady Chiyo, forever on this desert border.

And so they continued their entanglement for nearly a hundred miles.

From the direction of the border ahead, a violent surge of chakra and shouts of battle finally came.

"coming!"

Umino Sasuke perked up.

On a stretch of desert near the border of the Land of Wind, the Mitomon clan ninjas were already engaged in battle with a group of Sand Village puppeteers who had come in pursuit.

Mito Kadota clearly "understood" Unno Sasuke's intentions, and his troop deployment was quite "organized".

At the forefront, they faced the fiercest firepower of the Sand Village puppets, held off by Mitokado Homura's twelve fearless assassins. These assassins, like moths drawn to a flame, used their flesh and blood and ninjutsu to confront the steel torrent, instantly attracting a large amount of firepower and suffering heavy casualties.

The middle layer consists of ninjas from the Mitomon clan whose stance is relatively ambiguous. Relying on the terrain, they desperately unleash defensive ninjutsu and ranged attacks in an attempt to hinder the puppet army's advance, but they seem to be struggling quite a bit.

Meanwhile, Mito Kadada himself and his core dozen or so confidants were in a relatively safe position at the rear, seemingly directing operations but actually preserving their strength.

"Lord Iron Wall! Lord White Fang! Hurry!" Mito Kadota shouted at the top of his lungs as soon as he saw Umino Sasuke and Hatake Sakumo.

Umino Sasuke and Hatake Sakumo exchanged a glance, then instantly accelerated, like two streaks of light, rushing through the gap in the Mitomon clan's carefully laid defenses.

"Stop them!" Chiyome roared, his eyes blazing with fury, as he commanded the Chikamatsu Ten to give chase.

However, the fearless Mito Gate assassins in front of them, as if they had gone mad, used their bodies and lives to build a temporary barrier of flesh and blood. At the same time, the Mito Gate ninjas in the middle layer also unleashed a large amount of chakra, and various earth walls, water walls, and kunai explosive tags lit up one after another.

"Damn Konoha scum!" Chiyo roared in anger, forced to distract herself from dealing with these troublesome Konoha thieves. The power of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppet Masters erupted, and as the puppet arms swung, a flurry of windmill blades burst forth, instantly severing two Mitomon assassins who charged forward without fear of death, along with the kunai in their hands.

Limbs and fragments of kunai flew everywhere, and a mist of blood instantly spread.

Just as Mitomonda was watching his clansmen die tragically, feeling both pain and a twisted sense of relief, a silver-white figure suddenly turned back.

"Retreat! Don't fight back!"

Hatake Sagumo's voice boomed like thunder, and his figure appeared instantly at the forefront of the Mitomon clan's defensive line.

The white fang dagger in his hand transformed into streaks of silver light.

"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"

"Pfft-"

Several poisoned senbon needles and short spears, fired from tricky angles at the middle-level Mitomon ninjas, were precisely parried or even severed.

Immediately, White Fang sheathed his short sword and swiftly formed hand seals to defend himself.

"Earth Escape: Earth Current City Wall!"

There was a loud bang.

A dog-headed wall, far thicker and more solid than the earthen wall hastily erected by the Mitomon ninjas, rose from the ground and narrowly blocked the corrosive venom spewed by a Chikamatsu puppet controlled by Chiyo.

sizzle...

The venom fiercely corroded the earthen wall, making a teeth-grinding sound, but it ultimately held back, protecting a large area of ​​Mitomon ninja behind it.

"Konoha's White Fang, he even knows Earth Release ninjutsu?!"

Even Chiyo hadn't expected that Hatake Sagumo, while possessing wind and lightning chakra, would also have such a powerful defensive earth-style chakra. "Everyone, take turns providing cover and retreat to the border. Don't linger!"

Hatake Sagumo's voice carried an unquestionable tone of command. He did not leave the Mitomon clan to cover the rear alone, but took the initiative to share the greatest pressure and even began to direct them to retreat in an orderly manner.

His eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and the white fang dagger in his hand transformed into streaks of silver light. Every move he made precisely deflected the most fatal attacks, buying precious time and space for the Mito Gate ninja to retreat.

Umino Sasuke stopped the moment Hatake Sagumo turned back. He watched as Hatake Sagumo protected the Mitomon ninjas and retreated in an orderly manner, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Senior Zuo Yun, you truly are a perfect ninja!"

A sense of helplessness flashed through Umino Sasuke's mind. Hatake Sakumo's choice had caused his plan to use the Sand Village puppeteers as a blunt weapon to wear down the targets on the list to fail. Under Hatake Sakumo's protection, the casualties of Mito Kadota and his core confidants, especially those Flame Faction assassins who should have been "sacrificed," suddenly decreased, and it was even possible that most of them could be able to retreat back to the Land of Rivers alive.

Fortunately, there is a backup plan.

A cold glint flashed in Umino Sasuke's eyes, but his face remained calm.

He glanced at Mito Kadona, who was directing his clansmen to retreat. Mito Kadona's face was a mixture of astonishment, disbelief, and even a hint of gratitude towards Hatake Sagumo. He also cast a grateful glance at Unno Sasuke, who seemed to be "helping" as well.

Sasuke Unno chuckled inwardly. Cheap gratitude? Could it be Stockholm syndrome? But thinking about it, Mito Kadota's gratitude at this moment was just an instinctive reaction of grasping at a straw in a desperate situation, cheap to the point of being meaningless.

"Senior Zuo Yun, you all retreat first, I'll cover the rear!"

Sasuke Umino shouted loudly, his Will of Fire surging, but in his heart he was thinking that since Sagumo Hatake's choice had disrupted the plan, he would have to use the backup plan.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, actively facing the surging torrent of puppets. His Samehada sword swept across, and the deep blue chakra blade surged, like a whale's tail, slapping the first few puppets away and giving the retreating team another chance to catch their breath.

Right there on this chaotic battlefield, at a time when everyone's attention was drawn to the fierce fighting and the will to survive.

The shadow clones created by Umino Sasuke had already transformed into Sunagakure puppeteers, controlling puppets and blending into the Sunagakure puppet army.

These shadow clones possess the combat awareness and puppet control skills of Sasuke Umino's original body. Although their chakra reserves are far less than the original body's and they cannot use powerful ninjutsu, they completely overwhelm Mito Gate ninjas of Chunin and Special Jonin level, without even needing to use the easily exposed dual-machine manipulation technique.

Moreover, their current identity is that of "Sunagakure Puppet Masters," making their actions more covert and more deadly.

They manipulated puppets, cleverly blending into the real Sunagakure puppeteers, while their targets were precisely the twelve assassins on the list provided by Mitokado, as well as members of the Mitokado Homura lineage and all assassins from other clans.

These shadow puppet masters employ extremely insidious and efficient tactics. They never launch direct attacks but instead use the chaos of the battlefield as cover to launch deadly sneak attacks from blind spots, behind the puppet formation, or even from underground. Their attack methods are diverse, including puppet ambushes, hidden weapons, poisons, traps, and so on. Every strike is precise, ruthless, and deadly, with their targets being the Mito clan members on the list.

On the battlefield, a Mitomon En assassin on the list was leaning against a rock, desperately forming hand seals, about to unleash a fire jutsu to block the pursuers.

Suddenly, a seemingly ordinary black ant puppet behind him accelerated abruptly, its sharp tail spike easily piercing his heart at an oddly cunning angle. The "Sunagakure Chunin" controlling the black ant puppet continued searching for his next target with an expressionless face.

At the same time, the black ant puppet he controlled nimbly rolled away, dodging the kunai launched by the Mitomon ninja in a counterattack. It then fired several highly poisonous senbon needles, forcing back another Mitomon ninja who was trying to surround him. The movements were fluid and ruthless, drawing cheers from several real Sunagakure ninjas nearby: "Well done!"

Meanwhile, two Sand Village Special Jonin were working together to control a puppet formation to defend against the wide-range fire jutsu attacks from the Mito Gate ninjas. However, several poisoned senbon needles with extremely insidious and tricky angles were shot out from behind the "friendly" puppets, piercing their hearts with great concealment and precision.

They stared wide-eyed at the expressionless "Sunagakure comrade" beside them, who was controlling the puppet, and died without understanding why they had been betrayed by "their own people".
After succeeding, this "Sunagakure comrade" immediately manipulated his puppet to charge forward and use the Chaotic Windmill technique, transforming it into a giant windmill blade that slashed the still-shocked Mitokado ninja in two.

These shadow clone puppeteers don't just kill Mitomon ninjas; if the opportunity arises, they will also use the Demon Child Tactics to secretly ambush the Sand Village puppeteers. In fact, because they have killed a large number of Sand Village ninjas, the Sand Village puppeteer forces have become somewhat demoralized.

Seeing that the balance was about to be broken, the Shadow Clone Puppet Master began to restrain his assassination techniques and even helped the Sand Ninja withstand the pressure of the attack, trying to prolong the pursuit as much as possible, so that the Sand Ninja would consume more chakra and stamina.

A shadow clone puppeteer silently appeared on another battlefield, using his sturdy arm blades to parry a shuriken attack aimed at a nearby Sand Village ninja, and warned in a deep voice, "Watch out for the flanks!"

The rescued Sand Village ninja gave a grateful look, and his fighting spirit was greatly restored.

"Hold on! Elder Chiyo is watching us from the front. Don't let those Konoha scum get away!"

The Shadow Clone Puppet Master roared hoarsely, instantly reigniting the fighting spirit of the surrounding Sand Ninja.

Sasuke Umino's shadow clone puppeteers not only carry out ruthless assassinations, but also cleverly play the role of "brave and well-coordinated Sand Village elites." They control the puppets with extreme precision, provide timely protection, and even fearlessly cover for the Sand Village ninjas, while in reality creating chaos or obstructing some of the Sand Village ninjas' vision.

Of course, if the Sand Ninja were to fall into a slump, they would also boost morale at crucial moments, injecting a strong boost into this exhausted and heavily wounded Sand Ninja puppeteer force.

The Sand Village troops, which had begun to show signs of decline and hesitation due to the long march, the prolonged siege, and the increasing casualties, were unexpectedly inspired and motivated by these "outstanding puppeteer comrades," and their ferocity was rekindled time and time again.

"Kill! Avenge our fallen brothers!"

"Don't let the White Blood Demon escape! Follow in Chiyo's footsteps and charge!"

"The bastards of Konoha are about to collapse! Keep pushing, victory is just around the corner!"

Encouraging shouts rose and fell, the attacks became more intense and frenzied, and the previously somewhat scattered formation regained its oppressive presence.

Chiyo naturally noticed this sudden "highlight" on the battlefield. A hint of surprise and relief flashed in her somewhat cloudy eyes. Although she only recognized a few of the people who had changed a lot, she couldn't recognize who these shadow clones disguised as puppeteers were. She just assumed they were some good talents in the army who usually didn't show their abilities but were now bursting with potential under great pressure.

"Excellent! Well done!" Chiyo thought to herself, her flames of revenge burning even brighter. She encouraged them, "See that? Even ordinary puppeteers are this fierce! What are you waiting for? Charge! Tear them apart! If I don't leave these two Konoha executioners here today, I, Chiyo, swear I'm not a man!"

She mistakenly took the "local bright spots" brought by the Shadow Clone Puppet Master as a sign of the overall morale of the troops rising, or even a burst of combat power. Driven by revenge, she had no intention of giving up the pursuit. So she began to squeeze out the chakra in her body and frantically injected it into the Chikamatsu Ten Ninja. Her offensive was like a storm, relentlessly pursuing Hatake Sagumo. At the same time, it brought even greater pressure to the retreat of the Mitokado clan ninja.

Watching the Sand Village troops, inspired by the Shadow Clone Puppet Master, reignite their fighting spirit and become frenzied, with Chiyo launching a relentless and desperate attack, Umino Sasuke's cold smile deepened. He couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Yes, that's it. It's best to waste the last bit of chakra and stamina on this pointless pursuit. Go crazy! Burn!
And so, the die-hard Mitokado Homura on the list was being eliminated one by one, while the Sunagakure puppeteers were besieging and killing Umino Sasuke, fighting to a standstill, with the number of Sunagakure puppeteers inexplicably decreasing.

To prevent the Sand Village puppeteers from abandoning the pursuit prematurely due to their weakened state,
Sasuke Umino even delivered an Oscar-worthy performance, portraying himself as someone on the verge of collapse.

On the other side, Hatake Sagumo is an explosive ninja who is really close to his limit. Especially after covering many Mito Gate ninjas, his chakra has been greatly depleted. Now he is relying entirely on his powerful taijutsu to entangle with Chiyo.

Compared to regular ninjas, puppeteers do have a huge advantage in group battles and endurance. Especially for top puppeteers like Chiyo, even if she is not as good as her grandson Sasori of the Red Sand, who can fight against an entire country, she is probably not far off. Chiyo's combat endurance is even stronger than that of young Hatake Sagumo.

Chiyo mistakenly believed that victory was within her grasp and that the opportunity for revenge was just around the corner, so she became even more desperate.

Time passed little by little.

The Sand Village puppeteers' chakra had been depleted to the limit, and their bodies and minds were exhausted. Although they hadn't completely run out of energy yet, no amount of encouragement could help them, and they finally decided to give up the pursuit.

The shadow puppeteer launched his final sneak attack, wiping out all members and assassins of the Mitomon Homura lineage.

Just then, Umino Sasuke finally revealed his sharp fangs.

They planned to completely annihilate this elite puppet force of Sunagakure, and even attempt to leave the legendary puppeteer Chiyo forever in this border desert.

(End of this chapter)