This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 111 Surprise Attack, Puppet Unleashes its Power (Please Subscribe, Please Vote for Monthly Tickets)

"Is this the place?"

The earthen house peeked out from under a cliff, surveying the campsite located on the distant high ground.

Laughter and chatter could be heard from there.

After observing for a while, the puppeteer behind him replied, "That should be it. If it were a village camp, there wouldn't be this cheerful atmosphere."

Sunagakure has just suffered a defeat. Even if their morale hasn't completely collapsed, they shouldn't be in this state.

Tsuchiya agreed with his companion's deduction, but then frowned.

Although the enemy's location has been confirmed, how to launch a surprise attack remains a problem.

The Land of Rain experiences heavy rains year-round, so to prevent flooding, the Akatsuki's camp was built on a sloping high ground.

The area is flat on all sides with no cover, and anyone who tries to get close will be spotted by patrol personnel from a distance.

If a surprise attack isn't possible, then even if the puppeteers are skilled at fighting outnumbered and possess the weapons given to them by Lady Aya, it's useless. The enemy will simply use a barrage of attacks from afar to obliterate them.

"Let's take a look at what Lady Aya gave you before making any plans!"

Iwata offered his advice at this point.

During the previous battle, Iwata was targeted by Nagato's outburst, which made him clearly aware of the difference in strength between himself and Ryuji. In addition, he was saved by Ryuji, so Iwata is now both grateful and admiring of Ryuji.

If he weren't reasonably bright, he could be labeled a brainless fan.

"That's right."

Tsuchiya also remembered the two scrolls that Ryuji had given him before he left.

Because he was worried that it was some kind of big thing and that releasing it would be discovered by the Akatsuki, he deliberately walked a distance into the rock wall before taking out the scroll and opening it.

"untie!"

As thick white smoke dissipated, a tank and mechanical bird, crafted from a combination of hardwood and steel, appeared on the open ground.

"It's Lady Ayaki's mechanical bird!"

"With mechanical birds, we can launch an attack from the sky and then take advantage of the chaos to launch a general offensive."

"What is this chariot?"

Ryuji often rode his mechanical bird in and out of Sunagakure, so almost everyone in the village knew about it, but not many knew about the Steel Fortress.

Although Ryuji used it when the Allied Shinobi Forces attacked Sunagakure, only about a thousand Sunagakure ninjas remained in the village at that time. In addition, due to the terrain of the narrow pass and the darkness of night, only a few dozen people who were fighting nearby could see the steel fortress clearly.

Others only knew that Ryuji had such a powerful weapon, but they didn't know what it looked like or what its function was.

The captains of the puppeteer unit discussed tactics, with only a few remaining silent.

"Do you know how to use it?"

As one of the captains asked a question, the group discussing tactics fell silent.

Puppets rely on the power of mechanisms to launch attacks, and the entire process requires manual operation by the puppeteer. The more complex the puppet, the more difficult it is to use.

In the original story, Sasori of the Red Sand left behind three of his childhood creations in Sunagakure.

As a result, in the entire Sunagakure village, more than twenty years later, only Kankuro has emerged who can use it skillfully.

The mechanical bird was the first puppet in the history of puppeteers to carry a person in flight using mechanical power. They had no idea about its principles or operation, let alone how to operate it.

The steel fortress was even more outrageous; they didn't even know what it was for, let alone how to operate it.

"Look at the scroll, there are words written on it!"

Iwata glanced at the scroll that Tsuchiya had left in his hand and noticed something written on it.

Everyone looked over at the sound and saw several hand seals drawn on it.

"What does this mean?"

"Is it ninjutsu?"

"It doesn't look like it!"

The crowd watched for a while, somewhat puzzled.

After a moment of contemplation, Iwata said somewhat uncertainly, "It seems to be a technique to break a seal?"

"Break the seal?"

Seeing the astonished looks on everyone's faces, Iwata corrected them, "It's not that the seal has been broken, but rather it's like a key, used to activate something."

"start up……"

Tsuchiya fell into deep thought, then suddenly realized, "I understand."

As he spoke, he performed the hand seals according to the records on the scroll.

"start!"

As the last seal was completed, a burst of gas was expelled from the exhaust pipe of the chariot, and the wings of the mechanical bird adjusted their angle accordingly.

"Is this also a self-regulating puppet?"

Everyone was astonished.

After Gin revealed that he was a puppet created by Ryuji, autonomous puppets were no longer a little-known secret in Sunagakure.

But in everyone's mind, autonomous puppets are all humanoid.

Unexpectedly, even tool-type puppets like tanks and mechanical birds possess autonomous consciousness.

*Sizzle sizzle sizzle!*

A burst of steam erupted from the exhaust pipe.

To everyone's surprise, the tank began to transform.

The armor on the tank changes, eight steel pillars fall down, and at the same time the tracks underneath retract, turning it into an eight-legged walking fortress.

It strides along the rock face like a spider, its eight steel legs moving upright.

At that moment, the mechanical bird also took flight due to the airflow.

The puppeteers stared in stunned silence at the two puppets moving independently.

Can someone tell me what will happen later?

What should we do then?

This question was answered as the steel fortress climbed to the top of the cliff.

As steam was expelled, the eight legs of the steel fortress were driven into the ground, firmly stabilizing the vehicle body. Mounted on the vehicle body, the steel cannons, as thick as large bowls, gleamed.

Someone in the opposite camp spotted a light.

But because it was broad daylight and raining heavily, all they could see was a single light shining through the rain.

We have no idea what lies behind the light.

Then, an orange beam of light pierced the sky and shot into the camp, creating a shockwave with a diameter of over a hundred meters.

After the shockwave dissipated, only a crater hundreds of meters in diameter remained on the ground.

The ground, tents, people... everything within the impact range was reduced to ashes by the powerful kinetic energy of the impact, and the flying debris and rubble left the area around the crater littered with corpses.

"What happened!?"

The survivors stared blankly at the scene, their minds completely blank.

At that moment, the mechanical bird swept across the sky, dropping explosive mines.

Explosions and flames continued to rise, mixed with people's screams and cries, creating a scene of horrific carnage.

"Enemy attack!"

The continuous roaring sounds awakened the people in the camp, who grabbed their weapons and fought back.

However, one side launched an attack from an unknown location, while the other side launched a surprise attack from hundreds of meters in the air. They had no idea how to retaliate. In addition, Yahiko, Nagato, and Daibutsu, who were in charge, were all absent. Without anyone to direct them, the people in the entire camp ran around like headless flies.

Even if someone tries to organize a manpower operation, they will be closely watched by the mechanical bird.

The machine guns, each with one of five attributes, fired continuously, quickly eliminating the organizers and disrupting the hard-won operation once again.

To avoid being flooded or attacked, the Akatsuki deliberately set up their camp on a flat, high ground.

But at this moment, facing air raids and long-range strikes, and without any cover to provide protection, they can only be used as targets and continuously attacked.

"call out!"

A mournful howl resounded, and an orange beam of light shot down from the sky once more, clearing a hundred-meter-diameter clearing like a signal from the Grim Reaper.

"call out!"

Then another whistling sound rang out.

A long-handled umbrella-like object, resembling a folded umbrella, was thrown into the dense crowd by the mechanical bird.

As the tip pierced the ground, the steel umbrella automatically opened, the ribs spun rapidly, and a dense barrage of kunai shuriken shot out, instantly clearing the crowded area.

……

Below the distant cliffs, the elite puppet troops watched in stunned silence.

Although I was at a low vantage point and couldn't see exactly what was happening, the continuous explosions and the cries, screams, and angry roars of people told me how fierce the battle was.

In particular, the electromagnetic cannons fired from the steel fortresses caused explosions with their powerful kinetic energy, making the tremors feel like an earthquake even from a great distance away.

"That's incredible!"

Iwata couldn't help but sigh.

Such firepower is terrifying. If there were more puppets like these, the puppeteers wouldn't even need to participate in the battle; they could simply blast the enemy to smithereens.

"The enemy is currently in disarray and unable to defend themselves, making it the perfect time to attack."

Tsuchiya did not forget his duty as the temporary leader, and while everyone else was shocked by the powerful firepower of the steel fortress and the mechanical bird, he gave orders.

However, some people have raised questions.

"Are you sure that if we charge in, we won't just become a burden to the mechanical bird and the steel fortress?"

Upon hearing this, Tsuchiya fell silent.

Such long-range firepower is naturally incapable of precision strikes. If they were to infiltrate the enemy ranks and engage in combat, the mechanical birds and steel fortresses would either bomb them along with the enemy or cease fire out of fear.

Neither situation is a good thing.

But if we don't go, then we'll just be spectators who've come all this way.

Wouldn't this completely disgrace the Sunagakure elite forces?

Just then, a large amount of steam was released from the exhaust pipe of the steel fortress, and eight steel legs were pulled out of the rocky ground, walking down the cliff step by step, and then continuing to advance towards the Akatsuki camp.

"This is?"

Everyone was puzzled.

After a moment of contemplation, Iwata deduced, "It's chakra. An attack with such power must have consumed a lot of chakra. The steel fortress's chakra is no longer sufficient to continue firing such powerful artillery."

"Now that you mention it, the explosions over there seem to be slowing down."

"The mechanical bird is only so big, and the number of weapons it can carry is also limited."

"It seems like it's time for us to show our skills."

Tsuchiya smiled and said, "Everyone, show us your weapons. We can't let Lady Aya's puppets steal all the credit."

"Oh~"

……

In a remote canyon.

Just as Yahiko and Rasa finished discussing the details of the retreat, they suddenly heard a huge explosion coming from afar. They instinctively turned around to look in the direction from which the sound came.

"That's where the camp is!"

Yahiko's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously thought that Sunagakure was behind it.

But as soon as he turned around, ready to question her, he saw that Luo Sha also had a look of astonishment on his face.

"...You didn't do it?"

Luo Sha snapped out of his daze, looked at the anxious Yahiko, and shrugged. "I don't know anything."

"hateful!"

Yahiko turned and ran towards Akatsuki's camp.

Suddenly, I heard a whooshing sound from behind me.

Yahiko's expression changed, and he jumped to the side. The golden sand crashed into the spot where Yahiko had been standing, creating a crater in the ground.

Yahiko stared at Rasa with a grim expression and demanded, "Lord Rasa, what do you mean by this?"

Rasa chuckled softly. "Although I don't know what happened, the upheaval at Akatsuki's camp is an opportunity for me. How could I possibly let you go back to take charge so easily?"

As he spoke, he instructed one of the guards behind him: "Go back and find out what's going on. If there's an opportunity, gather your forces and launch a general offensive."

"yes!"

"How could I possibly let you succeed!"

Yahiko charged forward, wielding his greatsword.

Luo Sha waved his right hand, and waves of golden sand, like the ocean, crashed against him.

Faced with this natural disaster-like attack, Yahiko was completely unable to resist and could only curse the monster under his breath before fleeing.

"You can't go anywhere, so just stay here and play with me!" Rasa spread his arms and focused all his attention on manipulating the golden sand to attack Yahiko.

"Just how strong does Nagato have to be to fight this monster to a standstill?!"

While secretly alarmed, Yahiko channeled his chakra into his legs and sprinted away to dodge.

At the same time, they are also looking for an opportunity to counterattack.

The author did a really stupid thing: because a lot of haters and envious people would come to the book review section to spew nonsense without even reading the book before it was released, the author set conditions for commenting.

However, I miscalculated. I thought the full subscription from the day before yesterday would give me 200 fan points, but it actually only gave me 100. As a result, I set it so that I could only speak if I had 200 fan points.

I corrected it after being reminded by fellow book lovers in the book review section.

Damn, I was wondering why there was so little reaction in the book review section after Xiao Nan died. If it weren't for my subscription still being active, I would have thought nobody was reading this book anymore. *facepalm*

(End of this chapter)