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

Chapter 45 Rematch

"You bastard!"

Upon hearing these words, which seemed to be an explanation but were actually a threat, Naruto kicked his legs and charged out angrily.

Along the way, he formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone.

Then, he extended his right hand to gather chakra, and then used a shadow clone to shape it, quickly creating a highly compressed and rotating chakra ball.

call out!

With a swift movement, he appeared beside Naruto and threw a punch at him with his right hand.

But just as he raised his fist, he caught a glimpse of a bright yellow light flashing behind him.

Minato arrived just in time, raised his right leg, and pretended to kick her away.

"You dare to be distracted and try to save someone while I'm watching?"

Like a nesting doll, Ryuji appeared behind Minato with a smirk, reaching out his right hand to grab Minato's neck.

Just then, Kakashi appeared beside Sara in a flash, about to carry her away.

Aburame raised her hands, ready to offer her assistance.

In a flash, everyone made different choices, but in the end...

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, Naruto was sent flying by Gin, crashing headfirst into another wall and causing the already old and damaged wall to collapse.

Minato escaped using the Flying Thunder God Technique before he was captured.

Just as Zhiwei made his move, three scarab puppets suddenly emerged from the ground and spewed flames at him and Dingzuo.

Left with no other choice, Zhiwei had to use the technique she had prepared to support others in order to block the flames.

Ding Zuo, fearing that the space was too small and might cause a collapse that could injure his companions, dared not use the Expansion Technique and could only obediently hide behind Zhi Wei.

"Snapped!"

A slapping sound came from behind me.

Kakashi, who was trying to save someone, was slapped away by Sara.

Ryuji's words made her realize that she had no choice at all.

They either lead the people of Loulan away from this dangerous place, or they choose to join Sunagakure; there is no other way to choose.

Therefore, she resolutely refused Konoha's rescue offer.

But whether by coincidence or not, Sara's slap saved Kakashi's life.

The instant Kakashi appeared, three scarab puppets emerged from the rubble in the corner and spewed flames at him.

But the girl's slap made him tilt his body, just in time to dodge it, causing the flames to pass right past his chest.

Seeing that the rescue had failed, Kakashi instantly vanished without hesitation.

"Buzzing..."

The insect flapped its wings and devoured the scarab golem.

Zhiwei breathed a sigh of relief.

Last time, I was distracted by the enemy in the distance and neglected myself, which led to me being ambushed by the scarab beetle.

This time, he naturally wouldn't suffer the same loss.

Although he couldn't support his teammates, at least he wasn't killed in the first round and became a burden.

Sarah's eyes widened, her chest heaving rapidly.

She was just an ordinary person, and her reflexes weren't that quick, so naturally she couldn't save anyone from a ninja's sudden sneak attack.

So much had happened in the blink of an eye that she was still somewhat shaken.

Ryuji glanced at her, then turned his gaze to the Konoha members. "Sara has already made her choice. Are you all going to meddle?"

Kakashi and the others turned their attention to Minato, waiting for their captain to make a decision.

"..." Minato was silent for a moment, then looked up at Ryuji, "Although the person involved refused to ask for help, even if it's not to help Roran, we in Konoha must stop Sunagakure's ambitions."

"Is it alright for you to make such a decision on your own?" Ryuji smiled and said, "Sunagakure and Konoha signed an alliance agreement after the Second Shinobi World War. Aren't you afraid of damaging the alliance between the two villages by doing this?"

"It is normal for ninjas from different villages to encounter each other and have conflicts while on missions, and this does not represent the decision of the village."

Minato answered without hesitation.

Having witnessed Long Er's endless puppetry techniques, he knew he absolutely could not let the dragon vein fall into his hands.

Otherwise, with advanced mechanical technology and unlimited chakra, Sunagakure would practically dominate the ninja world.

Although Minato was not an ambitious person, as his horizons broadened, he would often think about the situation in the ninja world and work hard for the future of the village.

He knew that alliances between ninja villages were achieved through a balance of power, not through things like a desire for peace.

If Sunagakure were to obtain the Dragon Vein, their first step, given their increased power, would be to break the agreement and launch a war.

Therefore, even if it is truly to maintain the alliance, they must prevent Sunagakure from obtaining the Dragon Vein.

Minato understood this, and so did Ryuji.

Seeing that he had failed to persuade Minato, he was somewhat disappointed, "It seems there's no point in talking about it."

"Bang!"

Amidst the rubble, Naruto pushed aside the boulder pressing down on him and stood up.

He shrugged, his body swaying unsteadily, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"This kid took a punch to the face and he's still alive?" Silver's pupils contracted, and he looked at his fist in confusion.

Did I go easy on him just now?

"You bastards..." Naruto wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at the two men with determination. "I will never allow bastards like you to do whatever you want."

"Enough talk, let's see what happens!"

As he spoke, Long Er grabbed Sarah's shoulder and jumped back upstairs with Yin. "We can't fight freely here, let's go outside."

With that, he took out the mechanical bird and flew outside with Silver and Sarah.

The Konoha members quickly caught up.

……

Flying out of the inner courtyard, Ryuji asked Sara, "Where is Centipede's workshop?"

"what?"

The girl was caught off guard and didn't react for a moment, not expecting Ryuji to ask her a question.

"That's where Centipede produces puppets."

"I...I don't know."

"..." Ryuji was speechless.

Although we know she's a puppet queen, it's a bit too naive to think that so many puppets roam around the country and we don't even know where they came from last year.

"Yin, take Sarah to Centipede's workshop. There's a device there that controls the dragon vein chakra. Aim the dragon vein at me."

"clear."

"Well then, I'll play with them for a bit!" Ryuji glanced at the Konoha members who were relentlessly chasing him from the rooftop, then leaned back and fell off the mechanical bird.

"Kakashi, you go save them, we'll stop the puppeteer."

Minato quickly gave instructions, then led Zhiwei and Dingzao separately to chase after Long Er.

As for Naruto... he originally wanted to go and save people as well.

But upon hearing Minato's words, he involuntarily carried out the order and followed the three to chase after the fallen Ryuji.

However, Ryuji took out the "armor" during his fall and put it on in mid-air.

With his hands, legs, and back thrusters activated simultaneously, he spewed flames and rapidly chased after Kakashi, who continued to leap across the rooftops.

Did I say you could leave?

Ryuji arrived in front of Kakashi almost instantly, and before Kakashi could react, he slapped him away.

The immense force shattered his cheekbone, sending him flying backward and crashing down the tower, which was hundreds of meters high.

(End of this chapter)