Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Ying looked over in confusion.

Sasuke and Naruto, who had just returned, looked at Sakura with puzzled expressions, wondering when Sakura had become interested in the puppeteers of Sunagakure. They were unaware that Sakura had received the puppetry technique from Sogen, not because Sakura was deliberately hiding it.

Sakura only received the puppetry and medical ninjutsu after Naruto and Sasuke were captured by Orochimaru. After Naruto and Sasuke were rescued, they stayed on Turtle Island until they returned to Konoha just before the Chunin Exams. Sakura didn't have a chance to share her gains with her companions.

but,

Taking this opportunity to showcase it seems like a good choice.

This is much more intuitive than a dry explanation.

Sakura didn't explain to Naruto and Hotaru. She quickly walked down the stairs and arrived at the training ground one after the other with Kankuro. She stood in front of Hayate Gekko and after fifteen rounds of fighting, the training ground was in a terrible state and would need a lot of effort to repair afterwards.

Of course, nothing will be changed at the moment.

Let's begin!

After completing the formalities, Moonlight Hayate waved his hand, announcing the start of the final round of the match. Perhaps influenced by the previous rounds, Moonlight Hayate was already pondering what to say at the end of the match; in his view, this match would likely conclude very quickly…

"Water Release: Bubble Technique".

Sakura was the first to launch an attack.

And as soon as she made her move, she revealed the secret technique bestowed upon her by the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, blowing out a series of crystal-clear bubbles that floated towards Kankuro at a moderate speed. These bubbles were light and seemed unremarkable.

only,

Kankuro, as a puppeteer, certainly has a passionate and impulsive side, but when he actually gets to the battlefield, he is surprisingly calm and cautious. When he sees the bubbles flying towards him, he doesn't intend to take them head-on with his body. Instead, with a click, he opens his jaw and spews out a dark green poison needle from his mouth.

This is—

Secret Technique: Poison Needle in the Mouth.

correct,

Just as Hotaru had warned him, Kankuro pulled off another identity swap. His true form was disguised as a puppet carried on his back, while the puppet was disguised as Kankuro using 'sand transformation'. He originally intended to see if he could outmaneuver Sakura.

So after Hayate Gekko announced the start, he didn't rush to make a move, but patiently waited for Sakura to come to him.

after all,

Ninjas are accustomed to using taijutsu in combat, while ninjutsu is usually reserved as a finishing move. Even those monsters with so much chakra that they resemble humanoid tailed beasts don't just randomly unleash tailed beast balls right away. There's no need to waste chakra on ninjutsu attacks against opponents that can be dealt with using taijutsu.

however,

Kankuro hadn't anticipated that his opponent wasn't a complete novice in puppetry. Sakura had no intention of getting close and instead chose to attack using ninjutsu, forcing Kankuro to abandon his original plan, dispel the sand transformation, and reveal the puppet's true form.

They also used a secret technique to test the authenticity of those bubbles.

that's it,

The poison needle and the bubble met in mid-air.

then,

Instead of the poison needles popping the bubbles and continuing their flight, what awaited everyone was a deafening explosion. The bubbles burst open like high explosives, and the shockwave shattered and blew away all the poison needles. The already dilapidated training ground became even more ruined.

"Hiss! It actually exploded!"

Kankuro gasped.

They realized that this seemingly easy-to-bully opponent was actually ruthless and cunning.

But no matter how tough the bone is, he has to grit his teeth and keep going. His condition isn't that great either; he only has a little more rest time than Teng Hua. However, most of a puppeteer's skills lie in the puppet. As long as the mechanisms on the puppet aren't exhausted, he can keep fighting. It's just that manipulating the puppet doesn't consume much chakra.

By the way, human puppets are an exception.

Taking advantage of the time allotted for the first fifteen rounds of the competition,

Kankuro, hiding in the corridor, had already reloaded the puppetry mechanism and replaced the damaged parts. His combat power had been restored to its peak. Apart from a slight mental fatigue due to lack of sleep, he had no other problems.

"Secret Technique: Poison Smoke Bomb"

The smoke and dust from the explosion had not yet dissipated.

Kankuro manipulated the puppet 'Crow' to open the joints of its limbs and release poisonous smoke bombs. One purpose was to block Sakura's vision, and the other was to see if he could use the smoke as cover to catch Sakura off guard and inhale the poisonous smoke.

Kankuro quickly realized that his attempt had failed.

Within the purple poisonous smoke, a large, light bubble floated into the air, and Sakura was inside it, seemingly unaffected by the poisonous smoke.

however,

Kankuro was not surprised but delighted.

Flying into the air might seem like it avoids the toxic fumes, but it also turns you into a bright, easy target.

"Secret Black Technique: Bitterness in the Mouth"

Kankuro manipulated the crow to open its beak again, shooting out three poisoned kunai in a group from the air, swiftly piercing the bubbles in the air, and even Sakura, who was hiding inside the bubbles, was pierced through the heart... Wait a minute?

Why is there no blood flower?

Is it a clone?

Kankuro's eyes widened. It wasn't even a shadow clone, but a fake one... This was incredibly contemptible! Did they think they could ambush him like this? He saw bubbles flying out of the poisonous smoke.

It has to be said that this feint was quite clever, but while the feint was excellent, the attack was clearly not going well. The bubbles were moving too slowly and failed to catch Kankuro off guard.

[Chapter 450 The Final Matchup]

"Secret Black Technique: Bitterness in the Mouth"

Three kunai were launched and collided with the bubbles, instantly detonating all seven or eight of them. The shockwave from the explosion dispersed the poisonous smoke in the surrounding area, with a plume of smoke drifting towards the corridor on one side.

"They're coming this way."

Naruto scratched his head, looked around, and hesitated whether to take action to disperse the poisonous smoke.

"Don't do anything reckless, Naruto."

Kakashi stopped Naruto, saying, "Let the others handle it; we'll just watch."

As Sakura's teammates and teachers, if they were to intervene and disperse the drifting poisonous smoke... it would inevitably raise suspicions of impropriety. Even though this is Konoha's home turf and they're not afraid of anyone jumping out to nitpick, there's really no need to rush into action. There are already five or six Jonin on this side of the corridor alone.

This is not,

Uchiha Chihaya glanced at the drifting poisonous smoke, waved her hand lightly, and a fierce wind howled out, swirling up the poisonous smoke and sending it flying directly out through the wide-open skylight high above.

And at this moment,

New changes have occurred on the practice field.

The explosion dispersed the poisonous smoke and raised new dust. Just as Kankuro was staring at the dust, searching for Sakura's target, a dark shadow darted out from the dust. It was... a giant rhinoceros beetle.

That's right,

Just by looking at the imposing, long horn on its head, it is undoubtedly a rhinoceros beetle... if you ignore the artificial joints and the steel back plate. But being aware of these things doesn't seem to matter much; it doesn't prevent everyone from recognizing this thing as a rhinoceros beetle... a puppet.

Leaving aside the genin,

The many Jonin present immediately recognized the true nature of the rhinoceros beetle puppet. What arose in their minds was a deep sense of doubt. It wasn't that they were wondering why there was such a puppet; with Kankuro, the puppeteer, around, the appearance of puppets was a normal occurrence.

The problem is,

This rhinoceros beetle puppet was not controlled by Kankuro.

This is the most puzzling thing. Many people turned to look at Kakashi, asking him with their eyes, "Where did you get this puppeteer's legacy from?" Kakashi glanced at the Hokage, who stood there without changing expression. Judging from the Hokage's appearance, he didn't seem to mind Sakura openly displaying her puppeteer skills.

but,

Speaking of which, isn't Sakura learning the forbidden technique of puppetry?

This rhinoceros beetle puppet doesn't look like a human puppet at all.

"This is?"

Kankuro was also a little confused for a moment. What was going on? When did Konoha... acquire the tradition of puppeteers? And this rhinoceros beetle puppet... felt somewhat subtly familiar, with an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"Crow, go!"

Before he could ponder where this sense of familiarity came from, he saw the rhinoceros beetle puppet hurtling towards him and hurriedly manipulated his puppet, Raven, to meet it. Its four arms grabbed the long, forked horns of the rhinoceros beetle puppet, and its feet braced against the broken ground, managing to withstand the impact.

then,

The next second.

The rhinoceros beetle puppet suddenly stood upright, lifting the crow puppet holding its horn high into the air as well. Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the rhinoceros beetle puppet's abdomen suddenly opened, and a pink-haired girl darted out, rushing towards Kankuro.

Kankuro's expression changed. Could this rhinoceros beetle puppet really hide people inside?

His ten fingers began to shake rapidly.

He tried to pull the puppet Raven back to his side. He only had Raven as a puppet and no other puppets at his disposal. However, his hasty attempt to withdraw the puppet Raven only revealed his weakness.

The rhinoceros beetle puppet, which had stood upright, supported its body with its two feet, while its other four legs suddenly stretched out and tightly embraced the crow puppet, which was about to retreat after releasing its horns, and stuffed it directly into its empty belly.

"You lost."

Sakura's voice came from the smoke and dust.

Kankuro stared wide-eyed at the figure that passed through him and disappeared, realizing that he had been tricked again. The thing hidden inside the rhinoceros beetle puppet's belly was just a clone without a physical form, and he had been fooled by such a clone. In his haste to recall the crow, he gave Sakura the opportunity to lock it up.

When the puppet crow was trapped inside the rhinoceros beetle puppet's belly, the chakra threads connecting the crow to its body were also cleanly severed.

He has lost control of the crows.

"I concede."

Kankuro slowly raised his hands in surrender.

There's nothing we can do about it.

How can a puppeteer play without puppets?

His physical skills were only passable, and his knowledge of ninjutsu and genjutsu was even more superficial. Continuing to persist would only lead to humiliation, especially since the opponent's puppet was still usable!

And at this moment, he also realized why the rhinoceros beetle puppet had a strange sense of familiarity.

That rhinoceros beetle puppet

It should be related to his crow and the other two puppets he didn't bring but had already reserved for him, the black ant and the salamander. This rhinoceros beetle puppet looks like a combination of the black ant and the salamander puppets. To put it more clearly, this rhinoceros beetle puppet and his crow puppet were both created by the same person.

It must be admitted that Kankuro's judgment is indeed excellent.

This rhinoceros beetle puppet was indeed forged by Scorpion. It is one of the few traditional puppets among the hundreds of puppets seized from Scorpion. It is the culmination of the Crow, Black Ant, and Salamander series. Combining the strengths of previous works, it can be considered one of the pinnacle works of Scorpion's traditional puppets.