Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

With the help of these Konoha Jonin, Kirito's pressure on the battlefield was greatly reduced, and he finally had the opportunity to try to engage in a one-on-one battle with Ebizo, a Kage-level powerhouse.

"Kid, you actually didn't run away, that's quite courageous."

Ebizo controlled five humanoid puppets to surround the rock pillar where Kirito was, and sneered.

As he spoke, the puppet beside him wielding a samurai sword suddenly spat out a large number of poison needles, while the three puppets of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha quickly stepped up the rock wall.

Kirito clapped his hands together and used Water Release: Water Wall to create a water wall that blocked the large number of poison needles coming from directly in front of him.

But the next moment, a huge gust of wind suddenly appeared.

The numerous wind blades mixed in with the gale shattered the water wall, along with Kirito, but he quickly turned into a puddle of water. What remained in place was just a water clone of Kirito, while the real Kirito emerged from the ground not far from the rock pillar.

Earth Release: Earth Dragon Concealment Technique!

However, just as Kirito emerged from the ground, the three puppets—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—were already charging towards him. One of the puppets suddenly spat out a lion's head, which was even larger than its own body, and its firing speed was terrifying.

Seal the Lion's Roar!

Just as Kirito was about to be hit by the lion's head with its mouth full of sharp teeth, to the astonishment of many people around him, he transformed into a blue and white humanoid lightning bolt, instantly dodging the lion's head, and then rushed towards Ebizo.

Lightning Release: Lightning Transformation Technique!

As expected of a Kage-level powerhouse, Ebizo possessed an incredibly sharp sense of danger. Relying on his third eye in the sky, he saw Kirito transform into a humanoid lightning bolt and instantly realized that something was terribly wrong. He decisively manipulated the puppet beside him to unleash the Puppet Technique: Machine Light Shield Seal.

At the critical moment, a chakra shield enveloped him, narrowly blocking Kirito's attack, which instantly transformed from a humanoid lightning bolt back into flesh and blood, and which had been closing in on him in the blink of an eye.

A kunai wrapped in lightning pierced the chakra shield, but finally stopped one centimeter in front of Ebizo's forehead.

"As expected of a senior, your reaction is really quick."

Kirito looked at Ebizo, whose face was extremely ugly, and sneered.

It was just a hair's breadth away. If Ebizo had reacted even a fraction slower, he could have killed this Kage-level ninja from Sunagakure on the spot.

Ebizo remained silent, but his eyes were filled with murderous intent. With a flick of his finger, the humanoid puppet holding a large fan nearby suddenly waved it, and a gale mixed with a large number of wind blades reappeared.

But before the storm could arrive, Kirito transformed back into human form and dodged it with lightning speed.

This time, Kirito appeared behind the humanoid puppet holding a fan, and then struck out with his palm from a distance. A high-density chakra shot out from his palm, forming a powerful chakra shockwave that hit the humanoid puppet holding the fan.

The humanoid puppet was instantly shattered, turning into a pile of scrap.

Soft Fist - Bagua Empty Palm!

When Ebizo saw his meticulously crafted puppet destroyed, his eyes instantly turned red.

However, he ultimately did not choose to control the other puppets to fight Kirito to the death. Instead, he quickly controlled the three puppets of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha to use their mechanical light shields to create chakra shields to protect themselves, and then followed him to retreat quickly.

He wasn't a stubborn person. When he saw Kirito use his Lightning Transformation Technique to almost kill him, he knew that with his current abilities, it was impossible for him to kill Kirito. On the contrary, he and his precious puppets would be in great danger.

The Konoha brat named Kirito Tohsaka in front of him has grown into a terrifying monster. He must preserve his strength and reveal the brat's power to the public as soon as possible, so that the entire ninja world will know how dangerous he is.

On the other side, Orochimaru, standing on the high slope, witnessed Kirito nearly kill Ebizo with his Lightning Transformation Technique and easily destroy one of his puppets. His originally calm face instantly changed, becoming somewhat stiff, and then gradually revealing a look of emotion.

As a ninjutsu genius who can use five basic ninjutsu simultaneously, he is naturally a discerning person.

If Kirito's use of the Blood Dragon Eyes' ability had surprised him somewhat, then Kirito's Lightning Transformation Technique just now made him feel jealous. He could see that Kirito's Lightning Release had broken through to the mysterious realm he had always dreamed of.

"I didn't expect his lightning release talent to be so strong. It seems I need to look at him with new eyes from now on."

Orochimaru couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick his lips again, his golden vertical pupils fixed on Kirito on the battlefield, a hint of greed in his eyes.

Hinata Karen, leaning on her Byakugan, noticed Orochimaru's gaze towards Kirito and subtly clenched her fists.

Chapter 190: Fame

"The mighty Darkness of Sunagakure, a Kage-level shinobi of Sunagakure, actually dares not fight me, a greenhorn who's just entered the battlefield for the first time? Aren't you a coward? As expected, the people of Sunagakure are all a bunch of cowards, hahaha~"

Kirito saw Ebizo turn and run away without hesitation after witnessing him shatter the puppet, and immediately burst into loud mockery.

Hearing Kirito's mocking laughter behind him, Ebizo's cold and mean face instantly turned ashen, his teeth grinding together. However, he was not affected by Kirito's obvious provocation and instead ran away even faster.

Although running away was shameful, it was completely insignificant compared to his reasons for surviving and preserving his fighting strength.

He was the pillar of Sunagakure, and the eyes and brain of this war between Sunagakure and Konoha. If he were to die, this war between Sunagakure and Konoha would immediately come to an end.

The Sand Village cannot afford to lose this war; at least for now, they absolutely cannot afford to lose.

Ebizo, a Kage-level shinobi from Sunagakure, was shamelessly fleeing on the battlefield, which undoubtedly had a huge impact on the battlefield.

When the Konoha ninjas saw that Kirito could actually overpower Ebizo, a Kage-level ninja, and even force Ebizo to retreat, their morale soared.

When the people from Sunagakure heard Kirito's words and witnessed Ebizo being chased by Kirito, they were all shocked and showed expressions of disbelief. Then, their hearts pounded with fear, and they turned and ran without hesitation.

Even the commander-in-chief, Ebizo, has fled. Why don't these small fry run away? Are they going to stay and die?

Great people have reasons to live, and ordinary people also have the instinct to survive.

Therefore, when Ebizo chose to flee and avoid battle, the outcome of this chaotic battle between Konoha and Sunagakure was already predetermined. The Sunagakure ninja forces quickly began to collapse and were routed, no matter how the supervising ninjas on the battlefield tried to stop them.

"Hmph, it seems this old man is determined to run away."

Kirito cursed under his breath as he watched Ebizo flee without looking back.

But he had no intention of letting Ebizo go so easily, because for him, this was a good opportunity to quickly end the war between Konoha and Sunagakure, and also a good opportunity to make a name for himself. Moreover, if he could deal with Ebizo here, he would most likely not have to go on the mission to assassinate Rasa.

"Stop him, buy me some time."

Kirito decisively used the Mind Transfer Technique, while speaking to the many Konoha ninjas on the battlefield.

Kirito was chasing Ebizo, which was naturally seen by many Konoha ninjas on the battlefield. They were all surprised and delighted. When they heard Kirito's telepathic message, many Konoha ninjas gritted their teeth and decisively gave up the pursuit of the enemy in front of them, and instead used various ninjutsu to block Ebizo.

In an instant, all sorts of ninjutsu were launched at Ebizo.

Ebizo is agile and experienced in combat. With the help of four humanoid puppets with the strength of elite Jonin, he is naturally not afraid of the combined attack of many Konoha ninjas. He instantly transforms into a slippery eel, quickly dodging various attacks.

However, his evasive maneuvers ultimately delayed his escape.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared, slashing towards Ebizo's neck.

Konoha's White Fang has made his move.

Ebizo instantly sensed death in the flash of the blade. His pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his right hand immediately formed a hand seal.

With a flash of light, Ebizo's neck was severed in two by Hatake Sakumo's White Fang Short Sword. A spurt of hot blood gushed from the severed neck, splattering onto Hatake Sakumo's body.

But moments later, Ebizo's corpse transformed into the puppet wielding a samurai sword.

The real Ebizo had already appeared a hundred meters ahead, in the spot where the puppet wielding the samurai sword had been.

Puppet Technique: Puppet Instantaneous Movement Technique!

When Hatake Sakumo saw Ebizo using a puppet to take his place and smelled gunpowder, he decisively chose to use the Body Flicker Technique to retreat, but found that his chakra was somewhat out of control and he could not use it as smoothly as usual, resulting in serious injury.

He immediately realized the problem: the blood that had just spurted from the puppet's neck was poisonous.

"These puppeteers are all cunning old foxes; they even dig traps while trying to escape."

Sakumo Hatake cursed inwardly, then quickly retreated.

As they spoke, intense flames erupted from the puppet's body.

"Bang!!!"

A thunderous explosion occurred, and the puppet instantly burst open, engulfing Sakumo Hatake in a terrifying burst of flames.

"Hmph, serves you right. Do you think I, Ebizo, am so easy to mess with? If that brat hadn't mastered that unreasonable lightning ninjutsu, which severely countered my puppeteer skills, I wouldn't have needed to retreat at all. I could have easily faced both you and that brat at the same time."

Ebizo, relying on his third eye in the sky, saw that Hatake Sakumo had fallen into the self-destruct trap set on his puppet. His originally ashen face finally broke into a smile, though he sneered inwardly.

Each of his puppets was equipped with self-destruct traps and substitution spells. If anyone dared to get close and assassinate him, he could instantly use a puppet to take their place and then activate the self-destruct trap on the puppet.

To prevent the enemy from instantly using ninjutsu to dodge and defend, he deliberately smeared artificial blood plasma on the puppet to make its killing process more realistic and lower the enemy's vigilance. This artificial blood plasma contained a colorless and odorless toxin that he had developed on his own.

This toxin is highly volatile and must be stored in a sealed container. Its main function is to disrupt the flow of chakra within a ninja's body.

His initial intention in developing this toxin was to target the Sharingan genjutsu of the Uchiha clan ninjas. Later, he discovered that it was more suitable for assassination, but the conditions for its use were quite demanding. Because he had not developed a corresponding antidote, he might also be poisoned or accidentally injure friendly forces if he used it.

Therefore, he usually uses it in conjunction with a substitute puppet.

He originally intended to use this to kill Kirito, but unfortunately, that brat Kirito seemed to know a lot about the Sand Village puppets and never fought them in close combat.

Moreover, the lightning ninjutsu that brat mastered, which transforms into a humanoid lightning bolt, is frighteningly fast, much faster than Konoha's White Fang's attack just now, leaving him no time to use the Puppet Substitution Technique to quickly relocate with the puppet.

However, as fate would have it, he didn't manage to kill Kirito, but killing Konoha's White Fang was still a good thing. Using an expensive puppet to kill the famous Konoha's White Fang seemed like a very worthwhile deal.

"Even if he doesn't die, he can forget about having all his limbs intact. As long as Konoha's White Fang is dead or crippled, this war won't be considered a loss, and I'll have a good explanation when I go back."

Seeing that Hatake Sakumo was nowhere to be seen among the surrounding enemies, Ebizo finally confirmed that Hatake Sakumo had been tricked, and thought to himself.

He bears enormous responsibility for the Sand Village's defeat here. If he hadn't been able to kill or severely injure Konoha's White Fang today, he would have been completely stripped of his position as battlefield commander, and might even have lost his position as Kazekage's advisor.

Sakumo Hatake's ambush by Ebizo was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Konoha ninja present. Many ninjas who were surrounding Ebizo couldn't help but be distracted to pay attention to the situation of Konoha's White Fang, which made it easier for Ebizo to escape the pursuit.

However, to Ebizo's dismay, Kirito continued his relentless pursuit, closing the distance between them. Meanwhile, Kirito now held a black metal rod in his hand, and as he gripped it tightly, dense electric light covered its surface, with streaks of blue and white lightning flashing across the rod.

Then, something that Ebizo and the other puppeteers hated began to emerge rapidly from the ground and quickly gathered above Kirito's head.

They were truly grains of iron filings, each one resembling a grain of sand.

As Kirito's Lightning Release broke through to level five, he became increasingly adept at using the special Magnet Release formed around Lightning Release.

A powerful magnetic field rapidly expanded from his body, enveloping an area within a kilometer radius. Large amounts of iron sand buried underground responded to his call and rushed out of the ground.

In addition, Kirito was accompanied by two more lifelike humanoid puppets.

One of them was the Raigin puppet wielding a naginata, which was now glowing with a purple light and staring coldly at Ebizo.

Under Kirito's control, dense lightning began to appear on its body.

The other was a handsome black-haired man dressed in black and gold brocade robes. He had his arms crossed and carried three golden spears engraved with numerous sealing spells on his back. He stared calmly ahead, seemingly unmoved by anything.

This is an earth-escape puppet created by Kirito using the Earth Grudge Fear technique. It was created based on the appearance of a powerful emperor who was revered by all people. Kirito calls it the Rock God Puppet.

"That wretched Konoha brat hasn't used Magnet Release ninjutsu yet, he seems to have forgotten he's a Magnet Release ninja! What! That guy isn't dead, and he's not even seriously injured."

Ebizo, relying on his third eye, saw Kirito use Magnet Release ninjutsu to manipulate iron sand and secretly groaned. Then, after seeing the smoke from the explosion disappear and discovering that Sakumo Hatake was still alive, he was greatly shocked.

Before Sakumo Hatake appeared a blood-red wall formed from blood, and a blood-red chakra thread was wrapped around his body.

At the critical moment, Kirito still made his move. He injected the Blood Dragon Eye Chakra into the chakra threads that were secretly wrapped around Sakumo Hatake, and then manipulated the blood on his body to form a thin but exceptionally strong blood wall.

To increase the hardness of the blood wall, he also specially used pale gold sage chakra to strengthen it.

The pale golden Sage Chakra did not disappoint Kirito; consuming it greatly enhanced the Blood Dragon Eye's blood manipulation ability, making objects formed from blood mixed with Blood Dragon Eye's chakra as hard as steel.