Sasori may have seemed arrogant, intimidating the combined Hidden Leaf and Rock Hidden forces single-handedly, but in truth, he never let his guard down, always wary of a potential ambush from the allied shinobi.
So when Shinji leaped forward, his sudden move wasn't entirely unexpected.
On the contrary, the seasoned Sasori had already laid numerous traps across the battlefield before the allied forces arrived, just waiting for someone to take the bait!
Thus, the moment Shinji lunged toward Sasori—
Swish, swish, swish.
From beneath the battlefield's surface, a swarm of pre-hidden puppets sprang up, attacking Shinji!
These puppets were not only numerous but varied in their methods.
Some lashed out with metal whips, others fired senbon glinting with dark, ominous light, and some hurled kunai wrapped with explosive tags toward Shinji.
There were even puppets forming hand seals, unleashing ninjutsu at him!
Attacks from all directions, varied and relentless, enveloped Shinji, transforming the once-calm battlefield into a deadly trap in an instant.
"Hmph!"
Sasori's lips curled into a smirk.
From a distance, Juzo Biwa laughed. "Itachi, these Uchiha kids of yours sure can't keep their cool!"
Deidara shook his head. "Big Bro Sasori's too sneaky, hm!"
Itachi remained silent, but his gaze stayed fixed on Shinji.
On the allied forces' side—
Kakashi's expression shifted dramatically. He had anticipated hidden dangers on this seemingly calm battlefield, but he never imagined Sasori had concealed so many puppets!
"Shinji, be careful!"
Yakumo and Neji cried out in unison.
The battlefield was littered with wounded Sand Hidden shinobi, many of whom were puppeteers, leaving countless puppets scattered across the field. This cluttered environment masked Sasori's traps, fooling even their dojutsu and preventing them from detecting the hidden puppets in advance.
Clearly, Sasori had extensive experience dealing with Bloodline Limit dojutsu users, knowing exactly how to use the battlefield to confuse them!
"This is bad!"
In his urgency, Sasuke instinctively tried to rush out to rescue Shinji.
But as soon as he took a step, his body faltered, and he collapsed. His current condition clearly wouldn't allow him to fight again.
Swish, swish.
Amid the allied forces' collective gasps, two figures fearlessly leaped forward, charging onto the battlefield.
The crowd saw that these two, who rushed in without hesitation, were none other than Shinji's teammates, Haku and Karin!
Without a doubt, while others hesitated in fear, Haku and Karin acted in perfect sync. Exposing their identities might earn them punishment from their leader, but letting Shinji face danger alone was something they could never accept.
Even if it meant revealing themselves, in that moment, they chose to act without hesitation!
On the battlefield—
Facing the sudden onslaught of puppets, Shinji remained unfazed.
Not only had he mentally prepared for an ambush before charging in, but his "killing intent perception" constantly alerted him to the hidden dangers lurking beneath the calm battlefield!
With a tap of his toes, he leaped into the air, dodging the razor-sharp wires skimming the ground. His three-tomoe Sharingan darted left and right, assessing the sequence of each wave of attacks.
Then, his left hand drew a kunai from his ninja pouch, parrying a puppet's slashing blade mid-air. Immediately after, his right hand unleashed a Rasengan, blasting it into the puppet's abdomen.
Boom.
With a resounding explosion, the blade-wielding puppet shattered mid-air under the Rasengan's force, its parts scattering like petals across the battlefield!
Swish, swish, swish.
The second and third waves of attacks came as expected!
Tapping the ground again to leap upward, Shinji activated the Seventh Form of the Twelve Palaces, "Shrink Step," using speed to outmaneuver his foes. In an instant, he closed in on a bulky puppet, striking its critical joints with heavy blows to disable it, then used it as a shield to block attacks from the right.
Clang, clang, clang.
A crisp sound rang in his ears as the senbon from the right, as predicted, were blocked by the puppet in his grasp.
Next, Shinji swung the puppet to his left to block attacks from that side. His free hand swiftly drew several shuriken from his pouch and threw them.
Boom, boom.
The next second, explosions roared!
Shinji used the puppet to block the kunai wrapped with explosive tags from the left. Though the tags detonated, their power was far weaker than expected.
This was because Shinji's precisely thrown shuriken had sliced the explosive tags into pieces before they detonated. While this didn't prevent the explosion, it significantly reduced its force, allowing the puppet in his hand to fully withstand the blast.
Using the explosion's shockwave, Shinji retreated slightly, naturally creating distance from the next wave of attacking puppets.
Then, with relentless taijutsu, he took down the approaching puppets one by one, effortlessly breaking through the multi-puppet assault.
He landed, then leaped again.
In the process, Shinji's hands rapidly formed seals, completing two ninjutsu in succession. He shouted lightly, "Fire Release: Majestic Flame Destroyer! Wind Release: Great Shockwave!"
The fire fueled by the wind roared!
In an instant, flames lit up half the sky, overpowering the Wind Release, Water Release, and Fire Release ninjutsu unleashed by several distant puppets!
Whoosh.
Almost in sync with the combined wind-and-fire ninjutsu, Shinji's body shot out from the dazzling sea of flames, finally reaching Sasori.
The complex sequence of maneuvers had unfolded in mere moments!
From Sasori triggering his puppet traps to Shinji breaking through, the entire process took only a few leaps and a handful of breaths!
"You!?"
Sasori's composed expression finally gave way to shock.
Shinji wasted no words. With a spinning kick, he struck Sasori's blocking arms, sending him flying. At the same time, his right hand swiftly snatched the Fourth Kazekage from Sasori's grasp.
As Sasori flew backward, the shock on his face turned to disbelief. Upon landing, his expression darkened rapidly. "You little brat!"
At that moment, Haku and Karin landed on either side of Shinji.
Their intent had been to aid Shinji, but they hadn't expected that by the time they reached the battlefield, Shinji would not only have broken through the puppet traps but also rescued the Fourth Kazekage—all at an astonishing speed!
Whoosh, whoosh.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept across the grassland, its howling drowning out all other noise.
Standing in the wind, Shinji brushed back his wind-tousled hair, then casually tossed the Fourth Kazekage to Haku. "Take the Kazekage back."