Tatsumi lowered his body and moved swiftly.
The Sand ninja captain was momentarily confused. The Konoha kids didn't retreat—instead, they charged straight at them.
Why? Why would a Chunin and three Genin rush into a direct confrontation?
He quickly realized the reason: their speed was simply too fast.
That was his first impression.
But Tatsumi could go even faster.
When he was still a dozen meters away, chakra burst out from beneath his feet, and his movement speed soared instantly.
This was the advantage of lightning-style chakra enhancing cell activity. Tatsumi's attack rhythm shifted in a flash, catching the enemy completely off guard.
Then, with a flicker of his Sharingan, a genjutsu was cast—targeting the puppeteer in his twenties.
The suddenness of Tatsumi's strike left the enemy frozen. Caught in the illusion, he couldn't even raise a defense. As Tatsumi closed in, he launched upward from his low stance. Just as his kunai was about to stab into the puppeteer's head, the Sand ninja captain yanked his subordinate away.
Without missing a beat, the captain completed a rapid series of hand seals. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Ball!"
A massive blast of wind, powered by concentrated chakra, formed immediately. After leveling several large trees in its path, it roared toward Tatsumi.
Wind Release, huh?
But Tatsumi had already predicted this move.
The destructive power of the A-rank Great Breakthrough Ball was comparable to a natural disaster. Tatsumi leapt high into the air, evading the devastating blast. The wind shredded the trees below him and continued toward his airborne figure.
However, it hit nothing but an afterimage. Tatsumi had vanished.
Body Flicker Technique!
From high above, Tatsumi dropped like a thunderbolt. A kunai glinted in his right hand. Upon landing, his left foot slammed into the ground, and lightning flared around his body. In the blink of an eye, he launched the second stage of acceleration—like an arrow loosed from a bow—rushing toward the Sand ninja captain.
Meanwhile, the three subordinates were already entangled in battle with Mikoto, Minato, and Nawaki.
"Good. Haha, good!"
The Sand ninja's muscles bulged as he charged forward, not bothering to dodge. He met Tatsumi's attack head-on, hurling a fist straight at him.
This punch carried speed, weight, and brutal power.
If taijutsu were categorized into Gentle Fist and Strong Fist, this was undoubtedly the latter. While Gentle Fist was subtle and elegant, Strong Fist was direct and violent—its goal was simple: blow your head off.
Fast, accurate, and ruthless—this best described Tatsumi's attack.
Tatsumi wasn't a strength-based ninja. His body hadn't undergone the insane, long-term conditioning like Might Guy's. Naturally, his raw taijutsu power couldn't match that kind of monster.
The enemy assumed as much. But just in case, the captain layered his arm with an earth-style chakra coating, forming a defensive armor.
By his estimate, his earth-armored fist should easily withstand Tatsumi's attack. Even if Tatsumi used a kunai, it shouldn't be able to pierce it.
But Tatsumi didn't need to pierce anything.
He had Super Strength—why bother piercing?
This was the first time someone dared to meet his fist head-on. Maybe the captain was overconfident in his status as a Jonin… or just looked down on Tatsumi's age.
In the next instant, before the captain could react, their fists collided.
With a shattering sound like breaking glass, the earth-style armor crumbled.
A shockwave of force surged through the captain's arm. It felt like he'd punched a steel wall. The next thing he knew, his body flew through the air like a kite with a snapped string. Blood sprayed from his mouth as agony ripped through his arm.
Tatsumi, unfazed and efficient, immediately turned toward the puppeteer.
"Chidori Sharp Spear."
A spear of lightning shot forth, slicing through the chakra threads between the puppeteer and his puppet. The connection was severed, relieving Nawaki from pressure.
Tatsumi's speed surged again. Using Body Flicker, he closed in fast. Leaping upward, he delivered a crushing kick to the back of the puppeteer's neck.
The enemy slammed into the ground with tremendous force—then rebounded from the impact.
The soil offered little to no resistance against Tatsumi's explosive power.
That single blow wouldn't kill, but it was enough to render the puppeteer unable to fight.
Tatsumi turned his focus elsewhere—there were still enemies to deal with.
Nawaki, meanwhile, stood behind the downed puppeteer.
He might not have lightning-style boosts like Tatsumi, but he made up for it with sheer brutality.
As the enemy was still mid-air from the rebound, Nawaki arrived just in time.
He added a kick to the man's head.
Then another.
One step, two steps.
One kick, two kicks.
Rubbing, rubbing—
This is the devil's step.
This is the devil's step!
Finally, under Nawaki's relentless assault, the puppeteer was very much dead.
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