Naruto: Reborn with the Tenseigan

However, before they could react, dozens of puppets, like ghosts, charged towards them.

Kitsuchi yelled, "Everyone be careful! The enemy's puppets are coming!"

The humanoid puppets were equipped with kunai—the standard weapon. Kunai was cheap, which made it the perfect fit for these humanoid puppets. As for other weapons, Takashi was reluctant to give these puppets anything better.

After all, they were disposable. No need to waste extra resources.

"Die!!!"

An Iwagakure shinobi gripped his kunai tightly and clashed with one of the leading puppets. As their kunai collided, the Iwagakure shinobi was taken aback by the puppet's immense strength. The force caused him to stagger back several steps, whereas the puppet was unfazed. It swiftly advanced, its kunai piercing straight through the shinobi's chest.

Without any hesitation, the puppet moved on to the next target.

"Defend! Defend!!"

The battlefield descended into chaos as the puppets charged without any regard for their own safety, furiously attacking the surrounding enemies. They didn't seem to care if they got damaged or destroyed.

The most troublesome part was that even if their heads were severed, the puppets could still wield their weapons and deliver a deadly strike.

The battle immediately turned one-sided, which Kitsuchi had not anticipated. As he raised his hands to perform seals, he watched as the puppets charged towards the densest group of shinobi, cursing before charging with his kunai.

A giant eagle landed on a small hill. On that small hill, a rock was pushed aside, and Orochimaru, carrying Jiraiya and supporting Sakumo Hatake, emerged.

"Did I come at the right time?"

"Just in time."

Orochimaru smiled as he tossed Jiraiya onto the eagle's back, relieved.

"I was just hoping it would work, and surprisingly, I managed to contact you through the puppet. You can remotely control these puppets, right?"

"That's why you're Orochimaru." Takashi chuckled, giving Orochimaru a thumbs-up.

Orochimaru's skill in research was indeed formidable.

"Hahaha."

Receiving such praise, even Orochimaru couldn't help but smile.

"Quit laughing. The enemy is closing in."

Takashi had only deployed a few dozen puppets. Although these puppets fought fearlessly, Iwagakure had a large number of shinobi, and their cooperation quickly neutralized the puppets one by one.

Moreover, the puppets Takashi had deployed were just inferior models.

The damage this batch could do to the enemy was limited.

Takashi helped Sakumo Hatake sit on the eagle's back and then looked at Orochimaru. "Want to see a 'Fairy Scatter Flowers'?"

"???"

Fairy Scatter Flowers?

What did that mean? It was an unfamiliar term.

Orochimaru was puzzled, and both Jiraiya and Sakumo Hatake were equally bewildered.

"Surround them!"

Kitsuchi was determined not to let them escape when they were so close.

"Takashi, just release more puppets and get them! Release them already!"

Jiraiya shouted, panicking.

Takashi rolled his eyes at him and ignored his plea. He raised his right hand, placing his thumb and middle finger together. Smiling, he glanced at Kitsuchi, "Hope you enjoy my gift."

"???"

What does that mean?

How can he still smile while surrounded?

This kid who appeared out of nowhere doesn't really think he can escape the battlefield with just a bird, does he?

"Boom!"

Smirking, Takashi snapped his fingers.

As the snap echoed, the puppets, which had already been dismembered, suddenly began to glow faint blue.

Not good!

Seeing this, Kitsuchi's eyelids twitched. A number of Iwagakure shinobi were still in the vicinity of the puppets. If these puppets were set to explode, then...

"BOOM!!!"

In the next instant, Kitsuchi's fears were realized. One by one, the puppets erupted like bombs, triggering massive explosions.

From the moment the puppets started glowing to their detonation, less than two seconds had passed. Kitsuchi had no time to warn his shinobi to brace themselves and could only watch as his comrades screamed and were blasted into the air.

Those lucky enough to be flung away escaped, while those less fortunate were blown to pieces, their bodies scattered beyond recognition.

The explosion of the puppets had a far greater impact than explosive tags.

The loud booms of explosions echoed across the field, leaving Kitsuchi in a daze. He couldn't believe what he was seeing—these puppets were rigged to explode?

These puppets were different from anything he had seen before.

Wait... that boy standing on the eagle, the one who came to save them, wasn't controlling the puppets directly. Could these puppets act independently?

As Kitsuchi grasped the enormity of the secret he had stumbled upon, his face turned pale.

The explosions were still ongoing. Those who had not been caught in the blast stood there, shocked. None of them had expected the disabled puppets to still be capable of such powerful self-destruction.

At this point, nobody was even paying attention to Takashi and the others anymore.

Unhurriedly, Takashi controlled the eagle to ascend into the sky, quickly leaving the battlefield behind.

They can actually explode?

Orochimaru was stunned, unable to comprehend why the puppets had detonated. He had previously disassembled Takashi's puppets for research, and the dismantled ones had shown no signs of explosion.

Were there two different types of puppets?

No, no, no, they must be the same type—Takashi could control these puppets to self-destruct.

Thinking about how he had studied these puppets without any precautions, Orochimaru broke out in a cold sweat. If the puppet had suddenly exploded while he was engrossed in studying it, he, Orochimaru, would have been skinned alive if not killed outright.

"Gulp..."

Watching the devastation below, Sakumo Hatake spoke weakly, "Takashi, can I learn how to make puppets too?"

Damn!

With puppets like these, who would ever want to throw themselves into the front lines of a battle?

In battle, just sending the puppets forward was enough. Even if the puppets were defeated, they'd still explode, making them an absolute killer move that would leave enemies trembling.

The puppets' fighting style was all about recklessness—they had no fear of death. But for the enemy, it was different.

The enemy had to fight cautiously, constantly on guard, while the puppets fought fearlessly without any regard for themselves. They were ready to drag their enemies down with them in an explosion at any moment.

"Cough, count me in too."

Jiraiya said with a grin, which irritated his wounds, causing blood to seep from the corners of his mouth.

"Forget it. This is a unique secret technique—not for sharing. You two should stop dreaming about it."

Many secret techniques weren't meant to be shared. Most ninja clans had their own family secrets.

Even if they were shared, it didn't mean others could learn them.

Jiraiya grimaced in pain, but he didn't care about that—instead, he was interested in Takashi's puppets.

"Orochimaru said you have at least several hundred puppets at the level of a jonin—is that true?"

You said even that?

Takashi gave Orochimaru a sidelong glance before answering Jiraiya's question:

"It's a rough comparison. In reality, they're not as powerful as a jonin. Unless I'm controlling them personally, any competent jonin-level shinobi could easily take down my puppets."