050 Reborn as the Third Kazekage

"Hmm, these three little brats are surprisingly skilled—they actually forced me to deploy four puppets!" Akasuna Hideki clicked her tongue in silent admiration. This was nearing her limit.

At this moment, Hidan was still locked in combat with "White". However, White no longer retained its initial intimidating aura. Its hat had been knocked off, its pristine white robes were in tatters, the mourning staff in its hand had been broken in half, and its body was covered in scars.

As for "Black", it wasn't in much better shape. Its entire outfit had been corroded by Boil Release, leaving its wooden frame exposed. The soul-reaping chain it held had lost its metallic sheen, and it would clearly need a good polish—or even replacement—after this battle.

The "Horse Face" puppet, meanwhile, was unscathed, still bound tightly to the flagpole by crystalline coils. Suzuya didn't seem inclined to release it anytime soon. After all, the fewer active puppets on the battlefield, the more advantageous it was for their flag-capture team. Whatever material those blue crystals were made of, they completely immobilized Horse Face.

Currently, the puppet facing off against Suzuya was Akasuna Hideki's most offensively inclined battle puppet. The puppet charged fearlessly into Suzuya's Crystal Release attacks, meeting them head-on with its horns. The two were evenly matched, with neither gaining the upper hand.

Akasuna Hideki hesitated as she pulled out her last scroll, debating whether to deploy her remaining two puppets. A puppet master's strength was often measured by how many puppets they could control simultaneously. The strongest in Sunagakure was her grandmother, Chiyo, who could control ten puppets at once. Her husband, Akasuna Kaiki, was next in line, capable of commanding eight. Hideki ranked third, able to manipulate six puppets. But was it really necessary to use the Six-Finger Technique against three kids who had just graduated from the Academy?

The way these three performed had already impressed her. She even felt they were close to chunin-level, lacking only real combat experience and refined techniques. Given time, these three could become great shinobi.

With that thought, Hideki tucked the last scroll back into her robe, deciding, Four puppets will do. If they can overcome this, they'll pass.

Just as the battle seemed locked in a stalemate, Hidan broke through.

Leaping back from the fray, he tossed aside his triple-bladed scythe and pulled out a pair of Damascus steel knuckles from his pouch. (As a disciple of the Kazekage, his gear was naturally top-notch.) Sliding the knuckles onto his hands, he grinned and said:

"Akasuna-sensei, I'm sorry, but the sun's about to set, and I need to get home for dinner. No hard feelings. Eight Gates: First Gate—Open!"

"Second Gate—Rest Gate—Open!"

"Third Gate—Life Gate—Open!"

"Fourth Gate—Wound Pain—Open!"

Hidan's chakra flared violently, his face turning as red as a ripe date, his eyes blazing like lightning. His chakra surged, swirling around him like a storm.

"Ahhh!" With a shout, Hidan disappeared in a blur, moving too fast for the naked eye. His fists rained down like hailstones on White! Initially, White could still raise its arms to block, but within moments, its limbs were shattered.

Hidan's movements were invisible, leaving only afterimages and the sound of relentless blows—like a woodcutter at work. Before long, the wooden puppet was reduced to nothing but fragments.

Before Akasuna Hideki could react, Hidan dashed to the flagpole in a flash. With a powerful roundhouse kick, he struck the pole.

Crash! The ten-meter-tall flagpole fell with a resounding crack.

Panting heavily, Hidan struggled to tear the flag free, then raised it triumphantly toward Akasuna Hideki—only to collapse on the spot.

Without a word, Suzuya rushed to his side and placed her hands on his chest, channeling Medical Ninjutsu.

"No major issues, just the side effects of the technique. He's completely drained," she explained. (After all, Hidan was still young and far from his future infamous self—passing out was only natural.)

Hearing this, Hideki breathed a sigh of relief.

A short while later, Hidan groggily woke up, proudly waving the red flag to show off.

"You reckless kid! Opening four gates at once—of course you'd pass out," Hideki scolded, her voice tinged with familiarity. She had fought alongside Might Duy.

Looking at the ruined White, she sighed. "Completely destroyed… Oh well, I'll salvage what I can and rebuild later."

Pulling out another scroll, she summoned two towering puppets. One wore golden armor, wielding a massive battle axe. The other donned silver armor, holding a monk's staff.

Monk strode over to Horse Face and shattered the crystal coils with a single strike, reducing them to powder. Golden, meanwhile, carefully gathered White's remnants, sealing them into an empty scroll.

The display made it clear to Hidan and his teammates that Hideki had been holding back. If she had deployed all six puppets, they would have stood no chance.

"Alright, to celebrate your official graduation as shinobi, dinner's on me. Let's go for hot pot!"

"Awesome!"

...

"Unbelievable! How did you manage to catch him?" Arashi marveled at the figure trapped in a leather cocoon, suspended mid-air. It was none other than White Zetsu.

"This? It's a treasure from the Tomb. If I hadn't brought it along, he would've escaped. Once trapped in this, though, not even a god could break free!" Hokuto declared smugly.

"Impressive. Really impressive. I'll make sure the chicken blood tofu is on the house tonight," Arashi said, giving Hokuto a thumbs-up.

"So, what do we do with this guy?" Tsunade asked, eyeing White Zetsu with thinly veiled excitement.

"What, you want to dissect him? Hold on. Let me interrogate him first," Arashi replied, pulling out a notebook.

"By the way, does this handwriting look like Uchiha Madara's?"