Smoke billowed across the village skyline as Shikamaru led the genin through back alleys and lesser-known passages. Buildings crumbled in the distance, punctuated by flashes of light and the unmistakable sounds of jutsu being unleashed. Konoha had become a battleground.

  "Hinata, anything up ahead?" Shikamaru asked, crouching behind a fallen market stall.

  The Hyuga heir's veins bulged around her eyes as she scanned their route. "Three squads of Sound ninja two blocks ahead. They're... they're herding civilians."

  Neji, positioned at the rear, activated his Byakugan as well. "We have movement behind us too. Four signatures, moving fast. Genin-level chakra."

  "This is bad," Shikamaru muttered. "We need to reach those academy students before they're taken from the village."

  "Where's Tenten?" Lee whispered, his normally exuberant voice tight with concern. "She'd never miss something this important."

  "We don't have time to look for her," Sasuke replied. "The village is under attack."

  Sakura put a comforting hand on Lee's shoulder. "I'm sure she's fine. Tenten's too smart to get caught off guard."

  A massive explosion rocked the ground beneath them. Nearby, a three-story building collapsed in on itself, sending a fresh cloud of dust billowing through the streets.

  "They're getting more aggressive," Kiba growled, Akamaru whimpering in agreement from inside his jacket.

  "The longer this goes on, the less they'll care about collateral damage," Shikamaru said. "We need to—"

  "Down!" Neji shouted.

  The genin dropped just as a blade of wind sliced through the air where they'd been standing, cutting clean through a wooden fence behind them.

  Temari landed on a rooftop across the street, her fan fully open. Behind her, Kankuro appeared with Crow perched on his shoulder. Oddly, his second puppet—Raven—was slung across his back, still wrapped in bandages despite the battle raging around them.

  Dosu and Zaku landed on either side of them, completing the ambush.

  "Well, well," Temari called down, a smirk on her face. "Seems like the leaf sends children to do its work."

  "Where do you think you're going?" Zaku raised his palms, the air holes in his hands whistling ominously.

  Shikamaru's mind raced. They didn't have time for this. The academy students were their priority, but they couldn't just ignore this threat either.

  "We'll split up," he whispered to the group. "Four stay behind to handle them, the rest continue the mission."

  "I'll stay," Suigetsu stepped forward, his sharp teeth gleaming as he grinned. "Been wanting a match with these sand puppets."

  "I'll be glad to show you what Crow can do." Kankuro challenged.

  Suigetsu smirked. "Oh I wasn't talking about the wooden ones." That remark got him a growl from both sand siblings.

  Hotaru nodded beside him. "I'll back him up."

  "I can help too," Ino said, though she winced as she shifted her weight. Her earlier fights had taken more out of her than she was letting on.

  "Count me in," Chouji said, loyalty to his teammate evident in his voice.

  Shikamaru hesitated for only a second before nodding. "The rest of us will push through. Catch up when you can."

  Temari launched another wind attack, more powerful than the first. "Enough whispering! Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

  The deadly wind blades swept toward them, but Suigetsu stepped forward, his body partially liquefying as he took the brunt of the attack. The wind cut through his watery form, which immediately began to reconstitute itself.

  "Go!" he shouted.

  The remaining genin bolted, using the momentary confusion to break in different directions, converging again two streets over.

  Dosu tried to intercept them. "Sound Wave—"

  "Expansion Jutsu!" Chouji's enlarged arm swept Dosu backward, slamming him into a wall.

  Zaku aimed at the fleeing genin. "Slicing Sound Wave!"

  Hotaru's hands flashed through seals. "Water Style: Water Wall!"

  A barrier of water erupted between Zaku's attack and the escaping ninja, diffusing the sonic blast. By the time the water fell away, Shikamaru's group had disappeared into the maze of Konoha's streets.

  "Let them go," Kankuro said, surprising his sister. "We can handle these four, then catch up."

  Temari shot him a suspicious look but didn't argue. "Fine. Let's finish this quickly."

  The battle lines had been drawn—four defenders against four attackers, while the fate of the village hung in the balance.

  Suigetsu drew the twin blades from his back, twirling them with expert precision. "You three take the others. The puppet boy is mine."

  Kankuro unwrapped Crow fully, chakra strings extending from his fingertips. "I show you to not underestimate a Suna puppeteer."

  "We'll see about that!" Suigetsu charged, blades flashing in the smoky sunlight.

  Temari swung her fan in a wide arc. "Wind Style: Cast Net!"

  The invisible net of chakra-laced wind spread toward the Leaf genin. Ino dove to the side, while Hotaru countered with another water wall. Chouji simply tanked the attack, his expanded body absorbing the impact.

  Dosu slipped behind Ino as she rolled to her feet. "Remember me?" His melody arm began to vibrate.

  Ino's eyes widened as she realized her position. Before she could react, Dosu unleashed a concentrated sound wave. She barely managed to cover her ears, but the attack still hit, making her vision swim and her balance falter.

  Chouji saw his teammate in trouble. "Ino!" He barreled toward Dosu, his body spinning like a massive boulder. "Human Boulder!"

  Dosu leapt clear, but Chouji's trajectory changed mid-roll, catching the Sound ninja by surprise. The impact sent Dosu flying into a fruit stand, which collapsed around him in a shower of splinters and overripe produce.

  Meanwhile, Hotaru found herself facing off against Zaku. The Sound ninja grinned maliciously.

  "Cute water tricks, but let's see how they hold up against this." He planted his feet and extended both arms. "Extreme Decapitating Air Waves!"

  The devastating twin jets of pressurized air tore through Hotaru's hastily erected water shield, catching her in the blast. She tumbled backward, crashing through an already damaged shop window.

  Suigetsu and Kankuro circled each other warily. Crow hovered between them, its mechanical joints clicking ominously.

  "Why aren't you using your second puppet?" Suigetsu taunted, nodding toward the wrapped bundle on Kankuro's back. "Think you can beat me with just one."

  A flicker of something—concern? anxiety?—crossed Kankuro's face before his puppeteer's mask slid back into place. "Damaged it in my last match. Besides, Crow is more than enough for you."

  Suigetsu bared his pointed teeth. "Now we will see who is the overconfident one!"

  He launched himself forward, blades singing through the air. Crow intercepted, its multiple arms each producing a blade to parry Suigetsu's attack. The sound of metal striking metal rang out in a rapid staccato as Suigetsu pressed his assault.

  Across the impromptu battlefield, Temari had joined forces with Zaku. The Sand kunoichi recognized the tactical advantage of combining their wind-based attacks.

  "On my mark," she called to Zaku, who was pulling himself to his feet after Chouji's near-miss with another human boulder attack. "Three, two, one... Now!"

  "Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

  "Slicing Sound Wave!"

  The two wind attacks merged, creating a devastating maelstrom of cutting air that swept toward Chouji and Ino. Hotaru, still recovering from Zaku's earlier attack, couldn't produce another water wall in time.

  "Partial Expansion Jutsu!" Chouji's arms grew to massive proportions as he shielded Ino with his body. The wind cut into him, slicing through his clothes and into his skin, but he held firm.

  Ino, protected behind Chouji's bulk, formed hand signs. "Mind Transfer—"

  "Look out!" Hotaru's warning came just as Dosu reappeared, his melody arm aimed directly at them.

  The sound wave disrupted Ino's concentration, preventing her from completing the jutsu. Worse, it caught Chouji while he was still expanded, the vibrations traveling through his enlarged body with amplified effect. The Akimichi heir staggered, his jutsu faltering.

  Temari seized the opportunity. "Wind Style: Severing Pressure!"

  A concentrated blade of wind sliced across the battlefield, catching Ino across her thigh as she tried to dodge. She cried out, blood immediately soaking through her purple outfit.

  "Ino!" Chouji lurched toward his injured teammate, only to be caught in another of Dosu's sound attacks.

  Hotaru finally recovered enough to reenter the fight. "Bubble Style: Tiny Bubbles!"

  A swarm of bubbles, each no bigger than a marble, filled the air between them and their attackers. When Zaku fired another air blast at them, the bubbles detonated on contact, creating a series of small explosions that disrupted his attack.

  "Get Ino to cover!" Hotaru called to Chouji as she maintained her bubble shield.

  Meanwhile, Suigetsu was discovering that fighting Kankuro was like fighting three opponents at once—the puppeteer himself, the Crow puppet, and the puppeteer's tricks. Every time he thought he had an opening, another of Crow's hidden weapons would deploy.

  "Stand still, damn it!" Suigetsu growled, his frustration mounting as another water-based attack failed to connect.

  "Not likely," Kankuro replied, his fingers dancing as he controlled Crow. The puppet's chest opened, revealing a collection of senbon that fired in a wide spread.

  Suigetsu didn't bother dodging—the needles passed through his liquefied body with minimal effect. But in focusing on the senbon, he missed the real attack: Crow had detached one of its arms, which circled behind him and delivered a poison-laced slash across his back.

  Suigetsu hissed in pain, his body instinctively solidifying around the wound. "Cheap shot, puppet-boy."

  "All's fair in war," Kankuro replied, though his usual smugness seemed forced. He kept glancing toward the wrapped bundle on his back, as if checking that it remained secure.

  Temari noticed her brother's distraction. "Kankuro! Use Raven! Stop holding back!"

  "I told you, it's damaged!" Kankuro shot back, more heat in his voice than the situation warranted.

  Temari scowled but turned her attention back to her own fights. "Whatever. Just finish this!"

  She swept her fan again, creating another powerful gust that scattered Hotaru's bubbles. Zaku followed up with a directed air blast that caught Hotaru square in the chest, slamming her against a wall with enough force to crack the plaster.

  Across the street, Ino had dragged herself behind an overturned cart, clutching her bleeding leg. The cut was deep—not life-threatening, but certainly enough to take her out of the fight. She fumbled in her pouch for a field bandage, watching the battle continue around her with growing desperation.

  Chouji was fighting defensively now, trying to protect both Hotaru and Ino while battling both Dosu and Zaku. His stamina was impressive, but even he couldn't keep this up indefinitely.

  Ino grimaced as she pressed her back against the overturned cart, blood seeping through her makeshift bandage. Her injury burned, but she forced herself to focus. Her team was losing ground, and she wasn't going to just hide while her friends fought for their lives.

  She peered around the edge of the cart, surveying the battlefield. Chouji was barely holding his own against Dosu and Zaku, while Hotaru struggled against Temari's relentless wind attacks. Suigetsu and Kankuro were locked in their own deadly dance, the puppet master's fingers dancing as he manipulated Crow.

  A plan began to form in her mind. If she could catch Kankuro in her Mind Transfer Jutsu, she could force him to surrender or at least create enough of a distraction for her friends to gain the upper hand.

  Drawing a deep breath, Ino formed the hand signs, ignoring the pain shooting up her leg. She needed a clear sight line, so she dragged herself to the edge of the cart once more.

  "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" she whispered, her consciousness hurtling across the battlefield.

  But as her spirit crossed the distance, Kankuro shifted—a slight, unconscious adjustment as he directed Crow against Suigetsu's latest attack. Ino's jutsu missed him by inches.

  Instead, her consciousness crashed into the wrapped bundle on his back.

  Darkness. Confinement. The smell of metal and poison.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Ino blinked, disoriented. This wasn't Kankuro's body. She was somewhere small, dark, and cramped. As her awareness expanded, she realized with horror where she was—inside the second puppet, Raven.

  But she wasn't alone.

  Ino felt another presence, dormant but unmistakably human. As her consciousness settled, she began to access the sensory input from this new host. The pieces clicked together—there was someone inside the puppet. Someone drugged or unconscious.

  "What the—?" Ino tried to move, but the puppet's compartment was too confined. She twisted, feeling the hidden mechanisms of the puppet's interior. She pushed against a panel, and one of Raven's arms twitched in response.

  Outside, Kankuro felt the movement and faltered mid-attack, nearly losing his control of Crow.

  "No, no, no," he muttered, eyes widening as he felt the unexpected movement from Raven.

  Suigetsu seized the opportunity, landing a solid hit with his blade that Kankuro barely managed to deflect with Crow.

  "What's wrong, puppet-boy? Losing your touch?" Suigetsu taunted, water swirling around his arms as he prepared another attack.

  Meanwhile, across the battlefield, Chouji had reached his limit. His chakra reserves were dangerously low, but he knew he had to try one more all-out attack.

  "This is for Ino!" he shouted, expanding to his full size. "Human Boulder!"

  He launched himself forward, spinning at a terrifying speed. Zaku stood his ground, raising both palms.

  "Extreme Decapitating Airwaves!"

  The blast of air hit Chouji's spinning form, but instead of stopping him, the force merely altered his trajectory. Chouji bounced off a nearby wall, redirecting his attack. Before Zaku could adjust, the massive boulder that was Chouji crashed into him.

  Zaku went down hard, his body creating a small crater in the street. He didn't get up.

  "Got him!" Chouji gasped as he rolled to a stop, his jutsu dissipating.

  But his victory was short-lived. Dosu appeared behind him, melody arm already vibrating.

  "One down," Dosu said coldly, unleashing a concentrated sound wave directly into Chouji's ear.

  The effect was instantaneous. Chouji's eyes rolled back as his inner ear was devastated by the attack. He collapsed, blood trickling from his ears.

  "Chouji!" Hotaru cried out, momentarily distracted.

  Temari capitalized on the opening. "Wind Style: Severing Wind!"

  The attack caught Hotaru across her arm, slicing through her sleeve and into the flesh beneath. She staggered, clutching the wound, but managed to remain standing.

  "Eyes on your own opponent," Temari said coldly, readying her fan for another attack.

  Inside Raven, Ino was fighting her own battle. She pushed against the interior walls, trying to find a release mechanism. As she struggled, she became more aware of the other presence—feminine, familiar somehow.

  "Who is this?" she wondered, reaching deeper into her host's consciousness. Ino gasped as realization struck her. "Tenten!"

  Her shock caused her to lose concentration momentarily. In that instant, she felt Tenten's consciousness stir, responding to her own.

  Outside, Kankuro felt Raven shudder. "Damn it," he hissed, sweat beading on his forehead as he tried to maintain control of both puppets while keeping Raven still.

  Suigetsu noticed his opponent's growing distress. With a predatory grin, he pressed his advantage, forcing Kankuro to focus more attention on controlling Crow.

  "Having trouble?" Suigetsu asked, his blades blurring as he unleashed a series of rapid strikes that Crow could barely parry.

  Across the battlefield, Dosu turned his attention toward Suigetsu, leaving Chouji unconscious on the ground. The Sound ninja raised his melody arm, only for a stream of high-pressure water to slam into his side.

  Hotaru had created a water clone to engage Dosu while she continued to battle Temari. Her divided attention made her water techniques weaker, but it was enough to prevent Dosu from blindsiding Suigetsu.

  "Bubble Style: Acid Burst!" Hotaru called, sending a stream of corrosive bubbles toward Temari.

  The Sand kunoichi countered with a sweep of her fan, scattering the bubbles, but a few made contact with the metal frame of her fan, leaving smoking pits in the surface.

  "You'll pay for that," Temari growled, closing her fan and charging forward, using it as a blunt weapon.

  Hotaru barely managed to form a water shield before Temari's attack connected. The impact still sent her skidding backward, her sandals leaving furrows in the dirt.

  Meanwhile, Dosu squared off against Suigetsu, who had disengaged from Kankuro to meet this new threat. The mist ninja grinned, his sharp teeth gleaming.

  "Heard you like sound waves," Suigetsu said, his body beginning to liquefy. "Wonder how well they travel through water?"

  Dosu scowled beneath his bandages. "Let's find out."

  He launched a sound wave attack, but as he suspected, the vibrations dispersed throughout Suigetsu's liquefied form, causing minimal damage. Suigetsu laughed, the sound bubbling through his watery body.

  "My turn," he said, transforming his arm into a water whip that lashed out at blinding speed.

  Dosu dodged, but Suigetsu was relentless, each attack flowing into the next like a river finding its path.

  Inside Raven, Ino was increasingly desperate. She could feel her real body's weakness from blood loss, and knew she couldn't maintain the jutsu much longer.

  "I need to get out of here," she thought, pushing harder against the puppet's interior.

  She felt something give—a latch or lock disengaging. A thin line of light appeared as one of the puppet's panels loosened.

  Outside, Temari noticed her brother's increasing distress. "Kankuro! What's wrong with you? Help us with these two!"

  "I'm a little busy here!" Kankuro shot back, his concentration split between controlling Crow and preventing Raven from opening.

  Temari cursed under her breath, then performed a series of hand signs. "Wind Style: Wind Current!"

  The technique wasn't offensive, but defensive—it created air currents that lifted her into the air, carrying her to Kankuro's side. Landing beside her brother, she swung her fan in a wide arc that forced Suigetsu to retreat.

  "What's going on with Raven?" she demanded, eyeing the slightly squirming bundle on her brother's back.

  Kankuro didn't answer, his face a mask of concentration as he fought to maintain control.

  Inside the puppet, Ino made her decision. She couldn't hold the jutsu much longer, and she needed to know what was really happening. With a final push against the panel, she released her jutsu.

  "Release!"

  In an instant, her consciousness snapped back to her own body behind the cart. She gasped, the pain in her leg returning in full force. But she had no time to dwell on it—she needed to see what happened next.

  Back at Raven, Tenten's consciousness fully returned as Ino's left. The weapons mistress blinked, disoriented and groggy from the knockout gas, but the adrenaline of finding herself trapped inside a puppet quickly cleared her mind.

  Unlike Ino, Tenten knew Raven's mechanisms intimately—she and Kankuro had spent hours working on the puppet together, improving its design. She knew exactly which panel to push, which wire to pull.

  The compartment door sprung open, and Tenten tumbled out onto the street, landing in a crouch. Her head spun, but her ninja training took over, steadying her as she assessed the situation.

  "Kankuro," she growled, her voice low and dangerous as her eyes found the puppet master.

  Kankuro paled beneath his face paint. "Tenten! I can explain—"

  "You drugged me," she cut him off, her hand reaching for a scroll at her waist. "You stuffed me in your damn puppet!"

  Temari looked between her brother and the Leaf kunoichi, realization dawning. "You've got to be kidding me. This is why you wouldn't use Raven?"

  Kankuro winced. "I was trying to keep her safe."

  "Safe?!" Tenten's voice rose in incredulous anger. "You knocked me out while my village was being attacked!"

  She unrolled her scroll with a practiced flick of her wrist. In a puff of smoke, a metal staff appeared, which she caught and twirled with deadly grace.

  "I trusted you," she said, her voice cracking slightly before hardening again. "Big mistake."

  Kankuro dropped Crow to the ground, raising his hands. "Tenten, please. I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't just let you get caught in the middle of this."

  "In the middle of what, exactly?" Tenten demanded, advancing toward him, staff poised to strike. "What exactly is happening here, Kankuro?"

  Temari stepped between them, her fan raised defensively. "Stand down, weapons girl. This isn't the time for lover's quarrels."

  "Get out of my way, Temari," Tenten said coldly. "This is between me and your brother."

  "Not happening," Temari replied, readying her fan.

  "Fine. I'll go through you first."

  Tenten launched forward, her staff a blur as she engaged Temari. The Sand kunoichi countered with her fan, the metal edges clashing with Tenten's staff in a shower of sparks.

  Meanwhile, Suigetsu had reengaged with Dosu, their battle creating a chaotic counterpoint to Tenten and Temari's duel. Hotaru had moved to check on Chouji and Ino, providing what medical attention she could with her limited knowledge.

  Kankuro stood frozen, watching Tenten battle his sister with a mixture of guilt and admiration. He had never seen her this angry—or this beautiful. Her movements were precise, each strike flowing into the next like water.

  "You brought this on yourself," he muttered, though whether he was speaking to himself or Tenten wasn't clear.

  Taking a deep breath, he raised his hands, chakra strings extending from his fingertips. Crow rose from the ground, its wooden joints clicking as it reentered the fight.

  Tenten saw the movement from the corner of her eye. "Still hiding behind your puppets, Kankuro?"

  "I'm a puppeteer," he replied with forced calm. "It's what I do."

  Tenten's staff whirled through the air, blocking another strike from Temari's fan. The clash of metal echoed down the debris-strewn street as the two kunoichi circled each other. Behind Temari, Kankuro maneuvered Crow back into position, its wooden joints clicking ominously.

  "So this is the kind of man you've been sneaking around with?" Temari called out, her fan snapping open to reveal two purple moons. "One who stuffs girls in puppets when things get complicated?"

  Tenten leaped onto a broken market stall, gaining higher ground. "Didn't realize your brother was such a coward, Temari. Guess it runs in the family."

  Temari's eyes narrowed. "Big words from someone who got taken out by knockout gas."

  "At least I'm fighting my own battles!" Tenten shot back, launching a barrage of kunai from a scroll. "Not hiding behind my siblings!"

  The kunai clattered against Temari's fan as she deflected them. "Says the girl who works with a Hyuga and whatever Lee is."

  Twenty feet away, Kankuro grimaced, his fingers dancing as he controlled both Crow and Raven simultaneously. His face paint couldn't hide the flush creeping up his neck as the two kunoichi continued their battle—and their commentary.

  "I should have known better than to trust a Sand ninja," Tenten snarled, somersaulting over Temari's wind attack and landing on a broken wall. "Especially one who thinks kidnapping is a form of protection."

  "He was trying to keep you out of this mess," Temari countered, though her tone lacked conviction. "Not that you deserve it."

  "Oh please," Tenten scoffed, unleashing another scroll. Weapons materialized in the air around her—sickles, maces, and chains forming a lethal constellation. "Your brother can't even decide which puppet to use in a fight. You think he makes good decisions?"

  Kankuro's eye twitched violently. His fingers jerked, causing Crow to stumble momentarily before righting itself.

  Hotaru seized the opening, her hands flashing through seals. "Water Style: Bubble Cutter!"

  A stream of razor-sharp water bubbles sliced toward Crow, catching the puppet along its left side. Wood splintered, and one of its arms dangled precariously.

  "Damn it!" Kankuro hissed, dividing his attention between the damaged puppet and Raven, which was engaged with Tenten.

  Across the street, Suigetsu pressed his advantage against Dosu, his liquefied arms reforming into blades that forced the Sound ninja to constantly retreat. Dosu's melody arm vibrated continuously, sending out sound waves that rippled harmlessly through Suigetsu's watery form.

  "Not so tough when your sound tricks don't work, huh?" Suigetsu taunted, his sharp teeth gleaming in a predatory smile.

  Dosu backed against a wall, his single visible eye narrowing in calculation. "Every technique has its weaknesses."

  With his free hand, he reached into his pouch and withdrew a small vial filled with swirling, opalescent liquid. The contents pulsed with an unnatural light, almost as if alive.

  Suigetsu paused, his instincts warning him of danger. "What's that supposed to be?"

  "Insurance," Dosu replied, uncorking the vial with his thumb. Without hesitation, he downed the contents in a single gulp.

  For a moment, nothing happened. Then Dosu's body convulsed, his back arching in what appeared to be agony. His bandages stretched as something beneath them shifted and changed.

  Suigetsu took a cautious step back. "What the hell..."

  The air around Dosu began to distort, sound waves emanating from his body in visible ripples. His melody arm vibrated so intensely it blurred, the metal reflecting the sun in strobing flashes.

  With a snarl, Dosu launched himself at Suigetsu, moving with newfound speed. His melody arm struck, and this time, the sound waves didn't pass harmlessly through Suigetsu's water form. Instead, they seemed to resonate with the water molecules themselves, causing painful vibrations throughout his body.

  Suigetsu howled, his form destabilizing. "What did you do?"

  "Adapted," Dosu replied, his voice deeper, more resonant. "Let's take this somewhere with better acoustics."

  He leaped onto a rooftop, then another, drawing the fight away from the main street. Suigetsu followed, his watery form resolidifying as he pursued his prey, now turned predator.

  Their battle drifted toward the more abandoned section of town, the sounds of their clashes fading into the distance—Dosu's amplified sound waves versus Suigetsu's increasingly silent attacks as he adopted the mist's silent killing technique.

  Back on the main street, Temari found herself backed into a corner—literally. Tenten had maneuvered her into a narrow alley between two buildings, deliberately limiting the effectiveness of Temari's fan. The confined space meant Temari couldn't generate the sweeping wind currents that made her so dangerous in open areas.

  "What's wrong, Temari?" Tenten called from her perch on a fire escape above. "Not enough room to swing that oversized fan?"

  Temari gritted her teeth. "I don't need my fan to deal with you."

  She collapsed the weapon and used it as a staff, striking upward at the fire escape's supports. Metal groaned, but held.

  Tenten saw her opportunity. She released a scroll that had been hidden behind her back, biting her thumb and smearing blood across the paper. "Rising Twin Dragons!"

  Twin columns of smoke spiraled upward, materializing into a storm of weapons that rained down into the alley. Temari deflected the first wave with her fan, but the narrow space left her nowhere to dodge. A barrage of kunai tore through her sleeve, drawing blood, while a chained mace wrapped around her fan, yanking it from her grasp.

  Disarmed and bleeding from multiple cuts, Temari found herself staring up at Tenten, who had landed at the alley entrance, blocking her escape.

  "Your brother might be a backstabbing puppet master," Tenten said, twirling a kunai between her fingers, "but at least he's smart enough to know when he's beaten."

  Temari's eyes flicked to the side, calculating an escape route.

  "Don't," Tenten warned, raising a scroll threateningly. "I've got enough weapons in here to turn this alley into a pincushion."

  After a tense moment, Temari raised her hands. "Fine. You win this round, weapons girl."

  She slumped against the wall, glaring venomously but making no move to continue the fight.

  Tenten backed away cautiously, her gaze already shifting to where Kankuro battled Hotaru near the main street.

  Hotaru was holding her own against Kankuro's divided attention, her water techniques keeping Crow at bay while she dodged Raven's attacks. Bubble jutsu after bubble jutsu peppered Crow's frame, each hit causing more damage to the already compromised puppet.

  "Water Style: Water Bullet!" Hotaru called, spitting a concentrated stream of water that punched through Crow's chest cavity.

  The puppet shuddered, its movements becoming erratic as water damaged its internal mechanisms. Kankuro cursed, sweat beading on his forehead as he tried to maintain control. Finally, with a series of clicks and a shower of splinters, Crow collapsed to the ground, its chakra strings severed.

  "Got one!" Hotaru exclaimed, turning her attention to Raven.

  But the momentary victory left her exposed. Raven swooped in from behind, its hidden blade extending from its wrist. Hotaru sensed the attack too late, twisting to avoid a fatal strike but unable to completely dodge. The blade slashed across her back, cutting deep enough to draw blood but not deep enough to disable her.

  She staggered, forming hand signs for another water technique. "Bubble Style: Defensive—"

  Before she could complete the jutsu, Raven's second attack came—a spray of senbon from its mouth. The needles struck with precision, hitting pressure points along Hotaru's arms and legs. The young kunoichi's eyes widened in surprise before her limbs went numb, her body crumpling to the ground.

  "Utakata-sama... I'm sorry," she whispered as consciousness faded.

  Kankuro didn't waste time celebrating the victory. He immediately redirected Raven to face the approaching threat—Tenten, who had just dispatched his sister and now advanced on him with cold determination in her eyes.

  "Just you and me now, puppet boy," she called, unfurling another scroll. "One puppet against my arsenal. Like those odds?"

  Kankuro positioned Raven between them, its mechanisms clicking as hidden compartments opened, revealing poisoned blades and senbon launchers. His face remained impassive, but the rapid twitching of his fingers betrayed his mounting frustration and nerves.

  "Nothing to say?" Tenten pressed, stopping ten paces away. "No clever excuse for drugging me? For stuffing me in that thing like luggage?"

  She pointed at Raven with her staff, her knuckles white around the metal shaft. "I helped you build that puppet, Kankuro. I showed you how to improve the poison delivery system. I gave you the specs for those launchers. And this is how you repay me?"

  For a moment, the battlefield fell silent. Even the distant sounds of the larger invasion seemed muted, as if the world held its breath for Kankuro's response.

  But the puppet master remained silent, his dark eyes fixed on Tenten as he positioned Raven for attack. Whatever justifications or apologies he might have offered remained unspoken, locked behind tightly pressed lips.

  Tenten's eyes hardened. "Fine. Have it your way."

  She raised her scroll, ready to unleash her weapons. Raven's arms extended, blades gleaming with poison. The two weapons specialists faced each other across the rubble-strewn street, former allies now enemies, their respective arsenals poised for destruction.

  The confrontation that had been building since Tenten tumbled from Raven's compartment was about to begin.