Kurumi was very close to the fish-type puppet. Seeing her teammate risk his life to pin it down, she rushed forward, her kunai stabbing repeatedly, dismantling the puppet's vital joints with surgical precision.
But when she tried to save her teammate, she saw a face twisted in extreme terror, ferocity, and resentment.
She flinched. Why did he have such an expression?
By the time she reached him again, he was already dead.
Why?
Kurumi had initially thought he had charged forward with fearless courage, but why would a brave man die with a face like that? He looked like the enemy ninja she had seen being executed by the Interrogation Department.
At that moment, several splashes echoed.
The Sand ninja on the trestle had discovered the Leaf ninja beneath the water and were diving into the sea.
Yagami slapped an explosive tag onto the underside of the trestle above his head, dove deep, and was the first to detonate.
No one understood the art of "slacking off" better than Yagami. He used the cover of the explosion to disengage from the combat and dove toward the seabed.
From the depths, Yagami saw the surface illuminated by firelight, and he also saw shadows spreading out like tentacles.
The Shadow Secret Technique of the Nara clan was unfurling across the surface of the sea.
In the dead of night, the shadows seemed to extend endlessly, merging with the darkness.
A shadow snaked along the water, heading straight for the back of Kurumi's head.
Kurumi's head jerked; she was under the control of the shadow.
Nara Mi and Kurumi swam in parallel toward the side. Nara Mi escaped the encirclement, while Kurumi was moved directly into the center of it.
Nara Mi raised his hand; Kurumi followed suit.
Kurumi pressed an explosive tag against the trestle. Her eyes were wide with terror, just like her recently deceased teammate.
She could see four or five dark figures swimming toward her from beneath the water!
Yet she continued to place the explosive tags, her body completely beyond her control.
An octopus-type puppet lunged beneath Kurumi. Each of its tentacles was composed of puppet joints, ending in sharp spikes.
The spiked tentacles coiled toward Kurumi from several directions.
Kurumi was small; she was about to be swallowed by the tentacles.
Just then, a violent surge of Water Style erupted beside her.
Water Style: Water Encampment Wall!
Yagami adjusted his chakra, creating a circular water wall around Kurumi.
The wall sent the octopus puppet flying, and more importantly, the turbulent current broke the connection of the shadow.
Kurumi regained control of her body. After a moment's hesitation, she prepared to detonate the tags first.
The chance to complete the mission was right in front of her. Her instinct was to stake her life on it.
This was a golden opportunity; with the circular water wall surrounding her, no Sand ninja could interfere with her for the moment.
However, a great force grabbed her ankle and yanked her deep into the water.
The moment she submerged, a violent explosion rocked the surface.
Nara Mi hadn't cared about Kurumi's safety at all; he had detonated the tags from a distance.
Another massive hole appeared in the stone trestle.
In the seawater, Kurumi felt a bone-chilling coldness.
The ruthless Captain Nara Mi, the freezing water, and the person who had pulled her down—friend or foe, she didn't know—all filled her with despair.
Why had the battle turned out like this?
She had long been prepared to sacrifice herself for the Leaf. In her imagination, the entire squad should have worked as one, recklessly blowing up the trestle together.
Seeing Kurumi frozen in shock, Yagami reached out and grabbed her round face, giving it a firm shake.
Kurumi finally snapped out of it. The person who pulled her down probably wasn't a Sand ninja, or she would be dead by now.
Was it Fujikita?
It was too dark underwater to see anything.
Yagami dispersed his chakra into the sea to sense his surroundings. There were two Sand ninja and two puppets nearby.
In the dark depths, he formed a seal, using the Binding Seal.
The enemies rushing toward them were instantly locked by the sealing formula, unable to move.
Yagami pushed Kurumi toward the surface while he quickly finished off the underwater ninja and puppets.
When Kurumi broke the surface, she stared at Nara Mi.
Nara Mi was floating nearby, his face submerged below the nose, leaving only his eyes visible, staring back at Kurumi with equal intensity.
Kurumi felt a deeper chill.
The Shadow Imitation Jutsu lunged again.
She was controlled by her captain once more.
Nara Mi might not be able to control the Sand ninja, but could he not control a newly promoted Chunin?
During a mission last month, after seeing the Sand's puppets, Nara Mi had a brilliant idea.
He could use his Shadow Secret Technique to control his teammates; they would be his puppets.
Nara Mi named this technique: Shadow Puppet Jutsu.
Teammates were much more useful than wooden puppets.
Under the manipulation of the Shadow Imitation, Kurumi turned and charged toward the support pillar of the trestle.
If this pillar was destroyed, the trestle would be completely unusable for a long time.
Kurumi's body acted against her will, slapping the explosive tags onto the pillar.
Her heart was filled with desolation.
Before the battle started, Nara Mi had given her ten explosive tags. She had thanked the "generous" Captain Nara Mi from the bottom of her heart, thinking he was looking out for her.
Only now did she realize it was because Nara Mi didn't want to put himself in danger; he intended to use her to complete the task.
As she neared the pillar, two dark shapes swam toward her. She couldn't tell if they were ninja or puppets.
Suddenly, the pressure behind her vanished.
The Shadow Imitation Jutsu had disappeared?!
Kurumi looked back and saw only a series of ripples where Nara Mi had been.
He was gone, seemingly dragged underwater by a Sand ninja.
Kurumi hurriedly dodged the surrounding Sand ninja.
Yagami had slipped into a broken half of the fish puppet, pushing it to swim rapidly. He drove the sharp spikes on the puppet's dorsal fin deep into Nara Mi's abdomen.
Nara Mi, preoccupied with controlling Kurumi, had his abdomen pierced and was dragged down into the sea.
Anguish filled Nara Mi's heart. The Shadow Puppet Jutsu shared the same flaw as puppetry: the user's main body was the greatest weakness.
He had actually died at the hands of his own Shadow Puppet Jutsu...
Yagami reached Kurumi's side and saved her once again.
Floating to the surface, Yagami said, "Kurumi, you place the explosive tags, I'll clear out the Sand ninja!"
Hearing this, Kurumi continued to plaster the pillar with tags.
Yagami killed two more Sand ninja in the depths.
The two dove together as the pillar blew apart. Mission accomplished.
Yagami grabbed Kurumi and swam toward the shore.
The trestle was now a ruin.
With two large holes and a destroyed support pillar, they had fulfilled their objective.
The surrounding battles were equally fierce.
At a neighboring trestle, several Leaf ninja used Fire Style together, incinerating a twenty-meter-tall ship.
The fighting near the warehouses on the docks was also intense.
Some Leaf squads were running on water, charging toward other ships anchored in the shallow flats.
The Leaf's surprise attack had caught the Sand completely off guard; the Leaf held the advantage everywhere.
After observing the battlefield, Yagami said:
"Kurumi, you're a Chunin and I'm a Genin. Since Captain Nara Mi has sacrificed himself, you are now the acting squad leader. Tell me, what should we do next?"
Kurumi's eyes glazed over for a moment. Nara Mi had controlled her several times to perform the most dangerous tasks.
Nara Mi had calculated everything, only to die at the hands of the Sand.
Could his death even be called a sacrifice...
"We find the Unit Leader and get a new assignment!"
Yagami nodded repeatedly. Though small in stature, Kurumi possessed immense courage. Having just survived a life-or-death struggle, she was already ready to dive into the next.
Kurumi charged ahead of Yagami. Bringing up the rear, Yagami fended off the Sand ninja while observing the performance of the various Leaf units in battle.
The commanders' leadership, the unit leaders' initiative, the squad leaders' choices, and the combat of exceptional ninja—all of it was being recorded by Yagami.
This information would form a report to be sent to the Hokage, allowing the Third to grasp the true combat situation on the Leaf's front lines.