Traveling Through Multiple Realms: The Supporting Character's Counterattack

In the heart of the Land of Rain, there is a narrow canyon called "Serpent's Throat".

The two sides are almost vertical, slippery cliffs, shrouded in thick fog and rain all year round, with extremely low visibility.

At the bottom of the valley is a turbid and swift river, with only a narrow path on the bank that can barely allow a few people to walk side by side, winding forward.

The air was thick with moisture and the stench of rotting plants.

The five members of Minato Namikaze's squad moved stealthily through the dense forest above the canyon, using the thick vegetation and the sound of rain to conceal their movements.

"stop."

Nara Shikaku made a gesture, and the five people stopped instantly and disappeared into the shadows.

He crouched down, ran his fingers lightly across the damp moss on the ground, and then picked up a bit of soil and sniffed it.

"The traces are fresh; they've been there no more than half an hour ago. There are more people than expected, at least twenty."

Yamanaka Inoichi closed his eyes and concentrated, then opened them after a moment, his expression grave: "I sensed it. Very strong chakra, mixed with many cold, inanimate chakra sources—puppet chakra, and a large number of them! Also, there's a very subtle but malevolent chakra lurking nearby, like a venomous snake; it might be one of Hanzo's people!"

Choza Akimichi patted his round belly and muttered, "A pincer attack from both sides, unfavorable terrain, and the enemy came prepared. This is troublesome."

Shuimen's azure eyes swept over the canyon terrain, his brain working at lightning speed.

"We can't let them get the poison to the front lines smoothly, nor can we let Hanzo succeed. We must resolve this here."

He looked at Shikaku: "Shikaku, tactics?"

Shikaku's fingertips traced rapidly across the map as he spoke at breakneck speed: "The narrowest point of the canyon, 'A Line of Sky,' is an ideal ambush point, but also a death trap. We need to use speed to create a time difference! Minato, you're the fastest, responsible for the frontal assault, drawing the main force's attention and creating chaos. Choza, you prepare above the canyon, on my signal, use the Expansion Technique to create falling rocks, blocking their retreat and simultaneously cutting off any potential Hanzo forces. Inoichi, you and I are responsible for controlling the battlefield, prioritizing finding and controlling Chiyo or the enemy commander. Genma…"

Shikaku looked at Genma with sharp eyes, "You have the strongest mobility and ranged attack capabilities. You're responsible for roaming and providing support, eliminating the enemy's puppeteers and ranged units, and at the same time, being vigilant against the 'Rain Tiger Clan' that Hanzo might send. You are our eyes and our agile arrows. Most importantly, once you find the poison ingredients, destroy them at all costs!"

"clear!"

Genma responded in a deep voice, "This arrangement makes full use of his strengths."

Minato nodded: "Proceed according to Shikaku's plan. Remember, swift and decisive! Once Hanzo intervenes, the situation will become extremely complicated. Let's go!"

The five figures silently dispersed, like ink drops falling into water, quickly blending into the rainforest.

Genma chose a high vantage point in the middle of the canyon with a relatively open view, where several huge rocks provided him with good cover.

He closed his eyes, combining his chakra perception with his initial understanding of Yin attribute insight, spreading it downwards into the canyon like an invisible radar wave.

coming!

In his perception, a group of people was cautiously making their way along the path at the bottom of the valley.

At the heart of the group were five ninjas dressed in Sand Village Jonin uniforms with their faces painted with oil paint. Surrounding them were more than thirty puppets of various shapes, their joints making a slight "clicking" sound, like a loyal guard.

In the middle of the group, four Sand Ninja carefully carried two sealed metal boxes engraved with sealing runes, and a sweet and dangerous smell emanated from the boxes.

"That's the goal..."

Genma's eyes narrowed, and suddenly—

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

Countless poisoned senbon needles shot out from the dense forest on the other side of the canyon like a sudden storm, their target not the Sand Village team, but directly at the four Sand Village ninja carrying the boxes.

"Enemy attack! Protect the crate!"

A Sand Village Jonin shouted sharply, and the puppets instantly deployed, forming a defensive formation that blocked most of the senbon needles. However, two Sand Village ninjas carrying boxes still screamed and fell to the ground, the boxes crashing heavily to the ground.

"Hanzo's men made the first move!"

Haiyi's voice resounded in the minds of the group through the telepathic communication technique.

"Plans changed; the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind..."

Shikaku immediately issued the order, "Let's try to be the ones who catch the bird!"

Genma held his breath, suppressing his aura to the extreme, like a lizard lurking in a crevice of a rock.

In the canyon below, the Sand Village's puppet troops and the suddenly appearing Amegakure ANBU were already engaged in close combat. The sound of clashing metal, the booming of explosive tags, and the "crackling" of the puppet joints instantly broke the silence of the canyon.

The puppeteers of Sunagakure reacted extremely quickly. The moment they were attacked, the remaining puppets immediately contracted, protecting the two crucial metal boxes in the center.

The puppet's arms flew, unleashing a barrage of poison needles, smoke, flamethrowers, and other contraptions as it clashed with the Rain Ninja who emerged from the rain and the shadows of the rocks.

The Rain Village ninjas were clearly highly skilled at fighting in this environment. Their movements were elusive, and they used water-style ninjutsu and specially made poisonous fog to constantly try to break through the puppet's defenses, with their target being the box.

"Pfft!"

A Jonin from Amegakure precisely severed the chakra threads controlling a salamander puppet with a poisoned short sword, causing the puppet to instantly freeze and collapse to the ground.

Almost simultaneously, on the other side, the Sand Village puppeteer's highly poisonous Thousand Needles Storm also riddled two Rain Village ninjas who were trying to approach the box with bullets.

Casualties were mounting, and the blood of elite soldiers from both sides stained the muddy valley floor.

"Enough! You bunch of useless trash!"

An old yet sharp shout came from a seemingly ordinary puppet with its abdomen split open.

The next moment, the puppet's outer shell snapped open to the sides, and the short-statured Granny Chiyo leaped out with a gloomy face, instantly unleashing dozens of incredibly condensed blue chakra threads from between her ten fingers.

"The White Secret Technique: The Ten Ninja of Chikamatsu!"

With her roar, ten scrolls of different shapes, each radiating powerful chakra fluctuations, unfurled behind her with a "bang," instantly revealing ten ancient puppets of varying forms, each exuding a dangerous aura.

These are the pinnacle of Sunagakure's puppetry techniques—the Chikamatsu Ten!

"go!"

Chiyo's ten fingers danced wildly, precisely connecting the chakra threads to the ten puppets.

The ten puppets seemed to be given real life, transforming into ten death whirlwinds that suddenly rushed into the battle!

Two puppets guarded the left and right, while the other two unleashed ferocious ninjutsu attacks. The "monk" puppet deployed an absolute defense, the "sword" puppet wielded a giant blade, and the "hammer" puppet unleashed a thunderous strike...

In a single exchange, the several Rain Shadow elites, who had been so aggressive just moments before, were instantly overwhelmed and defeated by this sudden, artistic surge of puppets.

Amidst screams, severed limbs and puppet fragments flew everywhere!

Clear the area instantly!

Granny Chiyo stood in the center of the ten imposing puppets, her pale purple hair flying wildly, her eyes as cold as knives. She didn't look in the direction where Genma and the others were hiding, but instead stared intently at the dense rain and mist above the canyon, cursing loudly:

"You damp old man with a ventilator, you stinking rat hiding its head and tail, I can smell your musty, swampy stench from a mile away! What the hell are you up to, you bastard? Trying to double-cross me?!"

Her voice echoed through the canyon, filled with anger and disdain.

Genma was startled and exchanged a glance with Minato and Shikaku beside him.

As expected, Hanzo came in person, and Chiyo had clearly already noticed his presence.

"Hmph! That old puppet woman, she's not young, but she's got a temper and a foul mouth! When did she grow such a keen nose?"

A deep, hoarse voice, carrying an undeniable authority, came from the direction Chiyo no Makoto was looking.

A surge of rain and mist appeared, and a figure slowly emerged.

He wore a breathing mask with a ventilator hanging in front of his chest, a red layered armor, and a gray Amegakure combat uniform over it. On his back was a huge, scythe-like weapon called a kusarigama.

Most striking was the enormous spirit beast beneath him, resembling a salamander, emanating a chilling poisonous mist.

It was none other than Hanzo the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure, who was known as a "demigod"!

Hanzo's appearance instantly froze the atmosphere of the entire canyon.

His exposed eyes swept across the battlefield like a hawk's, finally landing on Chiyo and the Chikamatsu Ten behind her, with a hint of mockery.

"What do I want to do? Chiyo, you've barged into my territory with such a dangerous 'gift,' and you're asking me what I want to do?"

Hanzo's voice was devoid of any emotion: "Keeping these things in the Land of Rain is more 'friendly' to us than sending them to the front lines."

As he spoke, more Rain Village ninjas silently emerged from behind the rocks and in the rain on both sides of the canyon, far outnumbering the "Rain Tiger" Anbu that had appeared before, subtly forming an encirclement around the Sand Village team at the bottom of the valley.

Clearly, Hanzo brought his main force!

The remaining Sunagakure ninjas immediately tightened their formation, nervously guarding Chiyo and the two metal boxes, confronting the surrounding Amegakure.

The fierce battle that had just been raging to the death has been strangely paused due to the direct confrontation between Hanzo and Chiyo.