The screams jolted Hanekawa awake. He threw on his clothes and bolted from his room, nearly colliding with Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo in the hallway. Behind them, an enormous earth wall erupted with a deafening boom, rising from the ground like a fortress.

  Zombie siege vibes, Hanekawa thought, taking in the chaos. Please tell me this isn't a dungeon event.

  "Let's move," Tsunade commanded, already heading toward the temple.

  Aoi materialized before them, his expression grim. "Puppets. They're attacking the Shrine Maiden Temple. The problem—they don't stay down. Any damage regenerates."

  "How many?" Sakumo asked.

  "Dozens. Maybe more."

  They reached the shrine to find Priestess Miroku waiting calmly, as if she'd been expecting them. Her red eyes were steady, resigned.

  "I've sensed the ghost's location," she said without preamble. "One thousand meters northwest. It's using the puppets as a distraction while it gathers strength."

  "Then we split up," Kitsuchi, the Iwagakure jonin, said decisively. "One team holds the line against the puppets. The other escorts the Priestess to seal the ghost."

  Tsunade nodded, her mind already working through the logistics. "Water and earth users stay here. The rest of us go with Miroku."

  She glanced at Hanekawa. "You stay. Help contain them."

  Before he could respond, her hand came down on his head—that infuriating gesture she'd perfected. "Be careful."

  Right. Because that's not going to distract me at all, he thought, watching her disappear with the others.

  The earth wall collapsed with a thunderous crack.

  A massive circle of fire roared through the gap—compound ninjutsu, Fire and Wind combined. Not a bloodline limit, just raw power layered on top of raw power. Hanekawa's eyes widened as he recognized the technique.

  "Move!" Mei Terumi's voice cut through the chaos.

  Water erupted from her mouth in a torrent, a waterfall given form and fury. It crashed against the fire circle, steam exploding outward as the two forces collided.

  Hanekawa teleported behind her, drawing his sword in one fluid motion. Two puppet heads flew, their bodies crumpling uselessly.

  "You're repaying kindness with enmity," Mei Terumi snapped, not bothering to look at him.

  "When have I ever been kind to you?" he shot back.

  "Now there is!" He moved again, his blade flashing. More puppets fell.

  Mei Terumi's hands flew through seals. "Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

  A massive dragon of water rose from the ground, roaring toward the puppet swarm.

  Hanekawa matched her speed, his own seals forming faster. "Lightning Style: Thunder Spear!"

  Lightning erupted from his mouth, a javelin of pure electricity. It met the water dragon mid-arc. The collision was instantaneous—water and lightning merged, and the resulting explosion scattered electricity in all directions. Puppets convulsed and fell, their bodies smoking.

  "Pleasant to work with," Hanekawa said, allowing himself a small smile.

  Mei Terumi's expression darkened. "They're getting back up."

  She was right. The fallen puppets were already rising, their joints creaking as they reformed.

  "Chakra drain," Hanekawa muttered. "We keep this up, we lose."

  "Then what do you suggest?" Mei Terumi's eyes flashed with frustration.

  "That fire circle from earlier—someone's controlling these things. Someone's here." Hanekawa pointed his sword toward the rear lines. "Kill the controller, the puppets become scrap metal."

  Understanding dawned on her face. "You want to go after them?"

  "While they're distracted by us." He glanced at the other jonin, already locked in brutal combat with the puppet horde. "We use them as cover."

  Mei Terumi hesitated only a moment. "I'll coordinate with the others."

  She leaped over the nearest puppet and landed beside Aoi, speaking rapidly. The Mist and Cloud ninjas nodded in agreement—they understood the strategy immediately.

  Kitsuchi and Kemunaki from Iwagakure began their combination jutsu, their seals synchronized. The ground trembled, and a volcano erupted from the earth itself, magma spraying in all directions. Aoi and Gonbee responded with their own technique, summoning waves of seawater that crashed across the battlefield in a coordinated assault.

  The puppets were suddenly overwhelmed, caught between fire and water.

  "Now," Mei Terumi said, returning to Hanekawa's side.

  "Water Clone Technique," he instructed. "Make five. I'll use Transformation to disguise myself as one of them."

  She stared at him. "Why don't you just use Water Clone yourself?"

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  "Because I can't," he said with complete confidence.

  "..." Her expression suggested she wanted to strangle him.

  But there was no time. She formed the seals, and five perfect clones emerged from the seawater around them—a bonus from fighting near Aoi and Gonbee's ocean. Water-style ninjas always got stronger near water.

  Hanekawa's body shimmered and shifted, becoming an exact copy of Mei Terumi.

  Seven figures sprinted across the water toward the rear lines.

  ---

  Kitsuchi watched from his position, calculating. The puppets were immortal, yes, but ninjas tired. Eventually, exhaustion would claim them. He had time.

  "Lord Kitsuchi," one of his subordinates called out. "A ninja is approaching from the east."

  He glanced over and saw Mei Terumi running toward them, surrounded by what appeared to be her water clones.

  "Just a girl," he said dismissively. "Handle it."

  Four figures vanished using a teleportation technique.

  ---

  Hanekawa's Eight-Fold Scope activated instantly. He saw them before they fully materialized—four of Kitsuchi's subordinates, moving to intercept.

  "Careful!" he called to Mei Terumi.

  "I know!" she snapped back.

  "I'll use illusion. You follow up."

  Hanekawa stepped forward, still wearing Mei Terumi's face. The five water clones lined up beside him, creating a wall of identical targets.

  The youngest of Kitsuchi's subordinates smirked and clapped his hands.

  "Wind Style: Divine Wind!"

  A storm erupted across the water, bearing down on them like a physical force.

  "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" Mei Terumi's hands moved, raising a barrier of water.

  In that split second of distraction, Hanekawa jumped.

  His seals formed impossibly fast—faster than thought.

  Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion - Fox's Mind Technique!

  All four subordinates froze, their eyes glazing over as their chakra pathways twisted into confusion.

  Mei Terumi didn't hesitate. Her hands were already moving through the next set of seals.

  "Water Style: Water Array Pillar!"

  A sphere of water the size of a meteor fell from the sky and crashed down on the paralyzed figures. The impact was catastrophic—water exploded outward, mixed with blood.

  Hanekawa threw four kunai in rapid succession. Each one found its mark, piercing hearts with surgical precision. The poison on the blades spread instantly.

  Four bodies hit the water and didn't get back up.

  Hanekawa slipped back into formation with the water clones, becoming invisible in their midst.

  ---

  Kitsuchi's eye twitched as he watched his subordinates die.

  "Trash," he spat.

  He raised his hand, and the remaining puppets surged forward, abandoning their positions to protect him.

  Mei Terumi's face paled. "We're surrounded."

  But before the puppets could close in, four ANBU members materialized, their masks gleaming. They formed a perimeter, engaging the puppet swarm with practiced efficiency.

  Good, Hanekawa thought. Tsunade left backup.

  Kitsuchi's expression twisted with rage. He stretched out his hands, and his body began to change. Dark medical ninjutsu flowed through him like poison, amplifying his power to its absolute peak.

  An aura of raw strength exploded outward, making the air itself seem to vibrate.

  "What is that?" Mei Terumi whispered, feeling the pressure.

  "Amplification jutsu," Hanekawa said quietly. "It won't last long."

  But it didn't need to. Kitsuchi disappeared.

  Mei Terumi's instincts screamed danger. Her hands flew through seals.

  "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

  Kitsuchi materialized directly in front of her, his fist already moving. The water wall shattered like glass under the force of his punch.

  She couldn't dodge.

  Lightning split the sky.

  Thunder crackled along the water, striking Kitsuchi and forcing him to retreat. Hanekawa stood between them, electricity dancing across his skin.

  Mei Terumi made the best decision possible. Her mouth opened, and thick mist poured out.

  "Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!"

  The fog enveloped everything, reducing visibility to nothing.

  Kitsuchi's chakra lashed out like a whip, dispersing most of the mist. But Mei Terumi was already moving, her body becoming water, flowing through the sea like a living current.

  Kitsuchi's hands clapped together. Chakra erupted outward like cannonballs, tearing through the water.

  Mei Terumi's body reformed briefly—and blood bloomed in the water.

  "Nothing more than that," Kitsuchi said coldly, preparing to finish her.

  An unexpected wind current appeared from nowhere.

  Hanekawa rushed forward, his body wreathed in lightning. The Thunder Release Body amplified everything—his speed, his strength, his defense. He threw a punch enhanced by Superhuman Strength, his fist moving like a spear.

  Kitsuchi barely managed to block with his sword, but the impact was catastrophic. His arms buckled. Blood sprayed from his mouth.

  Hanekawa didn't give him time to recover. He retracted his fist, drew a kunai, and drove it down toward Kitsuchi's neck.

  The blade found its mark.

  Kitsuchi's eyes went wide, then empty.

  He collapsed into the water, and the puppets around the battlefield went still.

  ---

  Hanekawa deactivated the Thunder Release Body and waded through the water toward Mei Terumi, who was emerging from the depths, gasping.

  Her clothes clung to her soaked form, her reddish-brown hair spread around her like a halo. Blood mixed with the water, creating an almost artistic effect.

  "Don't look!" she snapped, her face flushing crimson.

  She scrambled toward a nearby tree, pulling on dry clothes with shaking hands.

  "You're injured," Hanekawa called after her. "I can help."

  She reappeared a moment later, still blushing furiously, unable to meet his eyes.

  "Where?" he asked gently.

  She hesitated, then lifted her shirt slightly, revealing her waist. The skin was torn and bloody, the damage extensive.

  Hanekawa placed his hands over the wound, and green chakra bloomed. Medical ninjutsu flowed from his palms, knitting flesh and bone back together with practiced precision.

  Ten minutes later, her skin was unmarked.

  "Thank you," she whispered, quickly pulling her shirt down.

  "The puppets have stopped moving," Hanekawa said, changing the subject to spare her further embarrassment. "Tsunade and the others must have succeeded."

  Mei Terumi looked toward the battlefield, where the puppet swarm had gone completely still. "The ghost?"

  "Sealed, probably. Or dead." He shrugged. "Either way, it's over."

  She glanced at him, and for just a moment, something flickered across her face—something that looked almost like loss.

  "Next time we meet," she said quietly, "we might be enemies."

  Hanekawa didn't answer. They both knew it was true.

  The war was coming. And when it did, the villages would stand against each other once more.

  But for now, in this moment, they had been allies. And that would have to be enough.