Fierce giant dragon puppets circled above the Revelation Mountains.
From their maws, they condensed energy into Tailed Beast Bomb cannons, capable of firing three consecutive blasts before needing to return to the Sand's mobile base for recharging and maintenance.
Shiraishi had entrusted Shikasa with a total of six dragon puppets. Strategically, Shikasa divided them into two wings, rotating them to maintain a relentless bombardment of the Hidden Stone's encampments.
Under the high-density impact of the pseudo-Tailed Beast Bombs, the Stone forces suffered catastrophic losses.
Aside from a few elite Jonin proficient in Earth Style hardening techniques, nearly a thousand Genin and Chunin were swallowed by the rising fireballs.
Faced with such terrifying puppet weaponry, the Stone shinobi scrambled to reinforce their defenses with Earth Style ramparts, but the Sand's next wave was already beginning.
Beyond the explosive cannons, the dragon puppets were equipped with massive Lightning Induction Cannons.
The moment the powerful arcs of electricity were released, Earth Style bunkers were blasted open, leaving the shinobi inside charred and unrecognizable.
After an hour of sustained aerial dominance, the Sand launched its ground assault with conventional puppet units. As a master puppeteer, Shikasa demonstrated unparalleled control.
Utilizing a small Flying Fish Mirror to maintain a high-altitude vantage point, he extended chakra threads from the six Scarlet Control Mirrors on his back, allowing him to command dozens of puppets simultaneously as they tore into the Stone's lines.
Among them, the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) puppets proved lethal once again. Their terrifying bone blades pierced through Earth Style armor, claiming lives with clinical efficiency.
On the battlefield, Shikasa was decisive. His legion of bone puppets and standard units moved like an unstoppable tide. The Stone shinobi, faced with such aggressive and calculated destruction, began to waver and retreat.
Suddenly, a torrent of pressurized steam erupted from a Stone commander. It was Han, the Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails.
Using his steam-powered armor, he unleashed a scalding flood of vapor, surging forward with a violent Eruptive Foot strike!
The killing blow was aimed directly at Shikasa in the sky. Han's assault was ferocious, backed by intense thermal pressure.
However, the six Lihuang Mirrors on Shikasa's back shifted into a defensive shield to block the impact.
With a flick of his fingers, Shikasa's chakra threads tightened, transforming into razor-sharp wires for a counterattack.
Han's Taijutsu was top-tier; his powerful flying kicks generated literal storms of air pressure. Shikasa leaned back sharply while condensing physical chakra energy in his fist, releasing a massive heatwave of his own.
As they clashed, thin streams of water vibrated between Shikasa's fingers. In the brief moment of physical contact, countless high-pressure Water Needles pierced Han's body, aiming to disrupt his chakra pathway system.
Han felt a crushing pressure. The Stone forces were decimated, and his own Tailed Beast transformation was not yet perfect.
If he lost control now, the remaining Stone shinobi would be wiped out! Furthermore, he hadn't managed to take down the Sand commander; Shikasa's close-quarters combat was far more dangerous than the typical "fragile puppeteer" stereotype.
Realizing the situation was untenable, Han descended to the ground and ordered an immediate retreat.
The Stone had lost over two thousand men—more than half their strength. They abandoned the Revelation Mountain defense line and fled back toward the Land of Earth in disgrace.
While Onoki had expected retaliation, he hadn't anticipated it to be so swift or technologically advanced. He immediately issued a "Dead Order" to gather any and all intelligence regarding the Sand's aerial dragons.
The New Infrastructure of Power
"On the Stone front, conventional forces could have won the day. Why choose to reveal our secret new weapons?"
In the home of Ebizo, Shiraishi sat dressed in a simple teal robe, enjoying a quiet chat with his mentor.
"The rise of the Sand must be total," Shiraishi replied calmly. "I simply wanted them to recognize our current strength.
I have officially established the Scientific Ninja Tool Department, responsible for the research and development of new weaponry."
The Kazekage hadn't even stepped onto the battlefield; a few puppets were enough to cripple the Stone. This was both a deterrent and a demonstration of the Sand's new foundation.
The members of this department were young, hand-picked by Shiraishi from the Academy and trained with mindsets untainted by traditional shinobi dogma.
While the dragon puppets were Shiraishi's concept, the blueprints and assembly were handled entirely by the department.
Beyond technology, Shiraishi had established dozens of new administrative branches. He had even built various non-shinobi schools to accelerate the village's talent reserves.
Ebizo saw the ambition behind these moves but did not interfere; a capable Kazekage was a blessing for the village.
Nowadays, the Kazekage's office was constantly visited by merchant groups and local bureaucrats. The Hidden Sand's influence now radiated across half the Land of Wind. The Kazekage was handling many regional problems that the Daimyo couldn't solve.
As local officials bypassed the capital to seek help at the Oasis, the office's structure was adjusted.
Mission assignments were now handled by the Jonin Council, freeing Shiraishi to handle high-level diplomacy and "state-level" management—especially regarding maritime trade.
The Daimyo was powerless. Previously, he could control the Sand by withholding funds, but now the village was economically independent.
The Sand was effectively becoming a "second central government" within the Land of Wind. Even worse, the Kitajima family, leveraging their ties to Shiraishi, was squeezing the Daimyo's authority in the capital.
Just as the Daimyo was nursing his grievances, a very special visitor arrived at the Kazekage's office. His appearance took even Shiraishi by surprise...
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