Within the former mountain range, now completely flattened into a basin, a raised mound of earth was shattered.
Sakura and Chiyo patted the dust off themselves, stepping out from the shadows.
"What happened?"
Looking at the surrounding land turned to scorched earth, Chiyo couldn't help but gape in astonishment. "What on earth happened here?"
"Just the collapse of a mountain range. A minor issue!"
Rainbow light flickered in Sakura's pupils as Observation Haki continuously expanded, sensing the surroundings.
"No wonder the Land of Fire has so many plains and basins." Hearing Sakura's words, Chiyo muttered under her breath.
'No wonder Konoha's Ninjas were so bizarre, treating something like moving mountains and filling seas as a minor issue.'
'What kind of life do you guys usually live? Meteor showers every three days, giant robots fighting monsters every five days?'
'If that's really the case, suddenly the sand of the Land of Wind doesn't seem so hard to accept.'
In the distance, among the Akatsuki's members directly bombarded-
Sasori, who had completely transformed himself into a puppet, opened his eyes, his body trembling as he climbed up.
"A Jutsu directly attacking the spirit? No wonder I also passed out..."
His gaze swept over the unconscious Deidara and 'Madara' beside him. Sasori immediately felt immense pressure.
'Maybe I should just leave these two here. After all, the mission Pain assigned is complete.'
"Sasori!"
An aged roar echoed as over a dozen kunai connected by Chakra Threads shot forth.
Though the Chakra attached to them was barely perceptible, as a genius puppeteer, Sasori noticed them at a glance.
With a casual flick, the remnants of Hiruko flew up, blocking these kunai one by one.
"To think the most troublesome one is still you, Granny Chiyo!"
Sasori raised a hand, tearing the cloth covering his face, revealing a face that hadn't changed in decades.
Simultaneously, the shattered head of Hiruko flew into the sky, spewing a large number of poisoned senbon at the two.
"You..." Chiyo was dumbfounded.
Her already declining physical abilities due to old age, further affected by her grandson's unaging appearance.
The shock slowed her reaction, leaving several wounds from the rapidly piercing senbon.
"Hey, old lady!"
Sakura threw out a Flying Thunder God kunai. Under the Space-Time jump, she whisked Chiyo out of the senbon's attack range.
"Tch, a Space-Time Ninjutsu user?"
Sasori grew serious, reaching under his robe and pulling out a scroll.
After breaking the seal on it, a puff of white smoke exploded, allowing a long-robed puppet floating in mid-air to wrap around his body.
"That's... the Third!!!"
Adapting to the rapidly changing environment, Chiyo's gaze fixed on the puppet, her eyes widening.
Though the poison had been treated by Sakura, it had consumed a great deal of her chakra and stamina.
"Ah, this is my greatest masterpiece!"
Sasori's fingers twitched. The Kazekage puppet mechanically turned its head. "I went through great pains to preserve his internal organs. That way, the Kekkei Genkai's effect is maximized."
"How tragic. Not only have you joined the side of evil!" Two lines of old tears flowed from the corners of Chiyo's eyes. "Have you even abandoned the bottom line of being human?"
"Spare me the lecture! Wasn't it you who taught me these things?!"
Sasori's face contorted fiercely as he yanked the Chakra Threads in his hands. The Third Kazekage's puppet immediately extended its poisoned claws.
"Bastard..."
Sakura clenched her fist, Armament Haki coiling around it.
"Sakura!"
Staggering, Chiyo steadied herself, grabbing Sakura's hand. A scroll slid from her sleeve, unfurling and releasing two puppets.
In her youth, she only knew to devote herself to the village's affairs. In middle age, she lost her son and daughter-in-law. In old age, her grandson left. She even suggested sealing the One-Tail inside an infant...
Having strived all her life, only to realize everything she did was wrong. The village she poured her heart into weakening to this state was probably god's punishment for her!
However, before this decaying body burns to ashes, the act of atonement is absolutely not something she will leave to a Ninja from a former rival village!
Even if it means turning her blade against her own grandson, she will not hesitate. Everything is for the greater good!
"So that's it. I understand!"
Meeting those determined eyes, Sakura loosened her fist. "Seems you haven't burned to ashes yet, Chiyo!"
"Hohoho, of course not!"
The aged voice answered in a playful tone. The Chakra Threads on her arm flicked, and the puppets Father and Mother, made for her grandson long ago, shot forth.
Sasori shook the Third Kazekage's puppet. Its right arm opened, revealing densely packed storage seals.
Immediately, puppet arms were released one after another, finally forming a torrent of arms grabbing toward the two.
"Trying to defeat me with a technique like this is a thousand years too early!"
As Chiyo's words fell, the two puppets stretched wires between them, then entangled and sliced through these puppet tentacles.
Seeing this wouldn't work, Sasori decisively changed tactics, making the Kazekage puppet extend a spinning saw, aiming to directly cripple Chiyo's puppets.
But Chiyo was ultimately more skilled. She decisively had the two puppets, at the cost of their weapons breaking, collide with and snap the dismantling spinning saw.
Finally, the three puppets separated, leaving a ground littered with iron filings and metal fragments.
"As expected of Grandma. Seems I have to use that..."
Sasori formed hand seals. Chakra infusion allowed the Third Kazekage puppet to take control. Black fluid gushed from it.
The next instant, countless iron sand surged like a tide. The earth was torn layer by layer, forming a deep depression.
And within the charred depression, heavy iron sand spikes rapidly rose.
"This is... the Third's Magnet Release!"
Chiyo pulled with both hands, Chakra Threads tightening as she pulled the puppets back before her, opening Puppet Technique: Mechanical Light Shield Seal.
"Hmph, senile, aren't you, Granny Chiyo!" Sasori slowly lifted his head, grinning.
From the surging torrent, fine iron sand transformed into hundreds of hard restraints, infiltrating the joints of Chiyo's puppets, locking them in place.
Foreign objects mixed into the connecting shafts caused Chiyo's puppets to emit strange noises when moving, finally collapsing to the ground, unable to move.
"With this, it's over!"
Sasori extended five fingers, clenching them. The Third Kazekage's puppet manipulated the iron sand to rise into the sky.
Immediately, a high-pitched sound of grinding steel reverberated between heaven and earth.
Secret Technique: Iron Sand Gathering Assault!
The iron sand cloud filling the sky erupted. Streaks of iron light burst forth, grew, multiplied, intertwining into black iron spikes with barbs and patterns, covering the earth like a volcanic eruption.
At the critical moment, Chiyo directly used the Puppet Technique to control her own body, twisting her torso to evade the falling iron spikes.
Yet, inadvertently, she was still grazed by an iron spike coated with poison. Her entire body went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Chiyo's body trembled as she barely turned her head. "You... you really poisoned the iron sand!"
"Is that strange? All the techniques were taught to me by you personally!"
Sasori mechanically raised a hand, making the Kazekage puppet extend its blade, charging toward Chiyo. His own eyes mechanically turned to Sakura. "Konoha person, aren't you going to stop me?"
"I won't interfere in a fight staked on determination. But..."
Ferocious light flowed in the girl's emerald eyes. Centered on her, faint dark thunder seemed to roar in the surrounding void.
The earth whimpered and trembled under the will of the conqueror. Layers of cracks spread out.
The terrifying monster from another world's seas trampled matter, crushed common sense, and stirred up a hurricane with completely unreasonable, violent aura.
"You should know what you'll face later!"
"Hmph!"
Sasori snorted coldly, withdrawing his gaze.
Even if this angers the person before him, he must reduce their combat power as much as possible now.
After all, this is the Ninja World. Killing enemies as much as possible is natural.
Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Just as the Third Kazekage puppet's blade was about to sever Chiyo's head, she suddenly looked up, spitting a massive wind blade from her mouth, slicing the puppet in half.
The intertwined thorny jungle of iron sand instantly lost its Chakra Support, collapsing into its original dust form with a crash.
"What?! How can she still move?!"
The sudden turn of events created a slight crack in Sasori's taut nerves. By the time he reacted and tried to create distance.
Chiyo before him had already leaped high. Four puppet tentacles hidden in her sleeves, cut from the Third Kazekage's body, pierced forth.
"Damnable old hag!"
As time seemed to freeze inch by inch, Sasori couldn't suppress his fury at his treasured collection being destroyed, cursing aloud.
Mid-air, Chiyo discarded the syringe Sakura had given her. The Chakra Threads on her five fingers violently swung downward.
"Don't underestimate the elderly! Even if the body withers, the heart does not rot!"
Chakra burned fiercely, carrying the elder's determination, as she slashed down!
Crack!