"Hmph, hmph, hahahaha!"
Within the smoke and dust rising from the collapsed iron sand, Sasori, his body pierced through by scattered puppet tentacles, laughed heartily.
"As I thought!"
Chiyo, less than five meters away from him, frowned, sensing the truth beneath the robe.
She immediately prepared to pull the Chakra Threads in her hands, to strangle this grandson who had fallen into evil ways.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Sounds as sharp as wind blades rushing forth rang out. The puppet tentacles controlled by Chiyo were swiftly severed.
Along with them shattered was the black robe with red clouds Sasori wore.
The puppet body hidden beneath was revealed, along with poisoned steel claws and guillotine blades extending out.
"Not many people can force me to fight with my own body, Grandma!"
Stepping on a rock, Sasori's head dangled as if broken, his two eyes rotating mechanically.
He formed hand seals, causing the scroll on his back to merge into his body. Nozzles appeared on his palms, emitting massive flames.
"Look! This ageless body! I have transcended humanity and touched eternal art!"
Sasori blasted flames toward Chiyo, while a sword-whip from his abdomen slithered forth agilely, piercing toward her.
Facing the fierce assault, not a trace of fear appeared on Chiyo's face. Calmly, she pulled out a scroll from her bag.
"Good grief, I thought I would never use this technique again!"
A purple scroll flashed by. Ten puppets in white robes, each with their own weapons, surrounded Chiyo at the center.
White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets!
One female puppet, connected by chains to a puppet releasing a spinning Mechanical Light Shield Seal, smashed apart the flames and poisoned spikes like swinging meteor hammers.
"Yes, just like this!"
Sasori reached out, opening the box on his chest. "If I don't surpass you, I cannot reach the pinnacle of puppetry!"
Dense Chakra Threads extended. The scroll behind Sasori also unfurled. Hundreds of puppets in red robes floated in mid-air, connected by threads.
Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!
Threads conveyed Sasori's will from his regeneration core into each puppet. The hundreds of red-robed puppets' eyes glowed crimson as they swung their weapons, charging forward.
The battle between the White Secret Technique and the Red Secret Technique began. Two top-tier puppeteers fought before Sakura's eyes, making her, sitting on the edge watching, unable to help but raise a finger. A short Chakra Thread extended from her fingertip.
"This method of will transmission is interesting!"
The thread in the girl's hand danced gracefully, like an agile butterfly flitting between fingers.
Before long, the two's puppets gradually depleted.
"I win, Grandma!"
Charging toward Chiyo, who had exhausted all her puppets, Sasori's originally cold face showed excitement.
The mechanisms in his arms engaged, popping out blades, slashing toward the elderly chest that rose and fell.
Thud!
Two blades crossed, piercing through. Purple blood dripped from the blade tips onto the ground.
The puppets named Father and Mother held two short swords, piercing Sasori's regeneration core in a posture resembling an embrace.
"What a pity, one move short..."
Sasori's calm gaze was like a deep pool, sweeping over the surrounding ground.
A massive seal composed of fragments scattered by the Chikamatsu Ten scattered across the ground now firmly sealed all his Chakra. The damaged regeneration core inflicted incurable damage. Unless something unexpected happened, he would die here.
"That final strike... why didn't you dodge?"
Seeing their battle conclude, Sakura also walked into the battlefield.
"Tired." A flat, toneless voice sounded cold. "My puppets are all gone. What remains is too dull, so I don't want to continue."
This attitude of measuring everything by amusement made Sakura clench her fist. "You..."
"Enough, Sakura."
Chiyo stepped forward to intervene. "Making him like this is because of me and Sunagakure's upbringing."
In the puppet's final, rotating gaze, Sakura's Observation Haki sensed the other party's life extinguishing bit by bit.
In silence, Chiyo limped toward Sasori. After burying him, she walked toward Gaara.
Village, children, grandson, Tailed Beast... deep helplessness lingered around the elder. This person who had nearly completed her life actually showed a trace of remorse before her soul was to return to the heavens.
Not far away on the ground, massive amounts of red, waxy substance gushed out. Soon, a large hole was dug open in the ground.
A dusty-faced boy crawled out. Seeing Sakura, a smile spread across his face.
"Sakura!"
Wiping the dust off his face, Naruto greeted her, climbing out of the pit.
Sasuke followed closely behind, crawling out. The two walked toward Sakura together.
"Why are you two here? Where's Uchiha Itachi?" Sakura asked.
"That bastard saw you starting to fight the enemy, used a Jutsu, and ran off with his people!"
Just thinking about Itachi's despicable behavior made Sasuke grit his teeth. "Forget it, don't mention him. How's Gaara? Did you catch the Akatsuki's members?"
Sakura jerked her head toward Gaara, whose life force was fading further, indicating for them to look around at the scattered puppet fragments and the two unconscious Akatsuki's members in the distance.
"Gaara!"
Not caring about the surrounding puppets at all, Naruto's blue pupils contracted. He scrambled on hands and knees toward Gaara, whose life had already ended.
Kneeling beside Gaara, examining him, Chiyo saw Naruto's hopeful gaze, helplessly closed her eyes, and shook her head at him.
"Damn it, how could..."
Naruto bit his lip, lying on the ground, pounding the earth with his fists.
Having twice seen ideals shattered, Chiyo's gaze grew increasingly turbid.
But just when she despaired of everything, she encountered a boy who could disregard benefits and positions, traversing thousands of miles to participate in a rescue mission that could cost his life at any moment.
'Ah, how wonderful!'
'In the Ninja World created by a boring old woman like me, such a Ninja could actually appear. How truly gratifying!'
"Boy, what's your name?"
Wiping the tears from his eyes, Naruto straightened up and answered. "Uzumaki Naruto!"
"A good name. I'll remember it!" Having severed her own sins, Chiyo showed a relieved smile.
Her entire life was filled with mistakes. Yet at the end, she had a chance to do something right. This was probably heaven's favor upon her.
'The next era belongs to the young. My time to wither has come!'
Chiyo extended both hands, pressing them against Gaara's chest.
A circle of blue Chakra lit up in her palms. The secret Reincarnation Technique originally used to create living puppets was now used on a corpse.
A continuous stream of life force poured into Gaara's body, gradually eliciting signs of life from his long-silent form.
"Say, Sakura, may I ask you one final question?"
Her skin grew increasingly parched. Chiyo's life flame was like a candle in the wind, ready to extinguish at any moment.
"Ask." Sakura sat cross-legged, making it easier for Chiyo to see her eyes.
Chiyo's breathing grew heavier. The earlier battle left her with little Chakra. Maintaining the technique now made it even harder to speak.
Unexpectedly, Naruto walked over, placing his hand into Chiyo's technique. The flames of the Forbidden Technique, One's Own Life Reincarnation, grew brighter, allowing Chiyo the chance to ask her final question.
"With such power, what kind of world do you ultimately intend to create?"
The girl was momentarily stunned, but her eyes quickly calmed.
Her lips parted slightly, uttering a sentence blurred by the wind.
"So that's it. What a... marvelous future!"
Thus, the flame of life extinguished.
Before the three, the old woman who had lived through two Great Ninja Wars lost all strength in her body, supported by Sakura, and breathed no more.
Only an invisible blue bird flapped its wings, soaring into the sky and disappearing from sight.