"It looks like Sunagakure has reached the end."
Chiyo still had not moved.
Neither had Sasori.
Rasa had already been defeated. The other Sand shinobi had also fallen one after another. Chiyo watched everything unfold, and the wrinkles on her face seemed even deeper.
She had held onto a sliver of hope before.
But now, she knew for certain.
Konoha was simply too strong.
Sunagakure's defeat was inevitable.
She looked back toward the village.
The so-called "traitors" were still standing there quietly, watching everything.
Chiyo let out a sigh.
As long as people remained, something of Sunagakure would survive.
Even if the name itself disappeared.
"Come on, Sasori," Chiyo shouted.
"Let me see how much you've grown."
The Ten Puppet Collection of Chikamatsu flew into the air and formed a strange battle formation around Sasori.
Even though there were only ten puppets, they gave off the pressure of an entire army.
Sasori remained expressionless.
He simply raised his hand, and the puppet of the Third Kazekage stepped forward alone to face all ten.
The live broadcast camera immediately zoomed in on the fight.
Everyone watching held their breath.
This kind of battle between puppet masters was something most people had never seen before.
"The battle between a genius grandson and his experienced grandmother…"
"I bet Chiyo wins."
"She's been one of Sunagakure's pillars since the era of the First Hokage."
"No way. Sasori is younger, stronger, and more talented."
"He even turned the Third Kazekage into a puppet."
"Chiyo's too old now."
"Stop arguing and watch. We'll know soon enough."
The Third Kazekage puppet collided with Chiyo's ten puppets in an instant.
Countless hidden weapons filled the air like a storm.
The sky was covered in steel.
"One-Line Sky!"
Black magnetic sand burst from the Third Kazekage puppet's hand.
In an instant, the metal weapons were pulled together and crushed into a single giant mass.
Only a few non-metal projectiles slipped through.
The puppet blocked them effortlessly.
Then—
It shot forward like lightning.
The Third Kazekage puppet passed through all ten white-clothed puppets in a flash.
Chiyo's expression changed immediately.
She tried to move her fingers and regain control.
But her puppets felt heavy.
Stiff.
Sluggish.
Then, all ten of them collapsed into pieces.
The Third Kazekage puppet stopped directly in front of her.
Its mouth curved upward slightly, almost as if it were mocking her.
"Sasori…"
Chiyo opened her mouth.
But she did not know what to say.
She had not even understood how she lost.
In her mind, even if she was weaker now, she should have been able to fight for hundreds of moves before finally running out of chakra.
But instead—
She had been defeated instantly.
"If someone else with your strength had fought me, they wouldn't have lost that quickly," Sasori said coldly.
"But you used puppets against me."
"Old woman…"
"You really don't understand anything anymore."
Since becoming a training partner for Konoha's shinobi, Sasori's strength had risen rapidly.
He had fought against people like Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi Hatake, and Might Guy.
He had been beaten countless times.
He had suffered.
He had failed.
But Sasori was a genius.
And after enough failures, he had evolved.
His puppets had become stronger.
So had he.
Defeating Chiyo was only natural.
"Old woman," Sasori said quietly.
"Surrender."
Chiyo gave a bitter smile.
"At my age…"
"What difference does surrender even make?"
As the battle ended, Konoha's side began cleaning up the battlefield.
Pakura, Gaara, and the others who had already sided with Konoha also joined in.
The entire ninja world watched in silence.
Sunagakure had surrendered.
Now the question was simple:
Which village would be next?
In Iwagakure, Onoki gathered his shinobi at the village entrance.
In Kumogakure, Fourth Raikage did the same.
And in Kirigakure, Mei Terumi gathered the Mist shinobi.
They finally understood.
Naruto did not care about conspiracies or tricks.
He was going to crush every village openly.
He was going to force the entire ninja world to surrender through overwhelming power.
Then the live broadcast shifted again.
Dense mist filled the screen.
Kirigakure.
The audience immediately became excited.
"Who did Konoha send this time?"
"Sunagakure got the Sannin."
"Kirigakure should get someone even stronger."
"Who in Konoha is stronger than the Sannin?"
"What about the Uchiha clan?"
"What about Shisui?"
"What about Itachi?"
"What about Sasuke?"
Then the camera showed Konoha's group.
Only ten people.
Two cameramen.
And eight shinobi.
Kakashi Hatake.
Might Guy.
Neji Hyuga.
Rock Lee.
Tenten.
Hinata Hyuga.
Kiba Inuzuka.
Shino Aburame.
The Mist shinobi immediately became angry.
They felt insulted.
Compared to the Sannin that had been sent to Sunagakure, this lineup looked far less intimidating.
"Does Konoha think we're weak?"
"Are they looking down on us?"
But others were more cautious.
"People said the same thing about Sunagakure."
"Then they got crushed."
"We should wait and see."
Before the battle could begin, Ringo Ameyuri stepped forward.
"Let's keep things simple," she said.
"One-on-one matches."
"Who wins and who loses will become obvious immediately."
She looked at Mei.
"I came from Kirigakure too."
"I don't want to see blood flood this village."
"The President didn't even bother showing up personally."
"Konoha alone is enough."
Zabuza Momochi stepped forward with his giant sword resting on his shoulder.
"That little brat?"
"He wants to fight me?"
Kiba Inuzuka laughed and stepped out with Akamaru beside him.
"If you're not convinced, come test it yourself."
Zabuza's eyes narrowed.
"Mist Hidden Technique!"
The battlefield was instantly swallowed by fog.
But Kiba only laughed.
"What's the point of hiding?"
"Dogs can smell you."
A loud impact echoed through the mist.
Then another.
Then barking.
Then metal breaking.
A figure suddenly flew out of the fog.
It was Zabuza.
Blood poured from his mouth.
Deep claw marks covered his chest.
Even the great sword in his hand had been shattered.
The wind blew the fog away.
Kiba and Akamaru stood there completely unharmed.
Not a scratch.
"My Akamaru uses things tougher than your sword to sharpen his claws," Kiba said proudly.
"Your Seven Ninja Swords aren't impressive at all."
Kirigakure's shinobi were stunned.
Kiba was only fourteen or fifteen years old.
Yet he had completely crushed Zabuza.
The Mist shinobi could not help glancing nervously at the younger generation behind Konoha.
"How strong are these kids…"
At that moment, Kakashi Hatake finally stepped forward.
"You already know why we're here," he said calmly.
"But I'll ask one more time."
"Will Kirigakure be our enemy?"
"Or our ally?"
Mei Terumi stayed silent.
Then—
Kisame Hoshigaki walked out with a grin.
Rock Lee glanced at Might Guy.
Guy nodded.
Lee instantly rushed forward.
Kisame unleashed massive Water Style techniques one after another.
Giant waterfalls.
Shark bullets.
Entire swarms of sharks.
The audience watching the broadcast could hardly keep up.
Then—
Boom.
Kisame's body smashed into the ground.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
He could not stand back up.
Rock Lee calmly lowered his fists.
As if defeating Kisame had been the easiest thing in the world.
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