"Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh!"
Standing atop the walls of Kikyo Castle, Chiyo watched the battlefield below with a dark, grim expression.
Two separate battlefields had formed in front of the fortress.
Orochimaru's side was stable.
Rasa's Magnet Release: Gold Dust was successfully restraining him. Although Orochimaru's movements appeared grand and destructive, the actual casualties he inflicted were limited.
But Yagami's battlefield…
Was an entirely different story.
His speed was overwhelming.
His defense was flawless.
And his kenjutsu—
Was pure slaughter.
Every slash claimed a life.
Every movement reaped death.
It hadn't been long since the battle began, yet the number of Sand shinobi who had fallen beneath Yagami's blade had already exceeded eighty.
Perhaps even more.
Blood stained the ground beneath his feet.
Two Sand shinobi Jōnin, unable to tolerate the carnage any longer, had stepped forward to stop him.
But the outcome had been decided within moments.
After only a few exchanges—
Both had been cut down.
Their bodies collapsed lifelessly, their souls claimed by Yagami's blade.
"…Dammit."
Chiyo's expression hardened.
Her figure blurred.
She leapt across the battlefield with incredible agility, rapidly closing the distance behind Yagami.
Then...
She thrust both hands forward.
A volley of kunai shot toward him like streaks of lightning.
Each kunai trailed behind it a thin, nearly invisible thread of chakra.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The kunai reached Yagami's vicinity—
Then suddenly split apart midair, scattering in all directions.
In an instant, they formed a perfect encirclement.
A killing formation.
Every escape route sealed.
Yagami's eyes narrowed.
"…So you finally decided to move."
His attention sharpened instantly.
He could feel it clearly.
This attack was different.
Completely different.
This was no ordinary Jōnin.
This was...
Kage-level power.
Only someone of that level could exert such terrifying control and pressure.
Chiyo stood at a distance, her aged eyes filled with both hatred and cold calculation.
She had lived through multiple wars.
And every single time—
Konoha would produce monsters.
Geniuses who would overturn the tide of battle.
Who would crush their enemies.
Who would end the war.
It was infuriating.
The Land of Fire…
Was blessed far too greatly.
"…Hmph."
Her fingers moved.
A scroll unfurled before her.
"White Secret Technique: Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Purple chakra surged violently.
Ten figures clad in white robes emerged from the scroll one after another, standing in formation before her.
Each puppet radiated deadly intent.
Each one was a masterpiece.
Each one—
A weapon of mass destruction.
Yagami's gaze sharpened immediately.
"So… you're finally serious."
The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu.
A legendary puppet technique.
An S-rank ninjutsu.
A technique capable of overwhelming entire battlefields.
He could not afford even the slightest carelessness.
The Sand shinobi nearby quickly retreated, instinctively fleeing from the danger zone.
They understood.
This battlefield no longer belonged to them.
This was now a clash between monsters.
Yagami exhaled slowly.
His breathing steadied.
His mind focused.
"Come."
He raised his blade slightly.
"Show me…"
"The power of the strongest puppet master."
This was his first true battle against a genuine Kage-level opponent.
Mukade had been rated as Kage-level by the system before…
But that had been due to the power of the Ryūmyaku.
His actual combat ability had barely reached Jōnin level.
This time...
Was different.
This was real.
This was a true Kage-level battle.
Chiyo's fingers twitched.
Her chakra threads extended instantly, connecting to all ten puppets.
Then...
She moved her hands forward sharply.
The puppets surged toward Yagami.
They moved with frightening speed, their coordination flawless and their killing intent relentless as all ten puppets closed in on Yagami from different directions.
But—
It wasn't enough.
One puppet suddenly grabbed another and hurled it forward like a projectile.
BOOM!
The puppet shot through the air toward Yagami.
Its mouth opened—
And countless senbon fired outward like a torrential storm.
A deadly rain of poisoned needles.
There was no doubt.
Every single one carried lethal poison.
Yagami's eyes remained calm.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade."
He swung his sword.
Chakra surged violently.
A razor-sharp wave of wind erupted forward.
RUMBLE!
The vacuum blade tore through the air, colliding with the incoming senbon storm.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal striking echoed continuously.
Every poisoned senbon was blown away instantly, deflected and scattered harmlessly by the overwhelming force of the Wind Style technique.
The battlefield fell into a brief moment of stillness.
Two figures stood facing each other.
The Puppet Master of Sunagakure.
And Konoha's rising blade.
The real battle...
Had finally begun.
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