In the barren desert, Sunagakure's forces, led by the Fourth Kazekage, Chiyo, clashed with the shinobi army of Iwagakure.
Chiyo had known from the beginning that Sunagakure could not match Iwagakure in a direct battle.
Before the fighting even began, she had already issued strict orders to every Suna shinobi on the field.
Do not meet Iwagakure head-on.
Do not be dragged into a battle of numbers.
Use the desert. Break their formation. Strike, withdraw, and strike again.
That was Sunagakure's only chance.
As for the strongest enemy on the battlefield, Chiyo would handle him herself.
High above the desert, Onoki of Both Scales hovered in the air with his arms raised.
His small frame looked almost insignificant against the wide sky, but the chakra gathering between his palms was enough to make even veteran shinobi feel their blood run cold.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique."
A transparent cube formed between Onoki's hands, wrapped in a pale, blinding glow.
The moment he pushed his palms forward, the cube shot down toward the ground and expanded in an instant.
Chiyo's expression tightened.
Chakra burst beneath her feet, and she leapt back at once, the puppet strings around her fingers pulling sharply as her puppet retreated with her.
The glowing cube swallowed the desert where she had been standing.
A heartbeat later, the light vanished.
So did everything inside it.
Sand, stone, and air itself seemed to have been erased without leaving a trace.
Chiyo landed several meters away, her eyes narrowing as she looked up at Onoki.
So that is Dust Release…
The kekkei tota passed down in Iwagakure.
A technique capable of breaking matter down to the atomic level.
If she were caught inside that barrier for even an instant, there would be no corpse left to bury.
Chiyo's fear of Onoki deepened.
Yet while Chiyo was wary of him, Onoki was just as cautious of her.
She was the greatest puppet master of this era.
Her puppetry was deadly, and her poisons were feared throughout the shinobi world. Onoki knew very well that if one of Chiyo's puppets so much as scratched him, the poison alone might be enough to end his life.
Their battle was one in which a single mistake meant death.
Neither of them could afford to be touched.
"Tsuchikage," Chiyo called out, her fingers still moving as the puppet hovered protectively near her. "Our nations border one another. An alliance would serve us far better than this war. Coexistence. Mutual support. That is the path both villages should take."
She did not want to fight Iwagakure and Kumogakure at the same time while their village was so badly weakened.
Onoki looked down at her from the sky, his face cold.
"A genin from your village, a disciple of the Third Kazekage, took advantage of the situation during the Chunin Exams and nearly killed my son. You expect me to let that go?"
Chiyo's eyes sharpened.
She understood at once.
Onoki was not foolish enough to start a war between nations over a simple grudge from the Chunin Exams.
Those words were not meant for her alone.
They were meant for every Suna shinobi who could hear him.
He wanted to plant resentment inside Sunagakure.
He wanted the losses of this war to be blamed on Rasa.
If Sunagakure turned on the young genius who had inherited Magnet Release, then Iwagakure would profit even without killing him directly.
It was a cheap move.
But effective.
For a brief moment, Chiyo's heart wavered.
If Rasa's life could truly buy Iwagakure's retreat, Sunagakure would not refuse the exchange.
Her lips parted slightly.
She looked up at Onoki, hesitating for only a moment.
Then she swallowed those words.
It was not mercy.
Chiyo was not soft enough for that.
Behind Rasa stood the political influence left by the Third Kazekage. If she sold him out on the battlefield, in front of Sunagakure's own shinobi, the village would tear itself apart from within.
So Chiyo chose another path.
Her gaze hardened.
"As the Kage of a village, you would plunge two nations into war over a quarrel between the younger generation?" Chiyo's voice rang across the battlefield. "With that kind of judgment, do you still dare call yourself a Kage?"
The nearby Suna shinobi turned toward her.
Chiyo took one step forward.
"Sunagakure does not buy peace by handing over its comrades. A peace built on sacrifice and betrayal is nothing but an illusion!"
Her words carried over the desert.
The Sunagakure shinobi, who had been fighting under mounting pressure, felt their spirits rise.
Their Kazekage had not abandoned them.
She had not bowed her head.
She stood with them.
Onoki's eyes narrowed.
"So that is your answer."
His hands rose again.
"Then fall with your village."
The chakra between his palms erupted once more.
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique.
A glowing cube expanded from Onoki's hands and shot toward Chiyo.
Chiyo did not dare meet it directly.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, she shifted from place to place, her fingers dancing as she sent her puppet flying toward Onoki in the sky.
The puppet's mouth opened.
Poisoned needles shot upward in a dense stream.
Onoki clicked his tongue and broke off his technique, drifting sharply to the side.
The needles cut through empty air.
The moment Onoki's attack stopped, Chiyo pressed forward.
She controlled the puppet with one hand, forcing it to pursue him, while her other hand slipped into her robes and pulled out a scroll.
With a flick of her wrist, the scroll unfurled.
Chiyo's chakra surged.
"White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets."
Ten humanoid puppets appeared around her, each suspended by chakra threads so fine they almost disappeared in the sunlight.
They were masterpieces created by the legendary Monzaemon Chikamatsu, the pinnacle of Sunagakure's puppet arts.
Even in the current shinobi world, they were known as one of the strongest puppet techniques ever created.
Onoki's expression finally turned solemn.
He recognized those puppets.
"Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique."
Stone wrapped around Onoki's arm, hardening into a massive fist. He swung it down and smashed the puppet that had been harassing him, shattering it apart before it could close in again.
Then he rose higher into the sky.
Higher than Chiyo's puppets could easily reach.
He intended to use the advantage of flight to wear her down from outside her range.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique."
The glowing cube formed again.
Chiyo controlled the Chikamatsu puppets while dodging, but her movements were no longer as clean as before.
Even with her skill, avoiding Dust Release while controlling ten puppets at once was no simple task.
Damn Onoki…
Her eyes flicked upward.
Flying around up there like that gives him too much freedom.
Far above her, Onoki hovered with both hands behind his back, a faint smile returning to his face.
This was exactly the kind of battle he preferred.
He could strike.
She could only dodge.
And on the battlefield not far away, Iwagakure's shinobi were steadily gaining the upper hand.
Sunagakure's hit-and-run tactics had delayed them, but they could not change the difference in overall strength. Iwagakure advanced in tight formations, supporting one another, forcing the Suna shinobi to retreat step by step.
Sunagakure's casualties continued to rise.
Iwagakure's losses remained minimal.
The balance of the battlefield tilted further with every passing minute.
Chiyo sensed it.
The number of familiar chakra signatures on Sunagakure's side was decreasing.
Her jaw tightened.
Sunagakure had already been crippled once by Kizaru. They did not have many shinobi left to lose. If this continued, the village would bleed itself dry here in the desert.
Compared to Chiyo's growing impatience, Onoki remained calm.
Comfortable, even.
The advantage was his.
Victory was already within reach.
"Kazekage," Onoki said from above, his voice carrying through the battlefield. "Surrender. If Sunagakure lays down its weapons, I will guarantee the lives of your shinobi."
He had never intended to wipe out the Land of Wind completely.
Neither Iwagakure nor Kumogakure had started this invasion for annihilation.
They wanted the Land of Wind's minerals.
Its wealth.
Its resources.
Taking Sunagakure intact would cost far less than destroying it.
Chiyo looked up at him.
"There are shinobi of Sunagakure who fall in battle," she said firmly. "But there are no shinobi of Sunagakure who surrender."
Onoki's expression darkened.
"Konoha's reinforcements will take at least three days to arrive. Do you truly believe you can last that long?"
He was not only speaking to Chiyo.
He was speaking to every Suna shinobi who could hear him.
Trying to crack their resolve.
Trying to make them imagine the end.
Chiyo straightened her back.
A hard smile appeared on her aged face.
"We won't know unless we try." Her chakra flared around her. "Even if it costs me my life, I will stop you here."
In that moment, the small old woman seemed to stand taller than anyone on the battlefield.
Like a desert flower blooming in the middle of a storm.
The Suna shinobi felt it.
Her resolve.
Her pride.
Her refusal to yield.
Even Onoki's smile faded.
For a moment, his face became serious.
"I will admit this much," he said quietly. "You are worthy of being called Kazekage."
Then his eyes hardened.
"But I also bear the name of Tsuchikage."
Onoki raised his hands once more.
Just then...
"Ooh~ what a touching little scene."
A golden flash appeared behind Onoki.
Light gathered in the air, stretching into the shape of a tall man with his hands relaxed, one still tucked lazily into his pocket.
Kizaru appeared behind Onoki with his usual careless smile, his other hand brushing his chin as if he had wandered into the battlefield by accident.
"But you know… fighting this seriously is pretty scary."
Onoki's pupils shrank.
Before he could turn, a sharp impact slammed into his waist.
His body bent from the force.
The next instant, he was sent crashing out of the sky.
Boom!
Onoki struck the desert below, throwing up a wave of sand.
Kizaru's body dissolved into golden light again.
In a blink, he reappeared between Onoki and Chiyo.
The battlefield froze.
Both Sunagakure and Iwagakure looked toward him.
Kizaru slowly clasped his hands together.
Then he pulled them apart.
A blade of light formed between his palms, long and brilliant, humming softly in the desert air.
Ama no Murakumo.
Kizaru rested the sword of light at his side and looked around with that loose, unreadable smile.
"Everyone here… how about giving me a little face?"
His tone was lazy, almost playful yet no one moved.
"Let's stop the war right here." Kizaru tilted his head slightly. "Of course, if anyone still wants to keep going…"
His smile widened by a fraction.
"I don't mind keeping you company."
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