However, before sitting in this position, Rasa had only admiration for Pakura as a comrade, genuinely happy that the village possessed such a talented powerhouse.
But once he truly became Kazekage, bearing the weight of the entire village's fate and authority, when he looked at Pakura again, a subtle change occurred in his heart.
This woman was too dazzling, perhaps even somewhat of an eyesore…
An eyesore!
The word flashed through his mind, startling even himself, and he quickly suppressed the thought.
As long as he leads the village to win this war, no one will ever threaten his position as Kazekage again.
Although thoughts churned within him, nothing showed on Rasa's face. He calmly took the intelligence scroll from Chiyo, read it for a while, and then spoke to the subordinate awaiting orders: "Send orders to Pakura. Tell her to continue the plan of harassing and attacking the perimeter of Konoha's main camp. If she encounters Tsunade again, have her lure Tsunade farther away, the farther, the better!"
"Understood!"
The subordinate turned and left. The tent flap fell, bringing in a gust of cold wind.
Rasa turned to Chiyo and said, "Once Tsunade is lured away, it will be time for you, Elder Chiyo, to act personally."
Chiyo nodded slightly. "I understand."
…
Late that night.
The moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, and the land fell into deep darkness.
To the northwest of Konoha's main camp, a large reconnaissance and assault unit of over five hundred ninja was moving swiftly through the night.
Their mission was to investigate a suspicious area where activity by the Village Hidden in the Sand had recently been frequent. If they discovered enemy forces, they were to eliminate them on the spot.
If they encountered a large enemy force, they were to report immediately.
The unit moved silently through sparse woodland, crossed a dried riverbed, and approached the target area.
However, just as the unit entered a seemingly open depression, actually surrounded by scattered rocks and low hills, a sudden change occurred!
Boom! Boom!! Boom!!!
Countless Explosive Tags detonated simultaneously, flames tearing through the darkness as thunderous explosions shook the night sky!
Immediately afterward, from behind the rocks, atop low hills, and within patches of withered grass, countless shadows appeared at once!
Puppets!
A dense swarm of puppets surged out like a tidal wave!
They have a ferocious appearance and move swiftly. Some wielded poisoned blades, some opened mechanisms to fire hidden weapons, and some spewed black, poisonous smoke from their mouths!
Behind the puppets were hundreds of elite Sunagakure ninjas!
They had been waiting here for a long time, forming a tight formation, ready to pounce on their prey!
"An ambush!"
"Form ranks! Defend!"
The commander of the reconnaissance and assault unit shouted hoarsely, but everything had come too fast, too suddenly!
Chiyo stood on a high slope at the rear, overlooking the chaotic battlefield below.
"Kill."
She softly uttered a single word.
This was a brutal breakout battle.
The Konoha ninja were battle-hardened.
After the initial chaos, they quickly organized effective resistance, fighting as they broke through toward the rear.
The battle lasted nearly half an hour.
When the Konoha's remnants finally tore open a gap and broke out of the encirclement, the reconnaissance and assault unit that had originally numbered over five hundred had been reduced to only three hundred, perhaps even fewer.
Corpses littered the ground.
There were Konoha's, and there were Village Hidden in the Sand's, but most of them were Konoha ninja who had been torn apart by puppets, eroded by poison, and could no longer stand.
And those who managed to break out were not truly fortunate either. Many of them had greenish faces, purple lips, and staggering steps. Some collapsed while running and never got back up.
Others were carried on the backs of their comrades, gasping for breath.
They were poisoned.
At least more than two hundred people had been scratched by the poisoned blades of puppets or eroded by toxic smoke in the previous battle, and now the toxins were spreading within their bodies, devouring them.
On the high slope, Chiyo looked down at those fleeing figures in disarray, slowly raised her hand, and spoke: "No need to pursue."
A Sunagakure Jonin froze for a moment, stepped forward, and said urgently, "Elder Chiyo! This is the perfect opportunity to wipe them out completely!"
"I said there's no need to pursue."
Chiyo interrupted him, her tone calm.
"They have already been poisoned by me. They won't live long."
Over the years, she had developed many new types of poisons. The one she used now was one of her most proud creations in recent years.
An extremely complex mixed toxin!
It was composed of seventeen different toxins of varying properties, fused together in a specific ratio. Each one alone was not fatal, but when combined, they would produce a chain reaction.
She was confident that, even if Tsunade personally took action and provided ample samples for research, it would take at least three days to develop a corresponding antidote.
But where was Tsunade now?
According to intelligence, she should be about one hundred kilometers to the southwest, tracking Pakura with her team. Even if she received the news immediately and rushed back without regard for anything, it would take at least half a day to reach the main camp.
And how long could those who were poisoned and fled back last?
They might not even last a full day.
Even if Tsunade returned, what she would face would only be cold corpses.
As for Konoha's other Medical Ninjas?
A slight curve appeared at the corner of Chiyo's mouth.
They wouldn't even be able to grasp the method to analyze the toxin.
To quickly produce a corresponding antidote, Konoha's Medical Ninjas would have to precisely analyze the original composition of her seventeen toxins in an extremely short time, instantly find the corresponding antidotes for all seventeen toxins, and then immediately complete the precise proportions.
But how could that be possible?
Tsunade couldn't do it.
No one in this world could do it.
So those who were poisoned were already dead.
They just needed to wait a few hours before the enemies in front of them truly stopped breathing.
However, Chiyo still did not dare to underestimate Tsunade. What if Tsunade could really create a miracle?
So she chose this moment when Tsunade was not at the main camp. That way, even if Tsunade rushed back, the time left to her would be too little, far from enough to create the antidote.
"Letting them go back will instead consume a large amount of Konoha's medical resources. Their resources, manpower, and energy will all be spent on these people who are destined not to be saved."
Chiyo said calmly, "Konoha's people will watch helplessly as these people die one by one before their eyes, while exhausting their every method yet being powerless."
"When they all die in the main camp, in front of their own comrades, under everyone's watch, breathing their last bit by bit, it will surely deal a heavy blow to Konoha's morale!"
Hearing this, the Sunagakure ninjas behind Chiyo looked at each other, then revealed expressions of realization and awe.
As expected of Elder Chiyo!
With a single move, she had taken the lives of nearly five hundred Konoha ninjas. For Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, this was also a loss that was hard to bear.
They had just been wondering why they would let the ninjas from Konoha retreat when they could clearly continue pursuing and expand their gains.
Now they understood, those who returned alive were more useful than the dead.
Chiyo withdrew her gaze and turned, walking straight into the darkness.
"Withdraw."