Despite being well past her prime, Chiyo still managed to fend off the combined assault of Uchiha Kaien and Namikaze Minato using only her taijutsu.
The continuous melee exchanges steadily drained the stamina of all three.
Watching this unfold, Minato felt the pressure mount. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
In terms of strength, chakra reserves, and combat experience, he was clearly outclassed. Only his speed allowed him to keep up with Chiyo's tempo.
If not for Kaien fighting alongside him, he probably would've been taken down by now.
That realization hit him hard—among everyone present, he was the weakest in raw power.
Kaien's absurd strength was one thing, but even he didn't seem to be struggling as much. In fact, the longer the fight went on, the more fired up he became.
But seriously—why was this middle-aged woman so ridiculously strong?!
Once we get back to Konoha, I have to train specifically to improve my strength...
That thought firmly planted in his mind, Minato scanned his surroundings—only to realize something even more frustrating: even Kushina's raw power was comparable to Kaien's...
...
While Minato struggled under the mounting pressure, Kaien was practically in his element—growing more excited with every exchange.
This was the kind of real trial he rarely encountered.
Old Man Madara rarely fought seriously. Even during training, he would only use genjutsu to manipulate a bunch of Kirigakure cannon fodder for Kaien to spar against.
Even if Madara puppeteered jōnin-level enemies, they still had their limits. No amount of experience could make up for the sheer disparity in specs—Kaien would crush them with overwhelming force.
But Chiyo… Chiyo was different.
As he fought, a flicker of gratitude surfaced in Kaien's eyes.
If he could push her back—or better yet, break a few more of her parts—maybe the old man would finally stop nagging him...
His Sharingan spun rapidly, the three tomoe whirling like blood-red pinwheels, capturing every detail of the battlefield.
Under the effect of [Alluring Gaze], Kaien could feel his ocular power boiling over. The information he could perceive became even more vivid.
Yes... this is it. This is the trump card I've been relying on in this fight.
The line between three-tomoe and Mangekyō was beginning to blur. His eye power surged, shrinking the gap between the two stages.
He didn't know when the transformation would occur, but one thing was certain: if he went all out, Chiyo would die by his hands.
With that thought, Kaien unleashed another burst of force, and this time, Chiyo began to falter.
A fine crack appeared in her puppet arm—the first sign of damage.
Startled, Chiyo instantly activated one of her embedded Puppet Arts.
"Puppet Arts – Mechanical Light Shield Seal!"
A translucent shield shimmered into existence, forming a barrier just in time to block the dual attack from Kaien and Minato.
The two exchanged a quick glance and immediately pulled back.
They had to. Nawaki and the Senju jōnin's coordinated strike was about to land.
...
A massive earth dragon erupted from the ground, surging forward with tremendous weight and force, kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke in its wake.
Upon closer inspection, the dragon's surface was covered in hundreds of tightly packed explosive tags, each positioned at structurally weak points for maximum damage.
Chiyo's eyes narrowed. She ramped up her chakra output, preparing for the worst.
This wasn't just a jōnin-level technique. It was backed by a sophisticated explosive tag setup—she couldn't afford to take it lightly.
She pushed the Mechanical Light Shield Seal's power to its limit.
BOOM!
The stone dragon slammed into the shield with a thunderous crash.
Each time the dragon's momentum was blunted by the shield, an explosive tag detonated. Shards of stone and shockwaves pelted Chiyo in a brutal second wave of damage.
Blast after blast rocked the battlefield, engulfing Chiyo in thick smoke and debris.
Kaien and Minato regrouped beside Nawaki and the Senju jōnin.
"Did we get her?" Nawaki asked grimly.
From how sturdy that last shield had been, even with their combined technique and the embedded explosive tags, he wasn't confident it had done the job.
Kaien shook his head.
"No. Her chakra's still active—and she's summoning something."
He extended his sensory range.
"Ten chakra threads… Could it be the legendary Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu?"
Senju jonin's face went pale. Cold sweat beaded on his brow.
"The ultimate puppet masterpiece created by the Second Kazekage..."
"So she's finally unleashed them." He grit his teeth. "Looks like we're going to have to fight for our lives. According to the beast sensory report, Orochimaru-sensei is still a ways off."
In other words—if they could hold out, reinforcements would arrive.
"But to deal with ten puppets... Each of us will need to take on at least two."
Sunagakure had always practiced elite training due to limited resources. Even an average puppeteer capable of controlling two puppets at once could take on multiple enemies.
And Chiyo? She could control ten.
"We can't afford to get injured, either," jonin warned. "From what I know, Chiyo is a master of poison. Without Lady Tsunade here, we have no way to counter it..."
...
A heavy pressure settled over everyone—everyone except Kaien.
How were they supposed to win against an opponent who surpassed them in every possible way?
When the smoke finally cleared, they saw a towering dome of light—it was the Mechanical Light Shield Seal again, but this time cast by three puppets in unison.
It was far larger than before, with noticeably enhanced defensive power.
Chiyo's arm, previously damaged, was now fully restored. Instead of her puppet limb, she now had what looked like a normal human arm.
Kaien's Sharingan picked out the truth—where the old puppet limb had cracked, there now lay a pile of shattered puppet debris.
She replaced the whole thing...
With the stand-off in full swing, the three puppets returned to guard positions, while ten distinctly shaped white puppets encircled Chiyo.
The pressure they gave off was intense.
"Konoha sure doesn't lack for talent," Chiyo muttered.
"The Uchiha and the Senju… To think children this young could already be this powerful."
Gone was the contempt. Now, she regarded her opponents seriously.
She glanced at the elite jōnin standing guard—it had to be a Senju, without question.
And that Uchiha brat—same old battle-hungry lunatic. She could already tell just by watching that fiery girl from earlier.
These kinds of prodigies had to be crushed before they truly bloomed.
If they ever had children together, the world might face another God of Shinobi... or worse, a new Shinobi Shura.
If that happened, Sunagakure would never have a chance to rise again.
Her killing intent surged, directed at all four of them.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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