Chiyo's fingers moved deftly, commanding three puppets to form a triangle formation in front of her. The clattering of gears echoed as the puppets—"Buddha," "Dharma," and "Monk"—shifted into position, each mechanical joint clicking into place.
Suddenly, a violent whirlwind tore through the battlefield. A powerful suction force surged forth, forcing the group to channel chakra into their feet, anchoring themselves more firmly to the ground.
But to Chiyo, their resistance was futile. Debris was drawn in by the storm and instantly shredded into dust.
Everyone except Nawaki used Body Flicker to escape the attack radius.
Both Uchiha Kaien and Namikaze Minato were speed-type shinobi. With the Body Flicker Technique, they managed to evade the tornado's reach before it could fully engulf them. Senju jonin wasn't far behind—an elite jōnin with no glaring weaknesses in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu.
Only Nawaki lacked mobility among them.
As the tornado locked onto him, he took a deep breath, pulling several explosive tags from his pouch and hurling them at the approaching puppets.
It didn't help much. The moment the tags were pulled into the vortex, they were extinguished and sucked into the puppet mechanisms—only to reemerge as tattered scraps of useless paper.
"This is bad... real bad!"
Unable to spare the attention for hand signs, Nawaki struggled to resist the pull of the tornado. Luckily, the other three had already broken free and were engaging Chiyo's remaining puppets in close combat, relieving some of the pressure on him.
Kaien seized the opportunity.
Without hesitation, he launched his phantom beast toward Nawaki.
"Go, Phantom!"
As Kaien shouted theatrically, the summoned beast morphed mid-flight into combat mode—transforming into a massive black leopard-like creature with four stark-white paws.
Nawaki, alerted by the sound, saw the beast diving straight at him. Without missing a beat, he relaxed the chakra in his feet and redirected it to his abdomen.
"Medical Ninjutsu: Yin Healing Wound Destruction!"
The phantom beast slammed into him, knocking him out of the suction zone.
Kaien immediately recalled the creature, dispersing it in a puff of smoke.
Nawaki staggered to his feet, wincing from the impact. But the wound left by the collision was already healing at an astonishing rate—restoring to normal in the blink of an eye.
Yin Healing Wound Destruction was a unique medical ninjutsu that allowed the user to store Yang chakra in areas likely to be injured, enabling rapid recovery upon impact.
After years of research, Nawaki had mastered more than just explosive tags. He'd learned several niche techniques that came in handy when it mattered most.
Still, even though Nawaki had escaped Chiyo's trap, the battle was far from over. With her hands freed, the puppets "Buddha," "Dharma," and "Monk" launched a fresh offensive, pressing the group harder than ever.
"So this... this is the power of Chiyo from Sunagakure? Such masterful technique... no wonder she's considered on the same level as the Hokage," Senju jonin muttered.
He was keenly aware of the despairing gap between an elite jōnin and a true Kage-level opponent. Right now, all he could do was stall for time until Orochimaru and the others arrived.
If they could join the fight, combining their strength with his team's... they might have a real shot at taking Chiyo down for good.
And if Chiyo fell, surely Sunagakure would retreat!
...
But Kaien wasn't thinking the same thing as Senju jonin.
His fighting spirit only grew stronger.
This was the battle that would awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Kaien didn't care who witnessed his strength.
He was always evolving.
Tomorrow's Kaien would always surpass today's. He was part of the Hokage's lineage, the heir to Madara's will. The only ones who could threaten him now were the other Great Shinobi Nations.
Of course, he'd be in for a scolding afterward—from Hiruzen, from Madara... and probably from Uchiha Kagami too.
"Sealing Technique: Lion Closing Roar!"
Chiyo quietly unleashed a new technique, one unlike anything she'd used before.
Ten uniquely crafted puppets surrounded the team, putting even more pressure on them.
Sweat dripped from Senju jonin's brow. Minato and Nawaki were already nearing exhaustion, barely holding their ground.
This level of combat demanded too much chakra.
Chiyo, meanwhile, looked perfectly composed, as if everything was unfolding exactly as planned. Her poise exuded the confidence of a seasoned tactician.
Suddenly, two of her puppets—imbued with the sealing technique—switched targets and lunged at Minato.
She'd noticed something interesting: the coordination between that blonde brat and the little Uchiha was unexpectedly tight. Time to eliminate the seemingly weaker one first.
Minato didn't even have time to react.
Surrounded by four puppets, he was caught off guard.
One of the sealing puppets made contact.
The moment it touched him, the sealing technique surged through the chakra metal embedded in his kunai, flowing back into his body.
Chiyo had seen that kunai earlier—it wasn't ordinary. A normal blade wouldn't survive long under these conditions. That had to be chakra metal.
And chakra metal meant...
He was definitely a Senju heir. No one else could afford gear of that quality.
But that only made it easier to channel her seal through his weapon.
The stronger the chakra conduction, the better the seal.
...
In the instant their chakras clashed, Minato felt his flow freeze.
He was losing control of his chakra.
His swift and seamless Body Flicker technique was abruptly halted. He was now a sitting duck.
Is this... where it ends?
So many things left undone... I don't want it to end here... I want to keep living...
A bitter smile crept across Minato's lips. He closed his eyes, resigned to fate.
"Minato! Duck!"
"!"
At the sound of the shout, Minato's eyes snapped open.
Kaien was charging toward him at blinding speed, faster than ever before.
Something stirred inside Minato.
A flood of memories hit him.
Right... I'm not done yet. There are still people who need me.
Move, Minato!
You're not defined by your chakra!
He forced himself to move.
Even if he couldn't use chakra right now—he was still Namikaze Minato.
And then... he saw it.
Kaien's eyes were changing.
The three tomoe began to merge into a swirling, inky black ring.
Then intricate patterns began to bloom, like ink spilling across parchment.
That eye... it's just like Kagami-sensei's.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
The name surfaced in Minato's mind.
His heart, once heavy with despair, now filled with hope.
A small smile returned to his face.
"So... our bond won't end here after all, Kaien..."
I've always believed in you...
As he lowered himself with all the strength he had left, Minato's eyes shone with quiet trust.
Even without chakra, he was never alone.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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