"Everyone, this old woman understands that you want to fight. I feel the same way. But do you know what that giant truly is?"
Granny Chiyo narrowed her eyes, drawing in a sharp breath.
Her words instantly silenced the battlefield. The shinobi of Sunagakure looked up at the towering figure with fear in their eyes. Even without knowing its origin, the sheer size alone was enough to suffocate the soul.
"This is Susanoo. Perhaps you haven't heard of it—but you've all heard of Madara Uchiha, haven't you? The god of slaughter from fifty years ago. This was the technique he used."
Granny Chiyo let out a long sigh.
A trace of lifeless heaviness appeared in her clouded eyes. Even she did not understand how, amid Konoha's internal chaos, the Uchiha Clan could produce a shinobi who possessed Susanoo once more.
The sky of the shinobi world was changing.
High above, Uchiha Ran stood atop Susanoo. At first, he was slightly surprised that Chiyo recognized Susanoo so easily, but then understanding dawned on him.
Right—when Chiyo was still in her prime, she had personally met Hashirama Senju. With that history, it made perfect sense.
The Sunagakure shinobi fell silent.
A suffocating presence named death spread through their hearts.
Even if they had never seen Madara with their own eyes, his name was etched clearly into history.
That man had once possessed the power to erase a nation with ease.
Now that Susanoo had reappeared, it meant only one thing—the rise of the Uchiha Clan was inevitable, and Konoha's internal struggle would end in their victory.
This was absolutely not good news for Sunagakure.
"Are you finished?" Uchiha Ran looked down from above, his gaze fixed on Chiyo.
Chiyo frowned, her expression guarded.
The next instant, Ran commanded Susanoo to raise its tachi and slash downward from the sky.
As the enormous blade descended toward Chiyo and the gathered Sunagakure shinobi, her expression changed sharply.
"Everyone—scatter!"
At the same time, her hands never stopped moving as she flung a scroll into the air.
In the next moment, the pinnacle of puppet craftsmanship appeared on the battlefield—
Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets.
"White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets!"
Chiyo shouted.
Chakra threads shot out from her ten fingers, connecting to the puppets' bodies. In an instant, they were infused with life.
The measure of a puppeteer's talent lay in how many puppets they could control at once.
And Chiyo was acknowledged by the entire shinobi world as the greatest puppeteer alive.
"It's Granny Chiyo's Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets!"
"We're saved!"
"That's Sunagakure's greatest creation— even Susanoo will be stopped!"
"Go, Granny Chiyo!"
The shinobi around her erupted in cheers, as if injected with adrenaline. But Chiyo herself understood the reality all too clearly.
She had no confidence whatsoever in blocking this earth-shattering slash.
Using the White Secret Technique to buy time was nothing more than her duty—as a senior leader of Sunagakure, and as the wife of the First Kazekage.
"All of you, retreat immediately! Return to the Village!" Chiyo shouted.
"Ebizo—prepare the letter of surrender! I'll hold him here!"
Ebizo's eyes filled with complicated emotions. His mouth opened, then closed again.
After a brief hesitation, he shouted hoarsely, "All Sunagakure personnel—retreat to the Village! This enemy cannot be fought!"
His voice trembled, and his eyes were full of unwillingness.
The Susanoo tachi continued its descent.
The overwhelming pressure made Chiyo's heart turn ice-cold. Yet when facing a powerful enemy, one must meet them head-on—fear only invited cruelty.
"Puppet Technique: Mechanical Light Shield Seal!"
Chiyo snapped her fingers.
The ten puppets instantly moved into position, raising their arms. Chakra surged through the threads as they exerted force together, forming a massive shield.
Chiyo panted heavily, resentment burning in her heart. If she were ten years younger, this technique would have been far stronger.
"Oh?" Uchiha Ran's eyes gleamed. "Interesting. But I'm not Sasori of the Red Sand—and I won't hold back."
He poured in more chakra.
The falling tachi ignited with deep blue flames, its power surging yet again.
Chiyo clenched her teeth, holding her hands skyward. She knew she might die to this strike—but even so, she had to endure a little longer.
She had to buy time for Sunagakure's retreat.
Clang!
The Susanoo tachi collided with the Mechanical Light Shield Seal, releasing an ear-splitting metallic roar.
For an instant, the retreating Sunagakure shinobi were ecstatic.
It blocked it!
Granny Chiyo actually blocked it!
But only Chiyo herself knew how desperate the situation truly was.
The moment the blade made contact, blood surged up her throat, leaving a sweet taste in her mouth.
She swallowed it back down and forced more chakra out, releasing nearly thirty percent of her reserves at once. It barely held the strike in place—yet the tachi continued pressing downward relentlessly.
She was still within the killing zone.
Uchiha Ran sneered. "Let's see how long you can last."
"Chiyo, you're impressive—very strong."
"But I'm stronger."
He suddenly exerted force.
Susanoo's eyes flared with light as the pressure increased dramatically.
This time, Chiyo could no longer endure it. Blood spilled from her lips as she stared up at Susanoo, fear and relief mixing strangely in her eyes.
She had two regrets in her life.
One was her son and daughter-in-law, who had died inexplicably in Sunagakure.
The other was her grandson—Sasori.
She didn't know how that child was living now. Was he eating well? Did he have enough money? Did he still think of her?
The Mechanical Light Shield Seal shattered.
The Susanoo tachi, filled with boundless killing intent, came crashing down toward her.
It seemed as though Chiyo was about to perish beneath the blade.
The retreating Sunagakure shinobi cried out in despair.
"Lady Chiyo—no!"
"Without you, how can Sunagakure move forward?!"
"Please—someone save Granny Chiyo!"
Their wails echoed across the battlefield.
Standing beneath the descending blade, Chiyo slowly closed her eyes, whispering in her heart.
"My son… Mother is coming. I'll keep you company. You must be lonely down there."
"Wait for me. I'll protect you in the Pure Land as well."
"And Sasori… I don't know where you are. Good child… I wanted so much to tell you—I have a technique that can revive your parents. It's just not complete yet. If only I had a few more years…"
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Then—
A sudden change.
Twenty puppets clad in dark red-brown robes burst forth, surging upward toward the descending tachi in unison!
The ground trembled violently.
An ugly, shell-like puppet erupted from beneath the earth, grabbed Chiyo in an instant—and vanished back underground.
Uchiha Ran's pupils contracted.
Hiruko.
Performance of a Hundred Puppets.
So… he had come after all.
And in that moment, Ran understood one thing clearly—
Even after joining the Akatsuki, Sasori of the Red Sand had never stopped watching over his family.
Especially his grandmother.
------
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