Chiyo!

The Eight Inner Gates Formation truly drew attention during the Third Shinobi World War, when Might Duy shattered Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen all by himself.

The performances of Might Duy, Might Guy, and Rock Lee made it seem like some incredible technique, but in truth...

This technique had already existed near the end of the Warring States Era and had even spread among wandering ninja for a time.

It was a grind-heavy technique prepared for those without talent in ninjutsu or genjutsu. Anyone with talent would never consider it.

Most ninja could open the First Gate after training, and its effect was roughly equivalent to getting injected with adrenaline.

The speed boost from the first few gates could easily be offset with the Body Flicker Technique.

In short, what had always been powerful was not the Eight Inner Gates Formation, but the inhuman willpower the Might father and son maintained day after day for decades.

Kaminazuki had seen Might Duy more than once—the "eternal genin" who did handstands around Konoha every day and was mocked by its villagers.

Could hard work surpass genius?

No.

Being able to keep working hard, forever maintaining a thirst to strengthen oneself—such nearly obsessive willpower was itself an exceedingly rare talent.

In Kaminazuki's eyes, Might Duy was a genius just like himself.

Every manifestation of power followed the most fundamental principle.

Price.

Using ninjutsu required chakra as payment. Forbidden techniques came with the price of self-harm and shortened lifespans. Tailed Beast jinchuriki faced the risk of being consumed and losing control.

Without a price, there was no upper limit. Price was the measure of power.

The Akimichi clan exchanged the fat accumulated in their bodies and the risk of death for a short-term increase in strength. The Eight Inner Gates granted power beyond one's limits through unceasing training.

And that kind of limit was what Kaminazuki endured every moment.

In exchange for being unable to use ninjutsu, he had obtained physical strength at the very limit.

And as an Uchiha, he could use the Sharingan to circumvent the ironclad rule that he absolutely could not use "techniques"...

Then,

What was the price of the Sharingan...?

--

Because deer powder had been added to the stew, Shikaku's physique absolutely could not handle it, so he could not have a single bite of the pot.

Shikaku seriously suspected that Kaminazuki had done it on purpose.

Just as he was considering whether to cook another pot or simply eat a Military Ration Pill, his raised hand abruptly froze. He exchanged a glance with Kaminazuki.

An extremely faint buzzing sound arose, nearly drowned out by the crackling bonfire.

The next instant—

Whoosh!!

A humanoid puppet charged out of the darkness, its savage faceplate illuminated by the firelight.

Its arms were two scythes, eerie blue venom glimmering on their blades. It was unbelievably fast as it slashed straight at Kaminazuki's face.

"Watch out! It's poisonous!"

With a shout, Shikaku immediately ran for the trench they had dug earlier.

A flash of steel.

The humanoid puppet was split down the middle. The cut was as smooth as if made by a laser, while the mechanisms inside still operated futilely, producing clicking sounds.

Kaminazuki did not spare it another glance. His figure traced an arc through the darkness as he charged toward the nearest Centipede Puppet.

That puppet had countless jointed legs, each tipped with a spike, while poisonous senbon shot from its mouthparts.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!

Kaminazuki tilted his head aside, dodging them as the tomoe in his Sharingan slowly spun.

Chakra threads invisible to the naked eye were clearly revealed within the Sharingan's vision.

Crimson Blade swept out in a crescent arc, instantly severing the Centipede Puppet before charging toward the ninja controlling it.

Thirty meters away.

Behind a huge boulder, two puppet masters crouched back-to-back, cold sweat beading on their foreheads as they stared at the severed chakra threads around their fingers.

"He—"

They only had time to utter a single syllable before blades sliced across both their throats.

Boom!!!

A crimson snake puppet burst from beneath them, its gaping maw lined with blades biting toward Kaminazuki, shredding even the two puppet masters' corpses.

Kaminazuki lightly leaped up and said with a faint smile, "Unlucky bastards. Were you used as cannon fodder?"

Boom!!!!

The crimson snake crushed half a boulder with its bite, but missed.

A puppet master with his face covered in white cloth crouched atop the snake and said in a low voice, "They were not cannon fodder. Their sacrifice was necessary!"

"You'll be bitten to death by the Crimson Snake, bastard!!"

The giant puppet snake opened its mouth, firing countless poison needles at Kaminazuki as he fell through the air.

"No... the cannon fodder I meant was you."

Whoosh—!!

The poison needles pierced Kaminazuki's afterimage. Under the puppet master's horrified gaze, a blade plunged into his heart.

The sound of flesh grinding against steel.

As he fell backward, the white cloth over his face happened to cover his now lifeless eyes. The giant snake, no longer controlled by a puppet master, crashed to the ground with a bang, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Kaminazuki drew his blade and flicked off the blood, turning his Sharingan toward where Shikaku was hiding.

Someone was approaching that place.

The common sense of battle was to seek out an enemy's weak point and attack it. In the pairing of Kaminazuki and Shikaku, the weak point was obvious.

Previously, Kaminazuki had basically taken the initiative to attack, while Shikaku, who was responsible for making plans, had not encountered much danger.

Kaminazuki did not immediately rush over to save Shikaku. A suitable amount of danger would help him accumulate experience. Otherwise, no matter how wise he was, he would not be able to survive on a battlefield that changed in an instant.

Shikaku in the trench also sensed that something was wrong.

The sand in the pit made an abnormal rustling sound. He immediately formed hand seals with both hands, and black shadows spread out like snakes.

Riiip—!!

A golden spearhead suddenly thrust up from the sand. Fortunately, Shikaku had prepared in advance and used the time bought by his shadow to escape.

Boom!!

The spot where Shikaku had been standing exploded. A black shadow tore through the smoke and pulled him out.

Landing beside Kaminazuki, sweat on his brow, Shikaku said gravely, "It seems... something seriously dangerous is here!"

Kaminazuki looked at the young man stepping into the firelight, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.

He looked about the same age as them, with brown hair and a black ninja outfit over a mesh undershirt. His eyes were as calm as a pool of dead water.

"Ah... your future father-in-law is here."

Sunagakure's Rasa—the future Fourth Kazekage, the unlucky man who would be killed by Orochimaru and Kimimaro on the eve of the Konoha Crush Plan.

"Huh?"

Shikaku naturally knew what "father-in-law" meant, but hearing the term come out of Kaminazuki's mouth now was utterly baffling.

Kaminazuki paused just as he was about to speak, the tomoe in his Sharingan slowly turning.

--

Behind the young Rasa, a woman with light purple hair who appeared to be around forty stepped out.

Her eyes were small, but the light shining from those two slits was sharper than a blade.

"You're even younger than I imagined... brats of the Uchiha and Nara."

Her unhurried tone made it sound as though she were merely making casual conversation.

"N-No way..."

Shikaku's voice trembled, and his body began to shake as well.

That was normal.

No Konoha ninja entering the battlefield for the first time could possibly remain unafraid upon seeing this person.

Chiyo.

A legendary powerhouse of Sunagakure, she had inherited the puppet techniques of the Second Kazekage, Shamon. Like the Third Kazekage, her name was on Konoha's highest-threat list.

"Why is she here?! This is completely abnormal!!"

Having made her name during the First Shinobi World War, she was without question a Kage-level powerhouse. How could someone like that appear so casually?!

"What are you surprised about? War isn't a game where you kill monsters and level up. It's normal for characters beyond the expected level to appear."

"Or did you naively think the enemy would play according to your expectations?"

Kaminazuki gripped his sword hilt tightly, his gaze settling on Chiyo as he spoke calmly.

"Isn't that right, old woman?"