Sakumo: Was I not meant to come... now?

The red sand filling the sky collided with an invisible wall, splitting between Chiyo and Kaminazuki to form a wide space permeated with the stench of blood and puppet machine oil.

Chiyo withdrew her hands from her sleeves, her ten fingers extending nearly invisible Chakra threads to manipulate nine silent killing machines.

Her expression grew increasingly grim as her killing intent toward Kaminazuki intensified.

Twenty minutes.

For a battle between ninja, this was far too long, a duration typically seen only in evenly matched skirmishes between mid-to-high-level shinobi.

Evenly matched...

Me, against this brat?

What a joke!!

The nine puppets formed an inescapable web of attack; poison needles, senbon, and hideous giant blades poured down like a torrential rain!

Kaminazuki's physical state was far from ideal; his upper garment had been shredded in the intense combat, and the wound on his right shoulder seeped blood, which trickled down his arm onto the blade.

The blood coated the patterns on the Crimson Blade, the fluctuating luster making it seem as if the sword were breathing.

Puppet masters were all experts in the use of poison, and Chiyo was undoubtedly a master among them.

Yet, this poison, potent enough to kill a large Summoning Beast, had an effect on Kaminazuki that amounted to little more than slight numbness.

His heart, beating rapidly as he entered combat mode, was also pumping blood quickly to dilute the toxins.

His Sharingan rotated steadily, discerning the landing points of every weapon attack.

In an instant, Kaminazuki calculated the optimal path for evasion.

It was impossible to avoid every attack, but he selectively used non-lethal areas of his body to absorb the relatively weaker strikes.

He performed a series of movements impossible for a human, twisting his waist over ninety degrees to dodge the giant axe strike of a puppet.

Immediately following, He raised his arm to shatter a heavy hammer with an elbow strike, used the momentum to spring upward, and delivered a brutal headbutt to a puppet that had closed in on him.

The skull was the hardest bone in the human body, protecting the most vital organ: the brain.

And when used as a weapon, the results were exceptional!

BOOM--!!!

A dull, heavy impact echoed through the valley as the puppet's head was smashed to pieces!

--

Landing on the ground, Kaminazuki had blood dripping from his forehead and several new wounds on his body.

But the ferocity in his gaze had only grown more intense.

Rasa realized at this moment just how wise Chiyo's caution had been.

He was a rare genius of Sunagakure, having mastered the Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai at a young age and becoming a disciple of the Third Kazekage.

He had originally thought that in the vast ninja world, there were only a handful of people his age who could be mentioned in the same breath as him.

But now...

He had to admit that, as he was now, let alone fighting this Uchiha, he didn't even have the qualifications to join the battle!

If I were to expose myself before him...

That crimson blade would sever my head in an instant!

The density of his muscle fibers defied logic; even piercing his skin was no easy feat, and the density of the bones supporting this body was even more exaggerated.

Chiyo pondered, her brows locked in a tight frown.

The Desert Scorpion's poison had no effect on him; it was exactly as he had said—this wasn't some Strength Enhancement Jutsu, but rather a physical body that was powerful from the inside out.

Clack-clack--

With a flick of her fingertips, three puppets detached from the main force and set up a triangular formation.

The mouth mechanisms of the puppets opened, revealing the characters for "Buddha," "Dharma," and "Sangha."

"Ninjutsu—Three Treasures Suction Crush!"

WHOOSH!!!!

A wind tunnel with immense suction force suddenly emerged—a secret technique of Chiyo's capable of drawing everything in front of it into the formation to be ground into dust!

The puppets that had been entangled with Kaminazuki scattered as the immense wind pressure descended.

The air was sucked dry in an instant, and Kaminazuki's body was dragged forward by the tornado, his blood vessels bulging beneath his skin in a terrifying, ghastly display.

"Crouch down!!"

Shikaku let out a sharp shout, and the black Earth Grudge Fear threads enveloping him expanded several times over, blooming like a twisted black flower.

The mask's mouth gaped wide, accumulating intense heat.

Fire Style: Searing Migraine!!

The fireball contracted violently the moment it reached its limit, and then—

Burst!!

A raging sea of fire spread at high speed, and pulled by the tornado, it surged toward the Three Treasures Suction Crush even faster!

Not good!

Chiyo's pupils constricted. Her hands flew, pulling her three puppets back to interrupt the jutsu.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!!!

The massive explosion blasted a giant crater into the sandy earth, burning the withered trees to ash.

Kaminazuki, having taken defensive measures in time, was unharmed, though he had even less clothing on his body now.

Coughing out a wisp of smoke, he thought about finding someone to craft more durable attire; his combat style made it far too easy for scenes unsuitable for children to occur.

"Are you alright?"

Shikaku leaned in, his voice emanating from within the black tentacles.

"The core mechanism of this technique is a rare 'area-of-effect seal.' You were already locked on, so I had no choice but to interrupt it with a wide-range offensive jutsu."

"A better method would be to find terrain with obstacles before it fully forms and use rock formations to drain its Chakra."

"To think of a countermeasure the moment you've seen it once..."

"The people of the Nara clan are still as annoying as ever."

Throughout this twenty-minute battle, Shikaku had played a pivotal role, always managing to predict Chiyo's movements and preventing her from achieving any significant results.

Chiyo lowered her eyelids and sneered, "However... the arrogant Uchiha clan actually taking orders from a Nara clan member who clings to the Sarutobi."

"If Madara Uchiha knew about this, he would surely be disappointed, wouldn't he?"

For her generation, Madara Uchiha was not a distant name; that Battle at the Valley of the End which shocked the ninja world had taken place only twenty-some years ago.

"Kaminazuki—"

Shikaku was just about to warn Kaminazuki that the enemy was trying to mess with his head and he shouldn't fall for it.

Kaminazuki grinned, "Why wouldn't I use a useful tool? Do you think I'm one of you idiots from Sunagakure with your brains wrapped in turbans?"

"Kaminazuki..."

Shikaku wore a bitter expression.

It's one thing to insult the people of Sunagakure, but I'm your comrade, not a tool...

Rasa gritted his teeth, his mouth opening to retort...

"And that guy whose hair color tells me he's suffering from malnutrition."

A mocking smile remained on Kaminazuki's lips.

"What do you want to say? Shouldn't you be back helping your poor relatives in the Land of Wind scrape for food in the sand instead of coming here to show off your presence?"

From the individual to the village, and then to the Land of Wind...

Even Shikaku felt that Kaminazuki had gone a bit too far.

Chiyo's plan to sow discord between the two had failed, and she could only feel her own temper flaring.

"Sharp-tongued brat... I hope you can still laugh in a moment!"

Just as she was about to strike again.

Above the cliff, the voice arrived before the person.

"Kaminazuki!!"

"With such a commotion, I knew you'd be here!!"

Sakumo skidded to a halt at the edge of the cliff. Before he could even clearly see the situation in the arena, he shouted, "Two Sunagakure puppet masters are chasing me. They're not easy to deal with—use your Earth Grudge Fear to give them a real wallop!"

A brief silence lasted for two seconds as they locked eyes.

"Sigh... you seem... even harder to deal with..."

"That old woman looks a bit familiar..."

"Is this... a bad time for me to have come?"