Three Phases - Reverse Coil... Hong!

Thank you.

To the god who gave me a second life, whether they existed or not, thank you.

Thank you.

To every bone and every drop of blood in my body, I offered the utmost reverence.

Thank you...

Your voices, your scents, the color of your hair, the curve of your lips when you looked at me, the depth of your pupils... I still remembered them.

Thank you so much...

I was truly grateful to have been born into a world like this!!

Rip!!

A sharp puppet tail needle plunged in, its barb tearing out a spray of blood that turned into a wisp of smoke under the heat before it could hit the ground.

Kaminazuki charged into the formation, utterly ignoring his defenses and letting the attacks fall upon him.

The searing pain of splitting wounds spread through flesh, while the scent of blood filled his throat.

He let out a low laugh.

The shriek of chakra tearing through the air and the thrill of life and death brushing past his ears sent the blood throughout his body boiling hot.

Even his breathing carried exhilaration.

"Ah... this is what being alive feels like..."

Blood slid down from between his brows, drawn toward those deep pupils.

Crash—

A puppet lashed out its long tail, binding Kaminazuki around the waist and dragging him over. Its limbs locked him down like iron clamps.

At the same time, poisoned needles, long spears, massive axes, scythes... countless weapons and thousands of attacks descended in an instant!

Boom!!!

A short-range punch unleashed in that cramped space announced the exit of the second Chikamatsu Ten Puppets.

Amid the fragments filling the sky, the tomoe in Kaminazuki's Sharingan spun to their limit, and his vision seemed to freeze.

He saw that the blade of the sword-wielding puppet was still thirty-two centimeters from his neck, while the spear tip on the other side was forty-nine centimeters from his chest.

Behind him stood a puppet with Machine Light Shield Seal deployed, cutting off his retreat.

At his lower right, the shadow of a chain had already climbed over his ankle.

Closest of all were the senbon aimed straight for his eyes, perhaps only two centimeters away.

Seeing, thinking, deciding—everything was completed in the same instant.

His body under Heavenly Restriction unleashed all its strength. Neural transmission neared the speed of light, his muscles shifted from tension to relaxation within 0.01 seconds, and his bones adjusted the angle of every joint.

His left foot stomped through empty air, and his body tilted and spun in midair. The rotation was so fast that his figure blurred.

The blade swept past his left ear, slicing off a small piece of earlobe.

The senbon struck his shoulder blade and, after holding for an instant, snapped apart. They could not even pierce his skin.

The chain wrapped around his body, only to be dragged by his spin and flung toward Kaminazuki at high speed. After tracing an eerie arc, it crashed into the Machine Light Shield Seal, sending both flying away.

He twisted and hovered, his toe meeting the spearhead.

The iron spear shattered inch by inch, and a huge dent caved in the puppet's chest, sending it flying backward.

Every movement had been completed within one-fifth of a second!

Absolute perception combined with an absolute body.

Creating the ultimate pure killing weapon, born for battle!

Without time to marvel at the boy's performance, Chiyo spread her hands wide, then sharply brought them together. Three more puppets lunged at Kaminazuki.

Rip—!!!

A streak of white light suddenly split through space. Sakumo leaped forward, his short blade drawing a perfect arc before him.

Lightning Release chakra gathered upon the blade before separating from it. As it flew, it continuously expanded and divided, transforming into dozens of lightning blades.

A deafening thunderous roar exploded, and white light blazed!

White Fang: Fierce Thunder Killing Breath!

Boom boom boom boom!!!!!

The three puppets were struck by lightning, black smoke rising from their joints as their movements slowed.

Faced with this, Chiyo had no choice but to pull back her puppets and use long-range attacks to scatter the subsequent lightning blades.

Without exchanging a word, Kaminazuki and Sakumo attacked at the same time, crossing like two streaks of light amid the puppets and rubble.

Mamoru and Ruri primarily used beast-shaped puppets. They could not perform puppet manipulation like Chiyo's "Finger Technique," and their limit was controlling four puppets.

Even in Sunagakure, such skill was second only to Chiyo's and fully worthy of their positions as captains of the puppet forces.

Without needing to speak, Sakumo engaged Mamoru and Ruri while Kaminazuki charged alone toward the regrouped Chikamatsu Eight Puppets.

"Watching you... I truly have to marvel at how Konoha produces genius after genius."

Chiyo's expression remained blank. Her orderly chakra threads wove through the chaos like a curtain before her.

"If we were not enemies, I truly would not want to kill you."

"The Shinobi World only feels so vibrant because it has young people like you..."

Her eyes darkened slightly, and an indescribable smile touched Chiyo's lips.

"If you must blame someone, blame yourself for being born into this cruel era, where there is no distinction between old and young—only the living and the dead."

Chiyo's ten fingers danced as five puppets formed up before her.

With her palms thrust forward, howling gales surged out, intertwining into a violent cyclone that shredded everything and sucked away all surrounding air, creating a suffocating vacuum.

Five Puppet Turbulence: Vacuum Burial!!

--

"How could that be... I'm glad I was born in this era."

Kaminazuki was smiling as well.

Crimson Blade rested on his shoulder. Flames flowed like water, circulating between his arm and the blade, dark black churning amid the scarlet.

"It's because there are people like you that I can truly enjoy myself..."

Without question, Chiyo was the strongest puppeteer of the age, without equal.

Her puppet arts had surpassed those of the previous generation and had nearly reached the pinnacle.

That ultimate control over chakra was simply a display of art.

It had truly allowed me...

to benefit greatly.

Using Pupil Power to control Earth Grudge Fear in performing techniques was, in essence, also a form of puppetry. Given the Sharingan's control over spiritual power and the enhancement brought by incantations, it was nearly as though they were one body.

But it was still lacking by a little.

Compared to the greatest puppeteers, it was still short by a little.

Chakra was the fused extension of physical and spiritual energy, more complete than spiritual energy alone.

Because of Heavenly Restriction, Kaminazuki could not manifest any chakra apart from Pupil Power.

Was there some way...

to add another medium, allowing this control to become faster and more harmonious, enabling stronger attacks as if he were controlling a puppet?

A part of the body, one with extensibility...

The answer had already appeared.

Blood!

Since chakra could not escape the restraints of Heavenly Restriction...

Then let spiritual energy and physical energy merge within heaven and earth!

Drip... drip...

Drops of bloody tears fell from his eyes and splashed across the burning blade.

They were not scorched into smoke. Like paint, they spread through the space between the blade, painting.

Black and red converged into a dreamlike shade of purple.

His lips parted slightly, releasing a languid sound.

"Three Phases."

"Reverse Coil."

"Collapsing Wedge: Irretrievable Flame Feather."

--

Blood established the manifestation of physical energy, Pupil Power formed the link for spiritual energy, and the chanted incantation completed the connection.

A complete...

"art," unlike ninjutsu and belonging to an entirely different system, was truly born at this moment.

The Vacuum Storm sheared off strands of hair like blades.

Black hair fell against his lips.

Time and space seemed to freeze. Kaminazuki slowly "moved" his blade, carving out a half-moon as he softly said—

--

"Hong."

--

--

Purple flames moved like snakes, like fish, like water, like a wisp of smoke, wandering through the raging wind.

They were so beautiful that Chiyo forgot what she was supposed to do for a moment, only waiting as the magnificent violet flames filled her vision.