Chiyo vs. Hanzo of the Salamander

Outside the Sand Village camp, on the Land of Rain battlefield.

Under the drizzling rain, Hanzo of the Salamander stared coldly at Chiyo in front of him. His icy voice came from his mask, "Chiyo, you finally showed yourself. I thought you'd hide until I killed them all?"

"Hanzo, don't think being called the 'Demigod' of the Ninja World is your honor. You don't deserve it!" Chiyo said, slightly angered.

At this time, both were in their prime, at the peak of their physical abilities and chakra levels!

Hanzo stopped wasting words, waved his hand, and the Hidden Rain ninjas roared as they charged towards the Sand Village camp. Hanzo also brandished his scythe and charged towards Chiyo.

Swish!

Chiyo untied the rope binding her hair, shook her purple hair, and then took out a white scroll.

Bang! Hanzo's scythe was blocked by Chiyo's puppet. It was the masterpiece of Monzaemon Chikamatsu, the Puppet Master Ancestor—the Ten Puppets of Monzaemon, a puppet mechanism that once conquered a city!

Hanzo watched Chiyo warily, not daring to be careless. A battle of this level required complete focus. Any slight lapse would be exploited, leading to a fate worse than death!

Chiyo controlled ten puppets with ten chakra threads, dancing like lotuses!

Swish swish swish swish swish swish!

The Ten Puppets of Monzaemon rode the wind and attacked Hanzo.

The coordination of these ten puppets was like a surging river, continuous and without a single flaw!

They were very close. Just as the foremost puppet's samurai sword was about to pierce Hanzo, Hanzo dissolved into a puddle of water.

"Water Body Flicker Technique!"

Hanzo suddenly appeared beside Chiyo, performing a Sword Technique: Quick Draw Slash! The scythe in Hanzo's hand instantly pierced Chiyo's body. His grinning face was clearly visible. He turned around and discovered that the so-called Chiyo was merely a sand clone!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Puppet Technique: Striking Blade!

Countless kunai flew towards Hanzo. In Hanzo's widening pupils, a salamander emerged from the ground, swallowed Hanzo whole, and quickly burrowed underground, leaving only a black pit in its place.

Chiyo vigilantly observed her surroundings, gazing into the distance with narrowed eyes.

Boom! A large pit appeared in the center of the Sand Village battlefield.

Poison Spray!

Iwabushi the Salamander sprayed a wide area of poison from its mouth. The purple, toxic substance began to spread. The Sand Village ninjas, caught off guard and without masks, began to suffer widespread poisoning.

Chiyo gritted her teeth, not expecting to fall into a trap here.

While Chiyo was distracted, Hanzo descended from the sky, his chain entangling the bodies of three puppets. His scythe slashed down from above.

Sword Technique: Chain Scythe Double Strike!

The scythe, imbued with immense power, shattered three puppets. Hanzo then retreated to the side.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The rainwater on the field quickly gathered, forming a ferocious blue giant dragon that charged towards Chiyo. Hanzo pressed his advantage.

"Three puppets are already damaged, I can't afford to lose any more!"

Chiyo unfurled a scroll, formed hand seals, and shouted, "Sealing Technique: Void Seal!"

Whoosh! Light erupted from the center of the scroll. The Water Dragon Bullet, upon touching the light, did not explode but instead burrowed into it and disappeared...

Hiss! A seal character appeared on the scroll.

Chiyo's fingers flickered, controlling the puppets to engage Hanzo. However, the Sand Village ninjas present were not as fortunate. The poison sprayed by the intermittently appearing salamanders became their greatest disaster. The tide of the battle had turned, and the Sand Village was steadily retreating.

Chiyo panted, controlling the puppets to counterattack while also keeping an eye out for Hanzo, who would suddenly appear using the Water Body Flicker Technique.

Bang! Hanzo sent a puppet flying, his eyes darting around. Within a radius of dozens of meters around them, no ninjas could stand. The attack range was too wide, and the power of the techniques was too great, making it impossible for any ninja to get close.

Rumble rumble!

As Chiyo and Hanzo clashed, the salamander suddenly emerged from behind, spraying a large amount of poison.

"Let's see what you do this time?" Hanzo's cold smile appeared.

Chiyo controlled three of the puppets to turn around, while the remaining puppets continued their attack. Her fingers hooked.

Crack crack crack!

The three major puppets representing 'Monk,' 'Buddha,' and 'Dharma' gathered. 'Buddha' stood atop 'Monk' and 'Dharma,' forming a formation.

The three major puppets formed different hand seals.

Boom! Behind the gap formed by the three major puppets, a formation appeared.

Puppet Technique: Three Treasures Absorption!

Whoosh! A tornado with a powerful suction force was released from the formation, absorbing most of the poison mist dispersed in the air. However, a small amount of poison was still inhaled by Chiyo.

Although not fatal, it tipped the scales of victory gradually towards Hanzo.

After spitting out the poison, the salamander burrowed underground again, waiting for an opportunity. Hanzo shattered another puppet and retreated, forming hand seals.

Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!

A massive water sphere was spat from Hanzo's mouth, rushing towards the puppets controlled by Chiyo.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

The massive torrent of water pinned Chiyo's puppets, forcing her to sever their chakra threads and leap away to avoid the impact.

"Now! Sword Technique: Flash!"

Hanzo vanished instantly, his scythe flying towards Chiyo.

"This is the end!"

"Not necessarily!" Chiyo flashed a sinister smile.

Suddenly, as Hanzo attacked, a fanged lion mechanism lunged at him, biting down hard and blocking his path.

In the air, Chiyo's lips curved into a smile. "It's finally over!"

She formed hand seals, "Sealing Technique: Lion's Roar Seal!"

Snap!

The sealing array hidden within the lion's head activated, spreading across Hanzo's entire body.

Whoosh! Hanzo fell to the ground, only to dissolve into a puddle of water!

"A Water Clone?" Chiyo was confused. Looking down, she found her puppets being destroyed, their mechanisms dismantled into a pile of parts.

"Damn it!" Chiyo instantly reconnected the chakra threads, controlling the remaining three puppets to counterattack.

Bang! Hanzo sent another puppet flying, a smug smile on his face. "You only have three puppets left, be careful!"

Chiyo's brow furrowed. Her chakra was running low, and the poison she'd inhaled was eroding her body. Only three of the Ten Puppets of Monzaemon remained. She needed a strategy.

Chiyo's fingers danced, forcing herself to calm down. Although fewer puppets remained, their movements were more agile, and their offense undiminished.

Hanzo wasn't in a hurry either. The battle was leaning in favor of the Hidden Rain, and he just needed to stall, waiting for an opportunity for the Hidden Sand to collapse.

Few Hidden Sand shinobi remained on the battlefield, and most were wounded. The situation was dire!

"Now!" After knocking away another puppet, Hanzo immediately formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Explosive Flame Formation!"

Whoosh!

At the spot where Chiyo stood, countless explosive tags surged from the ground, flowing towards her position.

"Die!"

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!

Explosive fire billowed into the sky, its heat even evaporating the rainwater in a dozen-meter radius!

Buzz! Beneath the thick smoke, a blue shield stood tall: "Puppet Technique: Machine Light Shield Seal," blocking all the damage from the explosion.

"Puppet Technique: Striking Blade!"

Chiyo opened a scroll and used her dwindling chakra to launch a final assault.

Countless kunai, attached with explosive tags, flew towards Hanzo. He dodged, burrowing underground to wait out the explosions.

Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom!

Numerous explosive tags detonated, the dispersed dust obscuring their vision.

When the explosions ceased, Hanzo saw only the corpses of Hidden Sand shinobi on the battlefield. Chiyo and the remaining Hidden Sand ninjas had all retreated.

So, it was planned all along. They deliberately waited for me to launch my final attack before escaping. What a brilliant strategy!

Hanzo called back his subordinates who were about to pursue, a sinister smile gracing his face. "No need to chase. They inhaled my poison, and without an antidote, they won't live much longer!"

The Hidden Rain ninjas ceased their pursuit and began clearing the battlefield, taking stock of the casualties and spoils.

The battle concluded with a resounding victory for the Hidden Rain. While it greatly boosted morale, it had no impact on the overall situation.