Chikamatsu Ten Puppets vs. Sickle and Chain Double Strike

South Gate

Chiyo was currently in the guise of a middle-aged woman, her gaze icy. Sunagakure's finances were currently in the red, already facing a crisis, and Salamander Hanzo's declaration of war had successfully diverted their internal conflicts.

"To repay the kindness of Amegakure, this old woman shall put in some effort and drive you scum back!"

At this thought, Chiyo extended both hands, ten chakra threads shooting from her fingertips to attach to the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets.

With a lift of her hands and a subtle twitch of her fingers, the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets sprang into action, moving with the agility of living people as they charged toward the rapidly approaching Salamander Hanzo.

Salamander Hanzo let out a roar, turning to bypass the first of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets before raising his right hand and slashing downward. Swish!

As he twisted his long blade, the second puppet was struck down. Just as he withdrew his blade, the third puppet raised the spikes in its hands to thrust at him.

Just as he prepared to counter, the puppet he had previously struck down gripped his right-hand blade tightly. Salamander Hanzo's expression shifted; he released his grip on the blade and, using the momentum of the pull, retreated backward to dodge the third puppet's attack.

He then spun around, decapitating the third puppet. Before he could even catch his breath, the first puppet threw poisoned senbon at him!

Salamander Hanzo instinctively performed the Body Replacement Technique. Thud. A sound of "da-da-da" echoed as the spot where he had been standing turned into a wooden log, the poisoned senbon embedding themselves into the wood.

The toxin was potent; in the blink of an eye, the replacement log turned from brown to purplish-black. Salamander Hanzo's eyes were cold. "You old hag, you really play dirty!"

Old hag? Chiyo had only intended to stall him without going all out, but what did he just say? Old hag!

BOOM! A massive surge of chakra erupted, causing the chakra threads in Chiyo's hands to thicken significantly as the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets drew all their weapons.

With various forms—blades, spears, cannons, saws, and hooks—Salamander Hanzo narrowed his eyes. He tossed his katana aside, reached behind his back, and drew a sickle and chain.

Any ninja who knew of his reputation understood that he was getting serious; this was his signature weapon, something no katana or longsword could replace.

"Bastard, did no one ever tell you that you shouldn't speak of a woman's age so casually!" With that, Chiyo roared, her powerful chakra causing her hair to stand on end.

The Chikamatsu Ten Puppets surged toward Salamander Hanzo at double their previous speed.

Salamander Hanzo retreated with the puppets in hot pursuit. He then formed hand seals, a smirk playing on his lips. "Fire Style: Exploding Flame Formation!"

Chiyo's brow arched as she withdrew four of the puppets, leaving the remaining six positioned exactly where the Exploding Flame Formation had been set.

In an instant, numerous explosive tags buried underground flew out, attaching themselves to the six Chikamatsu Ten Puppets. Following Salamander Hanzo's roar, the tags detonated. BOOM!

The six puppets were blasted away and crippled. Chiyo attempted to manipulate them, only to find they were beyond repair. She retracted her threads, her expression grave.

She did not know when Salamander Hanzo had planted those explosive tags, nor why they hadn't been used when Jiraiya attacked the South Gate earlier.

In truth, Chiyo's suspicion was well-founded. The Exploding Flame Formation was an A-rank ninjutsu, meaning it required at least a true Jonin with a massive pool of chakra to activate. In Amegakure, besides Salamander Hanzo, who else met those criteria?

Thus, Jiraiya and his troops had not been harmed by this formation.

Salamander Hanzo scoffed; this old woman was making a mountain out of a molehill. He swung his sickle and chain at Chiyo, but one of the ox-headed puppets appeared to intercept him.

"Puppet Technique: Guard!"

With a clang, the sickle and chain were deflected. Salamander Hanzo's eyes lit up, and he used the recoil to swing again!

"Sickle and Chain Double Strike!" The tip of the weapon pierced the ox-head's heart, punching through the puppet. Salamander Hanzo grabbed the base of the chain with his right hand and gave a powerful yank!

The metal torso of the ox-headed puppet was ripped apart. Another of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets was lost!

Salamander Hanzo licked his lips, looking at Chiyo with a playful expression. Seven of the ten puppets were gone, leaving only three unimpressive ones remaining. He did not believe he would lose.

Chiyo's expression was grim. She had assumed Amegakure was merely a small village and that Hanzo's reputation was just hype. Who could have known that the current Hanzo was this formidable?

Salamander Hanzo prepared to deliver the final blow to the old hag. "Salamander!" he shouted.

The giant salamander responded instantly, dissolving into a puff of white smoke before reappearing beside him. With their perfect synchronization, the creature immediately exhaled a purple toxic mist. The poison was not only lethal but covered an immense area, engulfing Chiyo in an instant!

Salamander Hanzo sneered. "Ninja Art: Sickle Fog Technique!" His figure suddenly vanished into the mist, and he crept toward Chiyo, searching for an opening.

Chiyo scoffed, operating with her right hand alone. The remaining Chikamatsu Ten Puppets formed a triangular formation. As she yanked her hand, the three puppets opened their mouths wide. "Three Treasures Suction Crush!" A massive amount of the toxic mist was sucked into the puppets. Even Salamander Hanzo was forced to struggle desperately against this technique.

Damn it, this technique is a hard counter to me! He was beyond annoyed.

Once the mist was cleared, Chiyo smiled and gave the order: "Everyone, to my side!"

The Suna-nin immediately ceased fighting and retreated behind Chiyo. Salamander Hanzo seemed to realize something. "Oh no!" He prepared to throw his sickle and chain at the puppets, but a shield made of iron sand blocked the weapon. Clang! The weapon was deflected. This time, Salamander Hanzo's expression changed. Magnet Release? And iron sand at that? Could it be...

He then saw a man with spiky blue hair appear, arms crossed, looking down at him from above!

The Third Kazekage! He had arrived! The strongest Kazekage in history! After such a grueling battle, Salamander Hanzo was not confident he could take on two Kage-level powerhouses at once.

The Third Kazekage arched a brow, tilted his head, and pointed toward the Amegakure troops.

Chiyo's lips curled upward. "As you command, Lord Kazekage!" The three puppets opened their mouths wide, spraying the potent toxic mist back toward the Amegakure forces.

Salamander Hanzo roared, "Run!" He charged toward Yuji at top speed, but the Amegakure troops were not so lucky. Just as they tried to flee, an iron wall rose from the ground, blocking their path.

As the toxic mist enveloped them, their bodies lost all strength, purple spots broke out across their skin, and they collapsed to the ground. Only then did the Third Kazekage signal Chiyo to stop.

Chiyo was obedient, following orders as she used the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets to suck the toxic mist back in. She would study it well later; it might prove useful in the future.