The Path of the "Ex-Husband Brother" to Defy Heaven and Change His Fate!

Three days later, the border of the Land of Rain.

The environment here remained as gloomy and damp as ever. The endless drizzle in the sky seemed to have no end, soaking the already muddy earth into a deep brown swamp.

The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood, mixed with the nauseating stench of some unknown rotting vegetation.

Raindrops drummed against the ninjas' forehead protectors and cold kunai, producing a monotonous and oppressive sound.

Led by Tsunade, one of the "Konoha Sannin," an elite squad heading to support the Sunagakure front was currently moving through the low-lying forest at high speed.

Their destination was the Sunagakure battlefield ahead, where the situation was deadlocked and Konoha ninjas were suffering greatly from the potent poisons developed by Chiyo.

Tsunade's golden ponytail swayed in the curtain of rain. Following behind her was Kato Dan, an elite jonin and the last remaining member of the Kato clan, who was proficient in sensory ninjutsu and the soul-based "Spirit Transformation Technique," along with several experienced Konoha special jonin.

"Jonin Kato, scout the surroundings. I have a feeling something is wrong."

Tsunade's voice pierced through the rain, carrying a grave and unquestionable authority.

Kato Dan formed the Tiger seal and closed his eyes. His formless chakra perception rippled outward like a stone dropped into a calm lake.

A moment later, he snapped his eyes open, his pupils constricting:

"Lady Tsunade! At nine o'clock, one hundred and fifty meters away, there is a massive, abnormal chakra reaction. It's Sunagakure ninjas! The number... at least twenty or more!"

"Damn it! Take cover! An attack is coming!"

His warning was like a thunderclap in the night, but just as sound cannot outrun light, it was still a step too slow!

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Secret Technique: Manipulated Tools: Poison Needle Senbon!"

"Ninja Art: Sand Shower Barrage!"

"..."

Before Kato Dan could finish his sentence, several fierce attacks erupted simultaneously.

A violent hurricane whipped up mud and water, obscuring the vision of the Konoha group. Dense, poison-tipped senbon and sand projectiles tore through the air like a rainstorm, emitting sharp whistles.

The attacks pierced the curtain of rain, shattering the trees between the two sides and striking the location of Tsunade and her team like cannonballs.

"Spread out! Prioritize taking out the puppeteers!"

Tsunade barked, instantly entering combat mode.

She threw a punch, her Super Strength infused with violent chakra slamming into the ground. It raised a wall of mud and sand that successfully blocked the vast majority of the first wave of Sunagakure's assault.

The other members of the Konoha elite squad reacted quickly, each using their own methods to deflect or dodge the remaining attacks.

However, since the ambush was carefully planned by Sunagakure, it was naturally not that simple.

Seeing the Konoha group's formation in disarray, over a dozen figures immediately moved to divide the battlefield. A large number of puppets surrounded Tsunade, precisely cutting off her connection with the other Konoha ninjas.

Those puppets varied in form, but without exception, the weapons on their joints shimmered with a dark purple glow—it was deadly poison!

Facing the numerical suppression, the Konoha group quickly fell into a disadvantage. Many members were wounded; although there were no casualties yet, the situation was far from optimistic.

Suddenly, a white, feminine-looking puppet wielding dual blades rushed at high speed toward Kato Dan, who was entangled with a sand-manipulating Sunagakure ninja.

"Puppet Technique: Assault!"

"That is... that old hag Chiyo! Kato! Watch out!"

Tsunade caught sight of this and was frantic, wanting to turn back to rescue him, but she was pinned down by over a dozen puppets controlled by several Sunagakure elite jonin.

The enemy did not engage Tsunade head-on, relying only on the puppets' deadly poison and a barrage of toxic ninja tools to block her path, all with the intent of stalling for time.

Facing the incoming white puppet, Kato Dan's eyes were sharp. He moved with agility, his kunai turning into a flash of cold light as he precisely parried the heavy dual blades of the white puppet.

He was not particularly skilled in taijutsu, and while his signature "Spirit Transformation Technique" was powerful, it was impossible to utilize in such a close-quarters ambush where split-second reactions were required.

He dodged while trying to draw fire away from Tsunade, but in the next second, the kunai that had parried the white puppet's slashes several times—even with chakra reinforcement—finally reached its limit. It was snapped in two, and the blade continued on to cleave him in half!

"Puff~"

There was no expected sound of blades entering flesh, only two sections of withered wood scattering on either side of the long blade.

"Substitution Jutsu, it worked!"

Just as Kato Dan felt relieved to have dodged a fatal blow, the severed arm of a puppet suddenly moved.

"Secret Technique: Limb Tip Bayonet!"

The enemy's voice was muffled by the wind, rain, and the explosions of ninjutsu, yet it rang in Kato Dan's ears like a thunderclap.

Tsunade and the others looked back, their eyes splitting with rage.

They saw a spike coated in purple-black liquid, shimmering with a cold metallic luster, pop out from the end of a puppet's arm. Moving at a speed far exceeding the puppet's previous actions, it struck like a beast released from a cage. In the very instant Kato Dan had finished his Substitution Jutsu and was celebrating his narrow escape, it pierced precisely and viciously into his abdomen!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Kato Dan's body stiffened violently, his eyes filled with disbelief. He looked down at his abdomen in shock, watching the spike deeply embedded in his body. Purple-black blood, tainted by the deadly poison, flowed from the wound, and even his skin began to turn ashen starting from the point of impact!

The intense pain was masked by a sudden surge of adrenaline, but a wave of numbness instantly swept through his entire body, stripping him of all his strength.

"Puh-ah~"

Kato Dan couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, his body beginning to stagger uncontrollably, as if he would collapse at any moment.

"Kato Dan!"

Tsunade let out an enraged roar as her violent chakra erupted. Combining her Super Strength Fist with Uzumaki Style Taijutsu, she unleashed a devastating force that pulverized all the puppets surrounding her, the sound of their destruction ringing out clearly.

She rushed toward Kato Dan, heedless of everything else.

However, the Sunagakure assault did not cease. Chiyo, who was manipulating the puppets Crow and San, felt a flash of cruel triumph in her eyes and hooked her fingers sharply.

"Click-clack!"

"Secret Technique: Crisis at a Hair's Breadth!"

The three puppet arms and two puppet legs that had been scattered across the area suddenly ejected venomous spikes, just as the previous arm had, and drove them into Kato Dan's body!

Like a kite with its string cut, Kato Dan's body was knocked backward by the impact of the five spikes, and purple-black poisoned blood began to flow out.

"No!"

Tsunade reached Kato Dan's side, pulling out and crushing the puppet limbs embedded in him one by one. After injecting him with a universal antidote, she began to treat his wounds with the Mystical Palm Technique.

"Hmph, he's wounded so severely that even the Sage of Six Paths couldn't save him! The objective of this mission has been achieved; we are retreating!"

Elder Chiyo sneered before ordering the Sunagakure forces to withdraw.

The rest of the Konoha shinobi quickly formed a circle, turning their backs to Tsunade and Kato Dan to remain vigilant against the possibility of the Sunagakure forces returning.

Tsunade knelt in the mud, her hands pressed firmly against Kato Dan's hemorrhaging wounds. A dazzling, life-filled green medical chakra flared to life, glowing like a firefly in the dark of night as it poured desperately into the fatal injuries!

Supplementary Note:

Once the Spirit Transformation Technique is successfully cast, a puppeteer relying solely on physical attacks cannot strike the spirit body, and the caster's physical body is hidden in a place the puppeteer could never even see.

Furthermore, a puppeteer must focus entirely on controlling their puppets; the slightest interference can cause the puppets to go out of control, leaving the user vulnerable to life-threatening openings. This technique is the absolute bane of puppeteers.

Therefore, this Sunagakure ambush was specifically targeted at Kato Dan.

Also, regarding Elder Chiyo using the Crow puppet:

In the original work, Sasori displayed immense talent for puppetry after his parents died and developed Crow and Black Ant during his childhood, so I have assigned Crow to Elder Chiyo here.

As for Kankuro's "Crisis at a Hair's Breadth"... isn't that the standard puppet technique for the Crow puppet?