" Puppet Technique."
Although the second wave of attacks was neutralized by the suddenly appearing Chiyo, Konan's cold and beautiful face remained unchanged; this level of strength was not enough to make her take it seriously.
Before Konan could launch another attack using her aerial advantage, the battle-experienced Chiyo preemptively struck first.
" Puppet Technique: Manipulating Attack Blades."
Unlike ordinary puppeteers who use puppets to launch ninja tools for surprise attacks, Chiyo combined puppets and ninja tools in a more sophisticated way.
Several puppets are connected by extremely strong steel wires. Under the control of Chakra Threads, they surround Konan and draw a circle alternately from different directions. As long as the puppets shrink this irregular circle formed by the steel wires, they can easily tear Konan's body apart.
This is Chiyo's specialty: combining various ninja tools with puppets to constantly restrict the enemy's movement space, and finally cutting the enemy into pieces with sharp steel wire.
Unfortunately for Chiyo, her opponent this time is Konan. A blank sheet of paper doesn't care about being cut; no matter how many pieces it's cut into, it's still the same sheet of paper.
Konan Earth Flow the encirclement, her body severed in half by the steel wire, but Konan was completely unharmed, not even a scratch.
Chiyo's most prized puppet tactic was broken, and immense pressure instantly fell on Chiyo side. Her rich combat experience told Chiyo that running away was the best option at this time.
Running away isn't shameful; losing is... This is a lesson Chiyo learned during the Second Shinobi World War.
But where can she escape to this time?
The place they were in was the 'safest' Sunagakure, with the most natural home-field advantage. If they couldn't defeat their opponents here, they would still be hunted down no matter where they fled.
Moreover, Ebizo, her younger brother, is still missing and his fate is unknown. For Ebizo and for Sunagakure, she is willing to risk her life to defeat the enemy before her!
Chiyo didn't care about miscellaneous information, so she didn't recognize the Akatsuki immediately, but Chiyo will to protect Sunagakure was enough to earn her the evaluation from the Book of Battle:
Even when withered, it can still guide the sand forward; it is a seasoned flower of forbearance!
" The Dance of the Shikigami "
For Nagato's sake, Konan unleashed a massively destructive Ninjutsu in the heart of Sunagakure without restraint. Houses were forcibly demolished in the explosions, saving Sunagakure a considerable amount of demolition costs.
Looking at the destroyed houses, Temari was able to suppress her reluctance. After hearing Naoki Senju's description of the future plan, the small plot of land in Sunagakure no longer mattered. Exchanging a little effort now for future benefits was not a loss at all.
Naoki Senju poured himself a glass of cactus fruit wine, a specialty of Sunagakure. The rose-red liquid resembled a flowing ruby. Perhaps turning Sunagakure into a winery wouldn't be so bad?
Temari, betrayed by Sunagakure, could disregard losses and casualties, but Chiyo could not. She had watched this generation of Sunagakure grow up, and they were no different from her own children.
Because she had lost a child before, Chiyo was even more unable to tolerate such a thing happening.
Puppet Technique: Dust Light Shield Seal!
The Chikamatsu Ten Puppets spread their arms, forming a continuous azure shield that blocked all the Explosive Tag and pieces of paper thrown by Konan, truly protecting Sunagakure under their wings.
However, such Puppet Technique is extremely taxing, and Chiyo couldn't hold on for long. Every time an Explosive Tag was detonated, the azure shield would ripple, and Chiyo's aging body would sway.
Her aging body and cells no longer allow her to use various Puppet Technique without restraint as she did in her youth. In battle, she often needs to carefully calculate every bit of Chakra and cannot allow the battle to turn into a protracted war.
So Chiyo was waiting for an opportunity, a chance to turn the tide of the battle in an instant!
Konan noticed Chiyo's strain and could tell from the increasingly dim and shaky azure light shield that Chiyo's Chakra was nearing depletion.
So what she needs to do next is very simple: completely drain Chiyo's Chakra with a relentless explosion. Once Chiyo's protection is gone, completing Naoki Senju's mission will be no problem at all, and she can return to Amegakure to search for Nagato's whereabouts!
One after another, Explosive Tag were activated by Konan, exploding on the azure light shield. This consumed Chiyo's dwindling Chakra. Finally, the azure light shield developed the cracks that Konan had been waiting for, and the cracks became so dim that they were almost invisible to the naked eye.
"Now!"
"Now!"
Konan and Chiyo had the exact same idea. Konan saw the opportunity to completely shatter the light shield, and Chiyo finally seized the moment when Konan relaxed her guard due to excitement!
But just as Chiyo made a desperate gamble, gathering all her Chakra and the remaining Chakra from the Dust Light Shield Seal into one point, aiming at Konan in mid-air, with the possibility of deciding the outcome with a single blow, an unexpected event occurred.
A colossal wooden figure, even larger than the One-Tail Beast, descended upon Sunagakure, a behemoth unlike anything Chiyo and the Sunagakure ninja had ever seen. Konan immediately recognized it as Naoki Senju's Wood Release.
With one hand grabbing Konan, who had just exhausted herself, she sealed Konan's Chakra. With the other foot, she raised and lowered it, extinguishing Chiyo's long-awaited decisive blow, while accidentally injuring Chiyo's puppets— the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets.
Exhausted of Chakra and with her plans Chiyo, Chiyo fainted without being able to catch her breath. Given Chiyo age, it's possible she might never wake up again.
Naoki Senju paid no attention to the accidental injury caused by saving Konan. According to his estimation, Chiyo's desperate attack just now should have seriously injured Konan, and might even have endangered her life.
Therefore, his appearance was not only to put an end to this power struggle, but also to save Konan from extreme danger.
"All fighting has come to an end. The villains of the Akatsuki have been captured. You are safe."
Although they didn't quite understand what had happened, most of the Sand Chiyo Sunagakure Ninja had witnessed the explosion and Chiyo's disadvantage against the enemy. As for Chiyo's final counterattack... it was all interrupted, so naturally no one knew about it.
Now, based on what they had seen at the forefront, they instinctively chose to believe what Naoki Senju said: they were safe.
They didn't believe it, but there was nothing they could do. Anyone who could hold a place in Sunagakure and opposed Naoki Senju and Konoha had already perished in the explosion Konan created, and those who weren't dead were finished off by her Wood Clone.
The remaining Sunagakure are naturally the peace faction who are friendly with Konoha.