On the vast desert battlefield, over two thousand Ninja clashed violently.
After receiving five hundred reinforcements and mobilizing some lightly wounded, Sunagakure deployed all Ninjas who could still move, approximately seventeen hundred.
The Star Ninja, on the other hand, still fielded less than four hundred troops.
Yet, the combat power erupted by these four hundred Star Ninja once again made all Sunagakure's Ninjas feel despair.
The Star Ninja's Chakra Kinetic Armor gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the sunlight, providing powerful protection and mobility.
The kunai guns in their hands continuously spat fire, shooting explosive-tag kunai like rain into the Sunagakure's formations, causing continuous explosions and chaos.
What made it even harder for the Sunagakure's Ninja to withstand was that many Star Ninjas could use the built-in scientific Ninja tools in their armor to instantly release various small-scale fireballs, wind blades, and earthen walls without hand seals or with extremely simplified gestures.
Although the individual power wasn't overwhelming, in high-speed movement and close-quarters melee, this rapid technique release provided an overwhelming tactical advantage.
Chiyo stood in the rear, her withered fingers dancing, chakra strings precisely controlling the remaining five puppets of the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets, while also dividing her attention to control several dozen other ordinary puppets joining the battle.
Her puppet technique was truly masterful, causing considerable trouble for the Star Ninja's advance, but that was all… it couldn't reverse the declining situation of the entire battle.
Suddenly, a green blade light flashed like lightning, accurately slicing through three puppets lunging forward!
Shisui's figure appeared in the center of the battlefield. He wore the Star Ninja's uniform, the Star Ninja's forehead protector on his brow particularly conspicuous under the sunlight.
Appearing alongside him were other Jonin-level powerhouses on the Star Ninja's side: Izumi, Inabi, Tokuma, Hizashi, and Gotta.
Their participation was like dropping heavy weights onto an already tilted scale.
"The Uchiha Clan... the Hyuga Clan..." Chiyo looked at these Ninja who should have belonged to their ally, a complex emotion flashing in her cloudy old eyes.
She looked at Shisui, whose gentle demeanor was tinged with resolute killing intent, and spoke hoarsely: "Konoha's Shisui the Body Flicker... no, I should call you Shisui of the Star Ninja now. I am curious, what reason could make a great clan like yours abandon the Konoha you helped establish and join this Land of Stars?"
Shisui shook his head. His gaze was clear and forthright. "Elder Chiyo, you might have misunderstood. It wasn't the Uchiha who betrayed Konoha, but Konoha... who first betrayed the Uchiha."
His words carried a weight of sorrow. The Sharingan that Menma had returned to him slowly rotated, revealing the Mangekyo pattern.
Chiyo, upon hearing this, was slightly taken aback. Her gaze swept over the silent yet determined Hizashi standing nearby.
Sunagakure had no long-standing, powerful clans like the Uchiha or Hyuga within its walls. She truly found it difficult to fully comprehend such complex grievances.
In the end, she merely sighed. "Clan disputes... I don't quite understand. But it seems now that you are indeed quite troublesome."
She said no more, controlling the remaining five strongest puppets of the Chikamatsu Collection. Like five ghostly shadows, they charged towards Shisui.
These five puppets coordinated tacitly, their attacks fierce and swift, enough to easily annihilate a Jonin squad.
However, Shisui merely swayed, instantly creating multiple illusionary clones difficult to distinguish from the real one.
These clones nimbly weaved through the gaps in the puppets' attacks, not only easily tying down the five puppets but even finding opportunities to counterattack, killing or repelling the elite Sunagakure's Ninjas trying to approach.
Simultaneously, Izumi and Inabi acted like two sharp knives, coordinating on the flanks of Shisui's clones. Their Sharingan accurately predicted enemy movements, combining Fire Release Ninjutsu with exquisite sword skills, they beat back the Sunagakure's Ninja trying to support Chiyo.
Baki led the remnants of the Sunagakure's Anbu against Hizashi and Tokuma.
The Byakugan's insight and the Gentle Fist's precise strikes made the Sunagakure's Anbu, skilled in Wind Release and assassination techniques, feel extremely troubled. Often, their techniques weren't fully deployed before their flaws were seen through and interrupted prematurely.
Seeing Shisui's real body about to break through the puppet entanglement and approach Chiyo, Rasa, who had been monitoring the battle, could no longer remain seated.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Great Wave!"
Dazzling gold dust surged into the sky like a real tidal wave, carrying a heavy roar as it crashed down towards Shisui, attempting to block his advance.
Shisui's figure halted abruptly. His Sharingan instantly locked onto the weak points within the gold dust wave. His sword traced an arc, forcibly parrying part of the gold dust.
However, Rasa's killing move followed closely!
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!"
More gold dust, like living tentacles, entwined towards Shisui from all directions, instantly swallowing him. It rapidly condensed and compacted, forming a huge, glittering golden pyramid-like sand tomb!
"Success?!" A flicker of hope appeared in Chiyo's eyes.
She knew the power of this technique of Rasa's. Once completely sealed and detonated, even the One-Tail could be suppressed!
A ruthless expression also appeared on Rasa's face. He formed hand seals, madly outputting Chakra, preparing to detonate the Gold Dust Imperial Funeral and completely bury this powerful Uchiha Ninja.
However, just as the energy inside the golden pyramid was about to reach its critical point-
Hum-!
A massive surge of green Chakra erupted from within the pyramid!
This Chakra instantly burst through the gold dust restraints. First, it formed a huge green skeletal framework, then flesh and tendons rapidly covered it, finally transforming into a complete green giant clad in armor, with wings on its back and holding a massive spiral sword.
Susanoo!
"What?!!" Rasa's pupils contracted sharply, incredulously watching his strongest Sealing Technique being forcibly broken through in such a brutal manner!
Chiyo also gasped in shock, her aged face filled with astonishment: "The Uchiha Clan's... Susanoo!"
"To think that after Uchiha Madara, someone in the Uchiha Clan could still use this ultimate Dojutsu!" Chiyo, having lived over sixty years, was an elder who had experienced the era of Hashirama and Madara. She naturally knew well the terrifying strength of Madara.
"Susanoo?" Rasa's voice was dry as he looked up at the tall green giant, a power he had never seen before.
The green Susanoo looked down upon the entire battlefield like a god descending to the mortal world.
The oppressive feeling brought by its massive body made all Sunagakure's Ninjas who saw it feel trembling and despair from the depths of their hearts.
Shisui stood within the diamond-shaped crystal on the Susanoo's forehead, his Sharingan indifferently gazing down at the battlefield below.
He manipulated the Susanoo, raising the enormous green spiral sword.
"Susanoo: Yasaka Magatama!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh-!!!
Countless green Chakra Arrows shot out from the spiral sword like a storm, covering a large area of the Sunagakure's Ninjas ahead!
These Chakra Arrows were immensely powerful. Each one landing was like a small Ninjutsu explosion, instantly blasting the Sunagakure's Ninjas in that area into disarray, causing heavy casualties!
The terrifying scene, like an artillery barrage, completely destroyed the last shred of resistance courage among the Sunagakure's Ninjas.
"Mo... Monster!"
"Run! We can't win!"
"Kazekage-sama, save us!"
Collapse spread among the Sunagakure's army like a plague.
On a distant sand dune, Hikari stood with her arms crossed, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan calmly watching Shisui's Susanoo wreaking havoc on the battlefield.
She knew the battle was over.
Rasa and Chiyo clearly had no ability to suppress Shisui, who had activated Susanoo. They didn't even have the qualification to force her to personally intervene.
Sure enough, with the full participation of Star Ninja's Jonins like Shisui, Izumi, Inabi, Gotta, and Hizashi, the already tottering Sunagakure's defense lines completely collapsed.
While trying to dodge the Susanoo's attacks, Rasa was caught off guard by Izumi and Inabi. They attacked from left and right, and one of his arms was severed at the shoulder by Izumi's sword!
This young woman, who had once liked sweets and admired Itachi, had, after experiencing the Night of the Massacre, become the third strongest in the Uchiha Clan after Hikari and Shisui.
"Argh!" Blood spurted from the severed stump. Rasa let out a piercing shriek of agony.
"Kazekage-sama!" A Jonin named Sunagumo desperately blocked in front of him, taking a fatal blow from Inabi.
"Kazekage-sama!" Baki's eyes were wide with fury as he rushed forward to support the severely wounded Rasa.
Chiyo, watching the crumbling battlefield and the mortally wounded Rasa, felt a surge of sorrow.
She hissed to Baki and the few remaining Jonin: "Take the Kazekage and go! Fast! I will cover the retreat!"
Before the words fully left her mouth, Chiyo's hands swiftly formed hand seals. A storage scroll released countless puppets.
"Secret Technique: Hundred Puppets Performance! And... the final poison!"
She summoned all the remaining usable puppets she had stored, totaling over a hundred, all at once!
These puppets charged towards the pursuing Star Ninjas like suicide attackers, fearless. Simultaneously, their joints began emitting dense purple poison mist, rapidly spreading outwards, attempting to use this toxic gas field to block the Star Ninja's pursuit.
The Star Ninja, seeing this, had to slow their advance, donning gas masks and carefully dealing with the poison mist and the puppets' suicidal assaults.
Baki and a few Sunagakure's Jonins, with tears in their eyes, took the opportunity to support the severely wounded, unconscious Rasa, fleeing in panic deep into the desert, trying to gather scattered, defeated Sunagakure's Ninja remnants as they ran.
However, their escape did not last long.
Just a few kilometers from the main battlefield, on top of a tall sand dune, two Star Ninja squads suddenly appeared, blocking their path.
Though numbering less than thirty, the leaders were none other than the bone-covered Kimimaro and Hotarubi.
Behind them, Shunji, Chino, Toneri, the Hyuga Ninja, the Uchiha Ninja... the gazes of numerous Kekkei Genkai Users coldly locked onto them.
Looking at this Star Ninja Squad that gathered Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan, Sharingan, Ketsuryugan, and other Kekkei Genkai, the last trace of color drained from Baki's face. He closed his eyes in despair, the kunai in his hand clattering to the sand.
Resistance was utterly meaningless.
…
Shortly after, a Star Ninja's Anbu knelt on one knee behind Hikari, reporting respectfully: "Hikari-sama, Chiyo has been confirmed killed. The poison mist she released is being handled by the Medical Team and Sealing Team. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa and his personal guards have been captured by the Kimimaro and Hotarubi's Squads. The main Sunagakure's force has been completely routed. Our forces are currently mopping up remaining enemies and gathering prisoners."
Hikari let out a soft hum, unsurprised by this outcome.
She looked towards the faintly visible outlines of the two Tailed Beasts deep within the Sea of Death, feeling slightly reassured.
With Rasa captured and Sunagakure's main force destroyed, the western front conflict could be considered settled.
If she wished, the Star Ninja Army could march straight in at any time, laying siege to Sunagakure, even the Land of Wind's capital.
How many days had it been since Sunagakure declared war?
Five days?
Just as she was preparing to head to the core area of the Sea of Death to rendezvous with Menma and deal with the potential appearance of the Ten-Tails' original owner...
A communication Ninja rushed over urgently, his face carrying an unprecedented gravity:
"Hikari-sama! Urgent message from General Headquarters! Critical military intelligence from the Eastern Front! The Land of Earth's Iwagakure, led personally by the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, has mobilized its entire force! Tens of thousands of Iwagakure's Ninjas are rapidly advancing towards our eastern border! The vanguard is estimated to reach the border line by tomorrow evening at the latest!"
A cold glint flashed in Hikari's crimson Sharingan eyes.
"Iwagakure... Onoki, that old fox, has finally lost his patience, hasn't he?"