Chiyo was far from pleased. She had never intended for her plan to collapse in this manner, nor was she willing to let the situation slip beyond her control so easily.
Before she could issue another command, a large number of Konoha ninja suddenly appeared, spreading out swiftly and surrounding the Sunagakure forces.
"So you intend to keep us here?" Chiyo sneered coldly. "Then let us see whether you have the ability to do so."
She unfurled a purple parchment with a sharp snap of her wrist. The characters sealed within seemed to stir with life, rising into the air before solidifying one by one. In the blink of an eye, ten distinct puppets emerged and took formation around her, each emanating a chilling pressure.
"White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets!"
"This… this is Lady Chiyo's White Secret Technique!"
The Sunagakure ninja stared in shock and awe. The Chikamatsu Ten Puppets—masterpieces created by Monzaemon Chikamatsu, the father of puppetry—were legends to them. Most had only ever heard the name spoken in reverent whispers. Never had they imagined witnessing the technique with their own eyes.
"Attack!"
With a single gesture from Chiyo, all ten puppets moved simultaneously.
"Yes, Lady Chiyo!"
Puppet masters manipulated their constructs with flawless coordination. Wind Release users raised their three-star fans, while Sunagakure ninja gripping kunai charged forward, launching a coordinated assault toward the Konoha forces.
"Wind Release: Night Wind!"
Orochimaru brought his fingers together and swept his arm forward. Converging air currents spiraled violently, forming a deadly whirlwind. Several Sunagakure ninja were caught before they could react, their bodies shredded and flung aside, blood spraying across the battlefield.
The pupils of the remaining Sunagakure ninja constricted in shock.
Orochimaru twisted aside, narrowly avoiding a poisoned senbon. From his left and right, two puppets clad in white robes advanced.
The blue-faced puppet lunged first, iron whips bursting from its head and snapping toward Orochimaru with lethal precision. At the same time, a female puppet wielding two massive swords spun like a top, the blades carving deadly arcs through the air.
Chiyo's eyes darted rapidly. Controlling ten puppets at once, she directed each to a different target. Every weapon, every blade, every concealed mechanism was coated with her carefully refined poison.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the twin swords struck Orochimaru's white robe.
He lifted his arm slightly. Several pale snakes shot forth from his sleeve, coiling instantly around the iron whips before wrapping tightly around the blue-faced puppet.
As the female puppet slashed at the snakes, a shrill creaking sound rang out from the trapped construct.
"Hmph."
Orochimaru channeled Yang Release chakra into his arm. Veins bulged as he stepped forward and punched.
Boom!
The female puppet shattered into fragments.
The white snakes tightened their coils, crushing the blue-faced puppet until it collapsed into splintered debris.
"What kind of power…?"
A fleeting look of astonishment crossed Chiyo's face, quickly replaced by grim focus.
"If the puppet's material were replaced with something more durable… would that improve the puppeteer's performance?" Orochimaru mused, glancing at the shattered remains on the ground. "An exoskeleton, perhaps?"
He shook his head almost immediately.
"No. I don't have the time or energy for that right now."
His gaze shifted toward the distant battlefield.
"Tsunade… this chakra… Shukaku?"
"Did Shukaku emerge after Bunbuku lost consciousness?"
He clicked his tongue softly.
"I should have reminded Tsunade to aim for the head. Even in chaos, that would not have given Shukaku a chance to manifest."
"Wind Release: Night Wind!"
Orochimaru raised his hand again. The whirlwind surrounding him surged outward, deflecting a rain of poisoned shuriken.
"Ibuki Eisei!"
With a sharp wave of his hands, the storm of wind rushed toward Chiyo.
An ox-headed puppet immediately moved to shield her, extending its arms. Mechanisms within activated, forming a chakra barrier that blocked the tornado head-on.
"As expected of Sunagakure's strongest puppeteer," Orochimaru remarked calmly.
More puppets closed in, their bodies faintly crackling with lightning.
"That chakra…" Chiyo's eyes narrowed. "The same jutsu Tsunade used earlier."
Boom—boom—boom!
From afar came thunderous roars. As Shukaku seized control of Bunbuku's body, dozens of mouths opened across its form, inhaling vast quantities of air in unison.
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Projectile!"
Dozens of compressed wind spheres shot toward Tsunade from multiple directions.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Tsunade formed seals rapidly. A wall of water erupted from her mouth, spinning around her in a protective ring.
Shukaku inhaled deeply and spat forth a massive wind sphere that tore straight through the water wall.
Water pooled on the ground, forming Water Clones that attacked Ichibi from all sides.
With a sweep of its tail, Shukaku dispersed them effortlessly.
Tsunade leapt from the air, lifting her leg high before slamming it down with terrifying force.
Shukaku crossed its arms to block, its palms swelling to an enormous size.
Boom!
The impact drove Shukaku straight into the ground.
Twisting her body, Tsunade generated power through her waist and kicked toward Shukaku's head.
Crack!
A tail burst from the ground, striking Tsunade and sending her flying. A flicker of surprise flashed in Shukaku's eyes; with its strength, that strike should have pierced her body completely.
Tsunade's battle armor was twisted and broken. She tore it off and flung it aside, revealing a bloodied abdomen beneath. Had she not reinforced herself with Yang Release chakra, the blow would have been fatal.
"Lady Tsunade, are you all right?"
Katsuyu examined the wound anxiously, knowing it could not be healed at her current size.
"I'm fine," Tsunade replied quickly. "It just looks worse than it is. Katsuyu—don't tell Orochimaru!"
She healed herself at once, casting Katsuyu a warning glance. Facing Shukaku was preferable to enduring Orochimaru's anger.
"Are you really that afraid of him?" Katsuyu muttered quietly. She thought Orochimaru treated Tsunade less like a comrade and more like a cherished child—but she wisely kept that thought to herself.
On the other side of the battlefield…
Chiyo had initially believed she would not need all ten puppets to deal with Orochimaru.
Reality proved her terribly mistaken.
Despite relentless attacks and poisoned weapons, Orochimaru remained unscathed. Even a single scratch should have incapacitated him.
Her fingers moved faster.
The poisoned Konoha ninja did not lose their combat ability.
"An antidote?"
Chiyo glanced at the syringes on the ground, suspicion flaring.
"Has my poison leaked?"
Her mind immediately turned to the possibility of a traitor within Sunagakure.
"Unfortunately," Orochimaru said lightly, "the antidote isn't as effective as you imagine—but it's not useless either."
His gaze shifted.
"Tsunade!"
His pupils contracted as the Yin Seal on his abdomen released sage chakra. In an instant, he entered Sage Mode.
"White Snake Scale Blade!"
A massive white serpent tail lashed out, shattering five attacking puppets in a storm of debris.
"What is that?!"
Chiyo stared in disbelief as the enormous tail shrank and fell away. It did not resemble a summoned creature—it looked as though it had emerged from Orochimaru himself.
"I'll leave this to you," Orochimaru said to his comrades. "If too many are poisoned, retreat first."
Chiyo retrieved the damaged puppets. They could be repaired. Producing another scroll, she released ordinary puppets to continue the battle.
Elsewhere—
Shukaku's body expanded fully, transforming into its complete tailed beast form.
A colossal tanuki emerged, dwarfing the forest itself.
"Is this… a tailed beast?" Tsunade whispered.
"Doesn't its tail look like a fish?" Orochimaru remarked dryly.
"Don't joke at a time like this!" Tsunade snapped, striking his arm.
Both Sunagakure and Konoha ninja froze, staring in silent awe at the mountain-sized monster.
"This is Ichibi's true form…"
Chiyo's expression darkened.
If Shukaku had appeared on any other battlefield, it would not have mattered.
But here—between Sunagakure and Konoha—it was a disaster waiting to happen.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)