The three day deadline had arrived.
On the northern battlefield, the atmosphere inside the temporary command camp was as heavy as iron.
The latest report from the Intelligence Division was slammed onto the table.
"There has been no response from either the Land of Wind or the Land of Water."
Uchiha Tekkai's voice carried suppressed anger and a trace of confusion.
Silence filled the room.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply, not even noticing that his pipe had gone out.
This meant that Sunagakure and Kirigakure had chosen the most foolish path, ignoring Uchiha Chiya's final warning.
Sitting on the sofa nearby, Chiya slowly opened his eyes.
There was no surprise in the depths of his scarlet eyes, only icy understanding.
"It seems that mercy and waiting only bring false hope and testing."
He stood up.
His voice was calm, yet it made the temperature inside the tent drop several degrees.
"It is time to remind them once again what fear is, and what absolute power truly means."
His gaze swept across everyone present.
"Fugaku."
"Yes, Clan Leader!"
Uchiha Fugaku immediately stepped forward with a solemn expression.
"You will take full responsibility for the northern battlefield and the escort of the two Kage level prisoners."
"You will travel together with the Third Hokage and make sure nothing goes wrong."
Chiya's order was simple and direct.
Escorting the Raikage and Tsuchikage back to Konoha was their greatest prize and an important bargaining chip for future negotiations.
Nothing could be allowed to go wrong.
With the steady Fugaku and the experienced Third Hokage working together, it was the safest arrangement.
"Understood!"
Fugaku answered in a deep voice.
"The village's stability and the reception arrangements will be entrusted to the two of you."
Chiya looked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.
Hiruzen took a deep breath and nodded.
"Don't worry. The village is in good hands."
Danzo merely snorted and offered no objection.
"Tekkai will continue commanding the northern battlefield for now."
"Yes, Clan Leader!"
Uchiha Tekkai immediately accepted the order.
Finally, Chiya's gaze fell upon the three people standing beside him.
"Tsunade, Shisui, Kushina. The three of you will come with me to Sunagakure."
Tsunade, who had arrived from the southwestern battlefield, crossed her arms with an eager sneer.
"It is about time I stretched my muscles."
She had never held a favorable opinion of Sunagakure.
Shisui dropped to one knee, his eyes filled with admiration and determination.
"I will obey my teacher's command!"
Uzumaki Kushina nodded vigorously.
Her long red hair resembled blazing flames, while her blue eyes were filled with determination and excitement at being trusted.
"Leave it to me, Chiya-nii! I won't embarrass you!"
"Very good."
A cold smile appeared on Chiya's lips.
"Let's go."
...
The four figures crossed the border of the Land of Fire at astonishing speed and entered the endless sea of sand.
The scorching heat and the endless yellow sand would have been a harsh trial for ordinary people, but for the four of them, they were almost negligible.
Soon, a Sunagakure patrol discovered them.
"Stop! Who are... Wait... That's... Uchiha Chiya!!"
The leading Suna Jonin recognized him immediately.
The moment he saw those unmistakable scarlet Sharingan eyes, his face turned deathly pale and even his voice changed.
"Enemy attack! Send the signal! Hurry..."
Another Suna ninja hurriedly reached for a signal flare.
Without even slowing his pace, Chiya spoke calmly.
"Kushina."
"Yes!"
Kushina took a deep breath.
Her eyes instantly became sharp.
Her hands rapidly formed hand seals.
An enormous wave of chakra, filled with hatred and violence, erupted from within her body.
A golden chakra cloak, almost solid in appearance, instantly covered her body.
Behind her, a tail formed entirely from chakra swayed gently.
At that moment, her speed, strength, and perception increased exponentially.
"Nine Tails Chakra Mode!"
A trace of amazement flashed across Shisui's eyes.
He knew that Lady Kushina was a Jinchūriki.
She often talked to Teacher Chiya about activating Nine Tails Chakra Mode.
But seeing her control that power so perfectly with his own eyes still left him deeply shocked.
Whoosh!
The golden figure instantly disappeared from where she had been standing, leaving behind only a streak of golden light.
The next instant, she appeared among the Sunagakure patrol.
"So fast!"
The Suna Jonin had only enough time to cry out before his vision was completely filled by a golden fist.
Bang!
One punch.
Just one simple punch without any fancy technique.
The Jonin, along with the sand defense he had hurriedly gathered, was blasted away.
He crashed heavily into a distant sand dune, his fate unknown.
The attacks from the remaining Suna ninja, kunai, wind blades, and everything else, posed no threat to Kushina at all.
She was simply too fast.
"Rasengan!"
Kushina instantly flashed forward.
As she shouted, a highly compressed blue sphere of chakra immediately formed in her right palm.
With a sharp whistling sound, she slammed it into another Suna ninja's chest.
"Puaaah!"
The ninja's eyes bulged outward.
His body spun through the air like a top before crashing down unconscious.
The battle ended in less than twenty seconds.
Kushina stood among the fallen Suna ninja as the golden chakra around her gradually faded.
Her face was filled with excitement and disbelief.
She had activated Nine Tails Chakra Mode before.
However, she had never used it in actual combat.
This was truly her first real battle using it.
She could clearly feel the overwhelming power granted by the Nine Tails' chakra and control it as naturally as moving her own arm.
"You did very well, Kushina."
Chiya walked to her side and nodded with approval.
This was exactly the result he wanted.
It served as both a display of strength and training for Kushina's control over Tailed Beast chakra.
The shock slowly faded from Tsunade's eyes as she looked toward Uchiha Chiya with a complicated expression.
She knew that Kushina's mastery over the Tailed Beast chakra was all because of him.
She pouted slightly in jealousy.
Shisui sincerely praised her.
"Lady Kushina, that was incredible."
The four of them continued toward Sunagakure without stopping.
Along the way, they encountered several more scattered resistance groups and reconnaissance squads.
Yet Chiya and Tsunade never needed to make a move.
Even Shisui only stayed on the side to provide support and remain on guard.
Most of the fighting was handled by Kushina, who completely overwhelmed every opponent while using Nine Tails Chakra Mode.
The golden figure shone as brightly as the sun, sweeping away every enemy in her path and becoming a brand new nightmare for the Suna ninja.
The news spread as if it had grown wings, reaching Sunagakure even faster than Chiya's group.
"Report! Uchiha Chiya... he's here!"
"He has already broken through the border defenses and is heading toward the village!"
"There's also a woman covered in golden chakra beside him. She's unbelievably powerful!"
The messenger ninja almost crawled into the Kazekage's office.
His voice trembled, and his face was filled with terror.
"What?!"
Rasa shot to his feet.
His face was filled with shock and disbelief.
"Why has he come?! Where is our diplomatic delegation?! Didn't we send them out three days ago?!"
The elders and senior officials inside the office looked at each other in confusion as panic rapidly spread through the room.
"Could something have happened to the delegation on the way?"
One elder guessed with a trembling voice.
"Impossible! That route is completely safe! Even if something had happened, we should have received word by now..."
Another senior official argued, though his voice was equally uneasy.
Rasa's heart sank to the bottom.
It was true that he had sent the delegation.
The letter of surrender and gifts were also genuine.
No one understood Uchiha Chiya's terrifying strength better than he did.
He had never dared to gamble on luck.
But now Chiya had come personally.
That meant the delegation had most likely met with disaster, and Sunagakure's silence had been interpreted as provocation and rejection.
"Quick! Organize the defenses immediately! All combat ninja, come with me outside the village!"
Rasa had no time to think about which part of the plan had failed.
The most important thing now was stopping Uchiha Chiya.
At the very least, he had to show that this was all a misunderstanding and that they wished to negotiate.
He absolutely could not allow Chiya to march directly into the village.
Rasa led the village elders and elite Jonin to the village entrance.
They arrived just in time to see Chiya and his three companions calmly crossing the final symbolic defensive line before stopping outside the gates of Sunagakure.
Yellow sand swirled through the air.
The two sides faced one another.
The tension had reached its limit.
Suppressing the fear in his heart, Rasa stepped forward and attempted to explain.
"Lord Chiya! There must be some misunderstanding! Three days ago, Sunagakure already sent a diplomatic delegation carrying our letter of surrender to Konoha. We absolutely did not..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chiya's cold gaze interrupted him.
"For three days, I received not a single word."
Chiya's voice was not loud.
Yet it clearly overpowered the howling wind, reaching every Suna ninja's ears with terrifying authority.
"As far as I am concerned, silence means war."
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