Whoosh!
A brilliant flash of golden light streaked across the battlefield.
Minato Namikaze vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared less than half a meter in front of Chiyo, standing atop the defensive puppet known as Salamander.
The attack wasn't a gamble.
During their earlier exchange, while testing each other's abilities in close combat, Minato had quietly placed a nearly invisible Flying Thunder God seal on Salamander's armored shell. He had deliberately left it dormant, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
Now...
He activated it.
The sharp cry of a kunai sliced through the air.
Its blade flashed like lightning as it shot directly toward Chiyo's throat.
"What?!"
For the first time in the battle, genuine shock crossed the elderly puppet master's face.
Her body reacted purely on instinct.
Decades of battlefield experience forced her backward as she narrowly avoided the fatal strike. At the same time, both hands snapped into motion, chakra threads dancing from her fingertips as she desperately commanded the remaining members of the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets to intercept Minato.
The three strangest puppets—Buddha, Dharma, and Monk—suddenly opened the mechanisms hidden within their chests.
An instant later—
BOOM!
A terrifying suction force exploded outward.
"Three Treasures Suction Crush!"
The sealing technique combined Wind Release with powerful vacuum pressure. A violent cyclone erupted around Minato, pulling rocks, broken weapons, and chunks of earth into its maw.
Even Minato's movements faltered for a split second.
That tiny opening was enough.
Instead of piercing Chiyo's throat, the kunai slid across her left arm.
Slash!
Blood sprayed into the air.
The assassination had failed.
Minato didn't hesitate.
Golden light flashed once more.
Using another Flying Thunder God seal he had prepared beforehand, he instantly escaped the devastating range of the suction technique.
The cyclone continued to rage uselessly where he had stood only moments before.
"...Ugh."
Chiyo let out a muffled groan.
The pain shooting through her arm made her expression darken.
This wasn't an ordinary cut.
Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai had been forged from chakra-conductive metal, and the attack had carried Wind Release chakra through its edge. The wound sliced deep enough to reach the bone, shredding muscles that controlled her fingers.
For most shinobi, it was merely a serious injury.
For a puppet master...
It was devastating.
Her greatest strength lay in controlling chakra threads with flawless precision.
With her arm damaged, manipulating thirteen puppets with perfect coordination had become nearly impossible.
Even at full strength, fighting Minato Namikaze demanded every ounce of concentration simply to survive his relentless assassination attempts.
Now?
She had already lost the initiative.
Continuing this battle would only lead to one outcome.
Death.
A flicker of frustration flashed through Chiyo's aged eyes.
"...Damn it."
She made her decision instantly.
One puppet shot forward and slammed a strange purple-black sphere against the ground.
Boom!
An enormous cloud of poisonous smoke erupted across the battlefield.
Within seconds, the thick purple-black fog swallowed everything in every direction.
A nauseating mixture of sulfur and unknown toxins filled the air.
Visibility dropped to almost nothing.
"Move!"
Under the cover of the smoke, Chiyo immediately recalled the surviving Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, forming them into a tight defensive formation around herself before retreating at full speed toward Sunagakure's position.
She didn't even glance back.
The marked Salamander...
The crippled Black Ant...
She abandoned both without hesitation.
They were sacrifices she could afford.
Her own life was not.
---
Outside the poisonous cloud, golden light flickered once more as Minato reappeared at its edge.
He frowned.
Instead of charging blindly into an unknown trap, he calmly formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
WHOOSH—!
A roaring gale swept across the battlefield.
The violent wind scattered most of the poisonous smoke, revealing the ruined landscape beneath.
Broken puppet fragments.
Severed chakra threads.
Scorch marks.
Pools of blood.
But Chiyo...
Was gone.
Minato released a quiet sigh.
"As expected of Sunagakure's Elder..."
His voice carried genuine respect.
"It's a shame I couldn't keep her here."
If Chiyo had fallen today, the consequences would have been catastrophic for Sunagakure.
Losing one of their greatest military pillars could have shattered the village's morale.
It might even have forced them toward surrender.
Unfortunately...
Once the first assassination failed, the opportunity disappeared.
Pursuing her now would only waste precious time.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Kakashi and the others were still fighting.
Minato couldn't afford to gamble everything on chasing a retreating opponent.
The ambush had already achieved its purpose.
Destroying an elite Sunagakure force was more than enough.
Trying to win everything in a single battle was the fastest path to disaster.
Turning away from the retreating enemy, Minato's gaze landed on Ren.
A warm smile appeared on his face.
"Ren."
His voice carried unmistakable praise.
"Well done."
"Capturing Pakura by yourself is an incredible achievement."
"I think you've already reached the level of a true Jonin."
Ren smiled modestly.
"You're giving me too much credit, Master Minato."
He scratched the back of his head.
"You drew Chiyo's attention away from the battlefield. That gave me the opening I needed."
He glanced toward the unconscious Pakura.
"And honestly... she was incredibly strong."
"I barely managed to win after using everything I had."
Minato simply smiled.
He had spent enough time with Ren to recognize that particular expression.
"Barely managed."
"Used everything."
If someone else had said those words while standing in torn clothes and breathing heavily, Minato might have believed them.
But Ren?
His clothes were only slightly dirty.
His chakra reserves remained stable.
Judging by how quickly the fight had ended...
It clearly hadn't been as close as he claimed.
Still, Minato asked no questions.
Every shinobi possessed hidden cards they preferred to keep secret.
Those trump cards often meant the difference between life and death.
As Ren's teacher, respecting those boundaries was just as important as teaching him.
Minato raised his head toward the distant battlefield.
"Ren."
"Go check on Obito and Rin."
"I'll find Kakashi."
"Their opponents shouldn't be too dangerous, but battles can change in an instant."
"I want to make sure everyone returns safely."
"Understood."
Ren nodded before glancing toward Pakura.
Minato immediately understood.
He formed another hand seal.
Poof!
A Shadow Clone appeared beside the unconscious Sunagakure kunoichi.
"I'll leave a clone here to guard your prisoner."
"Go."
Ren wasted no more time.
His figure shot across the battlefield at high speed.
As he moved, his sensory abilities spread outward.
Faint chakra traces drifted through the air.
Scattered sounds of steel clashing echoed in the distance.
Then—
He found them.
Obito.
Rin.
The two stood back-to-back, breathing heavily as they faced their opponents.
Neither had escaped unharmed.
A deep gash stretched across Obito's left arm, blood soaking through his sleeve and dripping steadily onto the ground.
Several sharp Wind Release cuts marked Rin's clothes and skin, crimson staining the fabric around her waist and shoulder.
Across from them...
A burly Sunagakure shinobi with an ugly scar carved across his face grinned viciously.
Beside him stood a female ninja gripping a kunai in her left hand.
Her right arm hung limply at her side, twisted into an unnatural angle, but despite the obvious injury, her eyes remained cold and focused.
Neither side had gained the advantage.
Yet the tension hanging over the battlefield was ready to snap at any second...
And just as Ren arrived, the deadlock was about to explode.
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