Kenji's eyes locked onto the Third Kazekage hovering in midair.
His Transparent Release puppet was already in position. It had taken careful maneuvering to get it there without detection.
He knew he only had one shot at this.
The moment the puppet attacked, it would be exposed. And once exposed, the iron sand would tear it apart in seconds. But one chance was all he needed.
He formed hand seals rapidly, activating a Yamanaka technique he rarely used.
"Mind Body Transmission Technique."
Chakra flowed through his mental pathways, extending outward in invisible threads that connected to specific targets within range. It was like creating a temporary mental communication network, allowing him to speak directly into the minds of people he chose.
Can you hear me?
There was a pause. Then responses came back through the same mental channel.
I can hear you. Kenji? Tsunade's tone carried a note of caution that quickly shifted to relief as she recognized him.
Oh? The Yamanaka clan's communication technique. Orochimaru sounded curious.
Yeah, we hear you! You got a plan? Jiraiya's response was the most urgent, clearly frustrated by the iron sand constantly forcing him to dodge.
What are you thinking? Fūza asked while using his enlarged fist to bat away another wave of iron sand.
I'll look for an opening to ambush the Third Kazekage, Kenji said quickly. If I succeed in disrupting him, you all need to attack immediately. Full assault, force him to expose a weakness. I'll try to use the Mind Body Switch Technique to take control of him while he's vulnerable.
Will that even work? Tsunade's concern came through clearly. His iron sand defense isn't something you can just break through.
We have to try. Right now we don't have any other options that don't involve a war of attrition. And he's got the advantage there.
Alright! Kenji, we're counting on you! Jiraiya made the decision without hesitation. The other three gave mental acknowledgments. They all understood the situation. This was their best shot.
The four of them settled into their roles, outwardly still dodging the iron sand in apparent desperation. Kenji could sense their readiness through the mental link.
Jiraiya's chakra was building subtly. Orochimaru's hands stayed near his sleeves. Fūza's arms shimmered faintly with chakra as he prepared his technique. Tsunade tensed, fist ready to deliver a punch the moment an opportunity appeared.
Above them, the Third Kazekage was growing impatient.
He called down. "Is this all the students of that 'Professor' can do? Just run and hide?"
His Magnet Release was incredibly powerful, but it consumed chakra at a massive rate. If he couldn't end this battle before exhausting his reserves, Suna would lose the war entirely. He needed to either kill them or force them into an error.
None of the four responded. They didn't even look at him.
"Fools."
His hands moved through seals, gathering chakra for a more powerful technique.
"Iron Sand Drizzle!"
Countless small spheres of iron sand condensed in the air before him, then launched downward. The projectiles screamed through the air.
They impacted the ground in rapid succession, cratering the earth and sending up massive clouds of dust and debris. The visibility dropped to almost nothing within seconds.
Now!
Kenji seized the moment.
The Third Kazekage had a brief instant of vulnerability after releasing a major technique. It was only a split-second where his chakra was committed to the attack and his defenses slightly relaxed.
But it was the opening he had been waiting for. His Transparent Release puppet, which had been lurking directly below the Third Kazekage's position.
Chakra vents in the puppet's legs fired, releasing compressed energy that launched it upward like a bullet from a gun. In less than a second, it closed the distance and latched onto the target's back.
"What?!"
The Third Kazekage's eyes went wide. He immediately aborted his technique and directed waves of iron sand to flow backward, trying to crush whatever had attached itself to him.
But the puppet was faster.
Sharp claws extended from its hands, tearing through the his clothing and into his flesh. The hooks dug deep, anchoring the puppet firmly to his body. At the same time, the puppet's jaw opened wide, revealing metal teeth designed for one purpose.
It bit down hard.
Blood sprayed. The puppet's teeth tore through skin and muscle, ripping out a chunk of flesh. The sample was secured in the puppet's mouth immediately, held in a sealed compartment that would preserve the tissue.
"Gah!"
The Third Kazekage grunted in pain, his iron sand surging faster now, desperate to destroy the puppet. The black particles swarmed over the puppet's body, wrapping around its torso and beginning to crush it.
But the puppet had already served its purpose.
Just before the iron sand could completely destroy it, a mechanism in the puppet's neck activated. Compressed chakra detonated, blasting its head free from the disintegrating body. The head flew through the air, arcing away from the battle and landing in the rubble far below.
The Third Kazekage barely had time to register what had happened before his eyes widened.
The puppet's torso, still clinging to his back and now thoroughly wrapped in iron sand, had begun glowing.
He tried to shield himself, calling up more iron sand to protect his vital points, but it was too late.
BOOM!
The explosion ripped through the air with great force. The blast wave hurled him upward violently before gravity took over and sent him plummeting toward the ground. His iron sand, disrupted by the explosion and his loss of concentration, lost cohesion and scattered like black rain.
Far away, hidden in a pile of rubble where no one was watching, the puppet's severed head quietly vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Now!
Kenji's voice echoed through the Mind Body Transmission Technique one final time. Then he released the technique. His body moved, flickering forward at top speed toward the falling Kazekage.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
Jiraiya struck first. His white hair exploded outward and upward, transforming into countless thick strands that shot through the air. They wrapped around the Third Kazekage's arms and legs, binding his limbs and arresting his fall.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Orochimaru followed up instantly. Dozens of snakes erupted from his sleeves, coiling around the Third Kazekage's torso and constricting tight. Between Jiraiya's hair and Orochimaru's snakes, the Third Kazekage was completely immobilized.
"Multi-Size Technique!"
Fūza's body swelled to giant proportions, his form expanding until he towered over the battlefield. He brought his hands together overhead and brought them down like a hammer, slamming the restrained Kazekage into the ground.
CRASH!
The impact cracked the earth, spider-web fractures spreading outward from the point of impact. The Third Kazekage coughed up blood, his body going limp as the combination attack overwhelmed him. He'd lost consciousness, unable to maintain any resistance.
Kenji reached the scene just as the dust began to settle. He'd already formed the hand seal for the Mind Body Switch Technique, ready to attempt possession if needed, but now he stopped and lowered his hands.
He looked at the unconscious Kazekage, then at Jiraiya, who appeared equally surprised by how quickly it had ended.
"Uh... do I still need to use the Mind Body Switch?"
Honestly, he hadn't expected the ambush to work this well. The techniques had looked impressive, all flashy and dramatic, but the Third Kazekage had gone down almost too easily once they had him trapped.
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head. "I guess... we don't need it anymore?"
Even he seemed a bit stunned that they'd captured the "Strongest Kazekage" so quickly.
Kenji walked over to the fallen man. As he knelt down, the Third Kazekage's body twitched, a wet cough racked his chest, spraying blood onto the dirt. His eyelids fluttered, and with a weak groan, he forced himself half-conscious again.
He glared up at Kenji through the haze of pain. "Cough… That sneak attack was your doing, wasn't it?"
Kenji didn't bother responding to the taunt. He pressed his hand against the Third Kazekage's forehead and activated a sealing technique, channeling chakra through the necessary patterns.
A few seconds later, he removed his hand. The Third Kazekage's eyes had closed, his consciousness suppressed by the seal.
"Done."
Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Fūza finally released their techniques, letting the unconscious Kazekage drop fully to the ground. The tension that had been sustaining them through the battle began to fade, replaced by exhaustion.
That's when Kenji noticed Tsunade.
She was crouched in the corner near a large rock, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her face had gone pale as paper, and her eyes were wide, fixed on something he couldn't initially see. Then he realized what she was staring at.
The Third Kazekage's blood, pooling on the ground where he'd fallen.
Hemophobia.
He'd heard about it but never seen it in person. He moved quickly toward her.
"Can you hear me?"
She didn't respond. Just kept staring at the blood, shaking harder. Her breathing was rapid and shallow, on the edge of hyperventilation.
He glanced back at Jiraiya and Orochimaru, silently asking what to do.
Jiraiya sighed heavily. "Ever since Dan died, she's been like this. We consulted medical-nin about it."
Orochimaru added quietly. "No one else can help her through it. She has to overcome it herself."
Kenji looked back at Tsunade, still trembling and lost in her own private hell.
He'd been studying medical ninjutsu under her guidance for some months now. She'd been patient with him, never holding back knowledge, and always taking time to explain things properly. Aoi practically worshipped her, and talked about Tsunade like an older sister she'd never had. He'd hoped that Aoi's closeness to her, combined with this battle, might help Tsunade start healing from Dan's death, reminding her of who she was before the trauma.
Instead, it had only made things worse. The human mind was more complicated than he'd thought, and he was no psychologist.
We can only wait, he thought sadly. He knew that eventually, someone would come along who could help her break through this. For now, there was nothing he could do but give her space and hope she'd find her way back.