Gyutaro's listless gaze swept over the Sunagakure shinobi who were slowly closing in around him. He scratched his head helplessly.
"So even knowing the gap between us, you still want to fight? How troublesome… fine, then I'll deal with all of you at once. Perfect timing to test the power of this world, too."
Faced with Gyutaro's blatant contempt for puppetry, Chiyo was furious to the point of seeing red. Yet, just as Gyutaro had stated, the Sand Village's pride—their puppet techniques—were utterly ineffective against him.
Any injuries inflicted on Gyutaro healed almost instantly. Even specially developed poisons had no effect whatsoever.
Gyutaro began forming hand seals. Compared to Yōsuke, his speed was decisively faster—his movements practiced and fluid.
"Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane!"
A massive tornado formed from wind-attribute chakra erupted from the ground, spiraling endlessly around Gyutaro.
"I'm not done yet!"
He mixed razor-thin blood blades into the tornado. The azure whirlwind became laced with crimson slashes, the two stark colors intertwining and fusing together.
By combining Wind Release ninjutsu with Blood Demon Art, Gyutaro created an entirely new force.
"Blood Demon Art: Crimson Scythe-Devouring Hell!"
The enormous blue-and-red tornado surged toward the Sunagakure forces.
The Sand shinobi immediately unleashed their own ninjutsu.
Countless techniques were fired at the tornado in an attempt to halt its advance.
But the instant those jutsu made contact, they were annihilated—completely erased.
Several Sand shinobi closest to the tornado were dragged inside by its overwhelming suction and instantly shredded into bloody fragments.
The sight sent terror through the ranks. The survivors turned and fled.
However, as time passed, the tornado only grew larger. Escape became impossible.
Just as despair overtook the Sand shinobi, a voice rang out from within the crowd.
"Puppet Technique: Three Treasures Suction Crush!"
Three puppets dressed in white, each with a distinct posture, emerged.
They formed a triangular formation. As their mechanisms activated, a violent tornado erupted, colliding head-on with Gyutaro's.
In an instant, the two raging whirlwinds clashed, unleashing a storm of wind so fierce that it was nearly impossible to keep one's eyes open.
The twin tornadoes intertwined, then gradually canceled each other out, vanishing into the air.
Gyutaro raised his head in surprise.
Within the Sand ranks stood an elderly woman. Aside from the three white-clad puppets at the battlefield's center, seven more identical puppets stood at her side.
Asuma's expression darkened.
"A puppeteer of the highest caliber—able to control puppets with just a single finger… One of Sunagakure's former advisors… Chiyo?!"
"Sister, why are you here?" Ebizō asked in confusion.
Chiyo scolded him sharply.
"Didn't you say you were going to live in seclusion? You old fool—why are you back out here?"
Ebizō lowered his head, ashamed.
"Rasa asked me…"
Chiyo's wrinkled face tightened.
"That brat's ambition is far too great. He knew that if he came to me directly, I'd refuse. But if he convinced you first, then I'd have no choice but to come out of retirement."
Asuma and the others retreated toward Gyutaro.
Asuma asked cautiously,
"Sir… were you sent by Konoha, or by Jiraiya, to support us?"
Gyutaro ignored him and turned instead to Hayate.
"You can still hold on, right?"
Being completely ignored left Asuma awkward. He lit a cigarette to ease the tension.
Hayate paused for a moment before answering,
"I can."
"Then leave immediately. I'll hold them off."
"What about you?"
Gyutaro replied bluntly,
"I'm not as weak as you. You've learned Breathing Techniques, yet you're still this weak."
Moonlight Hayate: "…?"
Hearing the words Breathing Techniques, Hayate immediately thought of Yōsuke. He asked in disbelief,
"Could it be… did Mr. Yōsuke send you to help us?"
Asuma's eyes widened.
"Yōsuke… he's not dead?!"
Might Guy and Kurenai had no idea who Yōsuke was—only a handful of people in Konoha knew of him—so they were completely lost.
Hearing Asuma's tone, Gyutaro asked,
"You know Yosuke-sama too?"
Asuma nodded firmly.
"Of course. We're close friends!"
"Really?" Gyutaro scanned Asuma skeptically.
"Of course it's true! Now answer me—Yōsuke, is he still alive?" Asuma pressed eagerly.
"Isn't that a stupid question? Of course he's alive."
Hearing that, Asuma and Hayate were overwhelmed with emotion.
Asuma instantly recalled the night of the Uchiha massacre—the three masked figures he had encountered while pursuing Itachi. If Itachi was Yōsuke's disciple, then one of those masked men must have been Yōsuke himself.
Seeing that Asuma's group still hadn't moved, Gyutaro urged impatiently,
"Hey—are you leaving or not?"
Chiyo's appearance on the front lines was critical intelligence that had to be reported to Jiraiya. Asuma nodded.
"We'll move immediately. Please—leave this to you!"
"As if I'd let you leave so easily!"
Chiyo sneered.
"White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets!"
As Asuma's group began retreating, Chiyo unleashed ten puppets toward them.
Gyutaro stepped directly into their path.
"Blood Demon Art: Circular Severing Rotation—Flying Blood Sickles!"
The spiraling blood slashes halted the puppets' advance.
However, Chiyo's puppets were clearly far superior to the ordinary ones. Gyutaro's attack only destroyed half of one puppet's body.
Under Chiyo's control, the damaged puppet reconnected itself and resumed movement.
"These puppets are pretty decent," Gyutaro remarked.
"Then let's try this—Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
He spat forth a roaring torrent that formed into a dragon of water.
Unlike ordinary water, the technique was infused with Gyutaro's poisonous blood. The Water Dragon appeared crimson, like a dragon of blood.
"Puppet Technique: Mechanical Light Shield Seal!"
Using puppet mechanisms as a medium, Chiyo converted her chakra into an absolute defensive barrier, completely blocking Gyutaro's Water Dragon.
Under Gyutaro's cover, Asuma's group successfully withdrew.
Gyutaro had no intention of prolonging the battle—after all, he was pressed for time and still needed to reach the Land of Lightning.
"I was planning to let Lord Yōsuke be the first to witness this new power of mine…"
"But since you won't let me leave—"
"Then I'll grant that honor to you instead."
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