"Damn it! Damn it!"
Sanshouyushinda, enraged, ripped off the gas mask from his face and smashed it into powder on the ground.
The experience of fleeing desperately under the pursuit of nanodust insects earlier had not only infuriated the usually proud Sanshouyushinda but also filled him with an indescribable fear that sent a chill down his spine.
"A mere three ninja, with only one Jonin, and yet I, leading two hundred Rain Shinobi, have suffered heavy losses."
"Two hundred people!"
"Not even fifty escaped alive. How am I supposed to explain this to the leader?"
Anger, fear, and lingering dread...
Sanshouyushinda locked himself in his room, letting out roars of impotent rage.
The ninja who had escaped back to the Hidden Rain Village with him were in no better state.
"Is this the strength of the ninja from the leader of the Five Great Shinobi Villages?"
"Only three people, and they relied solely on those insects..."
"They didn't even unleash a single ninjutsu..."
A Leaf Hidden Ninja, who had been coerced to the Hidden Rain Village by Hanzou, spoke in a dazed, dejected tone. The fear in his eyes cast an even heavier atmosphere over the assembled ninja.
"Perhaps... we should flee?"
A ninja from the Hidden Grass Village swallowed and quietly suggested.
His words immediately drew everyone's attention.
The Grass Hidden Ninja flinched, taking a couple of hesitant steps back. Suddenly, feeling that the action made him look cowardly, he braced himself and explained,
"I mean, this war is between the Land of Rain and the Leaf, what does it have to do with us small countries?"
"And now that Hanzou isn't here, relying only on..."
The Grass Hidden Ninja gestured towards Sanshouyushinda's house, his meaning clear.
"Three Leaf ninja almost wiped us out. Without Hanzou, we can't win!"
The words from the Grass Hidden Ninja stirred a ripple among the surviving ninja. Their eyes flickered, showing signs of contemplation.
"But..."
"If we run away, what happens when Hanzou returns?"
"If he then takes the people of the Hidden Rain Village to attack our village, his methods might not be as gentle as last time!"
The worried words of the Leaf Hidden Ninja brought a moment of silence to the group.
What the hell was this situation?
They couldn't fight, and they didn't dare to run...
"Then what do we do?"
"If you ask me to raid the Leaf again..."
"I don't want to die!"
The Grass Hidden Ninja's eyes darted around, and he suddenly pulled out a kunai from his ninja tool pouch. Under the shocked gazes of everyone, he fiercely plunged it into his own thigh.
"Thwack!"
"Hmph..."
A muffled groan escaped him as the Grass Hidden Ninja gritted his teeth, his facial muscles twitching incessantly. He forced a miserable smile onto his face.
"Brothers, please bear witness. When we were fleeing earlier, a poisonous insect burrowed into my flesh."
"To save my life, I had no choice but to cut out this piece of flesh!"
"Heh!"
With a surge of ruthless determination, the Grass Hidden Ninja twisted the kunai in his hand. With a tearing sound, he gouged out a piece of flesh from his thigh. Blood immediately poured onto the ground.
The ruthlessness of a rogue ninja was displayed to its fullest extent by this Grass Hidden Ninja.
"With such a severe injury, I can only wish you all survival on the battlefield while I recuperate in the Hidden Rain Village."
"Farewell!"
The Grass Hidden Ninja, enduring the searing pain, slowly got up and limped towards his temporary lodging.
Looking at the pool of blood on the ground, the remaining ninja exchanged glances, their expressions a mixture of astonishment and grudging admiration.
"Now *that's* what a ninja is!"
...
On the border of the Land of Wind, Chiyo stood amidst the swirling yellow sand, her eyes burning with fury as she watched the Sand Hidden ninja fall to their deaths under Hanzou's poisonous gas.
"Damn Hanzou, using such despicable means!"
Hanzou the Salamander donned his mask again and waved his hand forward. The Rain Hidden ninja behind him howled and charged towards the Sand Hidden ninja who had lost their ability to resist.
Glancing at the Rain Hidden ninja who were succumbing to poisoning and dying under the counterattack of the puppeteers, Hanzou sneered dismissively,
"Chiyo, your Sand Hidden ninja's methods of applying poison to puppets are no better than mine, are they?"
Chiyo's expression stiffened, a surge of indignation welling up within her.
"Puppeteers fight using their puppets' attacks. Applying poison to puppets is a perfectly normal thing to do."
"You, the 'Demigod of Shinobi,' personally attacking these ordinary ninja, has only made me look down on you!"
Hanzou snorted and drew the scythe blade from behind him.
"I've long heard that the Second Kazekage's wife is eloquent and can twist black into white. Seeing you today, your reputation is indeed well-deserved!"
"Though I am the 'Demigod of Shinobi,' everyone in the ninja world knows the origin of my title, Salamander."
"Is it normal for puppets to use poison, but not for me?"
Chiyo opened her mouth, finding herself unable to refute Hanzou's taunt.
Her face darkened, and Chiyo fumbled for a response.
"Damn that old pipe-smoking man!"
Chiyo cursed angrily, pulling out a pile of scrolls from her kimono and scattering them in front of her.
"Bang bang!"
With a burst of smoke, ten white-robed puppet figures materialized in the center of the battlefield.
"White Secret Technique - Assault!"
Chiyo's fingers danced lightly. The female puppets, wielding two large swords, instantly tore through the battlefield under Chiyo's control. The Rain Hidden ninja, who were pursuing and harassing the Sand Hidden ninja, were struck as if by lightning.
Some were sent flying back, spitting blood, while others were directly sliced in half.
For a moment, screams of agony erupted from the Rain Hidden ninja on the battlefield, and the morale of the Sand Hidden side soared.
Hanzou's eyes narrowed in anger, and he cursed fiercely.
"Damn that old puppeteer hag, thinking these rotten wooden dolls can stop me is sheer delusion!"
His body flickered, and Hanzou abruptly appeared behind the female puppets. With a swift sweep of his scythe blade.
"Crack!"
With a casual strike, the puppet that had been wreaking havoc among the Rain Hidden ninja shattered into a pile of parts.
Chiyo, unconcerned about her precious puppets, made her fingers flick repeatedly, controlling the remaining puppets to surround Hanzou.
"White Secret Technique - Defend!"
A giant bull-headed puppet moved in response, shielding Chiyo.
"White Secret Technique - Guard!"
Three puppets, each with a long tongue inscribed with the characters for Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, stood side-by-side behind Chiyo. Their hands, defying the nature of puppets, were raised to their chests, forming the tiger seal, identical to that of a ninja.
The remaining five puppets also had their respective roles. Under Chiyo's powerful multitasking control, they each employed their unique methods to attack Hanzou.
"Old hag, being able to control ten puppets simultaneously, you truly have some skill!"
Hanzou complimented, dodging a chain that extended from the bald puppet's five head holes. He swung his scythe again.
The bald puppet's chain attack missed. Under Chiyo's control, it turned, its chest opening to reveal several menacing ribs, and lunged at Hanzou without evasion.
"Clang!"
A piercing metallic clang echoed as a rotating giant blade, at the last possible moment, intercepted Hanzou's scythe. Simultaneously, the puppet beside the giant blade puppet extended a grappling hook, hooking onto the rotating giant blade. Holding the other end, it snaked around Hanzou's body.
Chiyo flicked her fingers. The chakra threads connected to the puppet trembled, controlling the puppet's blade to slash towards Hanzou's lower body.
"Heh!"
"What a venomous tactic!"
Caught between them, the demigod cursed. Even with his strength, he was forced to withdraw his blade.