Chiyo's eyes narrowed. "Who are you? Why did you attack my Sand Ninja base and kill the shinobi of Sunagakure?"

"Sister! That masked man—it's him! He's the one who instantly killed our three senior shinobi!" Ebizo warned grimly.

Chiyo's expression darkened further.

"I owe Tsunade a favor," Kaito muttered. "She asked me to teach you and your siblings a lesson, Chiyo, and take care of the One-Tail Jinchuriki."

"Seems like you're seeking death! Do you think I, a shinobi of the Sand, will just let that happen?" Chiyo exploded in fury, dashing toward Kaito.

With a flick of her hand, Chiyo summoned a scroll. A burst of white mist erupted as puppets cloaked in white robes appeared mid-air. Chakra threads shot from Chiyo's fingers as she expertly controlled them.

Ten puppets. Her renowned technique—[White Secret Technique: The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu]!

Masterpieces of the puppet legend Monzaemon. With this secret art, Chiyo once brought an entire village to its knees.

Her fingers danced, and the puppets lunged at Kaito with diverse abilities—flames, poison, water—all poised to strike.

Kaito's expression remained calm. "So this is Chiyo's treasured Chikamatsu Ten? Doesn't look that impressive."

He vanished in a blur, launching forward like a cannonball.

"So fast!"

Chiyo and Ebizo both gasped. The surrounding Sand shinobi tensed.

Bang!

A sharp crack rang out. One puppet was smashed mid-air, crumbling to pieces.

"These are the famed Ten Puppets? Too weak," Kaito said coolly, then vanished again.

He reappeared beside another puppet and threw a punch. A massive force rippled outward. The puppet shattered as though made of paper.

Like a cold flicker of light, Kaito moved again. Another puppet, another simple strike—destroyed.

Chiyo's breath caught. Even as she tried to redirect her puppets to defend, Kaito evaded effortlessly. Her reflexes were keen, but chakra thread control couldn't keep up with his sheer speed.

Just like Sasuke couldn't track Rock Lee—her eyes saw, but her puppets couldn't react in time.

Every time a puppet neared him, Kaito vanished, then appeared at another, smashing it apart.

In mere seconds, half of the famed Chikamatsu puppets were gone.

Chiyo trembled, sweat dotting her brow. These puppets were irreplaceable, constructed from rare, precious materials by Monzaemon himself.

Even Tsunade, Konoha's taijutsu legend, could only dent them. Yet here Kaito was, reducing them to splinters with a flick of his wrist.

Realizing they were useless, Chiyo quickly recalled the remaining puppets.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out—

[Wind Style: Wind Blade!]

Ebizo intervened. Blades of wind burst forth, slicing the air and intercepting Kaito's next attack.

Half of Chiyo's strength was invested in those puppets. If they were all destroyed, her power would plummet.

With the war between Suna and Konoha at its peak, they couldn't afford such a loss.

Chiyo hastily sealed the four remaining puppets and glared at Kaito, who now stood idly at the center of the battlefield.

The Sand shinobi behind Ebizo watched in shock.

What they had witnessed would haunt them forever.

"Chiyo-sama's Ten Puppets... broken?"

"This can't be real!"

Some shinobi cried out in disbelief. The battle had unfolded so quickly, they could barely register it.

"Who are you?" Chiyo demanded coldly. "No one in Konoha boasts such monstrous physical prowess."

"I never said I was from Konoha. Now bring out the One-Tail Jinchuriki," Kaito replied evenly. "The two of you aren't even a warm-up."

"You intend to go to war with Sunagakure, then?" Chiyo said grimly.

Being attacked so directly was a slap in the face—for a commander like her, this was unbearable.

"War? With you?" Kaito smirked. "You're not even worth the trouble."

The truth stung. Of the Five Great Nations, Suna was the weakest at this point. Aside from the Chiyo siblings and the One-Tail host, there were few true powerhouses.

Only the future Kazekage Rasa and the Scorch Release user Pakura could be considered noteworthy. The rest?

Kaito had only one word: pathetic.

"Fine! Even if our entire village perishes, I'll make sure you fall here, and let the world know the price of mocking Sunagakure!" Chiyo hissed.

"Sister, no!" Ebizo urged. "What about Ōnoki and the other Tsuchikage elders?"

"Hmph! I'm not as foolish as Ōnoki," Chiyo growled. "He needed three to face this man. But if all our shinobi strike together—can't we kill one arrogant intruder?"

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