The day after Madara infiltrated the Uchiha clan's Naka Shrine, Yusuke, leading a Konoha delegation, set out for Sunagakure.
Yusuke's goal was to bring Sunagakure under Konoha's control. His delegation included the Land of Wind's Daimyō (under Konoha's "protection"), Pakura and one hundred Konoha ninjas for long-term deployment in Sunagakure.
The Fourth Kazekage and the other Sunagakure ninjas who attacked Konoha remained in Konoha's custody. Konoha's detention of the Daimyō was justified; Sunagakure, nominally, was under his control.
En route, Yusuke encountered Konan and Hōichi. Neither wore Akatsuki robes; Akatsuki was gone.
"This is the intel I have. I'm here because of Nagato's last will. He failed, but before he died, hoping for peace, he believed you were the last hope,"
Konan said, looking at the man who'd spared her and Nagato.
She reflected on his growth from a boy to a renowned ninja, while Nagato died by a traitor's hand, and she was now a wanderer.
Yusuke frowned, surprised by Konan's intel. Orochimaru had stolen Akatsuki's four tailed beasts.
Konan didn't know it was Orochimaru, but Yusuke recognized the jutsu she described.
"I've raised a tiger. Orochimaru is as dangerous as Madara!" Yusuke thought, troubled.
Setting aside Orochimaru, Yusuke looked at Konan and Hōichi. He didn't need to worry about them; they weren't schemers. Konan was fulfilling Nagato and Yahiko's will; Hōichi wanted to end the war by eliminating the tailed beasts—he'd been manipulated by Akatsuki.
Seeing Yusuke's silence, Konan thought he didn't trust them. "I don't plan to leave alive. Kill me if you don't trust me; otherwise, I'll spend my life fighting Madara and Zetsu!"
"But I have one request: give me Yahiko body in Konoha."
Yusuke sighed, shaking his head, "I trust you. I'm just saddened by how things turned out. I didn't kill you and Nagato because you were victims. If you'd come to Konoha then, we could have been comrades fighting for a unified ninja world!"
Konan's eyes welled up. A single choice changes everything; Nagato didn't get another chance.
Yusuke patted Konan's shoulder, "You and Hōichi will stay with me. I'll give you Anbu identities in Konoha, but don't mention Akatsuki."
Konan and Hōichi, unable to go to Konoha yet, followed Yusuke to Sunagakure.
After several days, they entered the Land of Wind. A Sunagakure welcoming party guided them to Sunagakure.
Because Yusuke was coming, all Sunagakure leaders except Chiyo and Ebizo came to greet him, along with many ninjas and villagers who wanted to see the legendary strongest ninja.
The Sunagakure leaders were disappointed to see that the Konoha delegation didn't bring the Fourth Kazekage and the other captured Sunagakure ninjas. They'd hoped to reclaim them.
Yusuke sent the main force to the pre-arranged inn and took key members and the Daimyō to a banquet hosted by Sunagakure. They needed to rest before negotiations.
When the Sunagakure leaders and Yusuke's group arrived at the banquet hall, Chiyo and Ebizo were waiting.
Everyone looked at Yusuke. His aura confirmed his identity.
Chiyo and Ebizo exchanged glances. They both saw the same thing: This young man is dangerous!
The banquet began. Sunagakure seemed very subservient, showering Yusuke and Konoha with praise. Yusuke sensed a plot.
After several rounds of drinks, Chiyo praised Yusuke, "The strongest ninja lives up to his name. Your aura is like Madara Uchiha's!"
Chiyo was older than the Third Hokage, a ninja from the era of Hashirama and Madara. As elite Sunagakure genin, she and Ebizo had seen Hashirama and Madara.
Chiyo and Ebizo agreed; the Sunagakure leaders echoed the praise.
Yusuke modestly waved his hand, "I wouldn't compare myself to the First Hokage or my ancestors."
Ebizo smiled, "You're too modest, Clan Head. You've surpassed them! Under your leadership, the fallen Uchiha clan has risen to become the strongest clan."
Ebizo didn't believe Yusuke surpassed Madara, but they needed to flatter him.
Ebizo's words prompted another wave of flattery from the Sunagakure council members, causing the Konoha ninjas present to feel a distinct sense of unease.
Chiyo then raised her cup to Yusuke in a toast, "Clan Head Uchiha, you are renowned throughout the ninja world as the strongest ninja. Though I have remained in seclusion for an extended period, I have certainly heard the rumors. And now, seized by a sudden desire to test your abilities, I dare to humbly request a demonstration of your skills."
At this point, Chiyo's voice rose slightly, "However, should I, by some stroke of luck, manage to gain the upper hand, would you, as the self-proclaimed strongest ninja in the ninja world, be willing to grant an old woman like myself a simple request?"
Upon Chiyo's concluding remarks, all the Sunagakure council members present chimed in with enthusiastic encouragement.
At this juncture, both Yusuke and the accompanying Konoha ninjas discerned Sunagakure's underlying intentions. Clearly, they were attempting to leverage the situation to compel Yusuke into a contest against Chiyo, with the aim of securing concessions from Yusuke should Chiyo emerge victorious.
Throughout the entire banquet, Yusuke had been consistently lauded as the "strongest ninja," and to refuse a challenge under such circumstances would undoubtedly reflect poorly upon him.
The repercussions would extend beyond Yusuke himself, potentially inflicting considerable damage upon the reputation of the Uchiha clan and Konoha as a whole.
However, the Konoha ninjas found themselves perplexed. Yusuke's reputation as the "strongest ninja" was well-earned, and they struggled to comprehend what grounds this seemingly octogenarian woman possessed to dare challenge Yusuke.
Yusuke, maintaining an unperturbed demeanor, inquired with a subtle smile, "I wonder, Elder Chiyo, what form this contest might take?"
No sooner had Yusuke's query left his lips than Chiyo responded with a hearty laugh, "Clan Head Uchiha, you truly live up to your reputation as the strongest ninja in the world; your courage is indeed extraordinary, and you have graciously accepted this old woman's challenge."
Chiyo, a master of manipulation, seized upon Yusuke's mere inquiry regarding the method of the contest as an affirmation of his acceptance. At this point, any attempt by Yusuke to retract his acceptance would undoubtedly result in a significant loss of face for the entire Konoha delegation during their stay in Sunagakure.
With a sigh, Chiyo continued, "However, being but a frail old woman who can barely manage to walk, I am no longer capable of engaging in the vigorous physical combat typically associated with youth. Therefore, I propose that we settle this matter through a contest of puppetry."
The method of contest proposed by Chiyo was precisely her area of greatest expertise: puppetry.
Puppetry was a closely guarded secret of Sunagakure, and only through Sunagakure's unique training methods could ninjas cultivate the requisite mental fortitude to effectively control puppets in battle.
Regardless of whether Yusuke chose to accept the challenge, Sunagakure stood to gain a significant advantage.
If Yusuke declined the challenge, it would serve to undermine his reputation and dampen the morale of the Konoha delegation, enabling Sunagakure to regain the momentum lost due to their defeat and reclaim the upper hand in the upcoming negotiations.
Should Yusuke, however, find himself unable to decline the challenge due to concerns about preserving his reputation, then Sunagakure's objectives would be even more readily achieved.
Upon Yusuke's defeat at the hands of Chiyo, not only would Yusuke be compelled to concede to Chiyo's request, but Sunagakure would also gain a significant advantage in terms of overall morale.
Just as a wave of apprehension washed over the faces of the Konoha delegation, Yusuke broke into a smile, "Since Elder Chiyo desires a contest of puppetry, I, as a guest, shall naturally comply with your wishes.
However, a contest involving a mere single puppet would hardly suffice to showcase Elder Chiyo's exceptional skill in puppetry. Perhaps we could increase the number of puppets involved?"
"How many puppets would you propose for this contest, esteemed guest?" Chiyo inquired.
Yusuke responded with a subtle smile, "How about one hundred puppets?"
Upon hearing Yusuke's proposition, it was now Chiyo and the Sunagakure delegation who were taken aback.
They had anticipated that Yusuke might feel compelled to accept Chiyo's challenge due to the prevailing circumstances, but they had never considered the possibility that Yusuke might proactively escalate the difficulty of the contest.
However, the Sunagakure delegation quickly regained their composure, concluding that Yusuke must have been driven to such a rash decision due to a lack of viable countermeasures.
Little did they know that Yusuke's decision had inadvertently granted Chiyo an even more pronounced advantage.
Even Chiyo, Sunagakure's most accomplished puppeteer, and the defected Sasori, could only simultaneously control a maximum of ten puppets at once.
The limitations of human mental capacity simply did not allow for the simultaneous control of a greater number of puppets. Simultaneously controlling one hundred puppets was entirely unprecedented!
Of course, this was predicated on the Sunagakure delegation's unfamiliarity with Sasori's unique method of puppet control utilizing the "Karakuri no Jutsu" (Mechanism Technique).
"As expected of the master strategist, Ebizo. Experience truly does prevail!"
The Sunagakure council members instinctively cast their gaze towards Ebizo, who remained silent, a subtle smile playing upon his lips.
The ingenious stratagem of challenging Yusuke to a contest of puppetry was the brainchild of Ebizo himself, earning him the complete and unwavering respect of the Sunagakure council. The prospect of even the renowned strongest ninja in the world being outmaneuvered by this unassuming elder filled them with a sense of triumph.
Despite the lingering doubts harbored by the Konoha delegation, none dared to voice any objections.
Firstly, Yusuke's authority had grown to such an extent that he was virtually unchallenged within Konoha, and few possessed the audacity to openly oppose his decisions.
Secondly, their confidence in Yusuke remained unshaken. They had never witnessed Yusuke suffer defeat, and even in this instance, they harbored unwavering faith in their seemingly invincible leader, fully expecting him to have already devised a countermeasure.
Observing Yusuke's audacious proposal, Chiyo's smile widened, a glint of mockery flashing in her eyes. In her estimation, Yusuke had likely been intoxicated by the intoxicating allure of his title as the "strongest ninja," leading him to underestimate the profound intricacies of puppetry.
"This old woman's abilities are somewhat limited; I can only manipulate a maximum of ten puppets at once, which is admittedly somewhat embarrassing. However, if Clan Head Uchiha desires to control one hundred puppets, I have no objections. Given your enthusiasm, esteemed Clan Head, perhaps we should proceed to the arena without further delay?"
Without undue delay, the Sunagakure delegation prepared the necessary one hundred and ten human-shaped, standard-issue puppets, transporting them to Sunagakure's largest arena. The Konoha delegation followed the Sunagakure council to the spectator seating area.
The arena was brilliantly illuminated. Yusuke and Chiyo stood poised at opposite ends of the arena.
Before Chiyo, ten puppets, each adorned with a blue marking on their backs, were arranged in a neat row.
She had eschewed the use of her treasured "Kinshō Jūnin" puppets, opting instead for standard-issue puppets for this contest, ensuring that even if Yusuke were to lose, he would have no grounds for complaint.
Before Yusuke, one hundred puppets, each bearing a red marking on their backs, were arrayed in five rows of twenty, their sheer number densely packing one half of the arena.
While the arena itself was not particularly small, it was not designed for large-scale, chaotic battles; rather, it was intended for one-on-one duels. The presence of such a multitude of puppets within the confines of the arena rendered the space somewhat cramped.
A high-ranking Sunagakure ninja, serving as the referee, took his position in the center of the arena, his gaze sweeping across the array of puppets before Yusuke, a smirk playing upon his lips.
At that very instant, the ninja experienced a sudden, chilling sensation, realizing that Yusuke was staring intently at him, his expression devoid of any emotion.
Although Yusuke's gaze remained placid and unwavering, the ninja felt an inexplicable tightening in his chest, his body seemingly unresponsive, his breathing becoming labored.
As Yusuke shifted his gaze, the ninja experienced an immediate cessation of the oppressive pressure, leaving him drenched in a cold sweat. The smirk had vanished from his face, replaced by an expression of profound awe and fear.
"Unfathomable! This is the aura of the strongest ninja in the world! But surely, in a contest of puppetry, Elder Chiyo stands no chance of defeat, does she?"
At this moment, a premonition of impending doom began to take root in the Sunagakure ninja's mind.
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