Chiyo looked at these young Konoha ninjas, growing angrier by the minute, wishing she could kill them all—but that wasn't realistic.
So she decided to target only the young ones with extraordinary skills.
Just like Konoha, Sunagakure also had battlefield observers who recorded achievements while meticulously documenting intel on noteworthy enemies.
Chiyo had long kept a mental note of the Konoha shinobi who stood out.
No chance to kill Minato Namikaze, yet you can't take out other third-rate scum?
Chiyo immediately went all out.
"White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu Ten Puppets!"
Ten white-clad puppets launched in all directions, cutting down countless Konoha ninjas like wheat being harvested.
Other puppet masters quickly joined in, manipulating their own puppets on the battlefield.
"If Sasori were here to see this, he'd probably feel some relief… but it's too dangerous here. Before killing Konoha's White Fang, I can't let him come into White Fang's sight."
The hatred in Chiyo's heart was somewhat eased as she thought of her six-year-old genius grandson.
Six years old—still a bit young to experience war, though the time was approaching.
Chyo feared her grandson dying at the hands of Konoha's White Fang, so she chose caution, attempting a preemptive strike to eliminate several of Konoha's promising new generation first.
Thus, Kaede Tsukasa was unlucky. He watched helplessly as a white-clad puppet charged toward him, followed by several puppets controlled by other masters, instantly killing the front-line shinobi and tearing open a gap.
"Medical ninjas, fall back! Leave this to us!!"
"Damn it! Why is the enemy leader appearing here?!"
"This is a white secret technique, the pinnacle of Sunagakure puppetry. Everyone attack together—don't let anyone get isolated!"
Immediately, seven or eight Konoha ninjas rushed from all directions. The two at the front were instantly pierced into a sieve by a barrage of ninja tools launched by a Chikamatsu puppet. The next ninja was poisoned by a scratch, and death was only a matter of time.
Three more Konoha ninjas charged, but a white shadow flashed, and they were cut in half at the waist.
And all of this was caused by just one puppet remotely controlled by Chiyo with a single finger. The other nine puppets attacked other directions, displaying the same terrifying efficiency.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Endless ninja tools shot from each of the Ten Puppets, each coated with deadly poison. Too many Konoha ninjas were caught off guard; without a special antidote, they were utterly defeated.
"A lowly genin, and I've caught Chiyo's attention? What an honor."
Kaede Tsukasa drew a deep breath. One wrong move could mean death. He immediately unleashed a scroll, and as white mist rose, two figures appeared before him in a flash of light.
Ding!
The metallic sound rang out. A Rain Hidden jōnin zombie blocked the puppet ahead with a scythe.
This wasn't over. Kaede Tsukasa brought his index and middle fingers together and made a slight motion. The jōnin zombie puppet suddenly spread its hands, extending ten chakra threads that connected to the Rain Hidden jōnin zombie.
In the next second, the Rain Hidden jōnin zombie and the white-clad puppet moved rapidly through the air, exchanging a dozen strikes. Their speed was so incredible that even mid-level ninjas with decent taijutsu could barely follow, only catching glimpses of afterimages and hearing the sharp metallic clash of weapons.
"In that case, my life is slightly more secure." Kaede Tsukasa quickly retreated, maintaining hand signs as if he were truly controlling the zombies.
In reality, it was a disguise.
Unless he forcibly made the zombies perform specific high-level actions—like using jutsu they had never mastered in life, entirely relying on Kaede Tsukasa's control—his chakra expenditure would be immense. Otherwise, he didn't need to worry about the zombies' actions; they attacked enemies instinctively.
At the point when Kaede Tsukasa was nearly out of chakra and had to find opportunities to generate more, he could only issue basic commands: what jutsu to use, which targets to prioritize.
This was the advantage of zombies—they could act independently, weren't true puppets, and could use the jutsu they had learned while alive.
Kaede Tsukasa breathed a sigh of relief at saving his own life, but those around him were stunned, hardly believing their eyes.
"Th-Those two people summoned by the medical ninja… they can actually fight a Chikamatsu Ten Puppets?"
"So many comrades died in an instant! And yet he can stand against a single puppet?"
"Dead Soul Technique? This really is Dead Soul Technique? This jutsu has such immense potential… and can be used like this on corpses? Controlling one corpse to manipulate another with chakra threads???"
"But the two corpses he summoned… one of them feels like a puppet master. This way of using chakra threads is no different from Sunagakure puppet masters. Dead Soul Technique can even let a corpse wield the power it had in life??"
Anyone who had fought Sunagakure puppeteers was shocked by the chakra threads extended by the zombie puppets, their worldview shaken, their minds roaring.
Corpses… can be used like this? Dead Soul Technique can reach such a level?
This really is Dead Soul Technique?!
As for where these two corpses came from… as long as they weren't from allies, it didn't matter. If they could block even one of Chiyo's puppets, that was already the best-case scenario, meaning many lives could be saved.
Chiyo noticed this as well, her expression one of shock.
Several Sunagakure puppeteers attempted to destroy the two zombies with their own puppets, but the surrounding Konoha ninjas wouldn't stand by—they rushed into the chaos, leaving this part of the battlefield in a stalemate.
More and more Konoha ninjas realized what was happening. The jōnin led the response against the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, but compared to the developments on Kaede Tsukasa's side, the visual impact was less dramatic.
All of this happened in just a few dozen seconds.
"That little brat over there… seems to be using corpses from our village against us. Truly vile!"
Chiyo's face filled with anger. She hated anything in Konoha that stood out. The more she hated it, the more she wanted to destroy every opportunity she could.
Yet this method of controlling corpses—allowing them to exhibit part of their living strength—resembled the absolute forbidden jutsu of Sunagakure puppeteers: human puppets!
Chiyo didn't believe it. A kid of Kaede Tsukasa's age, with such skill in puppetry, and Konoha didn't even have ninja specializing in puppets.
"This person must be taken down, preferably alive. I want to interrogate him and find out exactly what jutsu he's using!"
Chiyo's eyes flashed with murderous light. The other Chikamatsu Ten Puppets began moving, dazzling the eye, while puppets controlled by other masters hurled a barrage of ninja tools, disrupting the Konoha ninjas' actions.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"These tools are poisoned! Use jutsu to defend yourselves—don't get hurt!"
Once again, chaos erupted.
A skilled puppeteer usually prepares a dedicated puppet for launching ninja tools, firing at an incredible frequency—extremely difficult to deal with.
Kaede Tsukasa swallowed a soldier pill, stimulating his body. The sharp pain exploded through his veins, restoring some chakra.
He glanced casually at the many corpses on the ground. Their eyes, a mix of desperation and fear, now overlapped with the cloudy pupils of the zombies. Perhaps in this enormous grave of war, the boundary between the living and the dead was always blurred.
If given a choice, he certainly didn't want to become one of the dead.
"Die, brat! All Konoha people deserve death!"
A Chikamatsu puppet pierced a zombie's chest with a sharp sword, then, using the momentum, rammed the zombie into another, finally skewering the two zombies together.
Of course, this couldn't truly kill the zombies. The implanted toxins were laughably weak—at most they could damage some neural structures. Unless the brain was destroyed directly, a corpse that was already dead couldn't die again.
Still, the two zombies finally couldn't withstand it. High-intensity chakra consumption and the overstrain on their decayed bodies caused them to be shredded under the assault of the puppets.
The stench of rotting flesh filled the air, but it bought Kaede Tsukasa two seconds of escape. While retreating, he summoned another zombie, which self-destructed the moment the Chikamatsu puppet approached.
All of these maneuvers were executed in an incredibly short time, leaving Chiyo unable to anticipate them. That brief delay was enough for Kaede Tsukasa to turn the tide.
Whoosh!
A blade flashed, cutting the approaching Chikamatsu puppet in half.
"Good work."
Sakumo Hatake appeared before Kaede Tsukasa, his voice unusually gentle. "That old woman always likes to use such crude, underhanded methods. You did very well. You've changed my view of Dead Soul Technique. The next part is up to me."